Тhе mаin hаll remainеd unсhаngеd, аnd with the sun rising, the light grew еvеn brighter.
Yet еveryоnе in thе rооm wоre gravе expressions.
Zhou Сhujin sаt in the аrmchаir bеfоrе the сеntrаl sсrоll, lifted hеr teacuр, аnd gentlу skimmed the teа leavеs floating оn thе surfасе with thе lid. In а deeр vоicе, shе sаid, "Spеak! Whаt is gоing on?"
Thе rоugh maidsеrvants and the brоkers had alrеаdу withdrawn. Тo prevеnt Lаnting frоm aсting imрulsivеlу, shе wаs still bound with rорes аnd thrown bеfore Zhоu Chujin. Zhоu Shаоjin stoоd bеhind hеr еlder sister, while Мadam Ma Fushan guаrded the doоr.
A cunning glеam fliсkеred in Lаnting's eyes as she said, "If the eldest young lady sends me back to Baoding, I will tell you everything that happened!"
Zhou Shaojin sneered, stood up, and called loudly for Madam Ma Fushan to enter. "Go ask those nuns and pious old women for a dose of mute-inducing medicine and force it down her throat—since she doesn’t want to speak, let her forever hold her tongue for me." With that, she strode out without looking back.
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly followed.
Lanting cried out, "Don’t you want to know what truly happened back then?"
Zhou Chujin scoffed disdainfully. "What evidence do you have? Do you take me for a three-year-old child? Even if you spin a thousand tales, I would still need to verify them. How dare you dream of bargaining with me? When Mother died, you were at most twelve or thirteen years old—at that age, you wouldn’t have been eligible for the highest monthly allowance. Even if Cheng Bai harmed Mother, you likely only recalled some clues afterward. Once I’ve forced the mute-inducing medicine down your throat, severed your tendons, and sold you to the lowest brothel, I’ll investigate the senior maids who served Mother back then. I’m not afraid I won’t uncover the truth! If what you say is true, I’ll let you linger on in the brothel, barely clinging to life. If you’re spouting nonsense, rest assured—it’ll just cost a bit more silver to send you to the frontier garrisons to serve as an official courtesan." At this point, she instructed Madam Ma Fushan, "Oh, and when you sell her off, make it clear to the pious old woman: don’t give her any contraceptive brew. I not only want her to be a prostitute—I want all the daughters she bears to be prostitutes for generations to come..."
Even Zhou Shaojin shuddered upon hearing this.
Only then did Lanting’s expression change.
"No!" she wailed shrilly. "You can’t do this to me! I am your father’s woman..."
Zhou Chujin spat at Lanting. "What kind of thing are you? How dare you claim to be my father’s woman? Did my mother drink your kowtowing tea? Or did my father go to the authorities to legitimize your status? You’re nothing but a plaything who warmed my father’s bed—do you even deserve to call yourself his woman? Don’t forget, your deed of sale is still with the Zhou family! If I elevate you, you are a person. If I trample you, you are nothing but mud! Madam Ma Fushan, why are you still standing here? Can I not even command you anymore?"
Madam Ma Fushan’s face turned pale. Trembling, she repeatedly answered, "Yes," her voice even cracking.
"No, no, no!" Lanting struggled, trying to crawl toward Zhou Chujin. But bound tightly, she not only failed to move forward but instead collapsed onto the floor. "Eldest Young Lady, you mustn’t do this, you mustn’t!"
Zhou Chujin smiled, cast a cold glance at Lanting, and strode forward with her head held high.
Zhou Shaojin quickly stepped forward to support her elder sister’s shoulder lightly.
Only then did she realize that Zhou Chujin’s body was trembling slightly.
Her sister was also afraid she couldn’t subdue Lanting. That was why she had spoken those words.Zhou Shaojin, as if pumping herself up, tightly grasped Zhou Chujin's hand.
Her sister's hand was slender and soft, yet warm and strong.
Zhou Chujin immediately understood Zhou Shaojin's intention.
She tilted her head to glance at Zhou Shaojin, her eyes filled with warmth.
Zhou Shaojin pursed her lips and smiled at her sister.
From behind them came Lanting's hurried and anxious voice: "Eldest Miss, I'll speak, I'll speak. As long as you don't sell me to that filthy place, I'll tell you everything."
Zhou Chujin turned her head and said coldly, "Do you think you can bargain with me?"
"No, no," Lanting replied, looking at Zhou Chujin's frosty, snow-like face, a chill spreading through her heart. She knew she had encountered a tough character; one misstep and she could fall into the world of prostitution with no chance of recovery. She hurriedly said, "Eldest Miss, I spoke wrongly. I'll tell you everything, everything."
Zhou Chujin curled the corner of her mouth with a faint, ambiguous smile and said, "Tell me, what exactly happened back then?"
Lanting gathered her spirits and spoke with a hint of flattery: "Just as Eldest Miss said, back then I was only thirteen, a second-class maid in the mistress's room. The one serving the mistress at the time was Xinlan, the mistress's dowry maid." She paused slightly before continuing, "Does Eldest Miss know of Master Cheng Bai from Cunyi Lane?"
"I know," Zhou Chujin said indifferently, returning to sit in the armchair.
Madam Ma Fushan immediately rushed over to refill Zhou Chujin's tea, then closed the door and left.
Lanting was quite surprised to hear Zhou Chujin say she knew Cheng Bai from Cunyi Lane. She said, "He is not only a collateral branch of the Cheng family, but in earlier years, he also had some connection with the mistress..."
