Chapter 24: Evil Forest Let's see who will receive retribution first, you or me. ...
Zhu Hao's thoughts surged. Although she was a native of Huaicheng, her father would take her to the temple to pray to the gods on the 22nd day of the third month every year when he was alive. She knew that the gods worshipped in Huaicheng were just mortal bones in their previous lives, but she never knew that Song Xieqing had suffered such extreme punishment when he was a mortal, and his body was not even intact. She also didn't know that Shi Chunsheng and Song Xieqing had such a subtle relationship.
Before this, she had never tried to explore Song Xieqing's past life.
She stared at Shi Chunsheng for a long time, completely unaware of how pale her face was.
It wasn't until the dull pain from the sprained ankle hit him that Zhu Hao gasped.
Shi Chunsheng was shocked to find that Zhu Hao had sprained her right ankle, so he attributed all her strange behavior to this.
"I'll take you home."
Shi Chunsheng was firm in his words and would not allow her to refuse.
He was very polite, and besides, she was already married, so Shi Chunsheng wished her well through a handkerchief and their clothes. She was weak to begin with, and with her sprained ankle, it took her a long time just to go down the stairs.
Fortunately, as the two of them walked out of the temple, they ran into the coachman head-on. Shi Chunsheng was not suitable to ride with her, as this trip would damage her reputation.
Before leaving, Shi Chunsheng hesitated for a long time, finally unable to suppress his doubts. He asked, "Your... husband hasn't returned home for a long time?"
No wonder he asked this. Her wedding with Song Xieqing was extravagant and lavish, and everyone in Huaicheng knew about it. They all said that the young lady of the Zhu family had finally found a perfect husband after all the hardships. However, since the wedding, people often only saw Zhu Hao entering and leaving the Song residence. For a whole half month, the couple were not seen together, which inevitably aroused suspicion.
Shi Chunsheng asked this question not out of selfish desire, but because he was worried that she had no one to take care of her. Although he knew that Miaoli was there to help her, Zhu Hao had been stubborn since she was young and had always been able to endure, so he really couldn't feel at ease.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Hao replied vaguely, "He recently found a business opportunity. Because the journey is long and he's busy with important matters, it's difficult for my husband, Song... to travel back and forth every day. So, we mostly communicate through letters."
After hearing what Zhu Hao said, Shi Chunsheng, as an insignificant outsider, naturally did not want to discuss the matter any further. He turned around and left after seeing Zhu Hao driving away in the carriage.
Miaoli had been waiting for Zhuhao for a long time. When she saw Zhuhao limping out of the carriage, she hurried forward to support him. Miaoli took out the medicine she had prepared at home and carefully applied it to Zhuhao's wounds.
After Zhu Hao and Miao Li had lunch, she returned to her room early.
There were scattered books and piles of account books on the desk by the window.
Zhu Lanxiang was imprisoned, and although the two shops continued to operate, they were like a stagnant pool of water, with almost no income in the accounts. Zhu Hao was originally not good at accounting, and she had difficulty understanding the various methods of arithmetic. She worked hard for half a month to make up for her shortcomings, reading arithmetic classics on her own and asking for advice from businessmen, and finally she could barely grasp the mysteries of accounting.
Since her parents passed away, the managers of the two shops were replaced by Zhu Lanxiang's confidants. When Zhu Hao was reviewing the account books recently, he found that a lot of small changes were not recorded in the books, but instead went into other people's pockets. Since the two shops were not profitable, they simply closed down and laid off the managers.
The bank has returned the dowry left to her by her parents, a total of three hundred taels.
Based on the profits from the two shops run by my parents when they were alive, three hundred taels is not a huge amount, but because of Zhu Lanxiang's eyesight, it would be easier to do it with a smaller amount.
Both the cloth shop and the tailor shop were using inferior and outdated fabrics, contributing to their decline. If Zhu Hao wanted to reopen, he needed to address this issue quickly. For example, how could he minimize losses and sell off the old stock in his warehouse?
Zhu Hao had only the three hundred taels of silver her parents had left her, along with the jewelry she'd bought for her wedding. By now, she was too lazy to be polite to Song Xieqing, since their current home was also his gift. So, she pawned all her wedding jewelry for two hundred taels of silver. She lamented that the betrothal gifts Song Xieqing had offered her had all been burned in the fire, unlike her, who had already become wealthy.
I hope that now that you know the crux of the problem between the two shops, you can solve it quickly.
It was already April and spring clothes were not selling well. If she could make new clothes before summer came and win the favor of the young ladies in this city, she might be able to break the deadlock.
