As dawn broke, the first rays of light illuminated the roof’s beast spines, casting a faint golden halo over the entire Marquis’ Mansion. Yet in a side room of the courtyard, sunlight seemed to never penetrate, leaving the person inside perpetually shrouded in the depths of darkness.
Kneeling in the room was a woman, her slender body trembling on the floor, tears streaking down her delicate face, evoking a sense of pity. Sitting before her were two individuals, their expressions devoid of sympathy. Xiaodu impatiently tapped his fingers on the table, frowning. “Are you done crying? If you are, then speak!”
The woman on her knees lifted her head, tears filling her eyes as she stared. “What does the Lord want this servant to say? This servant truly knows nothing!”
Zheng Long, who had been standing beside Xiaodu with a stern expression, strode forward and lifted her tear-streaked face with a cold tone. “Miss Yunxiang, we spent a night together as husband and wife, and you’ve already forgotten everything?”
Yunxiang’s eyes flashed with fear, wanting to lower her head to escape. However, her chin was firmly held, and she trembled as she spoke. “General Zheng… Perhaps there’s been a mistake?”
“Mistaken identity?” Zheng Long snorted, his gaze sweeping over the pile of clothes, sachets, and pouches piled next to Yunxiang. “Then explain this. What’s the meaning of all this?”
Yunxiang sobbed, “These are some old clothes of mine. I thought to dispose of them casually to free up space in the room. This servant truly doesn’t know what mistake she’s made.”
“Old clothes?” Xiaodu’s gaze turned cold, fixing on her. “What kind of old clothes require you to stay up past midnight, sneaking into the alley outside the side gate to dispose of them?”
Yunxiang shuddered at his gaze, about to speak when she suddenly felt a chill. Terrified, she averted her eyes, only to see Zheng Long withdrawing a dagger from his boot, lightly pressing it against her face. His voice carried a chilling menace. “Think carefully before you answer. If a few chunks of flesh are removed from this delicate face, it won’t look too pleasing anymore.”
Yunxiang trembled with fear, closing her eyes in terror. Finally, summoning her courage, she said firmly, “I haven’t done anything! Even if the general interrogates me, I truly don’t know anything.”
“Enough.” Xiaodu waved his hand impatiently, seeming unwilling to continue circling the issue. He turned to Zheng Long and said, “Since she’s unwilling to speak, it’s up to you to speak for her.”
Putting away his dagger, Zheng Long, realizing he had been duped by this woman, became furious. With anger in his voice, he questioned, “Did you intentionally seduce me on the day of the Marquis’ new marriage, then take advantage of my slumber to move Ping’er’s corpse to my bed, arranging it to appear as if the Marquis had been seduced and murdered?”
Yunxiang widened her eyes in horror, vigorously shaking her head. “It’s a mistake! I would never do such a thing,” she exclaimed. Pausing for a moment, she looked up again and continued, “And the real culprit… hasn’t they already been caught? The Marquis can inspect my nails; there’s not a single scratch. How could I be the murderer?”
“Oh?” Xiaodu raised an eyebrow, speaking leisurely. “We never released any information about the murderer breaking their nails on the victim’s neck. How did you know?”
Yunxiang’s body suddenly shook, collapsing to the ground with an expression of despair. Zheng Long pressed his dagger against her throat. “You wretched woman, you’ve grown tired of living, daring to plot against the Marquis! You thought you were clever, hiding another maid’s broken nail in your room in advance, hoping to frame her if things went wrong. But the Marquis saw through your tricks long ago. How could someone as cunning as you, capable of such elaborate schemes, overlook leaving your broken nail on the victim’s skin? That’s why the Marquis played along, first pretending to capture Zhu Yun, then spreading rumors that I could recognize the scent on the person from that night, forcing you to change your perfume in a panic and rush to destroy your old clothes and fragrance materials, ultimately catching you red-handed.”
Yunxiang stared at him with wide eyes, fearfully emitting a gurgling sound from her throat, pleading as she lay prostrate on the ground, “Yunxiang knows she deserves death, please spare me, Marquis, General!”
Xiaodu snorted lightly, casting a sidelong glance at her. “So you admit it?”
Yunxiang was scared, shaking all over, eyes shut tight in fear. But she found her courage and said, “I didn’t do anything! Even if the general asks, I don’t know anything.”
