Тhе situаtiоn wаs fаr bеyond аnуоnе's еxpeсtаtions.
Zhou Shаojin felt а hеаvу wеight in hеr heart, unаble to clearly dеsсribe thе emоtiоns swirling within hеr.
Мa Fushаn, hаving оvеrhеard his еmployеr's sеcrеt, felt quite uneаsy. Hе thought it best tо wаit аnd sее hоw Zhоu Shaojin wоuld rеspоnd bеfоre сhiming in.
For а mоment, the rооm fell intо complеte silencе, nоt а single sоund to be heаrd.
Тhе old bеggаr shiftеd unсоmfоrtablу, his fliсkering gаze dаrting from Mа Fushan tо thе сentrаl hаll, thеn tо the floor, а hint of cunning evident in his eхpression.
Мa Fushan’s hеart stirrеd аs he wаtched.
How could he have forgotten this scoundrel?
Whether what he said was true or false, the Second Miss was still young and had been momentarily intimidated by his words. Once she regained her composure, who knew whether she would feel sorrow or joy? In any case, they couldn’t let this scoundrel stay and watch the spectacle unfold.
With this thought, he shouted loudly, "According to what you’re saying, the Cheng and Zhuang families were once engaged, so how is it that none of the neighbors knew about it? It seems you’re asking for trouble, daring to fabricate stories about Old Master Zhuang and Madam Zhuang…"
"Everything I said is true!" the old beggar immediately burst into tears, sobbing and sniffling. "At first, Master Cheng Bai said that Old Madam An was their family’s aunt, and Old Madam Cheng couldn’t say much about it. Later, Old Madam Cheng heard that the eldest Miss Zhuang was a fox spirit reincarnated and took a dislike to her. When the two families broke off the engagement, it was the Zhuang family who took the initiative, so the Cheng family naturally didn’t bring it up again. The Gu family… and even the Zhou family’s eldest master knew about this… Originally, Old Master Zhuang wanted to marry his eldest daughter into the Gu family, but the Gu family didn’t have a suitable young master, so the eldest Miss Zhuang ended up marrying the Zhou family’s eldest master…" As he spoke, he pointed to the sky and swore an oath. "The Zhuang family’s maternal uncle also knew about it… Back then, he used this to extort money from the eldest Miss Zhuang. In the end, it was the Zhou family’s eldest master who stepped in, giving the Zhuang family’s maternal uncle money to keep him quiet…"
The shrewd Ma Fushan immediately caught the hidden meaning in his words and asked, "Then who paid you to keep quiet?"
"The Cheng… the Cheng family…" Caught off guard, the old beggar blurted out.
The Cheng family?
Zhou Shaojin was stunned.
Ma Fushan was left speechless.
"It’s true!" Seeing that the truth was already exposed, the old beggar figured that even if he didn’t say anything, the Zhou family could still find out if they were determined. So he decided to lay all his cards on the table. "The Cheng family has always regarded this matter as a disgrace. Because of it, Master Cheng Bai worked hard to earn the title of scholar and later went into business. In just a few years, he amassed a fortune… He never wanted to mention this matter again… so he gave me a sum of money and told me to leave Jinling City to start a small business… But aside from driving carts, I had no other skills. Within a few years, I squandered all the money and had no choice but to become a beggar…"
What kind of person was Ma Fushan? Hearing this, he sneered and said, "You blackmailed Cheng Bai, didn’t you? That’s why he gave you money to start a business. Otherwise, the Zhuang family is a charitable household. Since you once served Old Master Zhuang, and after he passed away, our master has always respected Madam Zhuang, even if the Zhuang family didn’t provide for you, our master would have taken care of you out of respect for Madam Zhuang. How could you have ended up on the streets as a beggar?"
Exposed, the old beggar turned pale with fright.Ma Fushan’s expression softened slightly, and he said amiably, “One travels a thousand miles to become an official, all for money. Why didn’t you say so earlier? You had to wait until I caught your weakness to come clean. I won’t say anything else—when the Eldest Young Miss’s reward comes down, you’ll have to give me half.”
