The two bodies were seen by quite a number of people as they were carried out. Soon the news reached the ears of Ling Xingzhong and Ling Zhaowen.
“Were they thrown into the mass grave?” Ling Xingzhong stared at the steward with sharp eyes.
The steward answered cautiously, “Yes, they had been shipped out.”
Ling Xingzhong had a serious expression on his face. After a while, he said to the steward, “Ask the servants to mind their words. Don’t let them spread the matter out of the house.”
“Yes, I will get right on it,” the steward answered.
The steward’s heart was still fluttering with fear when he thought of the two bodies covered in white cloth. All this while, the young master had given others the impression of being a gentle and modest man. Who would’ve thought that even the young master was capable of such viciousness when driven by desperation?
“Wait a minute.” Ling Xingzhong added before the steward excused himself, “Keep an eye on the servants in our residence, and report any suspicious behavior to me immediately!”
Being Ling Xingzhong’s most trusted assistant and right-hand, the steward knew what Ling Xingzhong had in mind the moment he heard the order. The steward instantly felt a twinge of fear inside his heart. “Yes, my lord. Your wish is my command.”
After the steward left, Ling Xingzhong looked at Ling Zhaowen and said, “Are those two the ones who followed Zhang’er to Jia’s residence today?”
Ling Zhaowen nodded, “Yes, I was going to remind Zhang’er to punish them later. But I didn’t expect that Zhang’er would deal with them so soon.”
Ling Xingzhong sighed, overtaken by somewhat mixed feelings. He would admit that his grandson’s decisive and swift way of handling things were advantageous; at least he wouldn’t be easily bullied by others. But at the same time, Ling Xingzhong was worried that his grandson might lose his cool once sufficiently provoked. “Remember when Zhang’er was still a little boy? He was so timid back then. He once ran into the kitchen and got scared because the cook was trying to slaughter chicken.”
“I understand your worries, father. But you don’t have to worry about Zhang’er. He’s an adult now. From how he handled the matter, we can already see that he’s independent, and someone with the will to act. I do not believe that he is some heartless person who disregards human life. Those two servants are very suspicious. They must have done something unpardonable. And I am certain that it is connected to Jia Yuanling’s attempt to set him up. Those two servants knew no loyalty. They had betrayed their master. Pardoning them would only lead to more disaster in the future. Besides, this is a perfect opportunity to warn all the others around Zhang’er in case they harbor any other evil intention,” Ling Zhaowen said.
Ling Zhaowen knew more about Ling Zhang compared to Ling Xingzhong, especially after he had learned from Ling Zhang about those ominous dreams. That knowledge allowed him to better understand Ling Zhang’s actions.
“If you are still worried, father, then why don’t we get him here and ask him about it?”
Ling Xingzhong pondered over the matter for quite a while, still hesitating. In the end, he decided to let it go for now. “You are right, Zhang’er has grown up,” Ling Xingzhong said. “He’s capable of making his own judgment. We shouldn’t interfere in everything like we used to. But……I still think it is better if you look into the matter privately to see whether those two men had really done something to betray their master.”
“Yes, father,” Ling Zhaowen nodded. “I will get to the bottom of it.”
Ling Zhang had been expecting his grandfather and uncle to question him about his killing two of his servants. Much to his surprise, however, the two elders never send for him even after such a long time. There was no way that he had succeeded in fooling the two elders.
The servants in the courtyard were all quiet out of fear. No one dared to look Ling Zhang in the eye. Instead, they performed their duties carefully as they were afraid that any carelessness on their part would anger Ling Zhang. In other words, they didn’t want to suffer the same fate as Dong Shan and Dong Song.
Ling Zhang didn’t try to offer an explanation to his servants or defend his actions. All he did was ask Xiafeng to keep a close eye on the servants in the yard.
“Young Master, do you think there’s still a traitor among us?” Xiafeng asked.
Ling Zhang had washed up and had changed into comfortable clothes. His hair had been immaculately washed and fell loosely behind his back after being dried.
Ling Zhang was pondering about his grandfather and uncle’s intentions when he heard Xiafeng’s question. “I wouldn’t go so far to say that there’s a traitor among us,” Ling Zhang said. “The problem is that these servants have yet to be properly screened to see which ones are truly loyal. It will easy for others to manipulate the disloyal ones. So, I want you to spend some time to assess them and see which ones we should keep. Come up with a list in a few days.”
The young master was planning to weed out the disloyal ones among the servants!
Deep down, Xiafeng felt like he had just dodged the bullet. He wondered what would have happened if he had chosen to report everything to the elders instead of obeying the young master’s orders to start brewing the medicinal herbs. Would he be among the people laid off by the young master?