Chapter 120 Tell me, what kind of grudge is this?
Just by looking at Yu Dajia's expression and behavior, one can tell her purpose.
She suddenly remembered that when she ran into Yu Dajia before, they were talking about the brother Bao'er had mentioned, and Yu Dajia's mood had seemed off then. This time, they were still talking about that child.
A somewhat absurd idea began to form in Achan's mind. She turned her head and whispered in Lin Sui's ear, "Can you stop her and prevent others from finding out?"
“We can stop her, but she will find us.”
"It's alright, I just want to know why she killed Princess Xin'an?"
Lin Sui nodded; she was actually quite curious as well.
Her gaze swept across the ground, she picked up a pebble from beside her feet, circulated her inner energy into her hand, and the pebble between her fingers flew out with a whoosh, hitting Yu Dajia on the shoulder.
Yu Dajia, whose attention was entirely focused on the Princess of Xin'an, was awakened by the pain in her shoulder. She quickly put the dagger back into her sleeve, looked around, and then saw two heads popping up one above the other behind the artificial hill opposite.
Achan and Yu Dajia stared at each other from afar. Under her gaze, Yu Dajia stood frozen in place for a moment before slowly retreating back into the bamboo forest.
The three of them stood silently in place until the voices of Princess Xin'an and Bao'er gradually faded into the distance.
Achan and Lin Suixian emerged from behind the artificial hill, Achan still holding the flowers she had just received from Bai Yue.
The two people did not leave after they came out, but stood there quietly waiting. Finally, Yu Dajia came out from inside.
She stood a few steps away from the two men, her eyes showing no panic at being caught murdering, only a deathly silence: "Aren't you going to report this to the authorities?"
"Why report this to the authorities? Are you going to say you're trying to kill the Princess of Xin'an? We have no evidence."
"But the people from the Prince Ying'an's residence will believe it."
"Really?" Achan asked indifferently. "But what does that have to do with us?"
"If there's no connection, why did you stop me just now?" Yu Dajia asked.
After thinking for a moment, Achan replied, "If you kill the mother and daughter with a dagger, you will definitely be splattered with blood. I guess you didn't have a complete plan, or even an escape route. You just decided to kill them on a whim. So if you kill them, you will be arrested very soon."
The rest of the group remained silent, because Achan had guessed correctly.
She had made thorough mental preparations before daring to come to the capital, and she was even able to face them without any emotional fluctuations, but she was still provoked by that woman's few words.
Didn't she expect this? But when she actually heard it, she couldn't control her emotions at all.
At that time, all she could think about was killing that woman to pay for her son Che'er's life.
She almost succeeded.
"What does it matter if I lose my life, as long as she dies?"
“Although I don’t know what grudge you have against the Princess of Xin’an, it’s not worth risking your life for your enemy,” A’Chan said slowly.
Yu Dajia gave a bitter laugh: "That sounds nice, but you know nothing, so how do you know it's not worth it? She deserves to die!"
“If you’re willing to tell us, we’d love to hear how damned she is.”
The others fell silent, seemingly unwilling to recount their ordeal.
Lin Sui said coldly from the side, "You're not even afraid of killing people, so why are you afraid of telling the truth?"
Sometimes, the truth is simply hard to say.
Ah Chan yawned, feeling quite sleepy. She blinked her sore eyes and said, "Never mind, this isn't a good place to chat. I usually stay at the incense shop in Changping Ward. If you all have time another day, you can come and find me there."
Seeing that no one else reacted, Achan did not press the matter, and said, "There are many ways to take revenge, not just killing someone to pay with your life. If you can't think of another way, others may."
Having said all that, Achan said to Lin Sui, "Let's go home, I'm a little sleepy."
Lin Sui took the pot of flowers from A Chan's hand and walked outside with her.
After they had walked away, Yu Dajia turned around and looked at their backs. She raised her hand and touched her cold face, her eyes flickering with an uncertain light.
After leaving the Prince Ying'an's residence, Achan fell asleep in the carriage.
When she woke up, she was already in her bedroom at home.
It had started raining outside, and the room was dimly lit. She was covered with a soft, thick quilt, so she didn't feel cold.
Achan lay on the bed for a while, thinking that after the autumn rain, the weather would get colder and colder, and winter would come so soon.
She lingered in bed for a while, then picked up her outer garment from the bedside table, put it on, and finally left the bedroom.
