After all, Zhu Shun had been in the Zhuge residence for over a decade and was no longer young—he hadn’t lived all those years in vain.
Although he was convinced in his heart that Jin Si had done this to compete with Jin Zhu for favor, thus implicating him, he feared Zhuge Yue might not truly believe it and instead suspect him of framing Jin Si to absolve himself of blame. So, he played it safe, not having the steward's court beat her to death, but planning to report it to the young master when he had time the next day.
At night, the steward's court was eerily silent. In the pitch-black woodshed, Jin Si lay with her flesh torn and covered in whip marks, clearly having endured severe torture. Chu Qiao stood before her, scooped up a ladle of water, and splashed it onto her face with a sharp sound.
Jin Si groaned softly and slowly woke. The moment she saw Chu Qiao, she flew into a rage, snarling viciously, "You little wretch! How dare you come to see me!"
Chu Qiao stood calmly before her, quietly listening to the woman’s loud curses. After a long while, she finally said with a faint smile, "If you truly wish to die, by all means, keep shouting."
Jin Si’s clothes were stained with blood, her face pale, her chest heaving violently, her eyes filled with resentment.
Chu Qiao shook her head and said slowly, "Humans may not intend to harm tigers, but tigers harbor ill will toward humans. I warned you long ago, yet you repeatedly opposed me. If you hadn’t followed me today, how would you have ended up like this? You brought this upon yourself—who can you blame?"
"Heartless little wretch, I won’t let you off even as a ghost!"
Chu Qiao sighed softly and said, "Do you really want to die that badly?"
Jin Si was taken aback. Chu Qiao continued, "I never intended to harm you. Everything today was meant to teach you a lesson. Unfortunately, the fourth young master refuses to save you. It seems you can only join Jin Zhu at the bottom of Ting Lake."
As soon as these words were spoken, Jin Si’s face turned even paler. She stared at Chu Qiao, a sudden glimmer of hope for survival flashing in her eyes. Gazing intently, she pleaded urgently, "Xing'er, we’ve had no grudges in the past or present. Lin Xi’s death was Jin Zhu’s idea—I only chimed in with a few words. Since you could come here unnoticed, you must be able to save me. Please, I beg you, save me! I don’t want to die yet!"
By the end, she couldn’t help trembling and sobbing. Chu Qiao sighed softly, set down the bundle on her back, and said gravely, "Stop crying. Do you think I came here tonight just to reminisce? Your crime doesn’t warrant death. Since I’m the one who brought you to this point, I won’t stand by and do nothing. Put on these clothes—I’ll get you out right away."
With that, she stepped forward to untie the ropes binding Jin Si.
Overjoyed, Jin Si quickly asked, "Can we really escape? The mansion is so heavily guarded."
"Don’t worry. I’ve bribed the guard at the back gate. The master is about to return to the mansion. As a mere maid, no one will pursue you extensively. Once you’re out of the mansion, you’ll be safe."Jincai followed behind Chu Qiao as the two climbed out through the window. Passing the artificial hills and emerald lake of Hongshan Courtyard, they suddenly heard footsteps approaching in the distance—it was the patrolling house guards coming to investigate. Startled, they crouched on the ground, not daring to move further. Chu Qiao turned back and handed a small bundle to Jincai, speaking gravely, "I'll draw those people away. You hurry to the western corner gate in the rear courtyard. I've already arranged with the guards there—just mention my name and they'll let you leave. Here's some travel money and clothing, all formerly Sister Zhixiang's. I don't know if they'll fit you. I don't have much money and can only offer this much. Take care of yourself from now on, and tread carefully."
With that, she turned and left in another direction, deliberately making noise. The patrolling guards heard it and immediately gave chase.
Jincai opened the bundle and frowned upon seeing only a few copper coins—not even enough to buy a roast goose. The clothes inside were either torn or filthy, hideously ugly and emitting a strange odor, which further soured her mood. She thought to herself how she had abandoned her stable life as a maid to flee and live as a fugitive, risking capture and death—all because of that Xing'er. And now Xing'er had the audacity to play the benevolent savior before her—how shameless.
She took out the copper coins and tossed the bundle onto the ground, not caring in the least about the trouble it might cause Chu Qiao if discovered after her escape.
A cold wind blew, rustling the corners of the discarded clothes. The frosty moonlight cast a silvery glow upon the ground.
At that very moment, in Zhu Shun's room, rough male panting and a woman's delicate moans could be heard, accompanied by lewd and vulgar words that grated on the ears.
The winter night was bitterly cold, and the courtyard guards had long since slacked off, finding warm spots to doze. A small figure stealthily approached Zhu Shun's door, moving silently without a sound.
