Black Hand
Inside the hall, there was an elegant incense burner with a light flame, and the faint scent of pine and cypress permeated every corner, barely masking the strong aroma of the medicine she had been decocting every day since she fell ill.
Lin Xu coughed lightly, clearly having caught a chill from falling into the water. Apart from the soft sobs, the hall was completely silent. The attendants all bowed their heads, barely daring to breathe, cautiously trying to decipher her expression.
Lin Xu's coughing did not stop, so Granny Qin quickly patted her back and instructed Gui Ruo to bring over the medicine that had been decocted early in the morning. The medicine was slightly bitter, but Lin Xu always loved sweets, so she was also given a few small dishes of peanut candy and candied fruit to help her wash away the bitterness after drinking the medicine.
Zhiyuan knelt on the ground, her fair face already streaked with tears. She looked up at Lin Xu, sobbing repeatedly:
"Miss, please understand! Although I share a room with Sister Qingwu, I have never intended to harm her. Sister Qingwu treats me like a sister. How could I do such a despicable thing? Please, Miss, understand!"
Zhu Ling hadn't been by Lin Xu's side for very long. Her young mistress was always gentle and kind, and she had never seen her so cold-faced before. She was momentarily stunned into silence, but seeing Zhi Yuan's continuous sobbing, she couldn't help but kneel down and say:
“This servant also believes that Zhiyuan would never do such a cruel thing,” she kowtowed heavily on the ground, her voice trembling but extremely firm, “Sister Qingwu was always gentle and kind to us when she was alive, and she was as close to Sister Zhiyuan as sisters. Even a few days before Sister Qingwu passed away, she was still teaching Sister Zhiyuan embroidery patterns. With such deep affection, how could Sister Zhiyuan have the intention to harm people?”
She looked up and saw Lin Xu's cold expression, so she quickly added, "Besides, when you returned from the palace, Miss, you fell into a coma. Sister Qingwu was also punished, so it was Sister Zhiyuan who took care of you without leaving your side. She was too busy to stay in her own room all the time. Not to mention that other people usually lived in that room, it's possible that someone would sneak in and do something bad!"
Zhiyuan was already sobbing uncontrollably, forgetting how to defend herself, and could only let Zhuling plead for her.
Lin Xu held the medicine bowl and slowly drank the medicine that had been decocted for a long time. Then he picked up a piece of Yi Tian's candied fruit and put it in his mouth. Only then did he feel that the bitter taste of Evodia rutaecarpa and cinnamon in his mouth had faded a lot.
She quietly looked at the two people kneeling in the hall, her eyes calm and clear, yet with a subtle chill lingering within.
“In the past, the maids and servants in the manor have always shared a room with four people. I feel sorry for you, as the head maids, who serve diligently every day and are often tired. So I specially allocated the most spacious and bright servants’ room in the backyard to you and Qingwu. That room is usually reserved for the two of you. How can anyone else live there?”
Upon hearing this, Zhiyuan held back her tears and said tearfully:
“Miss, you may not know this, but usually it is indeed just Qingwu and me. However, since the last time Aunt Qi’s residence, Yilan Garden, needed to be thoroughly cleaned due to the epidemic, many of the young maids’ rooms were closed, cleaned, and reassigned. Fu’er is still young and doesn’t please her former mistress, Aunt Qi, and is also ostracized by the other older maids. She had nowhere to go, so Qingwu and I kindly took her in. She was already expelled from Yilan Garden and now does some rough work in the mansion, leaving early and returning late, only occasionally coming back during the day to pack up her bedding and take a nap…”
Lin Xu lowered his eyes, recalling the little girl named Fu'er. The last time he saw her was several months ago. She was wearing dirty clothes and following behind several maids in Yilan Garden, with her head down and eyes downcast. She was probably no more than ten years old.
Seeing her head bowed and silent, Zhiyuan cried and pleaded, "But I know it was my negligence that day, that I failed to take good care of Sister Qingwu, which led to this disaster. I should accept the punishment. Fu'er is young, and perhaps she accidentally spilled the ice water. Please punish me alone, Miss..."
Lin Xu leaned back in the rosewood chair, looking utterly weary. Her eyes were half-closed, revealing no emotion, and she said softly:
"In that case, pack your things and start serving in the flower room from today."
The maids in the hall were all startled upon hearing this, and they lowered their heads, carefully exchanging glances.
Zhiyuan was originally a lowly servant in the kitchen. She was promoted to a favored maid in front of her master because of Lin Xu's appreciation and Qingwu's care. Now she has been reassigned to the busy flower room to be a lowly servant again.
It seems that although Miss appears gentle, she is actually ruthless. Moreover, Zhiyuan, who is usually cautious and considerate, was also punished. The maids guarding outside the door began to feel indignant on Zhiyuan's behalf.
Lin Xu didn't take it seriously, but his head felt increasingly dizzy, so he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a short nap.
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Zhiyuan, with red eyes, could only lower her head and retreat. Zhuling watched Zhiyuan's lonely figure leave, tears welling up in her eyes.
After Lin Xu'an had rested, she picked up the empty medicine bowl, lifted the curtain, and walked out. Her footsteps were extremely light. Several young maids with their hair in topknots were whispering and chatting intently in the corridor, oblivious to her approaching. The faint sounds of their conversation drifted into her ears.
