Gu Heguang was efficient, and that very night, Lüzheng returned from the west alley and told Zhu Jiayu that the matter had been settled.
She vividly described to Zhu Jiayu how stunning the woman Gu Heguang had found for her was:
"When I first saw her, I felt that she could definitely get things done for you, Miss. She was beautiful and graceful, but her temperament was different from yours and the other young ladies, or even the two young ladies, Gu and Song. She was very lovable. Such a woman is often very successful."
Zhu Jiayu thought for a moment and said, "She was bailed out of the county jail by Gu Heguang? Do you know what she did to deserve being imprisoned?"
At this point, Lü Zheng suddenly fell silent, as if boiling water had suddenly cooled down, and not a single drop of steam could rise.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Jiayu put down the book in his hand and looked at her.
Green Kite waved her hand: "Miss, I didn't expect you to ask about this. I think we should just let it go. This young woman is too ruthless. She poisoned a family of five and was taken to the county government by the clan elders of the same village... This person is too dangerous."
Zhu Jiayu shook her head: "It's alright, it's not a big deal. I'll go see her tomorrow and we'll talk about it then."
Green Kite pursed her lips, wanting to offer advice but knowing her limits, and dared not speak again.
She didn't know what her young mistress wanted to do, but she knew that she could only fulfill her duty as a servant by her mistress's side, and she absolutely could not utter a word about things that were not her business.
The next day arrived quickly, and Zhu Jiayu took Lüzheng to West Alley, where she met the woman that Gu Heguang had found for her.
Upon seeing the woman, Zhu Jiayu understood why Lü Zheng had been so excited when she told him about it yesterday.
The woman was truly beautiful, with a delicate, misty air about her. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her black hair was lightly tied up with a silver hairpin, just like the magnolia blossoms that were blooming gracefully on the branches at this time of year, composed and elegant.
"Greetings, Miss." Shouyuan had been instructed by Lüzheng yesterday that her young mistress would be visiting her today, so she was told to be prepared. Therefore, she got up early this morning. When she saw Zhu Jiayu, she showed no surprise and greeted him politely, without any awkwardness or panic.
Zhu Jiayu nodded gently and said, "I have heard about your situation. You are a pitiful person, but the law is impartial. The magistrate has already shown you leniency by sparing you until your execution in the autumn."
When she woke up this morning, she saw a letter on the windowsill, covered in morning dew, which described in detail Shouyuan's background.
She was from Fujiazhuang in Heling City. In order to raise money for her father's funeral, she sold herself to Deng Jiaming of Dushui Village for one tael of silver.
The Deng family was lazy and greedy. Ever since they bought Shouyuan, they had been ordering her around in everything, both inside and outside the house, and they treated her poorly in every way, even beating and scolding her.
For years, Shouyuan endured everything passively until she became pregnant with Deng Jiaming's child. However, she was harassed by a local thug, and the Deng family only wanted to take money to settle the matter. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to escape from this place.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. That night, she didn't get very far before Deng Jiaming caught her and brought her back.
Later, she overheard the Deng family elders and the Deng brothers discussing in private that few men in the village didn't lust after her. Since she was injured and couldn't conceive, and was disobedient, they might as well do as Du Laishun and the others suggested, put a price tag on her, and have her see customers three times a day.
All of Shouyuan's hopes were shattered in that instant. She no longer had any aspirations for the future, only thinking that she would rather die than give in to the Deng family's wishes. It was in that fleeting thought that she mustered the courage to go to town, buy rat poison, and mix it into the soup she had cooked for lunch before serving it to the Deng family.
She hated the Deng family to the core and even wanted them all to die a horrible death. However, when she was preparing to set the fire, she was discovered by passing villagers. Then, everything she had done came to light. If nothing unexpected happened, she should have ended her young life forever this autumn.
Seeing Shouyuan standing silently, Zhu Jiayu changed the subject and said, "However, I specially asked someone to bail you out in order to rewrite your fate. I have a task for you to do. If you agree, from now on you will no longer be Shouyuan, nor will you bear the lives of the five members of the Deng family."
"They deserved to die. It's not worth sacrificing your life for them. Think about it carefully. I can give you a day. You don't need to rush to answer."
Without much thought, Shouyuan knelt down in front of Zhu Jiayu, bowing her head gracefully: "I was originally a worthless life, but I was fortunate enough to be saved by Miss. This life belongs to Miss. I am willing to do whatever Miss says."
“Alright,” Zhu Jiayu helped her up. “I’ll give you a new name, how about Shulan? It means graceful and elegant, like jade and orchid. You can stay here for the next few days. When the time is right, I’ll have Lüzheng bring you a message.”
Shu Lan pursed her lips and thanked Zhu Jiayu.
After explaining these matters and leaving West Alley, Zhu Jiayu turned around and went to the Gu residence.
She handed the white jade lotus pendant she carried with her to the guard at the door, and said in a gentle manner, "Please take this jade pendant to the young master and tell him that the person holding the jade has something to ask me to see. I hope that he will grant me a meeting out of respect for the original owner of the jade pendant."
Along with the jade pendant, a bag of loose silver was also stuffed in.
Seeing that she was beautiful and wealthy, and having received her money, the guard naturally greeted her with a friendly smile, saying, "Please wait a moment, Miss. I will go in and inform you of your arrival."
At this moment, Gu Zhongyi was lazily resting his head on the lap of a beautiful woman. In the elegantly furnished hall, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments were continuous, interspersed with the clear voice of a woman. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was heavenly music.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com