Соncubine Wаn mеrеlу сounted the bеаds of her Вuddhist rosarу, sауing nоthing. А fliсker of сoncern passed thrоugh Zhuаng Qin's eуes, but in thе еnd, shе lоwerеd hеr hеаd.
Тhe kiсked-opеn innеr roоm was filled with a fаint scent оf blood. Тhоugh it hаd bееn mаskеd with incensе, а traсе оr two still lingеred.
Тhе moment Маdam Zhоu caught the sсent, she was сеrtаin Hаn Yan was involvеd with thе аssassin. Instаntlу, shе shriеkеd, "Fоurth Miss, аrе yоu all right?"
Вut the sky wаs still dark, аnd withоut аny lаmрs lit insidе, thе room was рitch black, making it impоssible to seе anything. Zhuаngshan quiсklу ordеred her maid to light a lamp. As the light appeared, everything in the room became visible to everyone present.
On the cold floor, Han Yan sat slumped beside the bed, wearing a plain white inner jacket and a pale blue outer robe. Her face was as pale as paper, and her hair was slightly disheveled.
"Oh!" Zhuangshan exclaimed, "Fourth Sister, what happened?"
Hearing her voice, Han Yan seemed to rouse herself. She glanced weakly at Zhuangshan and shook her head. Ji Lan hurriedly helped her back onto the bed.
The soldiers searched the room thoroughly but found nothing. Madam Zhou, unwilling to give up, looked at Han Yan with concern and asked, "Fourth Miss, has anyone entered this room?"
Zhuang Hanming shot Madam Zhou a glare. Her words made it sound as if Han Yan had hidden someone in her room. If such rumors spread outside, who knew how ugly the talk would become.
Han Yan shook her head.
But Madam Da Zhou pointed at a bloodstain by the foot of the bed and cried out loudly, "Why is there blood here?"
The soldiers, already suspicious of Han Yan's unusual behavior, had been disappointed to find no trace of the assassin upon entering. Hearing Madam Da Zhou's words, they immediately gathered around. Seeing the fresh bloodstain by the foot of the bed, which even appeared not yet fully dried, their gazes turned sharp as they looked at Han Yan. "We hope Fourth Miss Zhuang can give us an explanation."
Han Yan merely waved her hand weakly, as if too exhausted to speak.
Zhuangshan seemed to have a sudden realization. "Could it be that Fourth Sister fought with that person just now, and now they've escaped..."
The idea of a woman fighting an assassin in the middle of the night was bound to invite speculation. Zhuang Hanming was furious. "Be quiet!" He walked over to Han Yan, wanting to comfort her but unsure what to say. Though he also wanted to know what had happened, he feared it might truly be as Zhuangshan suggested, which would only hurt Han Yan more.
As the standoff continued, Shu Hong hurried in carrying a bowl of medicine, saying as she walked, "It's finally ready." Ji Lan took the medicine bowl from Shu Hong's hands, brought it to Han Yan's lips, and fed it to her.
"What medicine is this?" Zhuang Hanming had never seen Han Yan take such medicine before and asked with some confusion.
Shu Hong replied, "Young Master, the young lady is usually weak, so the physician prescribed a tonic to replenish her energy and nourish her blood. She normally drinks a bowl every morning after waking up. If she doesn't, she becomes dizzy. Today, the officers arrived too suddenly, and we hadn't had time to prepare the medicine. I suppose the young lady had an episode, which is why she was so weak, unable to answer questions, and even collapsed to the floor."
With these words, she clearly explained why Han Yan had been sitting on the floor and why she had delayed opening the door. It was because Han Yan hadn't taken her medicine this morning, leading to an episode that left her too weak to answer Madam Zhou's questions.Madam Zhou, however, remained unconvinced. She looked at Han Yan and asked, "Then where did this bloodstain come from? It couldn't have appeared out of nowhere, could it?"
Faced with such aggressive questioning and the suspicious gazes of the soldiers, Han Yan finished the medicine Ji Lan had fed her. Her complexion had regained some color, and after resting for a while, she finally had the strength to respond. "I truly apologize to the officers," she said. "Just now, I wanted to get up and open the door, but as soon as I stepped out of bed, I felt dizzy and lost consciousness. I really don't know what happened. Later, when my aunt came in, I didn't even have the strength to speak."
She glanced at the bloodstain and smiled, appearing rather embarrassed. "A few days ago, the maids caught a thrush from outside. It was clever and adorable, and I liked it very much." Zhuangshan interjected, "What does that have to do with anything, Fourth Sister? Are you trying to change the subject? What we're puzzled about now is why there's a bloodstain here."
Han Yan turned to Zhuangshan, noticing her smug expression, as if she were certain Han Yan couldn't cover up the truth. Han Yan smiled leisurely. "That's exactly what I was about to explain." She looked at the head soldier. "I was being playful and accidentally let the thrush escape. The bird flew around the room, and as I chased after it, I tripped and fell, injuring my hand. It bled at the time."
Madam Da Zhou stepped forward. "But this bloodstain is clearly fresh. Yan'er, you were injured a few days ago. Why hasn't the blood dried yet?"
The soldier also caught the implication in the words of the Zhou sisters, his gaze growing increasingly oppressive. Han Yan continued to smile lightly and calmly. "You're right, the wound did heal. But today, when I got up, I felt dizzy and fell again, tearing open the old wound."
Before the soldier could speak, Zhuangshan chimed in, "Fourth Sister, could you show us the wound?"
Han Yan smiled without answering.
Just as the matter seemed about to be resolved, Zhuangshan refused to let it go. Zhuang Hanming was furious. He glared at her and said, "Why should she show you?" This was clearly a lack of trust in Han Yan's words, forcing her to provide evidence. To push someone to such an extent—Zhuangshan was truly despicable!
Madam Da Zhou smiled and said, "Yan'er, there's no need to be nervous. It's not that Yu'er doubts your words, but the matter of an assassin in the manor is no trivial affair. We truly cannot afford to be careless. Besides," she looked at Han Yan, her expression inscrutable, "if you really are injured, wouldn't it be better for the master to call a physician to examine you?"
Hearing this, the soldier also said, "Miss Zhuang, please allow us to see the wound."
Han Yan neither agreed nor disagreed. She simply smiled at Madam Da Zhou, her smile unsettling everyone present. Only then did she slowly speak. "Aunt, you are mistaken. It's not 'if' I am injured, but I truly am injured. It's just that when I was injured, Father and Aunt were unaware." Her tone carried a hint of sarcasm. "Speaking of which, I really should thank this assassin. Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to call a physician for this wound and would have had to let it heal on its own."
This implied that the Zhou sisters were putting on an act while also highlighting Han Yan's lowly status in the Zhuang household. Even when injured, no one paid attention to her. It was only when an assassin appeared that she was forced to reveal her wound.
"Fourth Sister can say whatever she wants now," Zhuangshan's smile turned somewhat sinister. "But you must show us the wound."
"The wound?" Han Yan smiled. "Is it absolutely necessary to see my wound today?"Madam Zhou's smile carried an unyielding ruthlessness: "Fourth Miss, this is for the good of the manor."
They were all certain that Han Yan had no wounds, that all her words were merely excuses to cover up. As long as Han Yan bore no injuries, everything she had just said would be exposed as lies, leaving her unable to explain the origin of the bloodstains—thus implicating her in harboring an assassin. This time, not even the emperor could save her!
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