The rain outside wasn't heavy; it slid down the eaves and dripped onto the ground. The potted plant she had brought back during the day was placed under the eaves.
"Hui Niang," A Chan called from the doorway.
"Awake?" Chen Hui opened her bedroom door and saw that A Chan looked like she had just woken up. She reminded her, "Go back inside, don't catch a cold from the wind."
"Okay, where's Lin Sui?" Achan moved back a little and craned her neck to ask.
"She was asleep and couldn't be woken up. She took you home and then left."
Chen Hui closed the door and walked along the eaves to A Chan's room: "I heard her say that you encountered an accident at the Prince Ying'an's mansion?"
"That's right, it's still related to the Yu family."
Achan and Chen Hui entered the room together. Chen Hui lit the candles in the room for her, and the room became much brighter.
Achan sat down in a chair and said to Chen Hui, "I suspect that there is something wrong with the identity of that Princess Xin'an."
"How so?" Chen Hui asked with interest.
She was not much older than the Princess of Xin'an. Although the Chen family later fell into ruin and she had little contact with her, she had seen the princess from afar.
Achan then recounted what had happened at the Prince's residence, and said, "I can't think of any reason why Princess Xin'an would say that her biological son wouldn't be coming back, and coupled with the reaction of Lady Yu, that's why she started to suspect the identities of the two of them."
Chen Hui nodded: "Speaking of which, the Princess of Xin'an you mentioned is quite different from any I've met before."
"What kind of person was the former Princess Xin'an?" Achan asked curiously.
Chen Hui recalled: "In my memory, this county princess was domineering and would often quarrel with people. In any case, she was not an easy person to get along with."
What I remember most vividly is her act of abducting a newly appointed scholar after the imperial examination results were announced. It caused quite a stir at the time. While others would have their fathers or brothers intervene, she was very different; she took matters into her own hands and sent guards from the Prince's mansion to abduct the newly appointed scholar in the street. This caused a sensation.
"And then what? The newly appointed scholar was kidnapped by a princess from the imperial family, and the emperor didn't react?"
"Before we could even react, the newly appointed scholar agreed to the marriage. Prince Ying'an finalized the marriage that very day before going to the palace to apologize. This matter became their private affair, so what could the emperor say?"
“But the county princess I met today was well-mannered, with gentle features, and seemed to have a very good temper.” Achan briefly described her impression of the county princess, and added, “I heard that she is also very filial. When the princess was seriously ill, she knelt all the way to the temple to pray for the princess.”
Chen Hui said, "But as far as I know, the county princess and the princess do not have a good relationship. The two once had a public argument at a banquet. The princess spoke very harshly, and the county princess did not back down at all. This was not a secret at the time."
Even if she still values her mother-daughter relationship, I think, given her personality, she would rather spend money to invite all the monks from the temple to the palace to pray for the princess than kneel and pray her way to the temple herself.
This statement is not absolute, but the Princess of Xin'an, as described by Hui Niang, was a straightforward person. She would kidnap any man she fancied and argue openly with her mother when they disagreed, without any attempt to hide it.
How could someone with such a strong and direct personality suddenly change like this?
She remembered Bai Yue saying that, coincidentally, the county princess's child was lost at that time.
These things, when considered together, inevitably lead one to overthink.
"Unfortunately, no one can confirm these speculations," Achan sighed softly. "I wonder if Lady Yu will come to Changpingfang to look for me?"
"I hope she will go," Chen Hui said softly.
It rained this afternoon, so the evening performance that was originally scheduled with the Prince's Mansion was canceled, and the opera troupe members returned to their lodgings early.
After returning to her room, Yu Dajia bolted the door and sat down in front of her dressing table. She stared at herself in the bronze mirror and then slowly raised her hand to rub behind her ear.
After a while, she used a little force with both hands and tore off the entire face, then put the torn-off face aside.
All that remained in the mirror was a smooth face covered with a layer of white skin. It didn't look like a human face at all; it was more like a terrifying white mask.
She stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror, which was neither human nor ghost. She went back to the bedside and pulled out a box containing masks from under the bed. Inside, there were many ghost masks and a few human masks.
They were all made, but not by Yu herself; she was simply the most suitable user of these masks.
Because the human face is not smooth, unless it is a specially made mask, it is difficult to fit the human face perfectly.
