Chapter 255: Li Niang
Since Li Niang had spoken, Qu Ling also got straight to the point, "Why did you get involved with Fan Shu?"
"One more or one less doesn't make much." Li Niang said shockingly.
Qu Ling paused slightly as he fanned himself.
Tingqin took a deep breath.
The landscape of Jiangnan is unique, and the women it nurtures are also unique.
Her trip to Jiangnan with the princess was truly an eye-opener.
Qu Ling was silent for a moment, "You should know that according to the law, adultery is punishable."
Li Niang laughed, "It's natural for a man to have three wives and four concubines, but why is it a sin for a woman to find a close friend?"
She asked herself and answered, "For the prosperity of the family."
"But if women could take their mother's surname and marry a few men to continue the family line, wouldn't that also help the family thrive? Why must women stay with one man and watch him embrace women?"
Qu Ling nodded, "I think you are right."
When Li Niang was captured, she was already prepared to die.
There was no respect in her words, but instead it was full of sarcasm. "Now that Your Majesty and the Crown Prince are both women, do they have to abide by the Three Obediences and Four Virtues and allow their husbands to take concubines?"
"Of course not."
"That's all," Li Niang's voice came through the beaded curtain. "In the past, men were emperors, and the rules were naturally for men. Now the throne is occupied by a woman. If Your Majesty truly cares about the women of the world, then what I did shouldn't be considered wrong, let alone punished."
The two were silent for a moment, with only the sound of the wind blowing through the window lattice.
After a long pause, Li Niang spoke again, "I haven't spoken so much to anyone in a long time. I'm willing to share this with you, Princess, because I know you're a tough guy. The last selection of female officials at least made me feel that this world might really change."
Qu Ling's heart moved slightly, "Are you doing this because Yu Liang took a concubine and kept a mistress?"
Li Niang laughed, "His mistress was so well hidden, the princess was able to find out."
"There's no such thing as an impenetrable wall. This palace has put in some effort."
Behind the beaded curtain, Li Niang suddenly sighed, "Since the princess is investigating him, I'm afraid he won't live long. Whatever, whatever, there's nothing I can do. In the end, it's just a dream."
She hated Yu Liang.
But she also knew that if Yu Liang died, she would not live long.
Li Niang stood up, lifted the bead curtain and walked out.
"Yu Liang has long been disgusted with me, but he hasn't divorced me or let me die because I have evidence of his hiring a killer."
"I gave the evidence to a trustworthy person and told her that if I died, she could file a complaint with the Imperial Censorate in the capital. However, Yu Liang didn't know who that person was, so he was careful not to use the wrong weapon. That's why I'm still alive today."
"In the beginning, I just wanted to divorce and leave. Whether he got promoted or became rich, it had nothing to do with me."
"But he didn't want to divorce. He felt it would be humiliating. He said, 'I want to leave,' and he divorced me."
Li Niang's face was full of sarcasm, and her eyes were slightly red. "But I didn't do anything wrong, why should I be divorced?"
That mistress was his childhood sweetheart.
She got married, but her husband died, leaving her a widow at a young age. She fled to Yangzhou to seek refuge with Yu Liang.
Yu Liang insisted on taking her as his concubine.
Li Niang completely gave up.
Since the divorce failed and she was unwilling to be divorced, she had to give up.
There was no way she was letting that woman in.
Yu Liang was also afraid that she would go all out and damage her official reputation.
So, both of them took a step back.
Yu Liang chose a loyal and honest person from among his distant relatives.
He married his childhood sweetheart to a relative, bought a house for her, hired servants, and she became his second home.
That's so funny.
"Speaking of which, Yu Liang was also having an affair with someone."
Li Niang said, "Princess, if you catch him for this one thing, it will be enough to make him suffer."
Qu Ling's eyes flickered slightly, "Li Niang, where are all those men you had a history with now?"
Li Niang was very calm. "Princess, what did you ask them to do? I have long forgotten."
"If you don't tell me, I will have your maid tortured severely."
Qu Ling's gaze passed through the bead curtain and looked at the maid who was kneeling and trembling behind the bead curtain.
Li Niang smiled.
"She has been with me since she was little and has been with me for many years. Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for her."
Qu Ling also smiled, "If that's the case, then you're the only one who can say it."
"Dead."
Li Niang's expression was very calm.
"I smashed them to death one by one."
"Where is it buried?"
"Under the bed in the outer room."
There was a sense of madness in Li Niang's calmness.
"Every time Yu Liang made love with his mistress, there were many eyes watching under the bed."