Zhu Hao acted decisively, spending three hundred taels to purchase high-quality silk brocade from Nanjun. It could be shipped by water in less than seven days, and she invested another hundred taels to rebuild the two shops. She hired ten qualified seamstresses and embroiderers for the positions, each receiving a full monthly salary of five taels. Zhu Hao needed to earn fifty taels per month, and any remaining money needed to be managed.
The embroiderer and seamstress she hired had decent skills, but she was unsure about the sample patterns. Zhu Hao thought she had a good eye, but she was a fool when it came to painting, so she still needed to find a painter.
…
The next morning, Zhu Hao limped out of the Song residence. Miao Li insisted on following. Zhu Hao was aware of her concerns, but Miao Li had a more important responsibility than just looking after her—supervision. The two shops were still under renovation, and it was only with someone watching over them that she felt at ease. Although Miao Li was extremely reluctant, she finally followed her instructions.
Zhu Hao rode in a carriage, carrying a food basket in his hand, and went to the prison.
The meals were checked by the prison guards, who also removed the sharp silver hairpin from her bun. The guards made sure that Zhu Hao had no other sharp objects on her body before letting her in.
Half a month later, Zhu Lanxiang had not only become thinner, but even the glint in her eyes had disappeared.
When Zhu Lanxiang saw that the person coming was Zhu Hao, she rushed over and hugged Zhu Hao's left knee, "Pianpian, you are finally here! Can you tell Master Pei that you have forgiven me? Ask him to reduce the punishment, but not for a year! Pianpian! Your aunt has not dared to close her eyes for days, and mice are crawling on your body every night..."
"I really don't know! I really don't know that You Yan bought you to be buried with him. I swear! I swear a poisonous oath! Pianpian, please save me! I will work like a slave for you!"
Zhu Lanxiang was almost insane. Zhu Hao leaned over and gently stroked her forehead, "Aunt, these are not important."
Zhu Lanxiang's voice was hoarse, "Why is it not important?"
Zhu Hao opened the food basket, and a plate of tempting roast chicken came into view. Zhu Lanxiang had been imprisoned for half a month, and all she had to eat was plain rice and yellow vegetables. How could she resist the fragrance that was lingering in her nose?
Zhu Lanxiang, like a wolf that hadn't eaten in days, quickly grabbed a handful of chicken legs. Before she could take a bite, she heard Zhu Hao say, "Pianpian heard that my aunt is in prison and can't sleep at night, so Pianpian specially put a medicine in the roast chicken."
"What medicine?"
"Cilin."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Lanxiang dropped her chicken leg abruptly. She was startled, afraid to confirm her inner thoughts. "What did you just say about it not being important? What is it? It doesn't matter to me whether I know what You Yan is planning or not? Right? You don't care at all? You... just want me to be trapped in prison forever, right?!"
Zhu Hao was remembering her late father, her eyes misty. "Aunt, why are you panicking? The ling is not poisonous, otherwise why would the jailer let Pian Pian in?" She tucked Zhu Lanxiang's messy hair behind her ear and said gently, "Pian Pian was just scaring you. Alright, aunt, eat quickly."
"A healthy person taking this medicine can help with sleep, drowsiness, and pain relief. It's just that You Lang was so old that he died in his sleep after taking this medicine. What are you afraid of, aunt? Okay, aunt, take it quickly."
Besides, she hadn't put anything in there. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to even set foot in the prison. It was ridiculous that her aunt was so horrified.
Zhu Lanxiang had never seen Zhu Hao like this before. There were tears and compassion in her eyes, but her face was fierce. She was a combination of good and evil, like a demon-like Amitābha.
"Just wait, you will get your comeuppance, Zhu Hao! You knew full well that I didn't conspire with You Yan, yet you framed me for your own selfish ends!" Zhu Lanxiang fell to the ground, repeating over and over again, "You will get your comeuppance."
Zhu Hao looked down at her condescendingly and sneered, "Then let's see who will get their retribution first, you or me."
…
Today is the sixth day that You Yan has been walking on his knees as a warning to the public. When the Golden Crow hangs high in the sky tomorrow morning, You Yan will use his life to comfort the dead souls in the netherworld.
His knees were covered in blood, and the skin exposed under the prison uniform was tanned black and red by the scorching sun. You Yan's round belly seemed to be punctured and deflated.
In the plain clothes and straw sandals, You Yan suddenly saw a man in brocade clothes and silk pants. This man was his good brother You Heng.
You Heng threw a silver ingot to the yamen runner who was supervising You Yan, and then he took two steps forward.
