Seeing the other party turn around, Shen Mingjiao didn't have time to think. She quickly grabbed a handful of soil and wiped it all over her face.
She lowered her head and pretended to be awkward and timid. She walked forward in a daze. "Ma… Madam…"
Since she had already been discovered, it would be more suspicious if she tried to escape.
Madam Lian frowned at the dirt on her face. "Look up."
Shen Mingjiao looked up blankly.
At this moment, she regretted not listening to Feng Lisheng's advice to disguise herself as a poor, sallow and thin woman. She only put on a disguise for her lips and eyes so at first glance, she still looked like a pretty girl from a humble family.
Madam Lian stared at the fair and smooth skin of the woman in front of her and tightened her grip on the golden hairpin.
Why was a lowly servant better-looking than her?!
"Which courtyard are you from? Are you willing to work in my courtyard?"
Shen Mingjiao lowered her eyes and stuttered, "Madam… I do chores in the kitchen. I… I have to go back and ask my husband…"
People like this who feel inferior and paranoid, tend to be more agitated if you reject them.
As expected, Madam Lian lost interest when she saw her useless appearance.
However… Madam Lian felt that she was such an eyesore when she looked at her beautiful face that could not be concealed even with dirt.
Shen Mingjiao met Madam Lian's gaze.
Her eyes were as deep as a lake, and there seemed to be a vortex surging in there that could suck people in.
She shivered at the thought of the maid. She tried to look away, but she couldn't control her eyes.
A chill rose from the bottom of her feet, and her fingers crept to her waist.
Feng Lisheng had given her a small whistling arrow before she came in case of any issues. As long as she threw it out, Feng Lisheng's guards hidden in the Zhao Residence would hear it immediately.
Just as she was about to throw the whistling arrow, Madam Lian retracted her gaze and covered her forehead in pain. Then, she waved at her. "Leave!"
Shen Mingjiao heaved a sigh of relief. For some reason, when Madam Lian looked over just now, she instinctively felt danger.
She took one last look at the maidservant, whose face was covered in blood, but whose eyes were empty. She felt that it was extremely strange.
Madam Lian stared deeply at her departing figure and said to the servant beside her,
"Find out about this woman."
…
Shen Mingjiao walked to a secluded place, pulled out a whistling arrow, and threw it into the air.
Not long after, a smart-looking young man leaped over nimbly.
"Princess Consort, what happened?"
Shen Mingjiao told him everything and instructed the young man, "Follow that servant girl. If possible, get her out."
Judging from the maid's words, she probably knew a lot about Madam Lian.
Although Tie Zhu did not believe that there was such a mysterious thing in the world, he acknowledged the instructions respectfully since it was the Princess Consort's order and left.
Shen Mingjiao pondered as she walked. Putting aside the question on whether Madam Lian was a human or a demon, Shen Mingjiao was now certain that Madam Lian could control people's emotions with her eyes. However, the extent to which she could control them was still unknown.
However, it seemed to have no effect on her. Shen Mingjiao touched her chin. Could it be because she was reborn?
At the same time, she thought of the mysterious massacre case. Could the two be related?
When she passed by a bush, she felt a furry thing rubbing against her feet.
Shen Mingjiao lowered her head and saw a little white puppy lying by her feet. It looked at her with a pair of black, wet eyes.
Shen Mingjiao found it really adorable. She couldn't help but squat down and touch it gently.
Tsk! So soft!
The puppy stuck out its tongue and licked the back of her hand.
Shen Mingjiao searched her pockets and finally found the dried meat that Haitang had casually placed in her purse.
Seeing this, the puppy wagged its short tail happily.
Shen Mingjiao reached out and gently rubbed its head again. Which girl would reject a furry and cute little animal?
…
At night, she returned to the servants' room which was assigned to her and Feng Lisheng.
Feng Lisheng, who was dressed in rough clothes, walked in with a meal box in his hand.
Shen Mingjiao was surprised. "You haven't had dinner?"
Feng Lisheng handed her the meal box.
Shen Mingjiao took it with suspicion and opened it. A strong fragrance wafted over, making her swallow her saliva.
Feng Lisheng coughed lightly. "I heard that the crystal shrimp dumplings in Luo Capital Number One Restaurant are not bad. I bought a set when I passed by."
Shen Mingjiao couldn't help but pick up her chopsticks and eat one. The fresh and fragrant texture burst out, making her appetite increase uncontrollably.
She thanked him vaguely, feeling a little moved.
Although this person doesn't understand women, the details in his careless actions can sometimes still make her heart feel warmed.
He knew that she was picky and was not used to the food of the servants in the residence, so he bought her favorite crystal shrimp dumplings.
However… what she did not know was that Feng Lisheng had to queue for an hour to buy these crystal shrimp dumplings.
After eating and washing up, she went into the bedroom.
After all, it was a servant's room, so it was naturally not very spacious. There was only a narrow wooden bed inside, so it was a little crowded for two people to sleep on.
Feng Lisheng placed the blanket on the ground and said to Shen Mingjiao, "Go to bed."
