CHAPTER 367: CHAPTER 367: SUSPICION

"Ah!"

Ms. Bao’s children screamed in horror, wanting to rush over to embrace her, but fear rendered them so weak that they couldn’t even get up, leaving them no choice but to sit on the ground and wail.

Everyone in the courtyard was shocked by Ms. Bao’s act. By the time Zou Jiang reacted and rushed over to check on her, Ms. Bao was already dead.

Ms. Bao died with eyes wide open, glaring at Zou Yuqian and nearly driving him insane: "Xian Niang... Xian Niang..."

Ms. Bao was of a fierce nature. Being brought to Huilan Courtyard by the Protector today, she felt an immense shame, and upon learning that her husband of many years had slept with her own mother, she was utterly disgusted. Unable to bear the situation any longer, she chose to end her life by crashing into a pillar.

At this moment, there were already three corpses lying in Huilan Courtyard: Mo Qiuyue’s, Zhong Cuilan’s, and Ms. Bao’s.

Seeing the situation getting out of hand and fearing more deaths, Zou Jiang hastily shouted to Master Cao, "Quickly, take the Old Master away, send him to Lianshan."

Master Cao was also frightened and immediately ordered the Protector to seize Zou Yuqian, who was quickly bound.

Mrs. Zou began to cry out again, "No, no, you can’t send the eldest to the manor at Lianshan."

Zou Jiang roared, "Madam, the Old Master has done wrong and must be punished. By obstructing this way, do you intend to go to Lianshan along with the Old Master?"

While on their way to Huilan Courtyard, he had already reminded Mrs. Zou to "sacrifice the arm to save the body," yet Mrs. Zou still couldn’t bear to part with the Old Master. Did she want to die along with him?

Upon hearing Zou Jiang’s words, Zou Yunkun hastily grabbed Mrs. Zou, pleading in a low voice, "Mother, mother, please, stop harming us, will you?"

He certainly didn’t wish to die along with the eldest.

When Zou Yunkun spoke up, the County Magistrate finally remembered him and pointed at him, "Take this beast to Lianshan Manor as well."

Master Cao had said that Zou Yunkun was also at the residence in Lianxiang Lane, and the second brother had always been reckless. The County Magistrate simply did not believe that he hadn’t laid hands on those maids.

Now three of those maids had become his concubine maids. His two sons had cuckolded him.

Zou Yunkun turned pale and cried out, "Father, father, your son was only momentarily foolish, please spare your son."

After all, none of those maids were pregnant. He had not sired a child out of wedlock like the Old Master had.

Hearing this, even if Zou Jiang wanted to save Zou Yunkun, he couldn’t. To preserve the legitimate heirs of the Zou family, he quickly shouted to the Protectors, "Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear the Old Master’s order? Take the Old Master and the Second Young Master to Lianshan Manor right away."

The Protectors proceeded to bind Zou Yunkun.

As for Mrs. Zou and her grandchildren, they were not sent to Lianshan Manor.

Zou Jiang said, "Elder Zou, if we send the entire household of the madam to Lianshan Manor, we won’t be able to keep this under wraps. The madam and the young masters and young misses must stay in the prefecture."

The County Magistrate did not want outsiders to know he had been cuckolded by his own sons, so he agreed, "Lock them in their own courtyard. Without my orders, no one is allowed to leave or enter. Just deliver their meals on time."

However...

The County Magistrate looked at the Protector who had overheard the Old Master and Zhong Cuilan, and said to Zou Jiang, "You know what to do."

This Protector clearly knew about the Old Master and Zhong Cuilan but kept it to himself. He deserved to die.

"Yes, Elder Zou, rest assured, this Protector, along with Doctor Wen and the two midwives, will be taken care of," Zou Jiang was an old hand at these matters and knew how to silence them.

By now, it was already dark. County Magistrate Zou, after a day of turmoil and overwhelming shock, simply couldn’t hold up any longer. After giving instructions to Zou Jiang, he collapsed and allowed Master Cao to help him back to the front courtyard to rest.

But before County Magistrate Zou left, his eyes, serpentine, fixed on Concubine Lu for a moment, startling her into a shiver.

The old man still suspects her!

After County Magistrate Zou departed, Concubine Lu was able to return to her own Haitang Courtyard.

Once back in her room, Concubine Lu called Mrs. Han over and recounted Zhong Cuilan’s last words and the fact that County Magistrate Zou suspected her.

"Mrs. Han, what do we do now?" Concubine Lu was truly panicked. Only today had she realized how callously cruel Elder Zou was, to the point of being willing to take even his own son’s life.

...If the things she had done were discovered by the old man, would she, her three children, and the Lu Family have any chance of survival?

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Han’s heart was also chilled: "What a tough character Zhong Cuilan has turned out to be. Initially thought she was just somewhat clever, but I didn’t expect her to be this ruthless."

With Zhong Cuilan’s words out there, it was as if they were being roasted on the flames, compelled to live every moment under the investigative watch of County Magistrate Zou.

However...

"The concubine need not worry, the old master won’t find out anything."

So many years had passed, they had already cleaned up all traces meticulously.

Moreover, the drug originated from the secret recipes of Linglong Painting Boat and the Linglong Painting Boat had vanished forty years ago. Where could County Magistrate Zou even start his investigation?

"Just remember, concubine, to be more careful with your conduct lately, that’s all. Leave the rest alone. Let the old master investigate if he wishes. Once he finds nothing, this matter will eventually pass."

Although they had been stabbed by Zhong Cuilan, no matter what, they were the ones who had won today. Once they get through this period, Zou Mansion would belong to the Third Young Master. There would be no need to do anything more. As we know, the more you do, the more mistakes you make.

As for County Magistrate Zou seeking a doctor to examine him for poison, heh, if the doctor could actually diagnose it, it wouldn’t be called a secret drug.

...

Indeed, after County Magistrate Zou had a rest, he immediately had someone go to the capital of He’an Prefecture and invited the renowned doctors from there. He enquired indirectly, "Is there poison within my body that may impede my ability to sire offspring?"

County Magistrate Zou dared not invite a doctor from the county, fearing that if he did, his infertility might not be kept a secret.

The famous doctors of the Prefecture came one after another, but their conclusions were all the same: "My lord only has some reversal of qi and blood, a few symptoms common in the elderly. There are no toxins in your body. As for having offspring, well, as age increases, one simply cannot compare to younger times. It is normal for the harem to not have had children for many years."

County Magistrate Zou nearly spat blood upon hearing this. These doctors were implying he had become old and incapable of impregnating a woman!

Unconvinced, County Magistrate Zou then sent Protector to ride swiftly to Linhe Prefecture to invite several more famous doctors. Fortunately, this time the physicians offered a different conclusion: "There are indeed some potent secret drugs in Jiangnan that can’t be detected even if they have been used to poison someone. My lord might have been afflicted by such a secret drug."

County Magistrate Zou would rather believe that he was poisoned by someone than to admit his own decline with age. Upon hearing the doctor’s words, he immediately believed them and ordered both Zou Jiang and Steward Shao to investigate this matter.

The reason for involving Steward Shao was twofold: firstly, because Steward Shao was his confidant, and secondly, because he no longer trusted Zou Jiang and feared that Zou Jiang would deceive him.

While County Magistrate Zou was investigating whether he had been administered an infertility drug, far in Sanshan Village of Qingfu Town, the Zhong family had already learned of Zhong Cuilan’s death.

The midwife who brought the news to the Zhong family said: "Mrs. Zhong had an accidental fall leading to a miscarriage, and she didn’t survive the hemorrhage, passing away along with the young master."