Zhou Chujin interrupted her, unconcerned: "Wasn't it just that he was once engaged to Mother? Everyone knows about this."
When did this become common knowledge?
Lanting was stunned.
Back then, Zhou Zhen had gone to great lengths to suppress this matter.
She glanced at the Zhou sisters.
Not only did Zhou Chujin appear normal, but even Zhou Shaojin showed no unusual expression.
Only then did Lanting believe that everyone knew about this.
She grew uneasy.
It seemed that during her years away from Jinling City, many things had happened. She would have to answer carefully from now on.
Lanting's expression tightened slightly as she said: "At that time, the mistress and the old madam lived on Official Street, and the old master was not at home. All matters of the inner courtyard coming and going were entrusted to Xinlan. Cheng Bai was very attentive to the mistress, sending gifts every few days, sometimes even writing letters and poems for her, all of which were given to Xinlan to deliver to the mistress. The mistress disliked Cheng Bai's small favors and told Xinlan to return the gifts to him. When Cheng Bai sent things again, he would also buy hairpins, handkerchiefs, and the like for Xinlan, begging her to put in a good word for him with the mistress. Over time, Xinlan became familiar with Cheng Bai.
"The mistress's marriage to Cheng Bai did not come to pass, and Xinlan followed the mistress when she married into the Zhou family.
"But Cheng Bai refused to give up. He begged Xinlan to send more gifts to the mistress. The mistress reprimanded Xinlan a few times, but Xinlan instead spoke well of Cheng Bai. The mistress then discussed with the master and arranged for Xinlan to be married off.
"Xinlan married a traveling merchant in the cotton business. In earlier years, that merchant still collected cotton around Hangzhou. Later, when business there declined, he took Xinlan to Jingzhou Prefecture.""Everyone thought Xinlan never returned after she married. In fact, when the mistress was pregnant with the second young lady, Xinlan once came back to visit her. However, all the servants attending the mistress had entered the household after Xinlan's marriage, and she had changed her appearance. The mistress also seemed reluctant to let others know, so no one recognized her at the time.
"She wanted to stay at home for a few days then. The mistress didn't keep her. She left very disappointed.
"That's why I started paying attention to her.
"Later, she came a few more times, and the mistress gradually treated her less coldly than at first, occasionally chatting with her.
"I remember when the mistress gave birth to the second young lady, it was a difficult labor, and everyone in the household panicked. Xinlan suddenly came to visit the mistress. The steward settled her in the flower hall and hurried off to fetch the physician."
Lanting fell into reminiscence.
"I had been on night duty the previous evening and was sleeping in my room when the mistress went into labor. Hearing about the difficult birth, how could I lie still? I thought of going to the small prayer hall to burn incense for the mistress.
"But the main rooms were crowded with people, and the master was pacing in the courtyard, displeased with everyone.
"I didn't dare approach and took a detour to the kitchen.
"From a distance, I saw Xinlan carrying a hot water kettle over.
"She greeted me when she saw me and asked worriedly how the mistress was doing. Then she lifted the copper kettle in her hand and told me that the main rooms kept calling for hot water, but the stove in the tea room was too small and couldn't boil it fast enough. Seeing the young maids panicking and fumbling, she volunteered to help carry water.
"I didn't think much of it at the time and said, 'You're a guest, we can't trouble you. Let me take this kettle in instead.'
"To my surprise, Xinlan seemed startled upon hearing this. She repeatedly said 'no need,' then hurried toward the main rooms with the kettle.
"Seeing how diligent even a married woman like her was, I thought for a moment and followed.
"But when I reached the main rooms, she had disappeared.
"I was muttering to myself when she suddenly reappeared from somewhere, still holding that copper kettle, and stood by the curtain.
"I remember the master frowned when he saw her and seemed about to say something, but then someone inside shouted, 'Bring another kettle of water!' Xinlan quickly handed the water in, and the master said nothing more.
"Not long after, the midwife emerged pale-faced from behind the curtain and told the master that the bleeding couldn't be stopped and there was nothing she could do.
"The master looked utterly terrifying then. He snapped at the midwife, 'Didn't you just say the bleeding had stopped? Why are you now saying it can't be stopped? Has it stopped or not? If you're talking nonsense, don't think you'll ever work in this profession again.'
"The midwife immediately burst into tears, saying, 'It had stopped at first, but just after settling the mistress, the heavy bleeding started again.'
"The master truly cared for the mistress. While others hired midwives for childbirth, the master brought in a physician. He even accompanied the physician into the delivery room to check the mistress's pulse, which is how she survived.
"But the mistress was ultimately weakened, and after lingering for half a year, she passed away."
Lanting's expression grew somewhat vacant as she spoke.
Zhou Shaojin listened to the story of her childhood, imagining her father's grief after her mother's death, and for a moment, she was lost in thought.The room instantly fell silent, not a sound to be heard.
Zhou Chujin snorted coldly and said, "So this is what you call 'Cheng Bai killed my mother'? It seems to me it wasn’t Cheng Bai who killed my mother, but you stirring up trouble for no reason! Even if you wanted to make up a story to deceive us sisters, you could at least come up with a convincing one!"
"Miss, I’m not making up a story," Lanting snapped back, her tone anxious. "It really was Cheng Bai who killed the mistress."
※
Sisters, here’s today’s update.
The extra chapter for cadyss will be a bit late, so everyone can check it out tomorrow morning!
o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
!!
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