In the hall on the second floor, the Zhan family gathered around. Even Fifth Young Lady Zhan Zi Ming, who had captured her and Liang Shaoqing, attended exceptionally, wearing a snow-white face veil that concealed her exquisite beauty. She was dressed in a cyan silk gown with a high waist that accentuated her slender figure, appearing graceful and elegant.

The three sons-in-law of the Zhan family sat at the head with their respective wives. The husband of the Eldest Young Lady Zhan Zi Fang, Master Gu Gong’en, was rather handsome with a straight nose, thin lips, and slightly upturned eyes that revealed his charm whenever he glanced around. Perhaps due to a poor first impression, though one couldn’t say his appearance was detestable, it was difficult to like him. Compared to him, the other two sons-in-law seemed much more ordinary, especially the third son-in-law Xue Qian, who appeared quite delicate. Dressed in light blue satin plain clothes, he sat behind Third Young Lady Zhan Zi Qing. His complexion was fair, and when he noticed Chu Qiao watching him, his face reddened. He even gave a slight smile before awkwardly turning away, as if he was not good at greeting strangers.

“Tell me, what exactly happened?” Gu Gong’en asked in a deep voice, coldly looking at Chu Qiao with a rather stern expression.

Chu Qiao smiled indifferently and said, “It’s simple. They provoked me, so I beat them. That’s all there is to it.”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Chen Shuang shouted. “Master, she provoked us first. Early in the morning, before we had even risen, how could we have possibly provoked her?”

As soon as he finished speaking, several other troublemakers joined in agreement. Chu Qiao raised an eyebrow, slowly turning her head, her gaze cold as ice. Seeing this, everyone felt a chill down their spine and immediately choked on their words, not daring to speak further.

Gu Gong’en turned his head and asked in a deep voice, “What do you have to say?”

“What more can I say?” Chu Qiao slightly raised her eyebrows. “Rumors are fearsome; three people can make a tiger seem real. When the First Son-in-law is intent on protecting his subordinates, I have nothing to say.”

“Such a sharp tongue!” Zhan Zi Fang said coldly. “Let’s not even mention how you’ve been causing trouble since arriving at the mansion. Just looking at your disrespectful attitude toward your elders, you deserve a severe beating!”

Second Young Lady Zhan Zi Kui seized the opportunity to add, “I must say I’m quite ignorant. This is the first time in my life I’ve seen such an arrogant and domineering servant.”

Gu Gong’en said, “Since you have nothing to say, I’ll take it that you’re at a loss for words because you’re in the wrong. This time, I won’t let you off so easily.”

Chu Qiao was about to retort, willing to be expelled from the mansion as she wasn’t concerned about offending these nobles. But before she could speak, Sixth Young Lady Zhan Zi Jun, standing beside Zhan Zi Yu, suddenly exclaimed loudly, “How can you pass judgment so arbitrarily? And you, how can you not defend yourself?”

Chu Qiao was startled and turned her head to see the Zhan family’s Sixth Young Lady, her face flushed with anxiety, clutching her handkerchief so tightly it seemed she would wring water from it. Hearing this, the Second Young Lady raised an eyebrow, curled her lip, and said coldly with a sneer, “Sixth Sister truly has the heart of a Bodhisattva, showing such concern even for a lowly servant. No wonder Concubine Wanru fled the mansion with a lute player back then. Like mother, like daughter.”

Upon hearing this, the Sixth Young Lady’s eyes immediately reddened. With a trembling voice, she pointed at Zhan Zi Kui, so angry that she stammered, “You… you’re slandering!”

“Sixth Young Lady, don’t be fooled by this pretty boy,” Chen Shuang, though bruised and swollen, remained unrepentant. “This pretty boy struck viciously, attacking us while we were asleep. His methods are extremely despicable.”

Eldest Young Lady Zhan Zi Fang frowned and sternly rebuked Zhan Zi Jun, “Zi Jun, be quiet! As a young lady from a noble family, flirting with a servant—have you no shame?”

“Is the Eldest Young Lady’s protection of her people not considered flirting with a servant?”

“What did you say?”

Chu Qiao laughed coldly, seeing the Sixth Young Lady with tears welling in her eyes, looking at her with a glistening gaze. Strangely, she felt a sense of justice arise within her. She boldly stepped forward, smiling lightly, “What I said, the Eldest Young Lady naturally wouldn’t know. Even if she did know, she would pretend not to.”

“I’m just a humble servant; many things aren’t worth mentioning. However, since some people keep provoking me—Elder Brother-in-law, do you know why I fought with Chen Shuang?”

Gu Gong’en frowned slightly and asked, “Why?”

