Chapter 136 Threat

Xiao Ke's words caused Xu Ruojin's hand to tremble.
Poisoned?
Realizing that she had almost ingested poisoned food just moments ago, a wave of panic washed over her heart.
Staring death in the face once more, this lingering terror caused her heart to race violently, as if a heavy mallet were striking against it, bringing a dull, unbearable pain.
Xu Ruojin looked at Xiao Ke in utter incomprehension, while Chuncao's face had turned completely pale with fright.
Regaining her wits, Hongxing rushed forward, grabbed Xiao Ke by the hair, and dragged her outward. "You actually dared to poison the Second Miss! You wretched creature, the Second Miss has treated you so well, yet you resort to poison! Get out of here right now. I will drag you to the magistrate's office and make sure you suffer a miserable death!"
"This maid didn't mean to, Second Miss! This maid truly didn't harbor any intent to harm you. I deserve to die a thousand deaths, but I deeply respect you and know your kindness! I truly deserve to die, death is too good for me!"
Dragged by Hongxing, Xiao Ke offered no resistance, only weeping and pleading incessantly.
Chuncao averted her face, unable to bear the distressing spectacle. Xu Ruojin gently stroked her chest, forcing herself to recover a sliver of composure from the shock.
"Hongxing, let go of her first. I have questions to ask."
Biting her lower lip, Hongxing released her grip with a shove, then delivered two fierce kicks to Xiao Ke. "You ungrateful little wretch brought in from the outside! Ever since you entered the manor, you've stirred up trouble after trouble, never with a good intention. You're no better than a beast!"
With her face streaked with tears, Xiao Ke collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. "This maid... this maid is worse than a pig or a dog, but I truly didn't mean to harm you. Truly..."
"Who ordered you to do this? Speak."
Xu Ruojin's voice trembled, as light and frail as a drifting feather.
Though she considered herself resilient and bold, facing the grim reaper once more left her incapable of achieving complete calmness.
Life and death hung by a mere thread, separated by a single thought.
Had her hands been just a little faster earlier, had she swallowed that meal, who knew what her fate would be right now.
Perhaps yet another coffin would have to be laid out in the Xu residence?
Though she had often uttered such grim words herself, when confronted with actual mortality, not a single soul was willing to die lightly.
Glaring at Xiao Ke, Hongxing clenched her fists so tightly that, were it not for the law that a murderer must pay with their life, she would have longed to throttle the person before her with her bare hands.
Choking back her sobs, Xiao Ke stammered out the answer:
"It was Young Master Zhang. Zhang Zhongheng. He framed my father and trapped him in gambling debts. He threatened to chop off my father's hands and feet if the debt wasn't repaid."
Wiping away her tears, Xiao Ke wept even more bitterly. "Though my father is no saint, I couldn't bear to see him live a life worse than a dog's, but neither did I ever want the Second Miss to die."
"They tricked me, telling me that putting this medicine into the food would only cause the Second Miss to fall into a deep sleep so that she couldn't be married off to the Liang family. But this morning, I secretly tested it on the Third Young Master's dog, and who would have thought—who would have thought that the dog never woke up again!"
"That was when I realized I had been deceived! I deserve to die! The Second Miss has been so caring toward me, yet I still did such a thing. I am no longer human. Second Miss, you may punish me however you see fit; it is all my fault!"
Kneeling on the floor, Xiao Ke kowtowed and wept without stopping. Xu Ruojin took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Zhang Zhongheng!
It was Zhang Zhongheng again!
Even fallen to such a wretched state as he was now, he still wished for her death?
He truly was like a lingering ghost that refused to be shaken off.
Hearing this, Hongxing and Chuncao stared at Xu Ruojin in utter shock.
That Young Master Zhang had previously been the Second Miss's betrothed fiancé; how could he possess such a vicious heart, seeking nothing less than the Second Miss's demise?
"We must report this to the authorities!"
Hongxing bit her teeth together. "The Zhang family has acted with such utter ruthlessness. We can simply not let this matter rest here, otherwise they will only find another opportunity to harm the Second Miss next time!"