But her masks were different; these masks could fit her face perfectly, and when worn, they looked just like real faces.
Yu Dajia selected a ghost mask from among them. She put the ghost mask on her face, and the white skin on her face automatically stuck to the mask.
Unfortunately, this bonding process has a time limit and cannot exceed two days.
She can only keep changing different faces and can never have a face that truly belongs to her.
Yu Dajia sat back down in her chair, looking at the ghost face in the mirror, thinking about what Princess Ying'an had said during the day, that her appearance was plain and not as good as the ghost face.
Because her own beautiful face has always been on the face of her dutiful daughter.
How ridiculous! After more than a decade, when she finally regained her memories and mustered the courage to go home, her family had completely forgotten her.
The person who took her face completely replaced her. The once arrogant and domineering Princess Xin'an, who had a strained relationship with her mother, is now a gentle, sensible, and harmonious woman who is devoted to her husband and extremely filial to her mother.
Nobody thought it was wrong.
Even though they have the same face, her personality is completely different from that woman's. Didn't they sense anything was amiss?
The hatred in her heart surged up continuously. If she hadn't come to the capital, she would have held onto a sliver of hope, but coming here plunged her into despair.
Is it not worth risking your life for your enemy? Ah Chan's words suddenly popped up again.
What else can we do?
Can she really help me?
Yu Dajia felt a little shaken; she was never one to trust easily. He was just a stranger she had met twice, and she didn't even know his name.
But perhaps she had been in the abyss for too long, and she didn't want to give up on any hope.
The next day, Achan and Chen Hui returned to Changpingfang.
Originally, she wanted to rest for a few more days, but Ah Chan was still thinking about the Yu family's matter. She guessed that it wasn't the truth and was more curious about the truth of that matter.
I just wonder if the Yu family will come looking for her?
On the first day back at the incense shop, Yu Dajia did not come.
On the third day, he still didn't come.
It rained all day on the fourth day, and there was still no sign of the Yu family by evening.
Ah Chan thought to herself, "She won't be coming today either. It seems she's destined never to know the truth."
Just as she was about to close the shop, a slender figure holding an umbrella slowly walked from the street.
The umbrella was pulled down low, and the person only slightly raised it when they reached the shop entrance, revealing their pale face.
"Miss, I apologize for disturbing you."
A-Chan looked slightly surprised and turned slightly to the side: "Come in."
Yu Dajia walked into the shop, folded up her umbrella and placed it by the door. Achan closed the door and led her to the back, saying, "You've come at the right time. Hui Niang has just finished cooking."
"I've already eaten."
"Okay, let me finish my meal first, then we can talk, okay?"
Yu Dajia nodded. She spent three days asking around in Changpingfang about Achan and found out that she had no connection with the Prince Ying'an's mansion or that woman. She didn't seem to be deliberately trying to get close to her.
Even so, Yu Dajia still had no hope, but she still came.
The two sat down at the table, and after a short while, Chen Hui came out carrying a tray with a small bowl of rice and four dishes.
She placed the food on the table before asking, "Has everyone eaten, Mr. Yu?"
Although Yu Dajia had a deeper impression of A Chan, she also recognized Chen Hui, who had been with A Chan that day, and shook her head.
Seeing that Chen Hui wasn't eating either, he couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to eat?"
Chen Hui glanced at A Chan, who gave her a sly smile and said, "She doesn't need to eat."
"No need to eat?" Yu Dajia seemed unable to react for a moment.
"I'm not human, I don't need to eat," Chen Hui said casually from the side.
The best way to put someone at ease is to throw out a shocking piece of news at them. At that moment, they will feel that their secrets are insignificant.
This is what the Yu family was like at that time.
"You sit down first, I'll go tidy up in the backyard." Chen Hui didn't stay long before making an excuse to leave.
Achan wasn't too hungry; she only ate half a bowl of rice before putting down her chopsticks.
The two sat across the table, and after the little incident earlier, Yu Dajia, who had been tense, seemed to relax.
She stared at Achan and asked her, "You said there are other ways to get revenge, is that true?"
Achan didn't answer her immediately, but said, "That depends on what kind of grudge it is."
She remained silent for a long time before saying, word by word, "That woman took away my face, my identity, my family, my child. Tell me, what kind of hatred is this?"
Every word she uttered seemed to be written in tears.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
