Abandoned houses outside the capital city became shelters for refugees from other places who had fled to Beijing. They lived by begging during the day and returned here at night. Gradually, as the number of refugees in Beijing increased, slums were formed at the foot of the imperial city, and the refugees also had their own houses and territories in the slums.
In the slums, the midwife lay slumped at her doorstep, a bloody gash on her neck. She had only recently died; the blood from her neck hadn't yet congealed. The killer's method was skillful; a single stab was all it took. The house was simply furnished: a large room with the kitchen and sleeping quarters connected. On the only table were some newly purchased clothes and food. The clothes were made of fine brocade from Jiangnan, and the food consisted of cooked chicken, duck, fish, and some fresh vegetables from the market. The food was scattered haphazardly on the table, and the brocade clothes were stained with some soup.
The midwife was Han Chinese, and her family lived in a slum outside the city. The old lady would never allow someone of her status, such as a midwife, to enter her Peony Hall. On that dark night, as Fukang'an looked at everything in the midwife's house, he became even more certain that someone was deliberately trying to drive a wedge between him and Yan Ning.
The slums were inhabited by the poor, and now, in the dead of night, almost every house was quiet. Those few who saw the light and came to watch the commotion remained hidden in the darkness, not daring to venture out. "This humble servant greets Lord He!" Zhao Xing bowed deeply upon seeing Heshen appear at the midwife's door. Fukang'an, who had been facing away from the door, slightly opened his eyes upon hearing Zhao Xing's words, but did not look at Heshen. Liu Quan blew out his lantern and knelt on one knee, "Greetings, General Fucha!" Heshen also bowed slightly, saying, "This humble servant greets General Fucha!"
"Lord He's information network is truly impressive!" Fukang'an teased Heshen as he lifted the midwife's coarse cotton quilt. Heshen's arrival was expected, but his speed was even more surprising. "Haha... I've met Miss Yan Ning a few times, and now that she's in trouble, how can I stand idly by?" Heshen replied awkwardly, glancing around at his surroundings.
"This is a family matter of the Fucha family! No need for you, Lord He, to trouble yourself!" Fukang'an threw down the quilt in his hand and left angrily. Just as he stepped out of the midwife's house, Fukang'an heard a sound in the dark. He tensed up and shouted, "Who's there? Come out!" Heshen, Liu Quan, and Zhao Xing's ears were not as sharp as Fukang'an's. They looked blankly at the darkness outside. A few gusts of wind blew by, making the quiet alleyway even colder.
A thin, ragged man cautiously emerged from behind the dilapidated wall next to the midwife's house. In the late February weather, he wore a worn-out short cotton-padded jacket, revealing half of his right arm, and his long braid was tied around his head. He timidly knelt before Fukang'an, saying, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency!" He had originally intended to steal a little something from Liu the midwife who had taken some things from outside, just to satisfy his appetite. However, as soon as he opened the door, he saw Liu the midwife slumped over at the entrance. He knelt down to see what had happened, only to see a bloody gash on her neck. Terrified, he hurriedly grabbed a roast duck and rushed out, closing the door behind him. Hearing Fukang'an and the others' voices, fearing someone might mistake him for the murderer, he quickly hid behind the dilapidated wall next to Liu's house, intending to return after they left. Trembling with fear, the roast duck hidden in his clothes fell to the ground, a sound Fukang'an had unexpectedly heard.
By the dim light of the midwife's house, Fukang'an observed the filthy man kneeling on the ground. His chest and clothes were greasy, and he knew the mess on the table was his doing. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Fukang'an's voice was cold and loud in the cold night.
"I am Li Chang! I am Liu the Midwife's neighbor!" Li Chang trembled all over, kowtowing repeatedly on the ground, saying, "My lord, I only came to steal some food. I did not kill anyone. Liu the Midwife was already dead when I came!" As Li Chang was speaking, Heshen came out of the room and stood next to Fukang'an, asking before Fukang'an could, "Have you seen any outsiders coming here to look for Liu the Midwife during this time?" Fukang'an gave Heshen a displeased look.
Li Chang stopped talking to himself, wiped his nose with his greasy hands, thought for a moment, and said, "A couple of days ago, a maid from a wealthy family came here looking for Liu the Midwife!" "How do you know she was a maid from a wealthy family?" Fukang'an asked. "That girl was dressed like she belonged to a wealthy family, and she kept calling herself my master, so she must be a maid from a wealthy family!" Li Chang chuckled slyly as he recalled the girl's figure and appearance.
"You still..." Fukang'an had barely uttered two words when Heshen interrupted, asking, "Can you still recognize that girl?" He then looked at Fukang'an with crescent-shaped eyes. Fukang'an remained silent, slightly annoyed. Zhao Xing and Liu Quan each glanced at their respective masters, then lowered their heads with helpless expressions.
Li Chang was taken aback for a moment when he saw the two wealthy men in front of him, but eager to claim credit, he quickly replied, "Of course! We rarely have rich people around here, let alone such wealthy ones. They gave Liu the midwife a bag of gleaming silver!" "How did you know that?" Fukang'an asked warily. "I saw it secretly!" Li Chang lowered his head in embarrassment.
Fukang'an and Heshen both fell into deep thought. Under the light and shadow, their two handsome faces revealed similar expressions as they looked at the same woman.
"Is Madam asleep?" Fukang'an asked Zhuxiang, who was guarding the door, when he saw that there was no candlelight in the room. Zhuxiang shook her head with a worried look on her face. "Madam said she doesn't want to see any light!" Fukang'an walked to Yan Ning's side by the moonlight. In the darkness, Yan Ning's eyes were bright, but they were dull.
"The midwife has been murdered!"
Fukang'an's words struck Yan Ning like a thunderbolt, causing her to sit up abruptly, her body aching with pain. Hearing Yan Ning's cry of pain, Fukang'an quickly sat down beside her and embraced her. "It's obvious someone is framing you. I will definitely find the culprit!" Yan Ning lowered her eyes. "What good will finding the culprit do? It's all irreversible! As long as I'm with you, those attacks will continue relentlessly!"
Fukang'an hugged Yan Ning tighter, resting his chin on her jet-black hair, and said gently, "I will never leave your side again!" Yan Ning pushed him away, tears streaming down her face, and choked out, "You are a general of the Qing Dynasty, the son of the late Madam Fucha, the husband of Xi Ying and Xiang'er, and the father of De Lin! Each of these identities could have taken you away from me!"
Fukang'an embraced Yan Ning again, his face grave. Yan Ning was right; each of these identities prevented him from fully dedicating himself to her, but none of them could be abandoned! Yan Ning also held Fukang'an tightly, her voice as soft as silk, "Shall we leave here? I won't go back to my time! Let's go somewhere with mountains and rivers, just the two of us. I'll learn to be a good wife like Xi Ying!"
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