After setting her trap, Chu Qiao crouched beside Zhu Shun's door. In the pitch-black night, her eyes gleamed like dark jewels, shining with intelligence and calm. Suddenly, a man's satisfied grunt sounded, followed by the rustling of clothes being put on. Chu Qiao picked up a stone and threw it at the door.
A crisp thud echoed—not loud, but enough to be heard clearly inside. "Who's out there?" Zhu Shun called out.
Chu Qiao didn't answer. Instead, she picked up another stone and threw it again, hitting the door with another thud.
"Coming, coming!" the man snapped irritably. "Who is it in the middle of the night?"
The door was pulled open, but no one was in sight. Zhu Shun frowned in confusion and leaned out to look around. The moment he stepped forward, a rope tripped him, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
"Ouch!"
Zhu Shun cried out in pain, but before he could utter a curse, a dark bag was thrown over his head, plunging him into darkness. Alarmed, he finally realized something was wrong. He yelled and flailed his hands wildly upward.
In the deep, chilly night, Chu Qiao gripped a sharp dagger, her gaze sharp and her lips cold. With a swift motion, she brought it down on his plump hand.
A piercing, pig-like shriek shot into the sky. Zhu Shun clutched his severed wrist, writhing on the ground. Without lingering, Chu Qiao swiftly retreated toward the western flower bushes.Behind her came the chaotic footsteps of the courtyard guards and the sharp cries of women.
"What happened? Ah! Steward Zhu, who did this?"
A woman with disheveled clothes and a panicked expression shouted, "I didn't see clearly who it was, but they were quite short, seemed... seemed like a child."
"Which way did they go?"
"West."
"After them!"
Over a dozen pairs of feet passed by one after another. Chu Qiao curled up as small as possible, crouching in the withered grass. The voices gradually faded into the distance, and the surroundings grew quiet again. The child patted the dust off her clothes, stood up, and leisurely left the troubled area, her demeanor remarkably composed.
Passing by the lakeside rockery of Red Mountain Courtyard, she indeed found her small bundle tossed haphazardly on the ground. The child sneered coldly, picked up the bundle, and headed toward Green Mountain Courtyard. Carefully climbing in through the back window, she changed into a soft white sleeping gown. Since she began serving in Zhuge Yue's courtyard, she had moved out of the servants' quarters in the back courtyard and into the servant rooms of Green Mountain Courtyard. The noise outside grew louder, with torches blazing like fiery dragons, illuminating half the sky.
Chu Qiao let down her hair, rubbed her eyes, and opened the door with a sleepy expression, just as several young maids were stepping out of their rooms.
"What's happening over there?"
The young maids were all around thirteen or fourteen years old but held lower ranks than Chu Qiao. They shook their heads blankly. Just then, the sound of a door opening came from the main residence, and they hurried over.
Zhuge Yue looked grim. After glancing at Chu Qiao and the others who had just arrived with disheveled hair, he asked a guard who had rushed in from outside, "What's going on? Why all the noise?"
"Young master, there was an intruder in the outer residence. Steward Zhu had his hand cut off. The guards caught Jin Cai trying to escape at the western side gate and have taken her to the steward's court."
Zhuge Yue was momentarily stunned, then a faint smile tugged at his lips. "As the saying goes, even a cornered dog will leap over a wall. I never expected Jin Cai to be so fierce-tempered."
The guard cautiously glanced at Chu Qiao and said, "When Jin Cai was captured, she kept shouting that... that Xing'er framed her, that she didn't do it."
As soon as these words were spoken, all eyes turned to Chu Qiao. Her small face immediately crumpled, her large, misty eyes blinking pitifully as if on the verge of tears. She turned to Zhuge Yue with a sorrowful expression and said, "Fourth Young Master, Xing'er... Xing'er has been sleeping in my room the whole time. I... I didn't..."
"Young master, Xing'er never left her room. We all saw it," a third-rank maid suddenly stepped forward and said.
As soon as she finished speaking, the other maids also chimed in to vouch for Chu Qiao.
Zhuge Yue nodded and said to the servant, "Tell the steward's court that if that woman continues spouting nonsense, there's no need for further interrogation—just throw her into Ting Lake. How old is Xing'er anyway? This is getting more and more absurd."
The servant quickly nodded and withdrew.
Zhuge Yue glanced at the young maids and said, "You all should go back to sleep as well." Then he turned and reentered the main residence.
Chu Qiao remained standing in place, still looking wronged. Several young maids approached her ingratiatingly, took her hand, and said, "Xing'er, don't be afraid. We'll all testify for you. No matter how much she tries to frame you, it won't work."Chu Qiao nodded, her face streaked with tears like pear blossoms in the rain, and said, "Thank you, sisters."
It was nearly the third watch of the night, and the wind howled outside. Today marked the first week since the children of the Jing family had passed away, and the one who had caused their deaths had finally paid the price in blood this very night.
Yet, this small amount of blood was far from enough.
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