When he heard the two reply with "eight parts out of ten," he directly closed his eyes. To say that his eldest granddaughter had not changed in the recent period would be a lie. But Old Master Yao had always believed it was because she was infatuated with the Crown Prince. Not only did he not suspect anything, but he also pitied her. Such a significant change in a person showed how deeply she loved someone, making him try his best to fulfill her wishes.
Now, hearing their guess that his granddaughter might no longer be alive, and had died a tragic death, he was heartbroken. After a brief period of dejection, he rallied his spirits, determined to uncover the truth. If the culprit was indeed the one who had caused his granddaughter's death, he would ensure they received their just punishment.
Yao Feiyan, upon learning that her grandfather had summoned her, came skipping along. Her life in the Yao family recently made her feel like a pampered young lady. Master Mu also doted on her, but it was because she held value. The elderly couple of the Yao family, however, loved her purely. She often fantasized about how wonderful it would be if she were the real Miss Yao.
She approached the study door of Old Master Yao, feeling a bit perplexed. In the past, as soon as he knew she was coming, he would greet her from afar. She had never seen his study door closed before. A strange feeling flickered in her heart, but she didn't dwell on it.
Seeing that the maid who had summoned her had already left and she was alone, she had no choice but to reach out and open the study door. Before she could even look into the room, her vision turned red.
She quickly reached up and wiped her face. Staring at her hands, covered in blood, she froze. Old Master Yao sat at the head of the room, calmly observing her reaction.
The scene in the room gave her a sudden bad premonition. She quickly asked, "Whose blood is this?"
"Dog's blood," Wu Caiwei kindly enlightened her.
"Ah!" Her suspicion was confirmed. Mu Fei let out a cry and immediately used her sleeve to wipe the blood from her face. She then turned to flee, but Old Master Yao had already given instructions. Unbeknownst to her, several guards had arrived, holding gleaming swords. Mu Fei involuntarily stopped in her tracks.
There was no need for further investigation. Looking at her reaction, Old Master Yao knew their suspicions were true. Tears involuntarily fell. The thought of his pitiable granddaughter pierced his heart like a knife.
When Mu Fei was brought before Old Master Yao under escort, she knew it was over. She glared at Wu Caiwei with a look of hatred.
"Where is my granddaughter?" Old Master Yao looked at her with heartache, wishing desperately that the person before him was his real granddaughter. Then she would be alive and well, and even if she had been a cause for concern lately, at least he would know she was safe and healthy.
Seeing his pained expression, Mu Fei also shed tears. At this moment, she envied Yao Feiyan. Although she had died tragically, she had a family who genuinely cared for her.
Seeing that she would not confess the truth without seeing the consequences, Old Master Yao immediately ordered her to be taken away for torture. Although Mu Fei's life had not been smooth sailing recently, she had not endured much hardship. She couldn't bear such pain. Before long, she revealed everything clearly.
It turned out that when she had asked Qiu Bai back then, Qiu Bai had thought of this method. But it was she who decided whose identity to live in this world. At the time, she chose Yao Feiyan without hesitation. The reason was that she had seen her once at a banquet. At that time, she was the center of attention, and everyone envied her talent and distinguished family background. She had also coveted her beauty back then. Thinking that if she could live in this world with her identity, wouldn't she be one step closer to her past dreams?
To this day, she still remembered Yao Feiyan's frightened eyes and her despairing unwillingness to yield.
The Empress, upon hearing about this, was also shocked. Looking at Old Master Yao, who was weeping and asking for justice, her heart ached. She never expected that the woman she had been trying to matchmake, and even wanted to bestow upon the Crown Prince, was her own niece's wife.
The thought of how she had almost made a laughable mistake filled her with resentment. She glared at Mu Fei, thinking this woman was too restless. She was already married to her nephew, and couldn't the Xu family provide for her? She actually wanted to become the Crown Prince's woman. Anger flared within her.
Xu Minghui and Master Mu also rushed over in a frenzy. If they could, they truly wanted to strangle her.
No one was willing to speak up for her. In the end, the Empress handed her over to Old Master Yao for him to handle. She believed that Old Master Yao, in order to avenge his granddaughter, would surely make her suffer. Of course, to prevent Qiu Bai from rescuing her, the Empress directly ordered the imperial forces to strike him a fatal blow.
In the following nights, the servants of the Yao family could hear screams emanating from the mansion. The sounds were extremely horrific. Everyone who heard them covered their heads and trembled, no longer daring to wander around freely at night.
A few days later, fighting sounds were often heard in the mansion in the middle of the night. Although the people brought by Qiu Bai were highly skilled in martial arts, the Yao family had long been prepared. They set up various mechanisms and traps for them. Qiu Bai personally led his men to rescue her, but not only did he fail to rescue her, he also lost many of his brothers. Many were dissatisfied with him for causing such a commotion over a woman, which harmed their business interests and cost many lives. In anger, they left.
Qiu Bai was already struggling, barely holding on. But a few days later, he discovered that another wave of pursuers had joined, and this time they were even more fierce. Upon a brief inquiry, he learned that the Empress wanted to avenge her nephew. This confused him. He had indeed caused Miss Yao's death, but he had not harmed Xu Minghui at all.
At this moment, Xu Minghui lay on his bed, barely breathing. The imperial physician packed up his medical kit and shook his head.
The Empress's tears had long since dried up. For many days, she had changed imperial physicians and even sought out skilled doctors from the populace. Unfortunately, no one could detoxify him.
She dispatched many personnel, determined to capture Qiu Bai. Only by capturing him could her nephew have a chance to survive. Unfortunately, Qiu Bai's martial arts were too formidable and he was too cunning. In the end, she achieved nothing and could only watch as the poison entered his heart. For so many years, she had treated her nephew as her own son. The thought that no one would affectionately call her "Auntie" anymore pierced her heart. At this moment, she finally understood Old Master Yao's feelings.
Qiu Bai clutched the area over his chest and stumbled into a dense forest on the outskirts. Suddenly, he stopped, looked up, and saw Wu Caiwei's figure.
"You've come to take my life, haven't you? If I'm not mistaken, Xu Minghui was killed by you, so you don't want me to speak any further, and you can't expose you," Qiu Bai said with a bitter smile. He hadn't expected that after being shrewd his entire life, he would ultimately fall victim to a woman.
"You know too much." As she spoke, Wu Caiwei appeared before him. Before he could react, her sword plunged into his heart.