The long box on the table occasionally caught her eye. Hua Zhi pressed her lips together, reached out to open it, and wasn't surprised to find a hairpin inside. But when she held it in her hand, she was truly astonished.
It was heavier than expected, similar to the one she had once used to injure someone. One of the prongs of the hairpin was actually a spring mechanism, its tip seemingly sharpened. If she hadn't withdrawn her hand quickly, it would have been more than just a minor scratch. Looking at its dark, dull color, it somewhat resembled the legendary Xuan iron...
Hua Zhi abruptly stood up and walked outside. Under the sunlight, the hairpin indeed appeared black with a reddish tint. Could this truly be the legendary Xuan iron? Xuan iron was famous for its hardness. From what she knew, artifacts made of Xuan iron were usually heavy swords or axes. To craft something so delicate...
Seeing the person emerging from the side room, Hua Zhi wanted to ask if this was indeed Xuan iron. But recalling the tension between them earlier, she suppressed the thought. The question could wait for another day—today, she truly didn't wish to speak with that person again.
With a slight bow, Hua Zhi returned to the study.
Gu Yanxi watched with a smile in his eyes. Even though he had to return to the palace soon to deal with a pile of matters, it didn't dampen his good mood at this moment.
Wang Rong, following behind with several large packages, lowered his gaze, feeling that he needed to show even more respect toward the eldest young lady of the Hua family.
Hua Zhi placed the hairpin alongside the hair accessory that Berlin had personally polished. Although she had already reached the age of wearing hairpins, she was still reluctant to use them while staying at home all day. If she didn't indulge in a little willfulness now while she still could, she might not have the choice to leave her hair unbound when she grew older.
The early spring night carried a slight chill, and all was quiet. In a dark alley, a figure struggled to stand up while leaning against the wall. Her headscarf slipped, revealing Hua Jing's face.
Once the esteemed eldest daughter of the Hua family, she was now emaciated, with sunken cheeks, barely clinging to life. Yet, even in this state, her eyes remained bright—burning with a fierce, maddening hatred.
On the rooftop, Wang Rong signaled the others not to act rashly, deciding to first observe what Hua Jing intended to do.
Hua Jing leaned on a long stick and slowly shuffled to the front gate of the Hua family, carrying a four-legged wooden stool. With a cold sneer, she pulled out a long white silk ribbon from her bosom, loosely tied one end to the long stick, and attempted to throw the other end over the horizontal beam of the gate. After several tries, she finally succeeded.
Panting heavily, Hua Jing rested for a moment. Using the white silk for balance, she stepped onto the four-legged stool. With trembling hands, she tied the silk into a tight knot, using all her strength to secure it before slipping it around her neck.
The Hua family had betrayed her! The Hua family had betrayed her!
She would die here, ensuring that no daughter of the Hua family could ever marry, tarnishing Hua Zhi's reputation, and making them all pay!
It was all the Hua family's fault, all Hua Zhi's fault! If not for her, how would the Song family dare treat her like this? And her son—why would he refuse to even see her? It was all because of Hua Zhi, all because of her!
I'll die right here for you to see! Die for you to see!
With a surge of resolve, Hua Jing kicked away the stool. As her legs thrashed, her breath grew weaker, and her features twisted in agony. In her daze, Hua Jing seemed to return to her days as a young maiden in her parents' home—carefree, content, cherished by her father, doted on by her mother, and protected by her younger brothers. Those days... were truly wonderful.
How... had it all come to this?Hua Jing’s eyes widened, tears streaming down her face as she gradually lost all consciousness.
It was only then that Wang Rong emerged with his men. He quickly stepped forward to take her down and checked her pulse—good, she was still breathing. He hadn’t stopped Hua Jing from attempting suicide, but if he had allowed her to die right at the Hua family’s doorstep, he would have faced trouble once their leader found out.
Placing the unconscious Hua Jing on another man’s back, Wang Rong leaned in and whispered instructions. The man nodded and swiftly departed, while another collected the white silk, wooden stool, and the long pole, following closely behind. Wang Rong stayed behind to clean up.
Initially, when he noticed someone in the alley, he had only paid slight attention. The residents in this area were generally decent, and patrols rarely ventured into these narrow lanes. Occasionally, bold beggars would sneak in to sleep, but who could have imagined that the Hua family’s eldest lady would be so ruthless to herself, lying on the ground for so long?
Bullied by her in-laws, yet she came to her maiden home to hang herself—how intriguing!
Thinking of the commotion that would ensue the next day, Wang Rong smiled.
Hua Zhi rose early and led her maids in a round of martial arts exercises. As she stepped out of her courtyard, she saw the Sixth Prince practicing alongside the Hua family children. He seemed to have some foundation, keeping up with those who had trained for months in both movement and strength. At a glance, he appeared as though he were a son of the Hua family.
Hearing hurried footsteps, Hua Zhi looked over and saw Su Momo.
"Miss, there’s news from the front—the eldest lady has passed."
Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow; it was sooner than she had expected. Noticing Su Momo’s hesitant expression, she asked, "Is there more to it?"
"She… hanged herself." Su Momo paused before adding, "She hanged herself at the entrance of the Song family residence."
Hua Zhi immediately sensed something amiss. No mother would act without considering her children, especially in this era, where children were a woman’s life. Even if Hua Jing hadn’t thought of her daughter, she should have considered Song Chenghao. With a single strip of white silk, she died swiftly and vented her anger at the Song family’s mistreatment. But her children still bore the Song surname. By leaving like this, what kind of life would they have? The Song family had more than just Song Zhengzu’s line, and grandsons were not scarce—Song Chenghao was not the only one. Hanging herself at the Hua family’s doorstep would have made more sense…
A chill ran down Hua Zhi’s spine as numerous thoughts flashed through her mind.
Seeing that the children’s lesson had ended, she walked over and bowed to Wang Rong.
Wang Rong hastily stepped aside, unwilling to accept the gesture—he didn’t deserve it.
"May I ask, Mr. Wang, has something happened at the Hua family that I am unaware of?"
Wang Rong looked up in surprise. They all knew the person their leader favored was extraordinary, but he hadn’t expected her to deduce the possibility so quickly after the news reached her.
He didn’t conceal anything, recounting the events of the early morning, including how they had hung Hua Jing—who still had a breath left—on the Song family’s main gate.
Hua Zhi’s heart churned like water hitting a hot oil pan, wishing she could rush to the Song family and whip Hua Jing’s corpse!
How vicious! To drag the family that had raised her into the abyss! What had the Hua family ever done to deserve this?!
"Rest assured, Miss, all traces have been cleared. This matter won’t be linked to the Hua family."
Hua Zhi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her raging fury, and bowed solemnly to Wang Rong. "Thank you, Mr. Wang. Otherwise, our Hua family would likely be stained and unable to free itself."Wang Rong jumped away in fright. "Please don't do this, Miss. We are merely following orders."
Hua Zhi nodded to him before turning to leave. She knew exactly who deserved her gratitude.
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