Chapter 52 Hug

No sooner had Li Qu led the Li family out of the Hezhou prison than Zhou Jin arrived.

He didn't go into the prison; he simply received the thick stack of testimonies from Zhou Feng at the gate.

Zhou Feng put his hands in his sleeves and said to Zhou Jin, "That old man claimed to be the head of the Li clan. He said he dared not offend such an important person and had already revealed the Li family's situation completely."

"The old woman was the younger sister's grandmother. According to the old man, the old woman and the younger sister's family had a long-standing feud, so her statement cannot be taken as evidence."

"Therefore, I think it's a matter of whether or not to investigate..."

Zhou Jin, his eyes glued to the testimony in his hand, interrupted Zhou Feng, "What did you just say?"

Zhou Feng jolted awake, immediately stood up straight, and lowered his head, adopting a respectful posture as if listening to an instruction: "Therefore..."

"The previous sentence."

"What you said is not..."

"The previous sentence!"

“That old woman…”

"continue."

"With my aunt..."

"Who gave you the right to call her that?"

"Nephew knows he was wrong."

"She let you?"

Zhou Feng waved his hands repeatedly: "My, my young mistress is very humble, saying that she dares not, that it was my nephew who was confused and misspoke."

Zhou Jin remained silent for a while, and just when Zhou Feng thought he was about to be reprimanded, he heard Zhou Jin speak.

"Let's continue with our slips of the tongue."

She came from humble beginnings, and being sensible and polite, she inevitably suffered when she encountered someone of noble birth but with a wicked heart.

With him openly spoiling her, those people should show her some respect when they see her.

Zhou Feng was still in disbelief when he heard Zhou Jin say again, "Treat her with more respect."

Zhou Feng quickly bowed and agreed: "Nephew will respect Aunt as much as he respects Third Uncle."

Zhou Jin nodded, praising him for the first time: "Very good."

He was flattered: "That old woman..."

"Don't worry about it."

From the moment she signed that concubine-taking document, Zhou Jin no longer cared much about these things.

She was a person who valued her life, and was willing to give him her life and fortune for the rest of her life. Her heart was with him, and that was enough.

As for the miscellaneous matters behind her back, he would take care of them for her.

As he read through the testimonies page by page, his expression grew increasingly grim.

He had no idea that her childhood was so pitiful.

She was starving, poorly clothed, bullied by her relatives, and harassed by her family. Her beauty was the only reason she was allowed to live.

The more he looked, the deeper his brow furrowed.

Li's father and mother were also cowardly and incompetent; they didn't even dare to fart in the village or at home!

Zhou Feng naturally knew why his third uncle was in a bad mood.

He felt sorry for his precious child who had suffered so much in the past.

“This old woman is talking nonsense, slandering and defaming my sister-in-law, saying that my sister-in-law harmed her grandson’s whole family, and that she hates my sister-in-law’s family to the extreme. If we let her go north to Yan, it will inevitably attract the attention of the Prince of Yan.”

Zhou Jin didn't even look up: "Then let her stay."

Zhou Feng nodded: "I despise people who use foul mouths to shift blame onto others."

“His grandson’s family died in May, and his aunt and her family went south in April. How could they have harmed her grandson?”

Zhou Jin casually asked, "How did you know?"

"The old man knew something about the massacre of her grandson's entire family."

"When it was said that her grandson suddenly received the house and shop of her aunt's family in Yicheng, Yandi, the whole village thought that the old woman was biased and forcibly took the things of her aunt's family, who had no male heirs. This was commonplace."

"Who would have thought that her grandson and his entire family would be brutally murdered later."

"I heard that it was a nobleman from Yicheng who personally intervened. There was no other way to appeal, so the higher-ups gave him ten taels of silver as a bribe to save his life."

Zhou Jin slowly raised his head: "Is her grandson Li Yaozu, a family of six?"

Zhou Feng was shocked: "Third Uncle knows about this?"

"She went to see that old woman?"

"When my aunt came to the prison, I personally greeted her and reported everything. As she listened, she walked in. Before I could even notice, my aunt had already pushed open the interrogation room door."

