The news of Fangyun's death by beating was still relayed to Ninth Master's ears by Xiao Wu. Ninth Master was still sitting in front of the bed where he had once had countless trysts with women.
There were still some of Fangyun's hairs under the pillow on the bed.
Lao Jiu was not a sentimental person, but when he heard that she had been beaten to death, he inexplicably thought of that lowly and vicious woman.
When Lao Jiu first saw Fang Yun, he saw into her heart the same greed and ruthlessness as himself. Her appearance didn't move him; it was the ruthlessness that emanated from her very bones that gave Lao Jiu a different feeling towards this woman.
Sure enough, it was the first time I brought her here. Upon entering the room, they embraced without any hesitation.
Before he could say anything, Fangyun consciously removed the hairpins from her hair, and her long, flowing hair cascaded down. Then, her alluring body was revealed, her figure so stunning that it surprised Ninth Master.
Old Nine couldn't wait to take off his clothes too. The two of them embraced each other naked, like two venomous snakes in heat.
To be honest, if it weren't for the need to plant a spy in the Fourth Prince's household, the Ninth Prince might have considered taking this woman in as a concubine. A low-status concubine could always be given to her; given her wit, she probably wouldn't fare too badly in his household.
If she has a son, it wouldn't be impossible to give her the status of a princess.
Thinking of this, Lao Jiu picked up a few strands of hair from the bed, held them to his nose and sniffed them gently, as if he could faintly smell the woman's scent.
"Why was he suddenly beaten to death?" Ninth Master asked coldly.
"This servant... this servant asked a former classmate who studied etiquette with me to inquire. It's said that Fangyun stole from Princess Yu and encouraged her to do something else, so the Fujin (Prince's wife) was furious and had her beaten to death. That's all I could find out," Xiao Wuzi said with a sigh. He had once envied Fangyun for being able to win the Ninth Prince's heart simply because she was a woman. Now, hearing that she had been beaten to death, he felt a pang of sorrow.
Ninth Master frowned slightly and remained silent for a while before saying, "Go find him again and make sure you find out where Fangyun's body is. I can't give her what she wants in this life, but I can give her a coffin and a tombstone."
Xiao Wuzi took a deep look at Ninth Master's back before retreating.
Sometimes, Ninth Master wasn't actually promiscuous. The women who moved him could naturally remain devoted. Fangyun was initially thought to be just a pawn, but little did she know that she would slowly take root in Ninth Master's heart.
Xiao Wuzi used ten taels of silver to find out where Fangyun had been taken. When Ninth Master found out, he immediately changed his clothes, took Xiao Wuzi and several servants, went to the coffin shop to buy the best coffin, and headed towards the mass grave.
Upon arriving at the mass grave, the sky was filled with the cawing of crows. Some people were hastily sold off, their bodies, with only a hand or a foot sticking out, becoming a feast for the crows.
Ninth Master covered his nose as he walked among the crows, occasionally waving his sleeves to scare them away from those flying towards him.
"Master, why don't you go back to the carriage and wait? This servant will lead them to collect Miss Fangyun's body into the coffin. I'm afraid it will frighten your eyes." Xiao Wu was also a little scared. Fangyun had been buried here for several days, and by now she was probably already rotting, perhaps even being pecked at by crows.
Ninth Master looked at the chaotic, overcrowded graveyard, shook his head, and continued walking forward.
Fangyun was buried very shallowly, but fortunately, the crows didn't find her. Xiao Wuzi and his men dug "her" out of the pit.
Ninth Master ultimately didn't want to see her dead and rotting, so he turned his head away. Xiao Wu and his men cleaned the dirt off Fangyun's body and then carried her into the coffin.
"Master, everything is ready," Xiao Wu said.
"Let's go!" Old Nine took the lead and walked ahead.
Fangyun refused to die in peace, because when those sticks fell on her body, she knew she was going to die.
But she was so unwilling. She hadn't truly become the ninth daughter yet, and she hadn't experienced the joy of having children.
She was just a lowly maid, and she always acted in accordance with her master's wishes. Even if she had impure thoughts, she shouldn't be entirely held responsible.
But in order to protect herself and Yan Yu, the Fujin beat her to death.
Unwilling, but what can be done? In the next life, I will never be reborn as a slave again. I must escape to become a master and taste what it's like to control other people's destinies.
"Ninth Master, avenge me!" These were Fangyun's last words to herself before she breathed her last.
After burying Fangyun, Ninth Master summoned Xiao Wuzi and tossed him a bag of silver, saying, "Find a way to keep an eye on Yanyu. Report back immediately as soon as she leaves the mansion."
Fangyun is dead, but her death cannot be in vain. Lao Jiu knows that the child is now living peacefully in the Fourth Master's inner quarters. If he were to simply remain silent and unnoticed, how could he live up to all the arrangements he had made before?
On Fangyun's tombstone, Ninth Prince wrote: "Tomb of Fangyun, the beloved concubine of Yinzhen."
For a prince to so recklessly inscribe his name on the tombstone of a lowly servant girl, he must be the first.
After leaving Fangyun's grave, the Ninth Prince did not return to the Ninth Prince's residence. He stayed at that private house for a long time, and even the Eighth Prince could not find him.
However, Ninth Master's grief only lasted a few days. Eighth Master eventually found him and learned that the pawn planted in Fourth Master's mansion had been lost, but naturally he didn't care as much as Ninth Master.
"Ninth Brother, a chess piece is just a chess piece. You shouldn't invest too much emotion in a chess piece," Eighth Brother said seriously.
“Eighth Brother, it wasn’t until after she was killed that I, Ninth Brother, realized how much I loved her,” Ninth Master said.
"Ninth Brother, if you like it, you should avenge her. If we beat him, you can do whatever you want then," said Eighth Brother.
The ninth brother nodded and then told the eighth brother his plan. "We'll break the pieces and then rearrange them."
Eighth Brother squinted and patted Ninth Master's shoulder, saying, "Come on, Eighth Brother got a jar of good wine."
That night, Ninth Master got very drunk and stayed at Eighth Master's residence.
When the Eighth Prince's wife saw him return, she was not happy and said, "Has the Ninth Prince really fallen for a maid?"
Eighth Master said, "It's more than just being moved. I'm afraid he'll act rashly and ruin things."
The Eighth Prince's wife said disdainfully, "She's just a servant girl. What's wrong with the Ninth Prince this time?"
Eighth Master said, "You should go and visit Ninth Sister-in-law recently. Her husband doesn't seem to care at all."
The Eighth Prince's wife said, "That Dong E clan woman doesn't know what to do all day long. She doesn't have children and doesn't care about men."
This Lady Dong'e is not the same Lady Dong'e as the famous Consort Dong'e of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign. The relationship between the Ninth Prince and Lady Dong'e is quite perplexing to outsiders. It seems that the two have never attended any occasions together except for major holidays.
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