Chu Qiao mysteriously stepped forward, deliberately lowering her voice, “Because I know who killed Old Steward Qing.”

These words caused a shock throughout the gathering.

Gu Gong’en said in a deep voice, “Didn’t you say earlier on the deck that you had mistakenly accused someone?”

“How would I dare to speak rashly about something that could cost me my head?” Chu Qiao put on a sincere expression and slowly said, “Steward Qing had blood on his eyelids, bruises around his eyes, a fierce expression, and obvious bruises on his wrists. With such evident injuries, how can you all still claim he died of natural causes? It’s truly lamentable that after serving the Zhan family all his life, he met such a tragic end. It’s saddening.”

Hearing this, everyone became angry. Gu Gong’en, suppressing his anger, sternly said, “Then why didn’t you speak up during the day? Now that Steward Qing has been cremated, you can make any false accusations you want!”

“Whether it’s a false accusation or not, the killer knows in their heart. I didn’t speak up then because I wanted to extort some silver from the killer afterward. Otherwise, why would I, having already left the mansion, with so many roads to choose from, happen to be caught by the Fifth Young Lady?”

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone was stunned. Liang Shaoqing’s eyes went blank, and his face turned completely red. The other servants also whispered among themselves, not expecting that she would admit to such an act so shamelessly.

Chu Qiao shook her head and said, “That night, I went out to find something to eat. The cooking staff can vouch for me on this.”

Gu Gong’en asked for the name of that person and sent someone to call the man who had provided food to Chu Qiao and Liang Shaoqing to the cabin. The honest man stammered in confirmation, “That night, this young man did indeed come out, and I gave him food.”

“On my way back, I heard noises from Steward Qing’s room. Curious, I specifically went over to check. Before I reached the door, Chen Shuang came out from inside. Seeing me, he seemed very panicked. I asked him what he was doing there so late, and he lied to me, saying Steward Qing had summoned him for something. I didn’t suspect anything at the time, until the next day when I realized he wasn’t called by Steward Qing at all. He was the main culprit in killing Steward Qing!”

Chu Qiao’s voice suddenly became sharp as she pointed at Chen Shuang and spoke sternly.

Chen Shuang was greatly shocked and hurriedly defended himself, “You’re slandering me! Young Master, Eldest Young Lady, Second Young Lady, First Son-in-law, even if I had the greatest courage, I would never dare to harm Steward Qing! This boy is spouting nonsense, talking rubbish. Please, masters, justice for me!”

Gu Gong’en’s face darkened as he asked in a deep voice, “You claim Chen Shuang killed Steward Qing. Do you have any proof?”

Chu Qiao innocently spread her hands, “I originally did, but now it’s gone.”

“So do you have evidence or not?”

“Because I was certain that Chen Shuang killed Steward Qing, I paid special attention and noticed that Steward Qing had large amounts of blood and skin under his fingernails. This proves that before his death, during his struggle, he must have scratched his killer. We just need to have Chen Shuang remove his upper garments to see if there are any wounds, then we’ll know if he’s the murderer.”

Hearing this, Chen Shuang immediately panicked. He tore open his sleeve, revealing bloodstains on his arm that were still dripping blood. The man exclaimed in panic, “This wound was inflicted by you just now. It’s still bleeding; it’s a fresh wound! Don’t frame me!”

“Oh!” Chu Qiao exclaimed in feigned realization, “So that was your plan! No wonder when I asked you for money, you told me to find you in the lower cabin this morning.”

“When did I ever ask you for money?”

“You still deny it? Last night, I met you on the deck and said if you would give me a sum of money, I would leave the Zhan mansion in three days and keep this matter in my stomach forever, never to speak of it. You readily agreed and even told me to come to the lower cabin in the morning to collect the money. Brother Chen, you’re still young; your memory can’t be that poor.”

Chen Shuang immediately shouted angrily, “You’re talking nonsense! I had Qiu Tao call you to the lower cabin precisely to ambush and teach you a lesson. It had nothing to do with money. Young Master, if you don’t believe me, you can ask Qiu Tao!”

With these words, a collective gasp echoed throughout the hall. Gu Gong’en’s gaze turned so dark it seemed as if the ink could drip from it. Chu Qiao gave a cunning laugh and said lightly, “Brother Chen, didn’t you say I went to the lower cabin on my own and ambushed you while you were still asleep? What happened? Did you forget your lie so quickly because you’ve made up too many?”

Chen Shuang looked around in confusion, seeing that Gu Gong’en wouldn’t even glance at him anymore. In despair, he turned fiercely towards Chu Qiao and shouted, “You little bastard! How dare you trick me! I’ll kill you!”

Before he could take more than a couple of steps, he was captured by a burly guard nearby.