“Tell me the details of what happened.”

Zhou Feng then recounted the events of that time.

"The younger sister-in-law said, 'The dead cannot be brought back to life, what do you want?' After seeing the old woman go crazy for a while, she turned around and went to pick up the Li family members from prison."

“My nephew thought that the old woman was crazy and that her words could not be taken as evidence, so he did not stop her.”

"My aunt thanked me repeatedly, and I said I didn't deserve it. I watched as my aunt and the Li family happily got into the carriage and left."

“If you talked less nonsense, you would be even better.” Zhou Jin rolled up the testimony in his hand and strode toward the prison. “Bring that old woman to me.”

Zhou Feng quickly followed.

*

When Zhou Jin saw the old woman, the shackles on her body had been removed and she had been cleaned up a bit.

However, she was so heartbroken that she collapsed to the ground and was scolded by the prison warden, and was unable to get up and kowtow.

Her voice was hoarse and shrill from crying, extremely unpleasant to hear.

After hearing Zhou Jin ask her, "Why did you wrongly accuse Aqu of harming someone?"

She laughed loudly, looking up at the sky and howling, mocking his affectionate way of calling that ghost Aqu, and mocking the word 'wronged'.

She screamed at him like a madwoman: "I pinned her to the ground and she witnessed Yaozu abusing Ou Ge'er. She witnessed Yaozu throwing Ou Ge'er into the river!"

"Tell me why!!"

The memory she most wanted to forget had been lingering in her mind ever since Yaozu's family was wiped out.

Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor.

Li Qu's ghostly motives were to harm Yaozu.

She also used her household registration to open an office and voluntarily gave money, a house, and a shop to Yaozu's family for free.

That ghost is highly suspicious!

She demanded clarity, which is why she insisted on appearing here.

As soon as Li Qu spoke, she knew her guess was right.

It really is her!!

She was heartbroken: "Yaozu is the eldest grandson, he's been spoiled."

"I just assumed he was jealous that his younger brother was good-looking and that he was taking away some of my and his grandfather's affection. He was resentful and wanted to let him vent his anger."

"Who would have thought that not only did he beat Ou Ge'er until he cried and pinched him until he was bruised, but he also suddenly grabbed Ou Ge'er by the back of his collar and threw him into the river!"

"I was so scared that I let go of her and rushed to save Ou Ge'er, but Yao Zu rushed up and hugged my waist tightly!"

"She was such a little girl, she didn't know any fear, she rushed into the river like a madwoman, without looking back."

"The rushing river instantly submerged her head!"

"She almost drowned in there!"

"But Ou-ge'er is truly gone!"

"Drowned! Floating up! The pretty child was swollen like a puffed-up steamed bun when she floated to the surface."

"Her own younger brother, Ou Ge'er, was raised by her side without leaving for a moment until he was one year old and could walk!"

"Why do you think she used someone else to do her dirty work?"

"Because she hates it!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Karma!"

"I thought she didn't cry or make a fuss afterward because she was scared and forgot! But it turns out she remembers everything!"

"If I had known this would happen, I should have killed her to prevent future troubles!"

"Yaozu, my precious eldest grandson!"

"My dear ancestor, it was Grandma who was deceived by that wretched girl Li Qu!"

"She risked her own life to rush into the river; how could she easily forget the pain of losing her blood relative!"

"She's such a good actress, such a good charlatan! She's not human!"

"She is the embodiment of a demon, a demon sent to bring misfortune to the descendants of the Li family!"

"At four years old, who would have thought that a four-year-old girl could appear nonchalant and greet people with a smile while secretly wishing them dead!"

"Damn it all, my precious grandson, my very lifeline!"

The old woman's cries were so mournful that Zhou Feng felt a chill run through his body, and goosebumps rose all the way to the top of his head.

He was used to seeing brothers of the same clan kill each other.

But the story of a four-year-old girl who pretended to be nonchalant, greeted her enemy with a smile, and after lying low for twelve years, without getting her hands dirty, used a trick to kill someone else and avenge herself is a bit chilling.