Shen Mingjiao felt a little ill at ease. She climbed into bed and tried it.
"Why don't you come up too? It's about the same for two people."
Feng Lisheng glanced over and shook his head. "It's too squeezy. You'll feel uncomfortable."
Shen Mingjiao's heart softened. She knew that this was his true thoughts. It was not because he was wary of the distance that men and women should keep—although they were legally married.
At the same time, she secretly shook her head. According to the plot of novels, during such a situation, the male protagonist would think of ways to get on the same bed as the female protagonist so that they could have ambiguous physical contact. Then, this and that…
From what it seems, Feng Lisheng was indeed a gentleman!
In the end, Shen Mingjiao still pulled him onto the bed. It was mainly because there were two blankets in this room, and Feng Lisheng had taken one. The bed was too hard and it made her butt feel uncomfortable.
However… she soon regretted it.
The bed was really narrow. The two of them had to turn their bodies slightly to lie down.
As a result, Shen Mingjiao leaned against Feng Lisheng's chest. She could clearly hear his strong heartbeat, and her nose was filled with the refreshing and pleasant smell of soap on his body.
She stared at the muscles under the clothes in front of him.
Shen Mingjiao felt an inexplicable warmth in her chest. She looked away with difficulty.
She sighed in her heart. It seemed that men were not the only ones who were charmed by beauty!
She sighed regretfully in her heart. If Feng Lisheng didn't have someone in his heart, she might have considered taking his body.
In order to stop having such thoughts, she asked Feng Lisheng, "What did you get today?"
Feng Lisheng turned his body with difficulty. "Apart from the chaos in the backyard of the Zhao Residence, we didn't find any problems."
"From the news sent back by the people sent to the other residences, there are some clues about the case, but we still have to wait."
Shen Mingjiao told him about Madam Lian's abnormality.
After all, Feng Lisheng was experienced and knowledgeable. He pondered and said, "I heard that there's a sorcery in the Northern Borders. As long as you shake the bell, it can make a person lose their mind and tamper with their memories. However, it's mostly used to extort confessions through torture."
"I've never heard of someone who can control people's emotions with just her eyes."
He frowned. If someone with such ability had an ulterior motive, he had to think of a way to get rid of this person.
At this moment, a sound came from the room next door.
He could only blame the lack of soundproofing in this room that caused them to hear everything clearly.
Feng Lisheng turned his face away awkwardly and could not help but look at Shen Mingjiao worriedly.
But he saw Shen Mingjiao listening excitedly.
Feng Lisheng's expression darkened. For some reason, he felt unhappy.
Shen Mingjiao didn't seem to notice. She continued to listen excitedly. It wasn't that she had any special fetishes, but she was just curious.
In her previous life, whenever her good friends gathered together to discuss such a topic, they would always make mysterious expressions and wink at each other. It made her quite curious.
However… after 15 minutes, Shen Mingjiao became a little impatient.
She couldn't help but cover her ears.
But Feng Lisheng felt a little uncomfortable at this moment. He could clearly feel the soft curves of the girl in his arms. As he listened to the commotion next door, he felt a fire burning in his body.
Shen Mingjiao frowned and asked in confusion, "What's in your pocket?"
Feng Lisheng's expression froze. He said in a hoarse voice, "…Nothing, just a jade pendant."
Shen Mingjiao did not suspect anything. She asked, "Are you feeling uncomfortable in your throat?"
Feng Lisheng stood up and took a sip of herbal tea. With his back facing her, he said with a red face, "… I've been feeling a little hot lately."
After another ten minutes, Shen Mingjiao sat up in frustration.
Are you going to let us sleep?
Feng Lisheng felt very helpless as well. "Why don't we go out for a walk?"
Shen Mingjiao could only nod in agreement. She couldn't really knock on the door. It was really awkward.
The two of them left the courtyard. Feng Lisheng grabbed her waist and flew up to the roof.
Fortunately, the moon was quite round tonight. Otherwise, it would be strange if the two of them stood on the roof in the dark!
She stood on the eaves and walked around curiously. Feng Lisheng frowned and grabbed her sleeve. "Stop fooling around. It's dangerous."
Shen Mingjiao waved her hand nonchalantly. "It's fine. You're so good at martial arts. If I really fall, you'll definitely be able to catch me."
Feng Lisheng touched the corners of his lips. Why did he feel kinda happy?
After playing for a while, Shen Mingjiao felt a little sleepy. In order to refresh herself, she said, "I heard from Xiao Die that there's an epiphyllum in the garden of the Zhao Residence. This is a good time to go take a look."
Feng Lisheng took her to the garden. She was a little disappointed that she could not find the epiphyllum after searching for a long time.
However, at this moment, they heard the sound of dogs barking from afar.
Feng Lisheng thought. "There are dogs kept in this residence too?"
Shen Mingjiao listened carefully. "I heard Xiao Die mention that Madam Lian seems to have raised many thin dogs."
Feng Lisheng's heart skipped a beat and he looked down thoughtfully.
According to the news from his subordinates, about a month ago, several residences began to raise thin pet dogs. This included the three families that had been wiped out.