I started out with seven husbands, and I worked hard to support my family while crying.

Chapter 483: Another person dies in the courtyard

Just as Fang Xiaoxiao and the other two were performing their duties, news of Liu Mei's death suddenly reached everyone's ears, and the news exploded in the courtyard like a thunderclap.

Inside the courtyard, Liu Mei lay drowned in a water vat, beside her lay the body of a woman, her maid who had served her for many years. The maid's face was contorted, blood flowed from her seven orifices, and her fingers were black; she appeared to have died of poisoning. Fang Xiaoxiao stood among the crowd, observing carefully, and noticed that Liu Mei's fingernails were also black.

The entire courtyard erupted in chaos, everyone terrified. The series of deaths had filled them with extreme fear.

"What on earth is going on? This is terrifying!" someone said in a trembling voice.

"Could it be some evil spirit causing trouble?" another person asked, their voice filled with fear.

Everyone was talking at once, and an atmosphere of fear permeated the courtyard.

At this moment, Jin Sanniang walked over with a cold expression. She glanced at everyone and said coldly, "Stop arguing, dispose of the body."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing her words, but someone couldn't help but say, "Third Sister, these deaths one after another must be investigated thoroughly, right?"

Jin Sanniang glared at the man: "What are you investigating? What's the big deal about two people dying? Hurry up and deal with it, or you'll ruin Fuxiang Pavilion's reputation."

Looking at Jin San Niang's indifferent demeanor, Fang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel suspicious. Although Liu Mei was usually arrogant and domineering, it was unlikely that she would suddenly die like this, and in such a bizarre way.

Li Wan'er tugged at Fang Xiaoxiao's sleeve and whispered, "Xiaoxiao, this is too strange. Could it be related to what we're investigating?"

Fang Xiaoxiao frowned: "It's hard to say. Maybe it's a coincidence, but it's also possible that someone is pulling strings behind the scenes to stop us."

Hongxiu also chimed in, "So what do we do? Should we continue the investigation?"

Fang Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth: "Investigate, of course we must investigate. No matter who is behind this, we cannot let them succeed."

Just then, a strange man appeared at the entrance of the courtyard. He was dressed in a black robe, with a cold and stern face, and his eyes exuded a mysterious aura.

The man glanced at the crowd, then his gaze fell on Liu Mei's corpse. A slight smile appeared on his lips, making it hard to decipher.

Fang Xiaoxiao noticed the man and a bad feeling welled up in her heart.

After the man took away the bodies of Liu Mei and the maid, Jin Sanniang gave everyone a stern lecture, telling them not to overthink things and to focus on their work. Especially before leaving, she specifically instructed Fang Xiaoxiao not to cause trouble.

The three stood there, watching Jin San Niang and the others leave. Only after their figures disappeared from sight did Fang Xiaoxiao, Li Wan'er, and Hongxiu turn around and return to the small house.

As soon as she entered the room, Li Wan'er couldn't help but sigh, "Another person has died. What on earth is wrong with Fuxiang Pavilion?"

Hongxiu sat on the edge of the bed, her hands tightly twisting the hem of her clothes, her heart filled with unease: "These successive incidents have left me feeling constantly anxious."

Fang Xiaoxiao's expression was solemn as she slowly said, "Liu Mei died of poisoning, and the way she died was the same as the woman who died in the courtyard earlier."

Li Wan'er's eyes widened as she raised an objection: "Was Liu Mei's maid also killed by taking Five-Stone Powder?"

Fang Xiaoxiao nodded and said with certainty, "That's right. I've observed them carefully, and their symptoms are very similar: their fingers are black and their faces are bluish. It should be caused by an overdose of Wushi Powder."

Li Wan'er gasped: "This Five-Stone Powder is so terrifying."

Hongxiu said worriedly, "But how could Liu Mei have taken so much Five-Stone Powder? Doesn't she know how dangerous this stuff is?"

Fang Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment: "Perhaps she was framed, or perhaps she couldn't control herself. But in any case, there must be some unspeakable secret behind this."

Li Wan'er nervously grabbed Fang Xiaoxiao's arm: "What should we do? Will we be in danger too?"

Fang Xiaoxiao gently patted her hand and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. As long as we are careful and continue to investigate, we will definitely find out the truth."

Hongxiu hesitated for a moment: "But our strength is too weak, what if we are discovered..."

Fang Xiaoxiao's gaze was firm: "No matter how dangerous it is, we can't just sit and wait to die. These people's deaths can't just be left unpunished; we must seek justice for them."

Li Wan'er and Hongxiu were moved by Fang Xiaoxiao's determination and nodded in agreement.

Just then, a slight noise came from outside the window.

Fang Xiaoxiao alertly gestured for the two to be quiet, then carefully walked to the window and suddenly pushed it open.

There was no one outside the window, only a cool breeze that made her shiver.

"Could I have misheard?" Fang Xiaoxiao murmured to herself.

Early the next morning, there was a knock on the door. Fang Xiaoxiao lazily got up and opened the door, only to see the little girl Nuonuo from that day. The little girl smiled brightly, holding two strings of candied hawthorns in her hand. She handed one string to Fang Xiaoxiao and said sweetly, "Sister, my mom asked me to come and call you to eat."

Fang Xiaoxiao took the candied hawthorn and asked curiously, "Nuonuo, who is your mother?"

At this moment, Li Wan'er and Hongxiu also got up. Hearing someone call them to eat, Li Wan'er happily agreed on behalf of Fang Xiaoxiao: "Let's go, let's go, isn't it good to have food to eat?"

The three of them followed Nuonuo out of the courtyard. They chatted and laughed all the way.

As they walked, they unexpectedly encountered Jin San Niang. Surprisingly, she didn't ask where the three were going, but instead treated Nuonuo with extreme respect, which greatly surprised Fang Xiaoxiao and the others.

Fang Xiaoxin's doubts deepened. Jin Sanniang was usually arrogant to everyone, so why was she treating Nuonuo like this?

Li Wan'er couldn't help but whisper to Fang Xiaoxiao, "This is really strange. Jin San Niang seems like a completely different person."

Hongxiu chimed in, "Yes, could it be that Nuonuo's mother has some kind of powerful background?"

Fang Xiaoxiao didn't speak, but secretly observed Jin Sanniang and Nuonuo.

With a beaming smile, Jin San Niang said to Nuonuo, "Little ancestor, please walk slowly."

Nuonuo ignored her and skipped ahead, leading the way.

Finally, we arrived at a quiet courtyard. Stepping inside, we saw an elegant woman sitting at the table.

Nuonuo ran over and jumped into the woman's arms: "Mom, I brought my sisters."

The woman smiled and stood up, looking at Fang Xiaoxiao and the other two with gentle eyes: "Thank you for taking care of Nuonuo, ladies."

Fang Xiaoxiao quickly replied, "You're too kind, Madam. May I ask how I should address you?"

The woman said softly, "My surname is Lin, you can just call me Madam Lin."

Upon hearing this, Madam Lin frowned, ordered her servants to check what was going on, and apologized to Fang Xiaoxiao and the other two. Fang Xiaoxiao and the others were also curious about who was making such a scene outside.