Aunt Xue died without any warning.
When Xiang Wan heard the news, she was cleaning Hao Yuchun's room. Lan'er rushed in, but couldn't find Hao Yuchun. She didn't want to talk to Xiang Wan, but thinking that this was also a big deal, she told her and begged her to go find her mistress.
The Hao family was large and wealthy, with many maids and servants. If one or two people died, unless it was something particularly important, Aunt Cui would have dealt with it long ago. She would not have allowed the servants to rush to tell their master, causing unnecessary alarm.
In the eyes of these so-called masters, an unfavored concubine was treated no differently than other servants, and it was not worth making a big fuss about.
In the past, when a concubine died, Hao Yuchun would send some condolences without even showing her face. Everyone in the Zhijin Pavilion, Hao Yuchun's courtyard, knew about it. Although Lan'er wasn't as high-ranking as Xiang Wan, she was still quite important among the maids. Such behavior meant either something truly terrible had happened or there was another reason; Xiang Wan had to think deeply about it.
"Lan'er, watch your manners! This is a trivial matter. We can just inform Miss when she returns. Why are you shouting like this? Do you want outsiders to know that the maids of our Brocade Pavilion are so unruly?"
After being scolded by Xiang Wan, Lan'er felt embarrassed. Last time, she had been tricked, eagerly bringing hot ginger soup to Hao Zheng to appease him, only to be met with a barrage of insults and spilled soup on her arm, which was still red. Being scolded by the young master was bad enough, but now being reprimanded by Xiang Wan, Lan'er decided to give up and sneered, "Who do you think you are? Just because of the young lady's favor, you think you're someone special? We're all maids, who's really that superior? Without your master's backing, let's see what you're so arrogant about!"
Ha, she actually walked right into the line of fire. Xiang Wan hadn't even decided who to target first, but now she didn't even need to find an excuse.
"If you're so capable, then go ahead and try. Let's see who will elevate you to the heavens. As long as you stand taller than me, I'll accept being trampled into the mud."
"you……"
"What do you mean, 'you'? Instead of arguing with me, why don't you go find a prostitute? Maybe you'll bump into one by the lake."
"Fine, you just wait!"
He stormed out, not even noticing that his purse had fallen out of his pocket.
The mandarin duck and orchid design was quite exquisite. Xiang Wan held the purse in her hand for a while, then tucked it into her sleeve.
As a personal maid, she spent almost all her time revolving around Hao Yuchun, and even when she slept at night, she had to be on guard.
Ever since Hao Lin left her bedroom that day, Hao Yuchun had kept Xiang Wan by her side completely, and Xiang Wan was responsible for handling all the cleanup work. Except for nights, Xiang Wan didn't have to stand guard, and had almost no free time. Fortunately, she could cultivate her internal energy on her own at night; otherwise, things would have been really difficult.
Xiang Wan knew perfectly well where Hao Yuchun had gone, but she feared that when she saw Lan'er again, she would only see a corpse.
Aunt Xue was just over twenty years old, in the prime of her youth, when she died silently in the courtyard, her death extremely gruesome. Her maid, Cui'er, went into her bedroom early that morning to wake her, only to find her body already cold, completely naked, bleeding from all seven orifices, covered in bluish-purple marks, her eyes wide open, almost bulging out. Cui'er was so frightened her legs went weak, and she couldn't even utter a sound. It was Qing'er, the maid who went in later, who pulled her out.
For a time, the Hao family was filled with panic, and everyone was saying that it was a vengeful spirit seeking revenge. But that didn't make sense either. Aunt Xue usually stayed within the two gates of the house and was very polite to everyone, so how could such a thing happen?
The officials came and were politely seen off. The matter became a private affair of the Hao family, and it was assumed that Aunt Xue had committed suicide due to despair. However, Xiao Qi had already told her the truth.
"You should know why Hao Xuan did it."
Of course I understand. The Hao family mansion has no place for normal people. Those who survived to the end were either genuinely unaware of the inside story, or they were in cahoots with Hao Xuan and his group. Which one of them who survived to the end wasn't a shrewd and calculating individual?
Taking advantage of the remaining time, Xiang Wan left the mansion through the side gate. There were some things that needed to be prepared now.
"Chun'er, a few days ago, I ran into a former colleague, and he seemed to be implying that our children should become in-laws. I didn't expect him to remember what we joked about back then. What should I do? I can't bear to part with you."
Because of the suspicious circumstances surrounding Aunt Xue's death, everyone in the courtyard was dismissed. There wasn't a soul in sight most of the time, let alone at night. Hao Xuan and Hao Yuchun were currently lying in the room where Aunt Xue had once been, whispering intimate words after their passionate encounter.
Xiang Wan couldn't understand it. Hao Yuchun should be hostile towards her, yet she entrusted her with everything, even keeping watch for these late-night rendezvous. If one didn't know the plot, they might interpret this as Hao Yuchun's sign of trust. If any rumors leaked out in the Hao household, she'd probably be the first to be eliminated. Given their inherently hostile relationship, it didn't matter whether it happened sooner or later.
"Father, other people's daughters are betrothed early and get married as soon as they reach the age. I'm already over sixteen, and if I don't arrange a marriage soon, people will gossip. I'm also reluctant to leave you, but I can't stay unmarried forever. If you miss me in the future, you can come back to see me, okay?"
Hao Yuchun spoke coquettishly, and the rest of her words turned into soft moans.
After practicing internal energy cultivation, Xiang Wan's hearing became even more acute. She sneered inwardly; the longer this filthy Hao mansion existed, the more suffocated Xiang Wan felt inside.
The colleague Hao Xuan mentioned was none other than his former classmate, Liao Bufan, now the prefect of Qingyang Prefecture. For someone of Liao Bufan's status, finding a marriage for his son, Liao Yan, would be easy. Unfortunately, his son had no other skills; he was adept at fighting, prostitution, and bird-walking—those in the know were all unwilling to marry their daughters to him. Upon seeing Hao Xuan by chance, Liao Bufan suddenly remembered their old jokes and wanted to test the other's attitude.
Hao Xuan was a man of his word and wouldn't easily break a promise, so he agreed to go back and consider it. Afterwards, Hao Xuan sent someone to investigate Liao Yan's character. Initially, he was furious, but considering Liao Yan's unreliable behavior, he worried that Hao Yuchun would visit her parents' home more often, perhaps even permanently, and so he began to consider his options. Hao Yuchun, however, was no longer satisfied with just the two men in the Hao household. The allure of the charm system was too great, and she herself enjoyed it, so she agreed without hesitation.
These two, though their intentions differed, ultimately arrived at the same goal. If it were according to Xiang Wan's plan, wouldn't it have been more convenient for the Enchanting System to simply find a woman from a brothel? Yet, it chose Hao Yuchun. Could it be that absorbing essence also requires selecting the right person?
It has to be said, Xiang Wan was right. The Charm System wants exceptional individuals, at the very least, not ordinary people. A person's effort, mental agility, and luck will all be reflected in their status; the more outstanding a person is, the purer their essence and the more precious their destiny. Therefore, if Hao Yuchun wants to meet the Charm System's requirements, she must climb the ranks step by step, ideally gaining the emperor's favor, which would make things much easier.
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