Miss Truth
Chapter 367 - 232: Committing the Crime Calmly

Chapter 367: Chapter 232: Committing the Crime Calmly

The sky was a hazy dark blue, and Ran Yan made for an unremarkable figure in her dark blue satin dress as she walked through the garden. The distance from He Ya Inn to Ran Meiyu’s residence at Chushui Residence was a mere few hundred meters, yet she deliberately avoided others by taking winding paths and managed to reach the entrance of Chushui Residence without encountering a single person.

"Seventeen?

Seeing Ran Yan approach, the maid finally reacted hastily bowed and greeted her, "What brings Wife here to seek my mistress?

Ran Yan came up to her without a word, only then did she open her mouth to ask, "Where is Ran Meiyu?"

"Mistress has already gone to bed, would you like..." The maid got halfway through her sentence when her vision went dark, and she began to sway, toppling backward.

Ran Yan grabbed her, took off her wooden clogs and held them in her hand, then, seizing the maid’s sash, she dragged the maid back into the room she had just emerged from.

A young girl’s voice came from inside, "Yu’er, are you back?"

Ran Yan applied a sedative to Yu’er’s body, then quietly exited the room. Just a few steps out, she heard the girl inside call Yu’er’s name several times, followed by a thud.

Just now, Yu’er had mentioned that Ran Meiyu had already gone to sleep, implying that she had done so not long ago. It seemed to be evening; Ran Yan surmised that she must have slept for a day and a night.

All of this was of no consequence. What mattered was that at night, the maids of Ran Manor would return to the quarters dedicated for slaves to sleep, and each room would only retain the close maids. The Secret Guards generally only watched the perimeter and would not venture into the Inner Courtyard.

Ran Meiyu had four close maids. Aside from these two, there should be one outside the bedroom on night duty, and another...

Ran Yan’s gaze drifted to the neighboring room, pouring the sedatives through the gap at the bottom of the door.

After a moment, she pushed the door open and entered.

The room was just as Ran Yan had imagined: not large, with only two bedsteads each shielded by curtains. One side was empty, the other curtain was drawn.

She strolled in nonchalantly, though her footsteps were very light.

The person on the bed turned over and opened her eyes, but before she could react, Ran Yan had already covered her entire face with a handkerchief soaked in sedatives, pressing down on her mouth with her hand to prevent her from screaming or biting while simultaneously forcing her to breathe through her nose.

The maid struggled a few times, then gradually slowed down.

Ran Yan took a moment, then she pulled away the handkerchief, gave the maid a cold look, bent down to grip her wrist, subtly checking her pulse, and forcibly opened her clenched fist, finding several strands of satin thread pulled from her clothing, then peered under the covers for a while before covering her up. Without warning, she rolled onto the bed, pinning down the maid’s limbs, and covered her face with the sedative-infused handkerchief once more.

Indeed, Ran Yan met with violent resistance, but having the upper hand from the start, and with a sufficient dose of sedatives, it took only a few moments for the maid to relax entirely, passing out completely.

When Ran Yan grabbed her wrist and opened the maid’s hand with force, she distinctly noticed the maid’s pulse accelerating unnaturally and sensed a momentary resistance in her hand. If she had truly been unconscious, such a reaction would never have occurred.

This time, Ran Yan did not rush to let go; instead, she checked the maid’s carotid artery first, ensuring she was indeed passed out before getting off the bed.

The maid was clever. During their initial struggle, realizing she was no match for Ran Yan in strength, she held her breath, trying to deceive her before looking for another strategy. She even intentionally grabbed the "evidence."

Unfortunately, Ran Yan was never one to overlook any detail.

With this experience, Ran Yan grew even more cautious. It seemed that Ran Meiyu’s maids had quite the cunning and courage.

Chushui Residence was not as big as He Ya Inn, and there were only two rooms suitable for bedrooms. Based on Ran Meiyu’s tendencies, she would surely choose the most luxurious and well-situated room. Ran Yan headed upstairs without hesitation.

Standing at the doorway of the master bedroom, Ran Yan, as before, poured a bottle of sedatives into the room. Though their potency was reduced, they would at least ensure the occupants had no strength to resist.

After doing this, Ran Yan leaned against the railing, gazing at the vast night sky.

It was early December, and a slender crescent moon hung high in the vast expanse, with sparse stars and a night so deep it almost merged with the sky. The shadows of trees swayed with the wind, like dancing monsters with bared teeth and claws.