He secretly glanced at Zhou Jin's expression, but couldn't detect any change in Zhou Jin's demeanor.

He shuddered and sighed inwardly: Indeed, not everyone can enjoy the company of a beautiful woman.

But his third uncle calmly said, "How can you be sure it's her? It's all just your guess."

The old woman's voice cracked: "She admitted it!"

"The first thing she said to me was, 'The dead can't be brought back to life, what do you want?'"

"Only the three of us—Yaozu, her, and I—know what happened back then!"

"At that time, we had already lost one son, Ou Ge'er, and our family could not afford to lose another male!"

“I lied and said that Ou Ge’er had accidentally fallen into the water, and that after she was rescued from the river, she seemed to have lost her mind, refusing to eat, drink, or speak.”

"The third son's ugly wife was wailing and screaming, and I was afraid that things would get out of hand, so I suppressed the matter."

“I remember it clearly. I yelled at my third son’s wife, ‘The dead can’t be brought back to life. What else do you want, third son’s wife?’”

"She was just standing there in a daze, and after hearing what I said, she burst into tears!"

"Now, she brings this up to me every time we meet. What else could it be but an admission?"

She cried uncontrollably.

"She's such a good liar, she's so ruthless!"

She was filled with remorse, believing her feigned forgetfulness, and thus failed to kill the scourge that had witnessed everything!

That's why we've ended up with this bitter outcome!

*

As the sun moves westward, it takes away the midday's yang energy.

Zhou Feng stood at the prison gate and watched Zhou Jin ride away.

"No," he shivered, raising his hands to rub his arms. "It's getting colder and colder."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the prison warden came out to report.

"Sir, the old woman was crying her heart out, and then suddenly she went silent."

"When the men went in to check, they found that the old woman's face was cyanotic, and she had suddenly fallen ill and died."

Zhou Feng waved his hand dismissively: "It's good that he's dead. Ask the Li family if they want to collect his body. If not, drag him to a mass grave."

He finds living troublesome.

*

Upon returning to his residence, Zhou Jin did not immediately go to Fanghua Garden, but instead went back to his own Mianxiao Residence.

The stained-glass window projection shone on the tall figure standing inside, hands behind his back.

As the sun fell into the sea, the light gradually shifted from him, and at one moment, it clearly pierced through his rational yet cold eyes.

The pleasure of last night still lingers in my body, and the joy I felt when I left home this morning still fills my bones.

They were completely annihilated the moment they emerged from the Hezhou Prison.

She has once again broadened his understanding.

She felt pity for her past, and through her past, she gained a clearer understanding of her mental fortitude.

She spent six years leaving Xiao Cong.

He spent twelve years using others to exact revenge.

Is she truly willing to let go of her resentment at having taken her by force and be devoted to him wholeheartedly?

If you are unwilling.

What is she thinking right now?

He knew she always had canine teeth. Whether it was Bai Shi or Huai Chun, she would bite whatever she could bite.

He also understood that she was temporarily submissive in front of him because the difference in their status was too great, and she was powerless to bite him.

"Hmph." He let out a long, heavy, cold laugh through his nose.

He undoubtedly liked her, and he also undoubtedly doubted her.

“A-Qu…”

He wanted to peel back her veil to see if her feelings were genuine or feigned.

If it's all an act, he wouldn't mind using his power to force her into submission for the rest of her life!

A knock sounded at the door, and Huai Shi announced from outside: "Master, your concubine has returned home and brought you a dinner she prepared herself."

Before he could respond, her calm and gentle voice came from the doorway: "Master, you are a man of great wisdom and experience, wielding power and ruthlessness, and you have seen much of the world."

Knowing about my past, he not only refused to ask me about it in detail, but also sat alone in his room for a long time without lighting a lamp.

"I suppose you have doubts and dissatisfaction with me. I request to see you in person to plead my case."

She was known for her eloquence, and he did not respond.

She called him softly, "Jinlang~"

Her voice was pleading: "My heart is filled with sorrow and fear. Please open the door and hold me."

He closed his eyes.

She always knew how to soften his heart.