"...Even though Sister Zhiyuan tried her best, she was still punished..."
"Who can argue with that? It's just too disheartening to look at."
"It's only because of her that we suffer like this. Qingwu used to be so arrogant, but she still disappeared just like that. We've seen Zhiyuan get punished. Who knows who will suffer next? Let's just pray for our own good fortune."
"I heard that the servants of Aunt Qi, although they are usually quite tired, are always well rewarded. Just the other day, someone even received a few pearls."
Seeing that the words were becoming increasingly unbearable, Zhu Ling couldn't help but cough softly. The young maids turned around, saw it was Zhu Ling, and hurriedly lowered their heads, disappearing in a flash. Zhu Ling felt annoyed. She walked several dozen steps with the medicine bowl, the idle gossip still lingering in her mind.
She took the empty medicine bowl and plate to the kitchen, then returned to the backyard where the servants lived. The large house on the far west side was where Qingwu and her sister Zhiyuan used to live.
She still remembered when she was assigned to guard the front hall. She was always clumsy and awkward. Qingwu took good care of her. Sometimes, when she was bored on summer nights, Zhiyuan would peel and boil water chestnuts for them to eat. The girls were about the same age and would tell each other interesting stories. Life gradually became more interesting... But now, they are all gone.
As she passed by that house, a sense of melancholy washed over her. She imagined that Zhiyuan must have already packed her bags and moved to the tenement. Recalling the past, she couldn't help but approach it as if possessed. Just as she was about to lift the curtain, she saw a faint figure moving inside.
Who is it!
Zhu Ling was shocked and was about to step forward when she saw the figure tremble at the sound of footsteps. She hurriedly lifted the curtain and saw that the room was empty. Fu'er was standing in the hall, covered in dirt. When she saw her come in, she looked very nervous and put her hands behind her back, trying to hide something.
Zhu Ling forced herself to hide her surprise and asked calmly, "Is Fu'er not on duty today?"
Fu'er forced a smile, somewhat embarrassed: "There was nothing to do in the woodshed today, so I came back to take a nap. I'll go on duty now. Sister Zhuling, I'll go first."
After saying this, she turned to leave. Zhu Ling nodded insincerely, and just as Fu'er stepped out of the door, she rushed forward and snatched the bundle that Fu'er had hidden behind her back.
Fu'er was shocked and exclaimed in panic, "Sister Zhuling, what are you doing!"
Zhu Ling snorted coldly and spread the bundle, which was patched in several places, on the table. Inside were some loose silver and jade jewelry, which looked very familiar, as if they were things that Qingwu had used before she died.
She immediately retorted angrily, "So! You actually have such a thieving heart, daring to steal Sister Qingwu's things! Be careful, I'll tell Miss!"
Fu'er hurriedly knelt down, trembling all over, and said, "Sister Zhuling, please don't tell anyone, Fu'er really has a reason..."
Zhu Ling gritted her teeth in hatred, tears glistening in her eyes. "What's the reason for this? Your two older sisters treated you so well before, even giving you a place when you were being bullied. Not only did you cause Qingwu's death, but now Zhiyuan is even asking to be punished to protect you. And yet you still do such a despicable thing. I really regret that I misjudged you all this time!"
Enraged, she tried to drag Fu'er, who was kneeling on the ground, to find Lin Xu. Seeing that she now hated her so much, Fu'er cried out loudly:
"Sister Zhuling, I'm innocent!" She desperately lay on the ground, grabbing Zhuling's hand and sobbing incessantly. "I saw the person who threw the water with my own eyes that day, but I can no longer stay in this mansion. Please, sister, spare my life and let me escape from here quickly. Otherwise... I'm afraid I won't live tonight..."
Hearing this, Zhu Ling couldn't help but feel surprised and suspicious. She quickly lowered her voice and asked, "You said you saw it with your own eyes? Who was that person?"
Fu'er wiped the tears and snot from her face with her dirty sleeve, looked back at the quiet, empty space outside the curtain, and then suppressed her sobs, whispering:
“That day, I worked half a day and sneaked back home, only to find Sister Qingwu lying on the bed, covered in wounds. After feeding her medicine, I was so exhausted that I leaned back on the couch behind the screen to rest. In my hazy sleep, I smelled a faint fragrance, a scent I didn't often smell in the servants' rooms, which woke me up. Through the screen, I could only see a figure moving around Sister Qingwu's bedside, followed by the sound of water being splashed. I was terrified and dared not move, only… only dared to come out after the person left. By then, Sister Qingwu's wounds were soaked with ice water that had seeped into the bedding, and there were large shards of ice on her blankets. She was already lifeless… I was so scared… and afraid that others would suspect me, I could only leave quietly…”
Zhu Ling broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing Fu'er's tear-streaked face, she quickly asked, "Do you know who that person is?"
Fu'er opened her mouth, as if she had made up her mind, and slowly said, "A few days later, when I was chopping firewood in the backyard, people from each household came to collect firewood, and I smelled that fragrance again. It was clearly... the head maid of the Madam, Sister Xintan..."
Zhu Ling was so nervous that she forgot to breathe, and could only hear the sound of her own heartbeat.
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