Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 1362 - 1369: Jealousy (2)

Chapter 1362: Chapter 1369: Jealousy (2)

Her strangeness was quickly noticed by Situ Changge, and it was only then that he realized his earlier actions were a bit inappropriate. Embarrassed, he hurriedly brought up the most popular topic in the capital city, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere between the two.

"The legitimate daughter of the Great General’s Mansion passed away a few days ago. Has Miss Xiang Yun heard about this?"

"Li Ruizhu is dead?"

This topic indeed piqued Xiang Yun’s curiosity. These past days, she stayed mostly inside her home, venturing out only to pay respects to her elders daily. The rest of her time she spent in her own room. She hadn’t heard about Li Ruizhu’s death.

"She was perfectly fine, how did she just die?"

Situ Changge said, "It is said that a maid skilled in poisoning by her side poisoned her to death. However, that maid fled afterward and has not been captured yet!"

The poison-using maid he mentioned was Luo Xue, who had been sent by Nangong Yi to wait upon Li Ruizhu. As a result of Luo Xue’s doing, Li Ruizhu was infected with the Lice Gu. Although the Gu poison had been cured, her entire body was now covered with dense and tiny pockmarks. These light pink marks were scabs left from where the blisters dried up during the poisoning. The Imperial Physician stated that these deep marks would take four or five years to heal smoothly.

Li Ruizhu was originally a woman of flower-like appearance and moon-like looks, admired among all the noble women and daughters in the Capital. But these creepy scars turned her into a repulsive toad. How could she not harbor hatred in her heart?

Therefore, Luo Xue became her personal venting tool. Ever since the day she was given Luo Xue, there wasn’t a day without adding fresh wounds to her body.

Everyone thought it was Luo Xue who couldn’t withstand her mistreatment and committed murder in a fit of rage. In fact, the real murderers were a bird and a monkey. They managed to forge evidence afterward, setting up others to take the fall.

Although Luo Xue was wronged, she knew nobody would believe her. Therefore, taking advantage of the chaos following Li Ruizhu’s immediate death, she quietly slipped away from the Great General’s Mansion, and her whereabouts remain unknown.

The bird and the monkey, after successfully killing Li Ruizhu, pressed on relentlessly. They went to Miaojiang to look for an opportunity to take care of Princess Tuotuo and are currently planning another trip to Xianbei, aiming to eliminate the last bad guy plotting against their master—Helan Qing. But that’s a story for another time.

Returning to Xiang Yun, after hearing from Situ Changge that Li Ruizhu was poisoned by her own maid, she couldn’t help but pat her chest and gasp, "How terrifying! It seems one must always be vigilant around those close to oneself!"

Situ Changge said with implied meaning, "Exactly, the so-called heart to harm others must not be harbored, but one must not be without the heart to guard against others. It’s always right to be extra vigilant!"

The vigilance he spoke of referred to the servants around her who had been bought out by Mo Zili, constantly feeding Mo Zili information about her. He had planned to deal with these people for her, but since she was a person who valued loyalty and friendship, she always treated those around her like family. Take Nanny Xie for example; she was merely a nanny, yet this silly girl treated her like her own mother. He had witnessed how deeply Nanny Xie’s death affected her.

So, he dared not touch those two maids, not wanting to upset her.

Fortunately, those two girls hadn’t done anything excessive. Otherwise, even if she would be heartbroken, he would have been merciless!

After talking for a while, the awkwardness between the two eased considerably, and Xiang Yun took the opportunity to start eating.

Really, this thing called hotpot is truly delicious: tender lamb rolls, bright green cabbage, evenly sliced potatoes, sweet potato slices, and various small dishes. Dipped in the special seasoning and taken in one bite, the aftertaste lingers.

In this cold winter season, sitting by a bubbling hotpot with close friends and family, ardently enjoying a meal together is indeed a great pleasure.