“Okay.” Xiaodu was very impatient, waving his hand as if he didn’t want to continue. He turned to Zheng Long and said, “Since she doesn’t want to talk, you can talk for her.”
Putting away his knife, Zheng Long, realizing he had been tricked by Yunxiang, got angry. He asked angrily, “Did you seduce me on the day of the Marquis’ new marriage, then take advantage of me sleeping to move Ping’er’s body to my bed, making it look like the Marquis was seduced and murdered?”
Yunxiang shook her head in fear, vigorously denying, “It’s a mistake! I would never do that,” she said, pausing for a moment before continuing, “And the real culprit… haven’t they already been caught? The Marquis can check my nails; there’s not a single scratch. How could I be the murderer?”
“Oh?” Xiaodu raised an eyebrow, speaking slowly. “We never said anything about the murderer breaking their nails on the victim’s neck. How did you know?”
Yunxiang’s body shook suddenly, collapsing to the ground with a look of despair. Zheng Long pressed his dagger against her throat. “You wretched woman, you’ve grown tired of living, daring to plot against the Marquis! You thought you were clever, hiding another maid’s broken nail in your room in advance, hoping to frame her if things went wrong. But the Marquis saw through your tricks long ago. How could someone as cunning as you, capable of such elaborate schemes, overlook leaving your broken nail on the victim’s skin? That’s why the Marquis played along, first pretending to capture Zhu Yun, then spreading rumors that I could recognize the scent on the person from that night, forcing you to change your perfume in a panic and rush to destroy your old clothes and fragrance materials, ultimately catching you red-handed.”
Yunxiang stared at him with wide eyes, fearfully emitting a gurgling sound from her throat, pleading as she lay prostrate on the ground, “Yunxiang knows she deserves death, please spare me, Marquis, General!”
Xiaodu snorted lightly, casting a sidelong glance at her. “So you admit it?”
Yunxiang choked up, nodding slightly, and confessed, “Ping’er, as the main wife’s senior maid, often oppressed and bullied us. On the day of the Marquis’ wedding, while we were setting up the room together, I couldn’t stand her domineering attitude and argued with her a few times. But instead of listening, she slapped me. I was so angry that we ended up fighting, and accidentally, I killed her! I knew that causing a scene like this at the Marquis’ wedding would mean certain death if discovered. So, I decided to implicate General Zheng. I initially thought, given his prominent status, that accidentally killing a maid wouldn’t be a big deal for the Marquis, and he wouldn’t pursue the truth further. But I never expected it to escalate so much. Luckily, I had previously broken Zhu Yun’s nail and embedded it in Ping’er’s neck, thinking it would divert suspicion. It wasn’t until yesterday when I overheard the servants gossiping that I learned General Zheng could recognize the scent on me from that night. I thought since Zhu Yun had already been convicted, this matter was settled. I planned to burn all my old clothes and perfume to avoid trouble. But…” She seemed to foresee her fate and couldn’t continue, covering her face and crying.
Zheng Long scoffed, while Xiaodu furrowed his brow and asked, “You said you originally planned to use General Zheng to cover up this matter. Does that mean you didn’t shout ‘murder’?”
Yunxiang nodded and said, “I wished as few people as possible knew about this. Why would I go around shouting?”
“Do you know who did shout then?”
Yunxiang slid her hands down from her face, her gaze blank as she shook her head. “I had everything set up that day, scared out of my mind, and didn’t dare stay a moment longer. How would I know what happened afterward?”
Xiaodu frowned thoughtfully. After a moment, he called a servant from outside and ordered, “You lot, take turns watching this room. No one is allowed in or out, understood?” After the servants nodded in acknowledgment, he left with Zheng Long.
Once outside, Zheng Long couldn’t help but mutter, “Why keep her locked up? She should be handed over to the authorities immediately to clear my name.” Xiaodu glanced ahead with a stern expression and said, “Her testimony has many loopholes. This matter might not be as simple as it seems. There may be more to it. She needs to be kept here for further questioning to uncover the truth.”
As their gaze fell on a blooming apricot tree in the courtyard, its lush branches crossing over the pink wall, petals fluttered in the breeze, landing on Yuexi’s skirt. Yuexi gently brushed off the fallen petals and sighed, then, led by a maid, entered Aunt Wang’s room.