"But..." Chuncao considered the situation from a broader perspective. "The Second Miss is supposed to be married off in just a few days."
"So what? Are we just supposed to swallow this injustice?"
Hongxing turned her gaze to Xu Ruojin. "Second Miss, what do you think we should do?"
Taking several deep breaths, Xu Ruojin did not reply to Hongxing immediately, choosing instead to ponder in silence.
The Xu household was already in sufficient chaos; raising another uproar now would only plunge things into even greater disorder. Would it not simply provide the outsiders with an even larger laughingstock?
Keeping her eyes fixed on Xiao Ke, Xu Ruojin remained silent, yet the shifting expression in her gaze filled Xiao Ke with dread, prompting the maid to keep her pleading eyes locked onto the Second Miss.
Time ticked away second by second, and the steaming dishes on the table had long since grown cold.
The three people in the room made not a single sound, all quietly observing Xu Ruojin.
After the better part of an hour, a long sigh from Xu Ruojin finally broke the stillness.
Rising to her feet, she walked over to the desk, ground the ink stick, and picked up the brush. She jotted down a few words on a slip of paper, folded it neatly, and handed it to Chuncao. "Deliver this to the young master of the Jiang family. You must go yourself. If anyone asks, say that I am inquiring when it might be appropriate to pay my respects to the Elder Master of the Jiang family. Since he acted as the matchmaker and bestowed wedding gifts upon me, it is only proper that I express my gratitude."
"The Jiang Young Master?" Hongxing asked, perplexed. Without asking any further questions, Chuncao put on her coat and stepped out the door.
Watching Chuncao leave, Xu Ruojin turned her attention back to Xiao Ke. "Though the time you've spent by my side is not long, we have at least shared a bond as mistress and servant. I ought to thank you for today; at the very least, at that final moment, your conscience awoke and you did not actually poison me to death."
"Second Miss, Second Miss, my loyalty to you is genuine! This maid never had the heart to harm you!"
Xiao Ke wiped her face. "When I first entered the manor, Young Master Zhang bribed the matchmaker and slipped silver to people within the household; otherwise, I would never have been allowed to stay. At first, I was ignorant and clueless while serving by your side, but as time passed, I realized you treated me with genuine kindness—better than my own parents. I am truly grateful to you."
"But they not only seized my father, they also threatened me, saying that if I refused to obey, they would expose my background to you, and you would never spare..."
Xiao Ke's voice grew hoarse. "I had already resigned myself to it. Even if you were to beat me to death, it would simply be my fate, and I would harbor no resentment whatsoever. I only blame the heavens for not granting me a decent family to be born into."
"What use is it to say all this now!"
Hongxing felt a mixture of anger, resentment, and pity toward her.
She was not a cruel person at heart; weren't Xiao Ke's words the very same sentiments she herself had once uttered?
When one was born into such a predestined fate, what other course was there?
"Get up."
Xu Ruojin's emotions stabilized. "Hongxing, take Xiao Ke to wash her face. Let us never speak of this matter again. Act as though it never happened."
"Second Miss, what are you planning..."
"Xiao Ke's father is likely already dead."
Xu Ruojin was eighty percent certain of this. "We will simply sit quietly and observe how things unfold, and see whose nerve breaks first."
"Then what about Xiao Ke?"
Hongxing asked anxiously. Although she also felt reluctant to part with Xiao Ke, the girl had after all committed such a daring and treasonous act. Could she possibly remain by the Second Miss's side?
Xu Ruojin looked at Xiao Ke. "I will give you one more chance, depending on whether you cherish this bond between us!"
"This maid will obey whatever the Second Miss commands! My life already belongs to the Second Miss!"
A look of desperate pleading surfaced in Xiao Ke's eyes. Xu Ruojin looked down at her. "Then wait patiently, and await my instructions."
Speaking almost to herself, Xu Ruojin murmured softly:
"There are some matters that must be brought to a thorough and absolute end before one departs from this world. In this realm, one cannot survive without a ruthless heart! To remain alive means that one can never truly escape the realm of cold transactions..."