Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 37 I killed someone
Chaolu covered her face with her hands and began to sob, her cry desperate and broken.

"He said he could let me go, but he would not let the maidservant beside me go. He tortured Lan Ying terribly, and in the end... in the end he wanted me to kill Lan Ying with my own hands."

Yan Ciwan narrowed his eyes: "You did it?"

Chaolu cried louder and louder, and her words became more and more confused: "I refused, but he stuffed the dagger into my hand, then grabbed my hand and forced me to kill. I backed away desperately, and I cried and begged him not to do this, but he didn't listen. He said that Lanying was my maid, and everything she had belonged to me, including her life. He was so strong that I couldn't break free. The dagger stabbed into me. My eyes were blindfolded and I couldn't see anything, but I could hear Lanying crying. She was shouting, Second Mother, it hurts so much, I don't want to die, save me..."

Having said this, she suddenly raised her head, revealing a pair of red eyes, and asked hoarsely.

"I killed Lan Ying, right? I am the murderer, right?"

Yan Ciwan didn't know how to answer.

Zhaolu murmured to herself with a mixture of crying and laughing: "I killed someone. I should be the one wanted, but I ran away and hid here alone. I killed Lanying and implicated you. It's all my fault, wuwuwu..."

As she spoke she broke down and cried; her cry was not loud, but it was heartbreaking to hear.

These words were piled up in Chaolu's heart, tormenting her soul day and night, making her unable to sleep or eat, and exhausting herself mentally and physically.

Now that she could finally say it out, she could no longer control herself and let her emotions burst out like a flood.

Yan Ci Wan listened in silence until Chao Lu got tired of crying and her crying gradually subsided. Only then did Yan Ci Wan speak.

"Are you sure you really killed Lan Ying at that time?"

Zhaolu's voice was hoarse and nasal. "I don't know. I was blindfolded and couldn't see anything. But I can be sure that the dagger must have stabbed into a person's body. The feeling of the blade sinking into the flesh and blood splashing on my hand, I will never forget it until I die. It's so terrible..."

She hugged her body, her face full of fear.

Yan Ciwan took the embroidered handkerchief from her hand and carefully wiped the tears from her face, her voice gentle and clear.

"You didn't see yourself killing Lan Ying, which means you didn't necessarily kill her. Maybe the murderer lied to you and wanted to pin the blame of Lan Ying's death on you and make you his scapegoat."

Chaolu opened her eyes wide, obviously having never thought of such a possibility.

"Is this possible?"

"I can't be sure either. Right now the truth is not known and everything is still unknown. Only by finding out the truth can we know the real cause of Lan Ying's death. So you must stay calm and don't let the murderer lead you by the nose."

After listening to her analysis, Chaolu took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

"You're right. I can't just believe whatever the murderer says. I have to see and think for myself."

Yan Ciwan smiled with relief: "That's right."

Chaolu continued to recall the incident and said, "The thief didn't trust me. He said that in order to prevent me from reporting to the authorities, he wanted me to kill Lan Ying with my own hands. In this way, I would become his accomplice. Once he is arrested by the authorities, I, as his accomplice, will definitely not be able to escape. If I don't want to get into trouble, I must keep my mouth shut and keep the secret for him."

"Have you seen the murderer's face? Or what characteristics does the murderer have?" Yan Ciwan asked.

Zhaolu shook her head again: "No, I was blindfolded the whole time, I couldn't see anything, I could only hear his voice, it was the voice of a young man, I think he was about twenty years old, with a local accent. He must have been drinking at the time, there was a strong smell of alcohol on his body, other than that... that was all."

She knew that she had provided too few useful clues and lowered her head in shame.

Yan Ciwan asked: "If you heard that voice again, would you be able to recognize it?"

Chaolu immediately looked up and gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.

"must be able to!"

She will never forget that man's voice until her death!
Yan Ciwan smiled slightly: "Very good, this will be of great help in finding the real murderer."

Chaolu was very surprised: "Really? That's great!"

After receiving encouragement, Chaolu's mood became much more cheerful. She took the initiative to continue talking without the other party asking any more questions.

"Then I was knocked unconscious again, and I seemed to be carried onto a carriage while I was in a daze. When I woke up again, I found myself lying near the imperial palace. I was found by the imperial palace servants who came out to look for me, and they rescued me."

Yan Ciwan asked: "Have you told anyone about this?"

Zhaolu sniffed, "I told my father and mother. My father said that this matter was of great importance. If it gets out, I will face imprisonment. Xiao Wang can't marry a wife who has killed someone. The Xiao family will definitely cancel the engagement, and even my father will be implicated by me, which will lead to the ruin of his career. So my father not only refused to report to the authorities, but also locked me up at home and ordered everyone in the family to keep their mouths shut and not let anyone know that I was missing."

Yan Ciwan had dealt with Chao Yuanzhi before and knew that man was very hypocritical. To him, the life and death of a mere maid was as insignificant as dust and was not worth the risk of reporting to the police and tracking down the murderer.

Chao Yuanzhi wanted to make a big deal out of a small matter and pretend that nothing had happened, but Chao Lu obviously didn't want to do that.

Yan Ciwan looked at Chaolu, whose nose was red from crying, and although he felt a little reluctant, he still asked.

"What happened next? What did you experience?"

"Since Lan Ying died, I have had dreams almost every night. In the dreams, I was holding a dagger, my hands were covered in blood, and Lan Ying was lying on the ground, covered in blood. She cried and asked me for help. I was so scared, I felt like I was going crazy. I asked Aye to help find Lan Ying, even if it was a corpse, I wanted to bury Lan Ying properly. But Aye refused me. He said that I was spoiled by my mother and was not sensible at all. If I had not left home, I would not have encountered such a thing. In the final analysis, it was my fault. Fortunately, I was able to keep my innocence this time, otherwise, even if I came back alive, he might not be willing to recognize me as his daughter. Now that only a maid has died, it is already the best result. He warned me to be more obedient and not to think too much. Aye was right, it was all my fault. I shouldn't have quarreled with my brother, and I shouldn't have taken Lan Ying out. I was the culprit of all this, and I deserved to die. I hung the shawl on the beam, wanting to end it all, but I didn't die. My mother appeared in time to save me."

When Chaolu said this, tears started to fall again.

But this time she didn't cry out loud, she just shed tears silently.

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(End of this chapter)