Yunxiang choked back tears, nodding as she confessed, “Ping’er, the main wife’s senior maid, often bullied us because of her status. On the day of the Marquis’ wedding, while we were setting up the room together, I couldn’t stand her bossy attitude. We argued a few times, but instead of listening, she slapped me. I was so angry that we ended up fighting, and accidentally, I killed her! Knowing that causing a scene like this at the Marquis’ wedding would mean certain death if discovered, I decided to implicate General Zheng. I initially thought, given his prominent status, that accidentally killing a maid wouldn’t be a big deal for the Marquis, and he wouldn’t pursue the truth further. But I never expected it to escalate so much. Luckily, I had previously broken Zhu Yun’s nail and embedded it in Ping’er’s neck, thinking it would divert suspicion. It wasn’t until yesterday when I overheard the servants gossiping that I learned General Zheng could recognize the scent on me from that night. I thought since Zhu Yun had already been convicted, this matter was settled. I planned to burn all my old clothes and perfume to avoid trouble. But…” She seemed to foresee her fate and couldn’t continue, covering her face and crying.
Zheng Long scoffed, while Xiaodu furrowed his brow and asked, “You said you originally planned to use General Zheng to cover up this matter. Does that mean you didn’t shout ‘murder’?”
Yunxiang nodded and said, “I wished as few people as possible knew about this. Why would I go around shouting?”
“Do you know who did shout then?”
Yunxiang slid her hands down from her face, her gaze blank as she shook her head. “I had everything set up that day, scared out of my mind, and didn’t dare stay a moment longer. How would I know what happened afterward?”
Xiaodu frowned thoughtfully. After a moment, he called a servant from outside and ordered, “You lot, take turns watching this room. No one is allowed in or out, understood?” After the servants nodded in acknowledgment, he left with Zheng Long.
Once outside, Zheng Long couldn’t help but mutter, “Why keep her locked up? She should be handed over to the authorities immediately to clear my name.” Xiaodu glanced ahead with a stern expression and said, “Her testimony has many loopholes. This matter might not be as simple as it seems. There may be more to it. She needs to be kept here for further questioning to uncover the truth.”
As their gaze fell on a blooming apricot tree in the courtyard, its lush branches crossing over the pink wall, petals fluttered in the breeze, landing on Yuexi’s skirt. Yuexi gently brushed off the fallen petals and sighed, then, led by a maid, entered Aunt Wang’s room.
Aunt Wang was sitting comfortably on the brocade couch, chatting with the maids in the room. Upon seeing Yuexi enter, she warmly welcomed her and instructed the maids to bring some snacks and tea. As she offered Yuexi refreshments, she chuckled, “Why are you here so early? A new bride like you must be exhausted. No one would blame you for getting a bit more sleep.” With a meaningful wink, she added.
Yuexi knew she was being teased, but being naturally introverted, even in the company of someone as sociable as Aunt Wang, she couldn’t help but feel timid. Afraid of saying the wrong thing, she simply smiled in response. Fortunately, Aunt Wang didn’t take offense and engaged in some small talk before asking, “Have you ever looked at account books before?”
Yuexi quickly shook her head. Given her status, she had never had the opportunity to handle such things. Aunt Wang sighed and continued, “The Marquis’ estate is vast, with properties both in the capital and outside, along with hundreds of employees. To outsiders, it might seem prosperous, but it’s not easy to manage! You never know who’s watching and waiting to catch you making a mistake. Over the years, although I’ve gained a reputation for managing things, it’s always been precarious. I’m always worried about being criticized for the smallest errors. Now that you’re here, it’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m truly happy!” She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, seemingly unable to contain her emotions.
After listening to Aunt Wang’s heartfelt words, Yuexi felt moved. She realized she might have been too cynical before, only thinking about managing Xiaodu’s demands. Now, she found herself genuinely interested in learning. She replied, “But I don’t know anything. I’ll have to rely on Aunt Wang to teach me. So, where should I start?”
Aunt Wang wiped her eyes, put away her handkerchief, and smiled, “It’s good that you’re willing to learn.” Then, she led Yuexi to a cabinet, unlocked it, and pulled out a stack of account books. Placing them in front of Yuexi, she said, “Start by studying these account books from the past few years. Once you’ve thoroughly understood them, I’ll teach you further.” Yuexi stared at the thick stack of account books, feeling overwhelmed, and timidly asked, “Do I have to memorize all of these?”