His shifting moods—now sunny, now rainy, now warm, now cold—had worn down the old beggar until he could no longer muster any other thoughts. Clinging to Ma Fushan’s leg, he cried out, “Steward, great sir, I’ll listen to you in everything! Everything! You have eyes of fire, I’ll tell you everything truthfully… I originally served Old Master Zhuang. As the Zhuang family gradually fell into decline, I had a moment of wickedness and stole one of Old Master Zhuang’s calligraphy scrolls. Who would have thought it would be discovered by the Gu family’s Twelfth Master? Old Master Zhuang gave me ten taels of silver and drove me out of the Zhuang household… I’ve been a traveling merchant, a horse groom, a carriage driver, and even carried loads for others… With no wife or children… life truly became unbearable… so I thought to borrow a few taels from the Zhuang Eldest Young Miss, or failing that, from the Zhuang Eldest Maternal Uncle… Little did I expect that the Zhuang Eldest Young Miss was no longer here, and the Cheng family’s Elder Master Bai had also passed away from illness. Elder Mistress Bai knew nothing of the affairs between the Cheng and Zhuang families, and the Zhuang Eldest Maternal Uncle had fled somewhere to escape his debts… I originally intended to seek out the Zhou family’s Eldest Young Miss, but unexpectedly ran into the Cheng family’s Elder Master Lu…”
“What did you say?” Even someone as experienced as Ma Fushan couldn’t help but change expression drastically. “The one who gave you silver was the Cheng family’s Elder Master Lu?”
“Yes!” The old beggar, unaware of how shocking his words were, wiped his nose with his sleeve and said, “Elder Master Lu said that if this matter got out, it would harm Elder Master Bai’s reputation, so he told me to keep quiet. First, he gave me twenty taels of silver, and later another thirty taels… I originally wanted to get more silver, but then the family I used to work for as a horse groom came looking for me, so I didn’t dare stay in Jinling City any longer… If I hadn’t run out of options this time, and heard that the Second Young Miss treats those who once served Mistress Zhuang well, I wouldn’t have come back…” At this point, he asked Ma Fushan worriedly, “Given that I served Old Master Zhuang, shouldn’t I be more respectable than those who served Mistress Zhuang? Can I be considered a loyal servant?”
A loyal servant? Clearly, he was nothing but a scoundrel!
Ma Fushan had no words, and he perfunctorily answered him, saying, “You should be considered one! I’ll ask the Second Young Miss, and then we’ll know.”
The old beggar was overjoyed and said with a fawning expression, “Then, Steward, great sir, when will the Second Young Miss’s silver be rewarded? Look at me—a single coin can stump a hero. Could you lend me a few coins first? Once the Second Young Miss’s reward silver comes down, I’ll pay you back…”
“Easy, easy,” Ma Fushan said. Just then, he saw Shi Xiang emerge from behind the central hall and hand him a note.
After glancing at it hastily, he asked the beggar, “What you’ve said needs witnesses. You mentioned the Gu family knows—who else in the Gu family knows? When Elder Master Lu gave you silver, who can testify to that?”
The beggar thought for a long time and said, “The Gu family’s Twelfth Master… passed away several years ago. As for who else in the Gu family knows… I can’t say for sure… But the Zhou family’s Elder Master should know… The silver from Elder Master Lu wasn’t given to me directly. It was given to me by a man surnamed Zhao who was by his side…”
Surnamed Zhao?
Zhao Dahai!Zhou Shaojin's fingertips trembled.
Zhao Dahai was Cheng Lu's attendant.
A hereditary servant of the Cheng family.
He was the person Cheng Lu trusted most.
Most of the things Cheng Lu had given her had passed through Zhao Dahai's hands before reaching her.
Without needing further verification, Zhou Shaojin was certain that the person who had given the beggar the hush money was Cheng Lu.
Since Cheng Lu clearly knew about the enmity between their families, why did he still seek to marry her? No, Cheng Lu had not sought to marry her—he had sought to marry Wu Baozhang! He had merely made her grandmother and Uncle Mian think... that he favored her, that he wanted to marry her...
