Not only was he dead — he died in a completely disgraceful manner. A man, stark naked, sprawled face-down behind the courtyard gate’s corridor, frozen in a crawling posture as if he was trying to escape.
Anyone could guess what had happened.
Old Madam Wang was stunned.
She finally understood why Duchess Cheng had been so terrified that she fell, and why Duchess Chu fainted from shock.
It was Second Master Liu!
He was the illegitimate son of Duke Chu.
After Liujinghong’s death, this Second Master Liu had become the most likely successor to inherit the title in Duke Chu’s household.
Though he was born of a concubine, with Liujinghong gone, who still cared about his birth status?
Even Duchess Chu had grown more tolerant and patient with him.
Word had it Duke Chu’s household had already started preparations to formally register him under the Duchess’s name, changing his status to legitimate, so he could be properly appointed as the heir.
But who would have thought… he would die like this.
Madam Wang screamed and hurriedly covered her eyes.
What was wrong with these men?
Did none of them care about their reputation?
To be stark naked while visiting someone else’s house—how utterly disgraceful!
The other women present had also seen the scene they weren’t supposed to, and one after another they screamed in panic.
It was a scene that none of them would ever forget for the rest of their lives.
Duke Chu’s complexion grew even worse, his body nearly swaying as if he might collapse.
He had spent his whole life winning victories, achieving everything he wanted. His daughter had become a Noble Consort, he himself was deeply favored by the emperor, and among the noble families, his status was among the highest.
In his entire life, he had never encountered such relentless misfortune as he had in recent times.
His legitimate son had died, but at least he had arranged a respectable death for him.
At the very least, his son was honored as a heroic martyr; even Emperor Yongchang had issued a commendation, giving the family every courtesy and dignity—a death with the highest honors.
But now, his second son had died in such a disgraceful, shameful way!
He coughed, only to hear someone nearby exclaim in shock, “Your Grace! Are you all right?!”
Old Marquis Qi turned his head and saw Duke Chu violently coughing up a mouthful of blood, which splattered directly onto Duke Cheng in front of him.
Master Wang was so frightened he went blank for a moment and quickly tried to console him: “Your Grace, p-please restrain your grief. This… this isn’t such a big deal, is it? Who doesn’t have a few useless sons in the family?”
But what he was really thinking was: no wonder Duke Chu was so enraged.
Because when they first arrived at the courtyard, the scene had been even more scandalous.
Second Master Liu had been stark naked, pinned under Cheng Wang.
Cheng Wang was already stiff and dead, with a dagger still stabbed into his chest.
The scene had been chaotic beyond belief. Even now, Master Wang still felt like it had all been a bizarre dream.
What on earth were Cheng Wang and Second Master Liu doing?!
If they enjoyed playing this way, why not do it at Cheng Wang’s own residence?
Why did they have to come to the Wang household?!
Really!
Old Marquis Qi stroked his beard, barely suppressing his urge to speak.
Honestly, he hadn’t expected the situation to end like this either.
Qi Yuan was absolutely ruthless!
It wasn’t just that she killed Cheng Wang—but she had staged it so that it all looked like Second Master Liu’s fault…
Duke Cheng had immediately ordered someone to summon Zhou Wang.
No one thought the Wang family had done anything wrong.
Cheng Wang had always been a lawless scoundrel. His consorts had died one after another, and everyone in court knew he had bizarre preferences.
But no one had expected him to be… inclined toward men.
It was unclear whether Cheng Wang had forced himself on Second Master Liu, who then fought back and accidentally killed him, or whether the two of them had already been carrying on an illicit affair and had a falling out during a secret meeting at the Wang household, leading to Second Master Liu killing Cheng Wang by mistake.
The entire situation was a tangled mess.
And to make matters worse, a maid from the Wang household had also died.
Perhaps she had stumbled upon the sordid affair between Cheng Wang and Second Master Liu and had been silenced.
Then perhaps the two of them had argued over the murder?
After Master Wang finished speaking, Duke Chu glared at him, practically spitting fire.
Startled, Master Wang quickly backed up and hurriedly explained, “Your Grace, this… this really isn’t our fault! We never even sent Cheng Wang an invitation! He came here uninvited…”
Everyone exchanged knowing glances.
When had Cheng Wang ever honored anyone else’s household like this?
Tsk tsk.
Clearly, he had come specifically for Second Master Liu.
Duke Chu finally couldn’t bear it and collapsed.
Old Marquis Qi smirked.
Really, what an amateur.
If you dare to do it, you should dare to face the consequences.
What’s the big deal?
The Wang household was in total chaos. Duke Chu and his wife both had to be treated by imperial physicians after fainting, not to mention the countless other guests who had just witnessed the entire sordid scene—they were now agonizing over how to handle the fallout, practically tearing their hair out in distress.
By comparison, Qi Yuan was completely relaxed.
When Old Marquis Qi went to find her, she was calmly playing with Wang Jun.
The little boy clapped his hands excitedly as he circled her. “Cousin is amazing! Cousin is amazing!”
Qi Yuan leaped nimbly down from a tree and handed Wang Jun’s kite back to him. “All right, just be more careful next time. Go on, have fun!”
Wang Jun obediently agreed and ran off with his kite.
Old Marquis Qi sat down across from her, his lips twitching. “How did you come up with this?”
Kill Cheng Wang, then pin everything on Second Master Liu.
How did she even think of something so devious?
How malicious!
Normal people would never have thought of such a vile plan.
Truly wicked beyond belief. He had just seen Duke Chu looking like his very soul had left his body.
From now on, whenever people mentioned Duke Chu’s household, the first thing they would remember would not be the noble and favored Noble Consort Liu, nor the legendary household with two dukedoms, but rather… that the Duke’s second son and Cheng Wang had an affair, played too wildly, and ended up dead.
A lifetime’s worth of honor, destroyed in a single day!
If he were Duke Chu…
Old Marquis Qi shivered.
Qi Yuan smiled lightly. “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that Second Master Liu was already inclined that way. And this time, he was the one who coordinated with Cheng Wang to deal with me. If you seek wealth through risk, then you have to accept the price of failure, don’t you?”
After all, it wasn’t a false accusation.
And he really wasn’t worth pitying.
If her own strength had been even slightly weaker, the one lying on the ground today, humiliated in front of everyone, would have been her.
Better for someone else to suffer that fate.
She merely gave them a taste of their own medicine.
Old Marquis Qi’s expression was complicated.
Was that really what “seeking wealth through risk” meant?
He coughed. “You’d better be careful when you sleep.”
He worried that the Liu family might try to kill Qi Yuan tonight—no one could possibly hold back until tomorrow after suffering this kind of humiliation.
Qi Yuan smiled faintly. “Do you really think they’re in any mood for that right now?”
