Lady Die hadn’t been having a good time of it lately, either.
First she’d been hauled into the police station for an investigation. She’d barely managed to get out in one piece, and then trouble in the business started coming one after another. Worse yet, even her own people had started to have opinions about her.
Just this morning, someone even asked her, "Madam, how exactly did the old head of the family die back then?"
What do they mean, "how did he die"?
That old bastard has been dead for so many years already, and now these people are still coming to ask about it?
"You mean you don’t know how the old head of the family died?" Lady Die looked at them coldly. All these years in a high position, always at the old head of the family’s side, had given her a natural air of authority.
But that only really worked on the lower-level people who didn’t have much status.
To those who had followed the old head for many years, her bit of intimidation really didn’t amount to much.
"But how come we’ve heard that the old head of the family was poisoned to death?" someone immediately spoke up.
"What? Poisoned?"
"Wasn’t it tuberculosis?"
It was precisely because the old head of the family was diagnosed with tuberculosis back then that everyone didn’t dare go visit him. And it was because Lady Die stayed by his side day and night, never taking off her clothes to rest while caring for him, that she won everyone’s recognition.
Otherwise, there was no way she could have replaced the old head of the family so easily.
"Poisoned?" Lady Die let out a cold laugh. "Lawyer Wei, these are your people, aren’t they? What’s your goal here?"
"You’re not planning to usurp power, are you?" Sister-in-law Gong said.
Usurp power?
That was honestly the funniest joke Wei Zhong had heard in years.
If he’d wanted to seize power, he would’ve done it back when Lady Die hadn’t yet found her footing. Why wait until now?
"That’s right, they’re my people," Wei Zhong said with a cold smile. "As for so-called usurping power, I’m not interested. I just want to know how the old head of the family really died."
All that stuff couldn’t see the light of day. What did he want to dig it up for?
He’d finally managed to whitewash things after all these years.
"What do you mean by that?" Lady Die raised her brows and stared at Wei Zhong.
"Exhumation and autopsy." Wei Zhong spat out the four words coldly.
If it was poison, the autopsy would show it.
"I don’t agree." Lady Die said angrily. "Are you trying to keep the old head of the family from resting in peace?"
"Yeah, an autopsy really isn’t a good idea, is it?"
"But if we don’t exhume him and do an autopsy, how are we supposed to know how the old head of the family actually died?" someone immediately shot back.
"This..."
"And the Madam refused so cleanly and decisively—does that mean there really is something to hide here? Or is she feeling guilty?"
"This..."
Lady Die’s face stiffened.
Her fingers clenched tight into her palm. A sharp, drilling pain shot through her, jolting her back to her senses and making her stagger two steps back.
"Madam." Sister-in-law Gong rushed up to support her. "Are you alright?"
"I’m fine." Lady Die leaned against her, wiping away her tears. "Are you all trying to drive me to my death? I’m the one who’s ’guilty’?"
"The old head of the family was my husband. I can’t bear the thought that even in death he can’t rest in peace. I refuse to allow an autopsy, and you say I’m feeling guilty?" Lady Die broke down sobbing. "You may not feel for him, but I do."
"Wei Zhong, I don’t care whose slander you’ve been listening to that made you suspicious like this, but let me tell you, as long as I’m alive, I will never allow you to disturb him."
"If you want to dig him up for an autopsy, it’ll be over my dead body."
She flung down those angry words and walked off, holding onto Sister-in-law Gong’s arm.
Wei Zhong let out a cold, mirthless laugh.