Chapter 12 One-Sided Statement: "I can guarantee that you will be able to kill him with your own hands one day..."
"What bad luck!"
Wang Jinhu stumbled out of the tavern, running for two blocks before daring to stop. Leaning against the wall, he gasped for breath, cursing, "Why am I so unlucky? I've lost so much face!"
"None of these powerful and influential people are good. So what if they are Marquis Ding'an or General Xue? They wave the banner of protecting the country and have also gained a lot of fame and fortune, living a life of luxury."
Angrily kicking the mound of earth in the corner, Wang Jinhu grew angrier the more he thought about it. He wiped the wine off his face, spat, and said gloatingly, "They all deserved to lose their sons! So what if Qin Chang's eldest son was the only one? His body was hung on the city gate and whipped by the Fan Jue. In the end, even his head was chopped off. He died without a complete corpse."
Perhaps he had run too fast, for as soon as he finished speaking, his stomach churned, and he finally couldn't hold back and leaned against the wall to vomit.
He vomited everything up, then stood up groggily, wiped his filthy hands on his robe, patted his backside, and tried to leave.
But as soon as he stood up, he couldn't help but panic.
Suddenly, a man with a long sword at his waist appeared eight inches in front of him. He had his arms crossed, wore a straw raincoat, was eight feet tall, and covered his face with a black cloth. Although his appearance and expression were not clear, it was obvious that he was up to no good.
Wang Jinhu was sobered up considerably from the fright. Having spent years navigating the treacherous waters of Chang'an, he had long since learned to be flexible and adaptable. His face pale, he took a step back and awkwardly cupped his hands in a fawning manner: "Young master, have I blocked your way? I'll get out of here, I'll get out of here..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Jinhu turned to run away, but as soon as he took a step, his arm was grabbed.
He turned his head in horror and saw the masked man gripping his arm tightly. With a "crack," his arm was snapped. The masked man sneered, "Weren't you cursing so fiercely just now? Why are you running away?"
Before Wang Jinhu could beg for mercy, another kick followed!
The torrential rain poured down, the fine raindrops constantly pounding against the blue bricks and white tiles. Deep in the streets and alleys, the pattering rain drowned out Wang Jinhu's screams.
As the ink-black night enveloped the city of Chang'an, a muffled boom resounded from the distant mountain peaks, and lightning flashed down, extinguishing the daylight in an instant.
Zhong Yuan was awakened by the thunder in the middle of the night.
She sat up blankly, instinctively touching her clothes. Seeing that they were intact, she breathed a sigh of relief. But when she glanced at the window, her eyelids twitched violently, and she finally realized what was happening.
She jumped out of bed and shouted, "Who are you... Brother, what happened to my brother?!"
To prevent her from acting rashly, Jingnu stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, restraining her. Xue Rongyue snapped out of her reverie in the heavy rain and turned to look at her: "He's dead."
"impossible!"
Zhong Yuan let out a heart-wrenching scream, wanting to rush over and question Xue Rongyue, but her limbs were weak and powerless due to palpitations.
Tears streamed down her face like broken pearls. She collapsed to the ground, shaking her head in disbelief. "Impossible! My brother said he would buy a house by the end of the year and give me a good life. How could this be... how could this be... I don't believe it!"
The wailing and lamentation lasted for a full half hour.
Zhong Yuan wept uncontrollably, overwhelmed with grief and indignation. She was so breathless that she nearly fainted, and even Jingnu could hardly hold her down.
By the end, her voice was hoarse and she could no longer make a sound. She sat slumped on the ground, her face ashen, and if it weren't for the tears still streaming down her face, she would have looked no different from a dead person.
Xue Rongyue walked up to Zhong Yuan, squatted down and handed her a cup of hot tea: "This cup of tea is not poisoned."
Zhong Yuan looked up from her daze, her beautiful eyes red and swollen from crying. She stared blankly at Xue Rongyue, then suddenly reached out and knocked the teacup in front of her to the ground: "Stop pretending to lie to me!"
The teacup was overturned and the scalding tea soaked Xue Rongyue's skirt.
Jingnu rushed forward to check on her, and Zhong Yuan took the opportunity to break free from her restraints. She struggled to her feet and tried to escape outside.
Waving to stop Jingnu from chasing after them, Xue Rongyue calmly stood up: "Your brother was murdered. Where can you go if you run away now? A tavern, or a small courtyard in Luo'an Lane? I'm afraid you'll be hanged from the rafters as soon as you appear, ending up like your brother."
Zhong Yuan stopped in her tracks.
She gritted her teeth, wiped away her tears, and tried to convince herself that it was all an illusion, but she couldn't take another step.
Xue Rongyue walked up to Zhong Yuan and said, "Your brother died under mysterious circumstances. If you want to end up like him, I won't stop you. I imagine officials will find you tomorrow and ask you to identify the body. Of course..."
Under Zhong Yuan's trembling gaze, Xue Rongyue said calmly, "On the premise that you can still live to see tomorrow."
Tears streamed down her face again. Zhong Yuan crouched down, clutched her chest, closed her eyes in despair, and let the tears flow freely.
Rainwater seeped in through the open window from under the eaves, wetting the peach branches on the table. The candlelight flickered uneasily in the wind and rain, and a sobbing sound fell into the rainy night, faint and barely audible, yet as desolate as the rain and mist.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally raised her eyes, her red and swollen eyes looking up at Xue Rongyue with a pitiful expression, her voice hoarse: "Who exactly are you? Why are you telling me all this?"
"I am the one who was harmed by your brother." Under Zhong Yuan's shocked gaze, Xue Rongyue looked down at her condescendingly, "and I am also the one who can avenge your brother."
