Chapter 19 Green Hat
The hall was bright, but the atmosphere was solemn.
Li Qu never expected that someone would dare to cuckold Zhou Jin, this ruthless outlaw.
"If you are unwilling to be close to us, why force us to live as widows? Please, have mercy and allow us to leave the manor and remarry!"
Li Qu entered the main hall of Zhou Jin's residence, Mianxiao Residence, in the front courtyard, and heard a woman pleading pitifully in the hall.
"I entered the manor at fourteen and am now twenty-four. My youthful years are wasted. If you, my lord, do not cherish me, others will. I beg you to be magnanimous and grant my love to my beloved."
Not only was Li Qu invited to the main hall, but the other five beauties that Zhou Jin kept in Qinghuai Courtyard were also invited over.
Since the matter involved the inner quarters, Huaichun and Huaixiang, the two head maids of Jinxiu Hall, were also present.
In addition, there is Aunt Li and Granny Rong, who serves the old lady.
Zhou Jin sat in the main seat, with an empty bowl of hangover soup beside him.
Granny Xu has been rescued, and the madman has been brought up with his hands tied behind his back by Huaiqiu and his men.
Before conviction, a court hearing is essential.
Aunt Li, with a stern expression, stepped forward and said to the offending beauty, "You have committed adultery in the inner quarters, Sun Shi, do you know your crime!"
Seeing that the matter had escalated to the old lady's level and was unlikely to end well, the beautiful Lady Sun abandoned her previous pleading and resentful demeanor, pointing at Zhou Jin and accusing him:
"He treated us like nothing, wasted our years, and ruined our youth. Why blame us for having an affair!"
"Even if he did it just once, just once! I would be willing to stay with him for the rest of my life. But if I hadn't met my beloved, I would have remained a virgin until the day I die!"
"I am a woman, and I am here to enjoy the pleasures of being a woman!"
"What wrong have I done! What wrong have I done!"
"How dare you! You are a concubine bestowed upon you by your elders. According to the family rules, concubines who are not content with their husbands will be sold off at best, and drowned at worst."
"Ms. Sun, you show no remorse, uttering vile and insulting your superiors, compounding your crimes. You shall be stripped naked and executed as a warning to others!"
As soon as Aunt Li finished speaking, she glanced at Granny Rong and then at Zhou Jin. Seeing that neither of them objected, she signaled for the execution to be carried out.
"I refuse to accept this! Last year, that wretched woman, Bai, escaped for a whole day and night. We don't even know if she's still innocent. According to the family rules, she should be sold into slavery. Why is she perfectly fine, but I have to die!"
Even if I have made a terrible mistake, why should I take my worthless life?
"I don't accept it!"
Aunt Li spoke coldly and sternly, showing no mercy: "If you're not convinced, go ask the King of Hell which concubine, who eats and wears another's clothes, commits such a heinous act of adultery! Aren't you ashamed that your parents, brothers, and sisters have no face to show yourselves?"
"You only dare to trample on me because of my lowly birth! If you're so capable, go and examine that slut Bai's body. That slut has been having an affair with her cousin for a long time! She's cuckolded me time and time again!"
"Filthy words! The old lady has already verified Bai's innocence; how dare you slander her! You've compounded her crimes; you deserve to die!"
The rack had already been brought in, and with her death imminent, the beautiful Lady Sun crawled forward on her knees, kowtowing and pleading, "I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, please, my lord, have mercy!"
"I spoke wildly before, I deserve to be beaten!" she said, and then slapped herself hard with both hands.
Seeing that no one stopped her, she boldly stepped forward and grabbed Zhou Jin's hem: "Third Master, I have committed a grave mistake, but my crime does not warrant death. I beg you to have mercy and spare my lowly life!"
In response to the beautiful Lady Sun, Zhou Jin delivered a merciless kick: "Castration and transfer to the authorities."
This is punishment for the madman.
The fact that no further orders were given to Lady Sun meant that they agreed with Aunt Li's previous statement.
With a single glance from Aunt Li, an old woman stepped forward, grabbed the beautiful Sun who had been kicked to the ground by Zhou Jin, and tried to strip her clothes off.
Sun screamed and resisted, begged for mercy, and cried out in despair, but to no avail.
Li Qu had come expecting a good show, but unexpectedly, he was about to witness a cruel punishment, which made him look rather grim.
Watching the beautiful woman struggle fiercely, sometimes begging for mercy and sometimes cursing, she suddenly felt as if she were confronting her own inner self.
The helplessness, resentment, and discontent with the state of the world transformed into actions that were unconventional and unorthodox for this era.
She suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
Zhou Jin, sitting in the hall, was no different from Xiao Cong, who was high above everyone else.
The beautiful woman surnamed Sun, who was stripped naked and tortured, could not be a reflection of herself in the future.
She raised her hand to her chest, trying hard to stop her wildly beating heart.
Even though she felt that Xiao Cong wouldn't dare to go south and cause trouble, if one day she unfortunately fell into Xiao Cong's hands, would he treat her the same way Zhou Jin treated Lady Sun?
The sound of the board hitting flesh was dull and grating.
"Aunt?"
Granny Xu has gone back to rest after being frightened, and Hongguo is currently by Li Qu's side.
She noticed that Li Qu was not in a good state, so she supported Li Qu and whispered in Li Qu's ear: "Don't be afraid. The master wants to make an example of her. Sun Shi is a lowly servant girl who has no one to rely on. She has done such a scandalous thing. She deserves to be stripped and punished."
Hongguo is right, and Sun Meiren's infidelity should be condemned, but is Sun Meiren the only one at fault?
Inhumane rules are nothing more than a guillotine used by those in positions of power to protect their own interests.
