The damp, musty air of the Ministry of Justice's prison seeped into Liu's nostrils. She huddled in a pile of straw, listening to the distant beat of the night watchman's drum. Ever since her daughter, Shen Ruorou, had become a laughingstock in the capital, her days in prison had become increasingly difficult. Even the jailers dared to withhold her rations. Her nails dug deep into her palms, and she thought of Shen Weiwan's smug face, her eyes gleaming with resentment.
"Liu, come out!" The jailer's rough roar interrupted her thoughts.
Liu quickly got up and put on a flattering smile: "Brother Zhang, is there any news about my daughter?"
Jailer Zhang Laosan glanced at her sideways, holding out a greasy finger. "No news, but I do want some benefits. Is your precious daughter doing well lately?"
Mentioning Shen Ruorou, the smile on Liu's face froze. She took out the last piece of silver from her hair bun and stuffed it into her hand: "Brother Zhang, please be kind and help me pass this letter out..."
Zhang Laosan weighed the small change and said with a curled lip, "Last time I helped you deliver a letter, the boss almost found out. This time I have to pay more."
"But I have no money anymore..." Liu said with a sad face.
"No money?" Zhang Laosan sneered. "Don't even think about getting anything done if you don't have money. Let me tell you, your daughter is becoming a bit of a jerk out there. If you don't find a way, she might not even be able to get out of jail!"
This sentence hit Liu's sore spot. She suddenly grabbed the corner of Zhang Laosan's clothes: "I have a way! As long as you help me find someone... someone who can get rid of Shen Weiwan!"
Zhang Laosan raised his eyebrows: "Get rid of Shen Weiwan? Do you know who she belongs to now? The Seventh Prince is protecting her!"
"I don't care!" Liu's eyes were mad, "As long as I can make her die, I'm willing to do anything! I still have some jewelry buried in the old house, as long as it's done..."
Zhang Laosan looked at her distorted face, thought for a moment, and lowered his voice: "Are you sure you want to do this? If you are discovered, it will be a capital crime!"
"I can't care about that anymore!" Liu gritted her teeth, "Just find someone, money is not a problem!"
Three days later, in a dilapidated temple in the west alley of the capital, two masked men were drinking.
"Brother, I heard that this job is to kill a woman?" The tall and thin man took a sip of wine and wiped his mouth.
The strong man spat out a mouthful of melon seed shells and mumbled, "Who cares if she is? As long as we can make money, that old hag said she'd give us a hundred taels of silver after we're done!"
"One hundred taels?" The tall, thin man's eyes lit up. "That's enough for us to live happily for half a year! Where will that woman live?"
"The General's Mansion." The sturdy man lowered his voice, "But we can't do it in the mansion. We have to find a chance to lure her out."
As the two were discussing, the door of the dilapidated temple creaked open and Zhang Laosan poked his head in: "Are you all ready? Tomorrow evening, Chen Weiwan will go to Ciyun Temple. You guys wait at the entrance of the alley on the way there."
"Don't worry, Brother Zhang," the strong man patted his chest, "I guarantee it will be done cleanly and efficiently!"
Zhang Laosan nodded with satisfaction, gave a few more instructions, and left in a hurry.
At this moment in the General's Mansion, Shen Weiwan was chuckling at a map, while Chuntao was grinding ink beside her. She asked curiously, "Miss, how did you know that Auntie would hire someone to kill you?"
Chen Weiwan put down the brush and pointed to the West Lane on the map: "That old Liu is determined to do what he wants. I have already had people keep an eye on the movements in the prison. Zhang Laosan's greedy appearance, who can he hide from?"
"Then let's do it tomorrow..." Chuntao rubbed her hands, eager to try.
"Tomorrow," Shen Weiwan said with a wicked smile, "let's prepare some 'surprises' for those two killers."
The next evening, Shen Weiwan really went out in a carriage, saying that she was going to Ciyun Temple to burn incense. When the carriage reached the entrance of the west lane, it suddenly stopped.
"Miss, there seems to be a traffic jam ahead." The driver reported.
Shen Weiwan lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and saw a pile of miscellaneous items at the entrance of the alley, which she had prepared in advance. She winked at Chuntao, who nodded and quietly got out from under the carriage.
At the same time, in the corner deep in the alley, two masked men were ready to fight.
"Brother, here I come!" The tall and thin man poked the strong man.
The burly man gripped the knife at his waist tightly and lowered his voice: "Wait until she gets off the carriage, then we'll do it!"
Shen Weiwan slowly got off the carriage and complained deliberately: "What's going on? Coachman, go and see if you can take a detour."
At this moment, Chuntao suddenly jumped out from the pile of debris, with disheveled hair, soot on her face, and a string of firecrackers in her hand. She lit them and threw them at the strong man's feet.
"Crackle, crackle—" The sound of firecrackers suddenly rang out, and was particularly harsh in the narrow alley.
The strong man and the tall and thin man were startled. Before they could react, Chuntao took out a broken bowl and knocked on it while howling: "Give me back my life - give me back my life -"
She deliberately cried out in a crying voice, and the sound of firecrackers made her look particularly creepy in the dim alley.
"What is that?!" The tall and thin man was so scared that his legs went weak and he almost fell down.
The strong man was also panicked. Seeing Chuntao's disheveled hair, the sound of firecrackers and her crying, he thought he had really encountered a ghost. He turned around and ran away: "Ghost! Run!"
Seeing this, the tall and thin man no longer cared about his mission and ran away, even the knife at his waist fell to the ground.
Shen Weiwan walked out from behind the carriage, looked at the two people's embarrassed backs, and laughed: "Chun Tao, your ability to play a ghost is getting better and better!"
Chun Tao wiped the dust off her face and said proudly, "That's right, don't you see who taught you that?"
The driver picked up the knife on the ground and handed it to Shen Weiwan: "Miss, this is what they dropped."
Shen Weiwan took the knife and sneered: "It's just right, send this knife and Zhang Laosan's portrait to the Ministry of Justice, and let them take good care of Liu."
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