“Take him away. Three days later when the ship docks, expel him directly.”

Zhan Zi Yu’s voice was very calm. Sitting in his wheelchair, he took a warm towel from a young attendant behind him, wiped his hands, then raised his head and said in a mild tone, “All servants who participated in the fighting will be fined two months’ wages. Slaves will receive twenty lashes. This matter ends here.”

“He should be punished too,” Zhan Zi Fang suddenly stood up, pointing at Chu Qiao and loudly saying, “He’s also a slave who participated in the disturbance!”

“Big Sister, I’ve heard of punishing thieves who steal, but never of punishing the victims who lost their belongings. Over thirty people surrounding one person, setting an ambush, waiting to attack, yet they all end up injured—isn’t that humiliating enough?”

A gentle voice suddenly sounded. Fifth Young Lady Zhan Zi Ming slowly stood up, her robe flowing like water, elegant and transcendent, speaking softly.

Zhan Zi Fang, who dared to argue with Zhan Zi Yu, immediately fell silent when faced with this reserved Fifth Young Lady, awkwardly saying nothing more.

“We’ve been at this all morning, and that’s enough.” Zhan Zi Yu waved his hand slightly, and the young attendant behind him pushed his wheelchair. “The Zhan family originated from Bian Tang. Even towards slaves, we never kill arbitrarily. But now we are about to enter Tang City. If anyone dares to cause trouble again, don’t blame me for being unsentimental.”

The door was slowly closed, and a gentle breeze blew into the room. Everyone stood facing each other, and for a moment, no one spoke to break the deadlock.

“You, come with me.”

The Sixth Young Lady, her face red, pointed at Chu Qiao and called out softly.

Chu Qiao, not wanting to stand in the center of a group of hostile people, naturally complied. She nodded in agreement and turned to leave, not forgetting to pull along the foolishly standing Liang Shaoqing.

At noon, the sun was bright, and sailors at the bow were vigorously hoisting the sails. Green mountains layered both shores, the sky was clear blue, white waves surged, and water birds called out, presenting a magnificent scene. Chu Qiao stood at the bow, and although dressed in servants’ clothes, she had a handsome face and spirited eyes. Though her height appeared quite petite when standing among men like Yan Xun and Zhuge Yue, compared to girls her age, she was half a head taller. The Sixth Young Lady of the Zhan family standing beside her only reached her ear.

Zhan Zi Jun looked up, smiling at her, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said softly, “Just now, thank you.”

Chu Qiao respectfully bowed and replied, “Young Lady honors me too much. I am just a servant, unworthy of your thanks. Besides, Young Lady also spoke up for me. It is I who should thank Young Lady.”

“I’ve never treated you as a slave,” the Sixth Young Lady hurriedly waved her hand, shaking her head adorably, “The first time I saw you, I felt you were different from the others. You must have experienced a great misfortune to have fallen to this state.”

Chu Qiao smiled slightly, not expecting this wealthy young lady to have such a pure heart. Just then, a water bird flew overhead. Some sailors bent their bows to shoot at it. Startled, the bird flapped its wings frantically and flew away quickly. The arrow grazed the bird’s wing, and a few white feathers floated down, landing on Zhan Zi Jun’s hair. Chu Qiao naturally reached out to remove the feather for her, waving it gently before her eyes, and smiled, “Young Lady has a kind heart and outstanding beauty. Perhaps this is what they call beauty that can sink fish and make birds fall from the sky.”

Throwing the feather on the ground, Chu Qiao bowed to Zhan Zi Jun and said with a smile, “I have matters to attend to and must go back now. It’s windy here; Young Lady should return to the cabin after a while.”

With that, she stepped back twice and then turned to leave.

Zhan Zi Jun, just fifteen this year, had a face as delicate as a lotus flower emerging from the water. She stood there, staring blankly as Chu Qiao’s figure disappeared into the cabin, unable to recover for a long time.

A breeze blew by, lifting the hem of her dress. Slowly, she crouched down, and seeing no one around, actually picked up the feather and tucked it into her bosom. Then she hurriedly stood up, her face bright red, as if she had committed theft.

The rice on both banks was already lush green. As the breeze passed over, waves of green rippled. Farmers, with their pants rolled up, were bent over working in the fields. Seeing these large ships approaching from afar, they all stood up to gaze, pointing and gesturing, laughing happily.

Chu Qiao stood at the door of the rear cabin, looking at those ordinary commoners, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, her eyes curved like crescent moons, shimmering.

She held onto the mast, slowly raising her head. The clear wind blew her sideburns, her hair playfully brushing against her cheeks, causing a slight tickle.

Suddenly, she found herself rather enjoying this simple life.