CHAPTER 181: CHAPTER 181 TRAGEDY

Su Jin’s face was lined with frustration.

This is practically a divine lock.

Every time you lock the door, you have to dismantle it.

It’s affordable to buy but impossible to use.

Su Jin shook her head with amusement; she was truly exhausted and had no energy for nonsense.

Su Jin turned around and headed to the study.

Xingxing handed the key to the maid and said, "Try again, if it still doesn’t work, call someone to dismantle the courtyard door."

The little maid, "...."

Outside the Agarwood Pavilion’s wall.

Two little maids carried two ladders over.

Xie Jinyu crossed her arms, a confident gleam in her eyes.

The courtyard gate might be locked, but the wall wasn’t. If the gate’s inaccessible, she could climb over the wall!

She’d suspected something fishy in the backyard before, and seeing the locked gate only confirmed it!

Why lock the gate if they weren’t hiding something unspeakable, especially when the maid was watching?

She was determined to find evidence of them poisoning the Old Madam in the backyard!

The little maid went up and said, "Good miss, there are words written on the wall here."

Bold characters stood out on the wall:

Only climb the wall from here.

A charcoal-drawn boundary, about the width of stretched arms.

"Who wrote this?" asked Xie Jinxiu.

The little maid shook her head.

Didn’t know who wrote it.

They certainly hadn’t.

"Should we go in from here?" the little maid asked.

Xie Jinyu glared at the little maid, "Someone tells you to go in here, and you just do it? Are you dumb?!"

The little maid shrank back under her glare.

She felt a bit silly herself.

She moved the ladder to the side, felt it was too close, and moved it again further.

The little maid steadied the ladder, shook it, found it stable, and then climbed up.

At the wall’s edge, the other little maid handed her the ladder.

The little maid used all her strength to flip the ladder over the wall and steadied it.

The little maid climbed down the ladder.

"Why are you coming down? Go inside," said the little maid standing on the ground.

The little maid shook her head repeatedly.

The other side of the wall belonged to the Eldest Young Madam; she didn’t dare go in.

Knowing what she said would anger Xie Jinyu, the little maid could only speak indirectly.

"To fetch a kite, sending one person is enough. Even if the Eldest Young Madam finds out, we can make excuses," the little maid said.

Xie Jinyu was quick-tempered; she dared not go, yet found a lame excuse!

"Move aside!"

She pulled the maid away and climbed up the ladder.

Xie Jinhuan helped hold the ladder and said, "Big sister, be careful."

Xie Jinyu climbed up the ladder, reaching the top, and saw a field of cacti below.

Only where the words were written were there no cacti planted.

Xie Jinyu, "...."

The writing, it was done by the female bandit!

Wasn’t she thinking straight? It’s written on the wall, yet the cacti are still planted?!

Seeing her stationary atop the wall, Xie Jinxiu urged, "Big sister, if you’re afraid, just come down. Standing there makes me anxious."

Xie Jinyu gritted her teeth.

What was she afraid of?

It’s just some cacti!

She climbed down the ladder.

She simply avoided stepping on the cacti!

Xie Jinyu pretended to be brave but was actually quite nervous, but having scolded the maid as foolish earlier, she couldn’t bring herself to back down.

Carefully, she climbed over the wall and down the ladder.

Inside the study.

Xie Jingchen was sipping tea when Su Jin opened the door and entered.

Xie Jingchen raised an eyebrow and said, "Weren’t you going to rest in the backyard?"

"The courtyard gate’s locked and won’t open," Su Jin replied.

With that, she went directly out through the side door.

Xingxing followed closely behind.

Xie Jingchen looked towards the Hidden Guard, "When was the gate locked?"

The Hidden Guard, exasperated, said, "It’s the maid who locked it, with a lock the Eldest Young Madam bought at great cost, and even the key won’t open it."

A lock costing two taels of silver, it was indeed costly.

Xie Jingchen, "...."

He raised a hand to his forehead.

This master-servant duo operates differently, and even their locks are unique.

Entering the backyard through the side gate and walking a bit, Xingxing saw a kite on the ground.

"The good young miss’s kite really did fall into the backyard," Xingxing said.

She ran over, picked it up, and said, "It’s quite pretty."

A scream!

Xingxing shuddered.

Such a tragic cry.

And somewhat familiar.

"It sounds like the good young miss’s voice?" Xingxing curiously said.

"Quick, go check," Su Jin also recognized it.

Su Jin quickly walked ahead.

Xingxing followed behind with the kite.

In the distance, they saw Xie Jinyu lying on the ground, surrounded by cacti.

Even her beautiful face was punctured by cactus spines, really bringing tears to her eyes.

Su Jin, "...."

Xingxing, "...."

"My poor cactus," Xingxing muttered under her breath.

"...."

No matter how softly, Su Jin was close enough to hear clearly.

Xie Jinyu had such a nasty fall, and she was concerned about the cacti.

Those cacti really were unfortunate.

Their roots hadn’t even properly grown before Xie Jinyu flattened them.

Outside the wall, Xie Jinxiu and the others heard Xie Jinyu’s cry and were worried.

"Big sister, are you alright?" Xie Jinhuan called out.

"Good miss is in trouble; you need to call an Imperial Physician," Xingxing shouted at the courtyard wall.

"...."

Xie Jinhuan stumbled over her words.

"Whose voice is that?" Xie Jinxiu’s voice trembled.

The little maid replied in fear, "It’s the Eldest Young Madam’s maid."

Xie Jinhuan, "...."

How unlucky, having finally climbed in only to be caught by the sister-in-law; they’d gone through so much trouble for nothing.

"Do we need an Imperial Physician, is she badly hurt?" Xie Jinhuan asked worriedly.

"Shouldn’t be that bad, the wall’s not that high," Xie Jinxiu replied.

Inside the courtyard.

Su Jin wiped the frustration off her forehead and said, "Quick, help her up."

Xie Jinyu felt like she wanted to die.

She couldn’t move.

Every movement felt like being pricked by needles.

No!

It was the cactus spines’ pain!

As Su Jin and Xingxing moved closer, each held one of her arms and lifted her.

Su Jin genuinely intended to help her up; she didn’t think Xie Jinyu was up to no good in the backyard, especially since the kite did fall there.

Moreover, seeing her in such a sorry state, even if she were detestable, she was pitiful now.

But pitiful people often have something aggravating about them.

Xie Jinyu, having fallen so badly, still didn’t forget to cause trouble, wanting Su Jin and Xingxing to share in her misfortune.

She gripped Su Jin and Xingxing’s hands tightly, intending to pull Su Jin into the cacti as she got up.

The result—

She overestimated her strength and underestimated Xingxing, who had no problem finishing off eight meat buns per meal.

Not only did she fail, but she also annoyed Xingxing.

Xingxing let go.

Xie Jinyu fell—

A new round of screams pierced the skies.

That piercing cry scared the little maid climbing the ladder into a shiver.

The little maid clung tightly to the ladder, climbing up.

Standing on the ladder, she looked down, her face turning white with fear.

"Quick! Get the good young miss an Imperial Physician!" the little maid’s voice quivered into fragments.

"What happened, tell us first!" Xie Jinxiu urged.

"The, the good young miss fell into the cactus pile!"

"...."