Tingqin widened her eyes.
Even though she had seen a lot from following the princess, she still felt a chill at this moment.
Qu Ling frowned, "How did you manage to kill someone and bury him under his bed? This is not an easy task."
"Put it in a box," Li Niang gestured, "It'll need a really big box."
"The concubine is nominally the wife of Yu Liang's cousin, and we are related. I can often visit her house without arousing suspicion."
"Yu Liang also has no doubts?"
Li Niang said, "Why would I doubt it? I was delivering the stolen goods for him."
Everyone says that the governor of Yangzhou is honest.
Bullshit about integrity.
It is nothing more than placing gold, silver and toys in the concubine's house for her to enjoy.
The three-story house looks inconspicuous from the outside, but it is extremely luxurious inside.
Li Niang felt that she had a miserable life and that all the blessings were enjoyed by others, while she, the wife, lived in poverty.
"Every time I went to that house, she would think that the boxes I brought back were Yu Liang's newly acquired property. Yes, I did help Yu Liang deliver the gold and silver, but there were dead bodies hidden inside."
"If someone kills someone, I'll go to the house and get angry, and have people destroy it. They all think I'm jealous, and they look at me with a mixture of tut-tut, sympathy, and ridicule."
"The house was destroyed and needed to be repaired. The repairman was hired by my younger brother from my mother's family. Those dead bodies were buried there at that time."
Qu Ling asked her, "How many people?"
"Three, or four?" Li Niang couldn't remember clearly.
She smiled creepily, "The mistress might remember it very clearly."
The number of times a house is smashed is the number of times people die.
"Why did you kill them?"
Li Niang's expression became much sharper. "There are many stories about talented men and beautiful women in Jiangnan, and there are also many talented and romantic men. When Yu Liang went to his concubine's house, I secretly ran away and met some handsome young men, but how can I take such fleeting romance seriously?"
"At first it was fine, but as time went on, they kept wanting to know my identity, asking about my family affairs, and following me. When they got annoyed, they killed me."
"They met in a deserted place, smeared a knockout drug on the handkerchief, and the person fainted. They were then beaten to death in a few hits."
At this point, Li Niang has said everything she wanted to say.
She has been very calm.
Qu Ling also listened to her calmly.
The two of them seemed like close friends drinking tea and chatting.
After hearing what Li Niang said, Qu Ling said with a hint of helplessness, "If only you could have divorced him back then."
In that way, Li Niang wouldn't have to suffer in this hopeless marriage, and wouldn't have reached this point.
Li Niang gave a bitter laugh, her eyes full of self-mockery, "That's right."
"If a man no longer wants his wife, he can get rid of her with just a divorce letter, but if a woman wants to get out, she has to get the man's approval. This world has never given women much room to survive."
She paused, her voice lowered. "Yu Liang deserves death. I'm not a good person either. Over the years, he was afraid that I would find fault with him, so he didn't dare to show any wrongdoing. I also took the opportunity to get a lot of benefits from him to subsidize my family."
"I've been dealing with this for so long, I'm already tired. If they're all dead, it's a good thing."
"Who said you would die?" Qu Ling asked back.
Li Niang's mouth twitched. She had killed so many people, how could she still be alive?
"You stay here first," Qu Ling said without explanation, "When we return to the capital, you can come with me."
Go back to Beijing with the princess?
Li Niang was stunned.
Qu Ling refused to say anything more and stood up and walked out.
After leaving the side courtyard, she instructed, "Tell Yu Liang that his wife and I are very close and that she will stay in Zhuoxi Courtyard for a while."
He also added, "Tomorrow there will be a Luming Banquet at Tongjiang Academy. The Governor must be present."
When the news reached the government office, Yu Liang was already overwhelmed by the files.
When I heard this, I felt sick all over.
It turned out that Li Niang was taken away by the princess.
What a hit.
Does getting along with someone require you to kidnap him from the governor's mansion in the middle of the night?
After his anger, Yu Liang was left with only fear.
The princess left Li Niang in Zhuoxi Courtyard, which made his scalp tingle.
Tomorrow's Luming Banquet is like inviting you into a trap.
Yu Liang was so anxious that he paced around the room, grabbing his hair with both hands.
"Crazy, they are all crazy." He growled, but it did not alleviate the panic in his heart at all.
If you go, you will fall into a trap.
If you don't go, it will be a dead end.
Yu Liang slumped in his chair, experiencing for the first time what it felt like to be at his wit's end.
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