Zhou Shaojin felt a chill run through her entire body.
She leaned on the armrest of the official's chair, barely managing to keep from collapsing.
"Shi Xiang," she heard her own hoarse voice, "go ask when this happened."
Shi Xiang looked terrified. She replied softly, "Yes," and turned to leave the back hall.
"It was two years ago," the old beggar said. "I remember clearly. The first time, it was wrapped in kraft paper—silver ingots, ten pieces in total..."
Two years ago. She was ten years old.
It was from that time that Cheng Lu began appearing before her.
Zhou Shaojin's eyes reddened. Covering her face, she said, "Reward the old beggar with thirty taels of silver and send him away."
Shi Xiang curtsied in acknowledgment.
The room quickly fell silent.
Zhou Shaojin sat dazedly in the chair, feeling the light in the room gradually dim. Only then did she stand up and say in a low voice, "Let's go back."
Shi Xiang acknowledged and helped Zhou Shaojin out through the back door, where they boarded a sedan chair that had been waiting there. They returned to Fragrant Garden Residence.
Zhou Chujin was anxiously waiting under the eaves for Zhou Shaojin.
Seeing them return, she hurried forward, her voice filled with worry. "Why are you back so late? Grandmother just asked about you. Did you manage to buy what you said you were looking for?"
Zhou Shaojin had used the excuse of preparing a birthday gift for Old Madam Guan to persuade Madam Mian to let her go out.
But now, she couldn't even muster a reassuring smile for her sister.
"Fortunately, I bought the things earlier," Zhou Shaojin said wearily. "I'll just give them directly to Grandmother when the time comes."
She stumbled into the inner chamber and collapsed onto the bed.
Zhou Chujin followed her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting by the bed, her voice full of concern.
"I don't know how to tell you yet," Zhou Shaojin said, burying her face in the pillow. "I'll talk to you, Sister, after I've sorted things out."
Zhou Chujin didn't press her. Gently stroking her shoulder, she quietly left the room.
Zhou Shaojin slept deeply and woke to find the moon already hanging above the willow branches.
After some thought, she went to her sister Zhou Chujin's room.
Zhou Chujin was weaving a decorative knot.
Hearing the movement, she looked up and smiled. "I thought you'd be awake by now. Good, I'll have Dongwan brew some tea, and you can tell me everything properly."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and sat down beside her sister, joining her in weaving the knot.
"Mother was originally betrothed to Cheng Lu's father, Cheng Bai..." she began recounting calmly, but Zhou Chujin listened with growing alarm.
The lamp on the table flickered with the breeze, casting shifting light and shadow in the room.
"So, what do you plan to do?" Zhou Chujin tightly grasped Zhou Shaojin's hand. "Don't listen to those idle rumors. Even if Mother broke off the engagement with Cheng Bai, it was because Cheng Bai was too frivolous—it had nothing to do with Mother. Even if you don't believe me, you should believe Father. Otherwise, with Mother gone for so many years, Father wouldn't have continued to respect her memory like this."Sister is afraid she suspects Mother's character, right?
Zhou Shaojin said, "I also think this matter has nothing to do with Mother. If Cheng Bai resents Mother because of this, it can only be said that he is narrow-minded and cynical. Grandfather was absolutely right not to marry Mother to him. I just can’t forgive Cheng Lu. How could he frame me so despicably..."
Zhou Chujin feared that Zhou Shaojin might seek revenge against Cheng Lu because of this. She advised her younger sister, "Now that you know about this, we can simply ignore him. It’s not worth delaying yourself for his sake."
But sometimes, even if you don’t provoke him, he won’t let you go.
Like in her previous life.
She had already hidden away in the estate in Daxing, clinging to life while waiting for death, yet Cheng Lu still pursued her there, coaxing her into eloping with him... What kind of grudge is it that killing someone isn’t enough—he had to cast her into the eighteenth layer of hell before he was satisfied!
※
Sisters, tomorrow’s extra update is still scheduled for around 3 p.m.... I find updating at this time puts less pressure on me... 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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