Chapter Thirty-Four: The Bloody Wedding 5
"Are you alright?" Grandpa Su stepped forward and patted his back, speaking gently to show his concern for Lu Cen. After he finished vomiting, he handed him a handkerchief.
Lu Cen's face was streaked with tears. Thinking of the scene he had seen, he grabbed Su Lian's sleeve and said, "In there...in there were corpses everywhere."
Her fingers turned white from the force, and her wide sleeves slid down to her elbows. Su Lian was initially shocked by what she read, but seeing Lu Cen's fright, she hesitated before gently pulling him into her arms.
It took Lu Cen a while to recover.
Su Lian gestured for Lu Cen to stand still. He then stepped onto the back of the servant, who was taller than Lu Cen and could see the scene inside more clearly. The bottom of the vat was very large, and the babies were stacked one on top of another, filling the space. The closest one was near the edge of the vat, with its small hands floating on the water, swollen and white. The body was still fresh.
Lu Cen was quite far away, still wondering why Su Lian was watching for so long, when he saw Lu Lian reach out and take out a baby.
In an instant, Lu Cen's expression changed several times, turning deathly pale as he stammered, "What are you doing? Put it back right now."
Su Lian didn't speak, but examined the baby's body before putting it back after a while.
When Su Lian arrived, Lu Cen stared at her wet hands, and a series of terrifying images flashed through his mind. He couldn't imagine how a scholar could do such a thing with such a blank expression.
Su Lian noticed that Lu Cen's mood was off, so he stopped and thought for a moment before asking, "Where do you live, sir? How about I take you home?"
Lu Cen was stunned.
If he leaves the Su residence, how will the mission be completed?
Lu Cen said softly, "I'm just passing through this area, and I've lost all my luggage. I wonder if I could stay at your residence for a few days?" Lu Cen added, "If you find it troublesome..."
"How could it be troublesome?" Su Lian said, "Are you traveling far from home alone?"
Lu Cen nodded.
Where is the destination?
Lu Cen hesitated for a moment before telling the truth: "I'm looking for someone."
Lu Cen's words seemed to remind Su Lian of something, and his expression changed, as if he were surprised or nostalgic. His voice was soft and seemed to float in the air: "I see."
Back at the Su residence, Su Lian turned to wash her hands, while Lu Cen sought out the maid from that morning. She was cleaning, holding a rag in her hand. Seeing Lu Cen approach, she asked, "Young Master, is there anything I can help you with?"
"I'm bored. Can you take me out for a walk?"
"Sure." The maid quickly put down what she was holding, washed her hands, and went out with Lu Cen. He and Su Lian lived in a small courtyard.
——Linyuxuan.
Besides the main house, there are two spare rooms, one of which is where Lu Cen lives, and the other is a study.
Further out, not far away, are the kitchen, side rooms, and servants' quarters.
Stepping outside, Lu Cen found himself in the garden he had passed through the day before. After strolling around, Lu Cen noticed that the layout of the house was a bit strange. The entire Su residence was a circular building with a garden in the middle, and each courtyard was built around the garden. In other words, Su Lian's two younger brothers lived on either side of the garden.
Having stayed here for a day, Lu Cen already knew that there were three young masters in the Su family, none of whom were married. They all had parents who were still alive, and they were involved in the silk business. They were quite wealthy.
Lu Cen said, "Do you think it was the Third Young Master who came to my room last night?"
"The figure looks somewhat similar."
“He’s pretty bold, sneaking into his older brother’s yard in the middle of the night to do this kind of thing.”
Lu Cen asked in surprise, "Huh, why is this courtyard like this?"
Outside the courtyard, many yellow ribbons were hanging in a crisscross pattern. In the courtyard, there was a tree covered with red cloth bags, with wooden signs tied to the bottom.
The maid looked around and, seeing no one, whispered, "This is the madam's courtyard. She and the master have been separated for many years and she never goes out."
"Huh?" Lu Cen asked in a low voice, "Why?"
"Everyone says it's related to the master's past dalliances with brothels when he was young." The maid whispered even more, "There's a rumor that none of the three young masters in the family were born to the mistress."
Lu Cen stared wide-eyed as if she were listening to some secret, and after digesting the information, she asked, "Then what about your young master's birth mother?"
The maid was also puzzled: "I don't know, I've never seen the master bring one back, so it's just a rumor."
Lu Cen felt there must be something going on here, but she didn't know how it was related to the original owner's sister: "Have any unfamiliar faces come to the Su residence recently?"
"No," the maid said. "I've been here for many years and I've never seen any unfamiliar faces. There aren't many people in the Su residence, and we don't need many servants. I know everyone very well, so if there were any unfamiliar faces, I would definitely remember them clearly."
Lu Cen's expectations were dashed. If the original owner's older sister had really come to the Su residence, there would have been a reason for her not having any news at all.
However, the mission also mentioned that it was at the Su residence, so his sister must have some connection to this place.
That night.
Lu Cen wrapped his long robe tightly around himself and carefully left the room.
He dared not take out a lamp, fearing he would be discovered. Fortunately, the moonlight was bright enough today. He wanted to go to that lady's courtyard to take a look. If his original sister had been secretly brought in, there might be clues there.
"2277, please check if anyone is around."
Lu Cen mustered his courage and moved forward step by step, taking a great deal of time to walk that short distance. 2277 couldn't stand it anymore: "If you keep dawdling, it'll be dawn soon."
Lu Cen's voice trembled: "I'm scared..."
The assistant was speechless: "Then why did you come out? You might as well have stayed inside."
Lu Cen hesitated, "Maybe I should go back."
The assistant "..."
Lu Cen hesitated. Looking back, he realized that the distance between his residence and the distance to Madam's courtyard was not far. Lu Cen gritted his teeth and continued walking.
He walked through the garden, hugging the wall. The gate was tightly closed, and Lu Cen was at a loss. How was he going to get in?
Just then, a rustling sound came from the top of the wall.
Lu Cen's alarm blared, and he glanced up.
A dark figure climbed onto the wall. The two exchanged a glance, and Lu Cen instinctively opened his mouth to shout, but the other person reacted quickly, jumping down and turning around to cover his mouth: "Don't shout, I'm Chen Ning."
The familiar voice made Lu Cen breathe a sigh of relief, and then another familiar figure jumped down as well.
What are you doing here?
Chen Ning: "The Su residence is difficult to enter, so I had no choice but to climb over the wall to check the surroundings first. What are you doing here? Did you climb over the wall?"
Lu Cen shook his head: "It's a long story."
When did you arrive?
"yesterday."
Chen Ning and the monkey exchanged a glance: "Did you find anything?"
Lu Cen briefly explained the gist of the matter, then looked at the two of them.
"So, you suspect this lady has some secret?"
"Um."
"You'll know once you go in and take a look."
It was easy for her and the monkey to climb in, but it took Lu Cen some effort to get in.
The courtyard was quiet and deserted, except for a room with a faint light. The three of them crouched down and carefully made their way there. Just as they reached the window, a middle-aged man's voice entered their ears: "Are you still angry with me?"
Lu Cen's heart stirred slightly.
"You've been angry about this for so long, it's time to calm down. You know I had no choice."
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