“Of course,” Aunt Wang replied earnestly. “You need to know every transaction by heart to ensure the balance is correct. I understand it’s challenging, but every journey begins with a single step, and I went through the same process myself.”
Yuexi stared blankly at the pile of account books, feeling like crying but unable to shed tears. At that moment, Aunt Wang instructed a maid, “Xingtao, help Madam take these books back to her room.” Yuexi bid farewell in a daze and followed Xingtao out of the room. She felt overwhelmed at the thought of facing the mountain of account books so soon after arriving. Walking beside Xingtao, she lost track of how many doors they passed through until she looked up and realized Xingtao was nowhere to be seen.
Yuanxi was suddenly startled and looked around to find unfamiliar surroundings, not knowing where she was. She had only been in the Marquis’ Mansion for a few days, and wherever she went, she was usually accompanied by servants. Now, being suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar place, she felt panicked and anxious, not knowing what to do.
She quickly looked around, wanting to find a servant to ask, but all the servants in the courtyard seemed to have been deliberately sent away by someone. After searching for a while, she didn’t encounter anyone. Feeling anxious, she hesitated whether to leave the courtyard and try her luck. Suddenly, she heard screams coming from the front courtyard!
The screams belonged to a young woman, echoing in the silent courtyard, sounding particularly alarming. Yuanxi bit her lip, and hesitated for a moment, unable to ignore it, so she made her way to the outside of the room where the sound was coming from and peeked inside through the window. However, the scene in the room completely stunned her, and she stood there motionless for a while, forgetting to move.
She saw Xiao Qing, the second young master of the Xiao family, half-naked, holding a whip in his hand, fiercely lashing downwards. The woman lying underneath was clearly in pain, but she didn’t struggle, and there was even a hint of pleasure in her eyes. Crimson blood trickled down her tender back, like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow. Xiao Qing’s eyes were filled with lust as he threw the whip aside and leaned down to lick the woman’s wounds…
Yuanxi dared not watch any longer, quickly crouching down, suppressing the strong urge to vomit, and just wanted to escape from the courtyard. At that moment, a pair of hands gently tapped her shoulder, almost startling her into a cry.
She quickly turned her head and saw a dignified and elegant face above her, but with an indescribable look of sadness, it was Wang Shiqin, the legitimate wife of Xiao Qing. Yuanxi suddenly understood that Wang Shiqin must know about what was happening inside the room. She slowly stood up, feeling inexplicably sorrowful. She didn’t know what to say, just stood there awkwardly, still hearing the moans coming from inside the room, feeling extremely embarrassed.
Wang Shiqin was the first to smile kindly at her and gestured for her to speak at the courtyard gate. Yuanxi then followed her quietly to the porch, and Wang Shiqin softly asked, “Are you lost, sister-in-law?”
Yuanxi nodded quickly, and Wang Shiqin continued to smile gently, holding her hand and explaining how to get back to the main courtyard room. Yuanxi saw that she could maintain such a calm attitude even though her husband was caught doing such ugly things, couldn’t help but admire her in her heart, and at the same time lamented that such a good woman had encountered such a bad person, adding many hardships to her life. She thanked Wang Shiqin and thought for a moment, but swallowed the words she was about to say. Some things were better left unsaid, buried in her heart, far better than revealing the truth and hurting both sides.
After all the twists and turns, Yuanxi just wanted to hurry back to her room, to see the familiar Li Nanny and An He to calm her nerves. Following the route pointed out by Wang Shiqin, she hurriedly passed through the courtyard gate and gallery but felt increasingly strange. Why did she feel that the places she passed were becoming more and more remote, and she couldn’t even encounter half a servant along the way?
With doubts in her heart, she finally passed through another door, and inside was a small courtyard, overgrown with weeds, obviously rarely maintained. Yuanxi was wondering why there would be such a place in the Marquis’ Mansion when suddenly a face jumped out from ahead!
This face was mostly covered by messy dry hair, with only half an eye exposed, and at the moment, it was glaring at her fiercely! Yuanxi was frightened and took several steps back, but the person kept approaching, grinning with yellow teeth. Yuanxi finally saw that this was a woman of about thirty or forty years old, and her pale face was marked with a several-inch long scar, looking even more terrifying.