Li Qu closed his eyes, not wanting to hear the wails of the beautiful Sun, nor the dull sounds of torture, yet every sound reached his ears.
Hongguo seemed to sense Li Qu's discomfort and raised her hand to cover Li Qu's ears.
Unbeknownst to Li Qu, the other five beauties were also pale, some dizzy, some covering their ears, and some collapsed.
Zhou Jinzhi's cold-blooded ruthlessness sent chills down the spines of everyone present.
After the matter was over, Li Qu returned to Fanghua Garden. After washing up, she lay on the couch and let Hong Guo dry her hair.
“Madam Sun is a beauty sent by the second master’s family. She is a servant born into the household. How can she compare to the illegitimate daughter of the grain merchant Bai?”
Hongguo wasn't giving Li Qu any hints; that's simply what she believed.
Most people think the same way she does nowadays.
"Do you know about the Bai family?" Li Qu asked with her eyes closed.
Hongguo hesitated for a moment, then said, "Our household has a small population, but when something happens, there are many people watching, so this servant knows a little about it."
"Um."
"I heard that Bai was taken away by her cousin and fled, and was only found a day later."
Having been proven innocent and her identity verified, and with the Bai family's intervention, the matter was dropped thanks to the old lady's intervention.
This was the second time Li Qu had heard of the Bai family of Hezhou.
I couldn't help but ask a few more questions.
By the time the hair was dry, it was past 1-3 AM.
Li Qu was fast asleep, so Hong Guo draped a thin blanket over her belly and went to keep watch in the outer room.
The following day, Li Qu got up late and brought Cui Guo to serve him.
Li Qu then realized that Cui Guo was a chatterbox.
From Granny Xu's frequent awakenings last night, to Hongguo's continued laziness and lack of wakefulness, to the unprecedented enthusiasm of the little girls in the courtyard for learning embroidery, to the gossip about the discovery of the beautiful Sun and the madman last night, she talked on and on.
"Now the news has spread that Sun and her lover were having an affair in the outer courtyard, and were caught by Huaiqiu, who was by Third Master's side, and that's how they were brought to justice."
"Qinghuai Courtyard has already called doctors twice this morning; the concubine there is quite frightened."
Li Qu pressed her temples.
Cui Guo was shocked: "My aunt is not feeling well either."
"I had a nightmare all night yesterday, and I only managed to sleep a little more soundly this morning. I have a bit of a headache."
"How about I call a doctor for you too? I heard that the group from Qinghuai Courtyard went to Jinxiu Hall to deliver the message when they went to invite a doctor. Let's go to Jinxiu Hall to deliver the message as well."
"Could it be that even a concubine can't compete with those who aren't favored?"
Li Qu nodded in agreement.
After arranging things in the house, Cuiguo hurried off to fetch the doctor.
Li Qu didn't know what Qinghuai Courtyard's purpose was in delivering the message to Jinxiu Hall. She didn't object to Cuiguo delivering the message to Jinxiu Hall because she knew that Zhou Jin, knowing she was sick, would no longer set foot in Fanghua Garden.
After having breakfast, Li Qu picked out two kinds of pastries that had been delivered that day and sent them to Granny Xu's room.
"Granny, please take a good rest during this time. I'll give you a month's leave so you can go home and visit your family."
If Xu Mama were present, she would absolutely not have allowed Cui Guo to go to Jinxiu Hall to deliver the news of her illness.
Granny Xu knew Jinxiutang better than Cuiguo and Hongguo.
Li Qu also wanted to get away from Granny Xu's sight and have some peace and quiet.
After inquiring about Li Qu's health, Xu Mama realized that she was not in a suitable condition to take care of her master, so she agreed to give her a leave of absence.
In the afternoon, the concubine of the second wife heard that Li Qu was ill, and came to visit Li Qu hand in hand.
This was their first time visiting Fanghua Garden.
As soon as they entered, Aunt Zheng exclaimed, "Wow, Sister Li's place is just as luxurious as Sister Hu's! Could these two vases be the pair of red-glazed slender-necked vases produced by the Ge kiln of the previous dynasty?"
The three of them first visited Li Qu's residence before gathering around the couch to talk to him.
Li Qu was not physically ill, but he was mentally ill.
Because she recognized the truth.
The fact that she could be shattered to pieces by a single thought from someone in a position of power.
One fact is that she was helpless and vulnerable, just like the beautiful Sun Shi.
"Did my little sister get scared?" Aunt Hu looked at Li Qu, who was listless and dispirited, and teased with a smile, "What are you afraid of when you have Third Master's favor?"
Aunt Xun chimed in, "Yes, your mistakes are definitely different from other people's mistakes."
Aunt Zheng was also certain: "Third Master dotes on you. If you cry, his heart will break. How could he bear to punish you again?"
Although they spoke in a half-joking tone, what they said was true.
If Zhou Jin treats her with care, her life will have an extra layer of protection.
Whether it was Xiao Cong who captured her and intended to harm her.
She did something he couldn't tolerate right under Zhou Jin's nose.
It was no easy task to win Zhou Jin's heart.
If Zhou Jin falls for her like Xiao Cong and only thinks about possessing her, where can she escape to get rid of his bullying in the name of love?
She didn't want to be someone's concubine for life.
There was another factor that made her hesitant to make a decision.
That was Zhou Jin's personality; he was even more ruthless and cold-blooded than Xiao Cong.
To lure him is no different from asking a tiger for its skin.
She was timid.
"Are you really scared? Why don't you respond to us after we've been talking for so long?" Aunt Zheng raised her hand and poked Li Qu's forehead to bring her back to her senses.
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