Zhong Yuan was speechless.
"Your brother was murdered, don't you feel any hatred at all?"
“I want to find out who instigated your brother to do evil. Don’t you want to avenge your brother?”
Xue Rongyue stood in the bright candlelight.
Behind her, the wind and rain roared. A sudden gust of wind tore through the rain curtain, bending the two green bamboos outside the courtyard, which swayed helplessly with the gale, their leaves rustling and stirring up the unease beneath the lightning and thunder.
Jingnu turned around and closed the window, keeping the wind and rain out.
Xue Rongyue leaned forward slightly, her almond-shaped eyes reflecting the bright candlelight as she calmly gazed at her: "You can choose not to believe me, but if you want to avenge your brother and catch the real culprit, you can only rely on me. I can guarantee that you will be able to kill your enemy with your own hands in the future."
After saying this, Xue Rongyue stretched out her hand and placed it in front of Zhong Yuan.
Zhong Yuan thought she shouldn't have believed her.
After all, she hadn't seen her brother's body with her own eyes, so how could she believe her one-sided account?
But as if by some strange twist of fate, she looked up at her, hesitated for a long time, and finally slowly took her hands in hers.
The smile vanished in an instant. Xue Rongyue pulled Zhong Yuan, who had fallen to the ground, up with a strong grip on her wrist: "You and your brother depend on each other for survival. Have you noticed anything wrong with him these past few days?"
Jingnu poured another cup of tea and handed it to Zhong Yuan. Zhong Yuan lowered her head and took it. She thought that she would think about it for a while, but before Xue Rongyue could finish speaking, she said in a deep voice, "Yes."
Xue Rongyue raised an eyebrow.
Fighting back tears, Zhong Yuan said, "I had my doubts that day. If I had known it would turn out this way, I should have stopped him without hesitation."
She choked up as she said, "The fifth day of last month was my brother's birthday. Jiang Langjun granted him a day off. He took me to a tavern for a meal, ordered a table full of dishes, and told me that he could give me a good life from now on. He would also free me from my slave status, buy me a house, and do some business. He would not let me go to the tavern to perform anymore."
"I thought he had gained favor with Young Master Jiang and gotten a new job, but no matter how I asked him, he wouldn't say. He only shouted one sentence when he was drunk: 'Luckily he can read and write, otherwise, how could such a good job have fallen into his lap?'"
“I immediately sensed something was wrong, but my brother had already fallen into a deep sleep. I helped him back to the courtyard and searched his room. I found many letters inside, which looked like he was copying someone’s handwriting.”
Xue Rongyue asked calmly, "Are those letters still there?"
Zhong Yuan nodded hurriedly: "Yes. I had my doubts at the time, so I secretly hid two letters in the box on the dressing table in the tavern. You can send someone to look for them, madam."
She paused, then continued, "Late at night, I woke up from a dream and heard the sound of my brother's door opening. At first, I didn't pay attention, but then I suddenly heard voices coming from the courtyard. My brother's voice was very low, as if he was a little scared, and he questioned the person why they had come here. The person laughed twice and then whispered something. I couldn't hear it clearly because we were far away, but the two seemed to be arguing."
"I walked to the window. It was a very dark night. My brother pulled the man away. Luckily, there was a lantern hanging in front of the door. As they left, I caught a glimpse of the man's face. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and what looked like a small scar under his eye. He was short and thin, about my height. Oh, right!"
Zhong Yuan suddenly thought of something: "He also had a mole on his neck. He happened to be passing under the lantern at the time, and I saw it very clearly."
Xue Rongyue's fingers clenched suddenly, and she exchanged a glance with Jingnu, their expressions turning serious. Jingnu pulled a portrait from her bosom; the paper only showed a neck, and near the jawline, a black mole was drawn: "Is the mole located here?"
Zhong Yuan took the portrait and examined it carefully: "More than a month has passed, and I cannot be certain, but it should be roughly the same."
Xue Rongyue made a quick decision: "Didn't you say you saw this woman's face clearly? You described Jingnu making the painting?"
Jingnu walked quickly to the table to grind the ink, and Zhongyuan also quickly got up. After taking two steps, she stopped and turned her head in confusion, saying, "But my lady, what I saw that day was not a woman, but a man."
Xue Rongyue was taken aback: "A man?"
Zhong Yuan was certain: "Although he is short, his appearance and clothing clearly indicate that he is a man."
After a long silence, Xue Rongyue suddenly sneered: "...No wonder we couldn't catch anyone that day, so that's why."
That day, Jingnu and the guards searched everywhere in the garden for a maid with a black mole on her neck. They never expected that the person was actually a man, who must have been deliberately disguised.
Zhong Yuan was puzzled, but seeing that Xue Rongyue remained silent, she went to Jing Nu's side. She happened to have some knowledge of calligraphy and painting, and together with Jing Nu, they drew the person's appearance.
Just as the portrait was presented to Xue Rongyue, Luo Zhen returned to report.
Taking off his raincoat, Luo Zhen walked with Xue Rongyue to the veranda and said, "My lady, I have been ordered to teach Wang Jinhu a lesson. He won't be able to get out of bed for at least ten days or half a month."
Wang Jinhu dared to offend his elder brother, so Xue Rongyue certainly wouldn't let him off the hook. Hearing this, she nodded and handed over the portrait: "Take this portrait, bring a few trusted servants, and find the person."
Luo Zhen took the portrait, looked it over, and suddenly frowned: "This person looks very familiar."
A note from the author:
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Plot Preview: Can't arch-enemies team up? [Sunglasses]
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