Yuanxi felt her heart beating fast, almost bursting out of her chest and quickly ran back, but the woman ran to her front and shouted, “Who are you! What are you doing here!”
Seeing the emaciated, vein-covered hands about to grab her arm, Yuanxi was so scared she almost cried, and quickly shook her arm, unexpectedly throwing the woman to the ground. She slowly got up, pointed at Yuanxi with her bony finger, and said fiercely, “You will not have a good end! This is a curse! A curse! Hahaha.” She suddenly laughed maniacally, her laughter hoarse like scraping bones on a slate, sending shivers down one’s spine.
At this moment, a little maid ran out from inside, helping the woman who fell to the ground, anxiously saying, “Miss Yun, how could you run out like this, what if something happens!” Yuanxi didn’t dare to delay and quickly turned to run outside, but unexpectedly bumped into a sturdy chest. Looking up, she saw that it was Xiao Du!
She had never wanted to see her husband so much before. Just as she was overjoyed, Xiao Du pushed her aside and went to help the woman who fell on the ground, carefully brushing off the dry branches from her head. Yuanxi was stunned, if she hadn’t seen it wrong, she found in his eyes a concern and warmth that she had never seen before, and the woman called Yun, upon seeing Xiao Du, suddenly cried and laughed, and fainted abruptly.
Xiao Du raised his head with a grim expression, looking at the maid, and said, “How did you take care of her, to let her end up like this!”
The maid was already crying out of fear and said, “I just went to cook a meal, and she disappeared. I don’t know what stranger stimulated her, causing her to have a relapse.”
Xiao Du shifted his gaze to Yuanxi and shouted, “Who let you wander around here, do you know, this is a forbidden area in the mansion!”
Yuanxi only just came to her senses at this moment, and was about to explain, but suddenly remembered how Wang Shiqin had smiled gently at her and pointed to this courtyard. She suddenly felt cold all over, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. How many people and things in this mansion were beyond her understanding! Who should she believe in?
Seeing that she was still dazed, Xiao Du couldn’t be bothered to deal with her anymore. He picked up the unconscious Yun and walked inside. The little maid was anxious, but couldn’t intervene, so she could only follow behind with her head down. Yuanxi watched this scene in a daze, and suddenly shouted, “Wait! There was another person that night!”
Xiao Du suddenly turned around, but then looked down at the unconscious Yun in his arms, and quickened his pace to take her back to her room. Then he walked back and asked her, “What do you mean just now?”
Yuanxi just figured out this crucial point and said eagerly, “Since the culprit was a maid, how could she alone move a dead body of similar size in and out, and still have time to set up such a complex scheme while General Zheng was still drunk?”
Xiao Du frowned as well, and said, “Are you saying someone helped her move the body outside, and then when General Zheng was asleep, they moved it in together and set up the scene?” He suddenly remembered Yunxiang’s previous testimony and thought it was not good. He hurried out. Yuanxi didn’t know what was happening, but she would never stay here again. She followed him panting. The two ran to the door of the room where Yunxiang was being held, and sure enough, they saw the servants were all knocked unconscious on the ground, while Yunxiang lay on the bed with wide-open eyes, already lifeless.
It was near noon now, and the maids in each room were starting to prepare lunch for the day. In the Tianxiang Courtyard, Aunt Wang was being served at the table by the maids. Just as she was about to pick up her chopsticks, a maid rushed in from outside, whispered something in her ear, and she sneered, saying, “She’s getting off easy this time. I wonder if she’s lucky like this every time!”
In the Dongjiang Courtyard, Aunt Cai was copying the calligraphy as usual. Her handwriting was not elegant, but after years of practice, it was still quite decent. As she reached the middle of a page, she suddenly paused, took out a piece of paper from her bosom, and revealed a meaningful smile.
In the Buddha Hall, Princess Ruian was helped to stand up by Nanny Yu. She sighed softly, a touch of sorrow appearing on her usually cold face, murmuring, “I have recited scriptures and prayed for you, so you can rest assured.”
Meanwhile, Yunxiang, who was lying unconscious on the couch, suddenly opened her eyes, and sat up straight, her eyes clear and calm, devoid of any signs of madness…