When he saw You Yan's disheveled and dirty appearance, he felt extremely happy. He imagined that You Yan threw him into a deserted well when he was young, and remembered You Yan's humiliation and forcing him to drink urine.
What is the deep love between brothers? Brother.
You Heng took out the water bag and extended his hand towards him, "Brother, moisten your throat."
"Ah Heng, you are so far away, are you going to make my brother crawl on his knees to beg from you?"
You Heng really took a few steps forward, and when the two were only an arm's length apart, You Yan rushed over like a madman and knocked him to the ground.
You Yan put his hands around his neck and said with a sinister grin, "Ah Heng, if you have any debts to pay, follow me to the underworld to settle them."
You Heng struggled to breathe. Two yamen runners tried to pull You Yan away, but You Yan's body was as heavy as Mount Tai, and they couldn't pull him away at all. You Heng's face turned purple, and he said with difficulty, "Brother... Ah Heng didn't want you to die. I only wanted you to be imprisoned and bring peace to the people. But you have committed such evil deeds! Everyone hopes you will go to hell!"
You Yan laughed wildly towards the sky, his hands exerting no less strength.
In a flash of lightning, a sword sheath flew towards You Yan and hit him on the back of the head, causing him to faint on the spot.
You Heng stood up, panting heavily. He brushed off the dust on his body and bowed respectfully to the visitor, "Master Pei."
Today is the day when Pei Yingchen returns to Beijing. He stops his carriage on the side of the street and stands with his attendants.
Pei Yingchen held a long sword, the blade shining brightly in the sunlight. "You Heng, where the axe doesn't reach, bad trees easily become a forest. Don't let the bad forest flourish and grow, and then you will uproot the good seedlings."
You Heng leaned forward and said, "I don't understand. Please enlighten me, Master Pei."
"Although the hunter Cao Zi didn't live in the thatched hut at the foot of the cliff every day, he didn't deny that it was his permanent residence. However, the thatch and wood used in this hut are still new, less than two months old." Pei Yingchen took the scabbard handed to him by the yamen runner and heard the clang of the sword as the blade sheathed. "Master Qiu did a very clean job, but too much cleanliness will arouse suspicion."
Pei Yingchen's eyes flashed coldly. "Several of you have made claims based on solid evidence, yet it's like a play, each with their own story. However, this case is indeed a true one, and the perpetrator is your brother. Even if the mastermind behind this case surrenders himself, he will only be charged with instigation."
You Heng raised his eyes and asked, "Master Pei, are you going to convict me?"
"You know this crime is difficult to convict, so why ask? Second Master You, you are no commoner. Don't let your heart become corrupted."
After he finished speaking, Pei Yingchen turned around and walked towards the carriage. There was a sudden noise behind him. You Heng looked back and saw that You Yan had woken up. The yamen runners were caught off guard and let him break free from the chains and run straight towards this place.
Several yamen runners protected You Heng. You Yan seemed to be rushing towards him, but in the end he bumped into a pillar. Everyone was caught off guard. They saw blood pouring from You Yan's forehead. He fell to the ground suddenly, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was already dead.
Since he couldn't kill You Heng, it would be better for him to end his own life than to behead him in public.
You Heng remained calm and composed.
He took a step forward and caught a glimpse of a woman nestled in Pei Yingchen's arms.
Pei Yingchen placed his hands over the woman's eyes and said in a gentle voice, "Get in the sedan."
The woman said angrily, "Mr. Pei! I got out of the sedan chair because you left the sachet in the inn. This is Dacheng's unique Black Cat Sheriff limited edition sachet!"
Pei Yingchen's expression softened, completely different from when he was in court. "Yes, it's my fault. I'll go get it."
When the two men rode away in the carriage, You Heng could still hear their conversation and laughter from the side.
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The author has something to say: Wherever the axe cannot reach, even the most vulnerable trees can easily become a forest. — From Miscellaneous Poems by Chen Bing of the Qing Dynasty
This case ends here! There are about two chapters left to finish the first volume, and the next volume will see Xiao Song and Pian Pian start their relationship!
This chapter also has a dream connection. Lord Pei and the girl at the end are the protagonists of the pre-collected "I am the Corpse Burial in Dali Temple". The heroine is a modern time traveler ~ If you like it, you can collect it hehe ~
After putting on the clamp, I found that many babies were given nutrient solution. Thank you~
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Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Nangong 26 bottles; Bai Ze good friend, really like to read novels 10 bottles; 61743788, Yizhen Nanke 2 bottles;
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