Chapter 112 Gao's House
Zhao Qiujin has been reflecting on herself at home.
Zhao Zong committed many evil things, but no matter how many evil things he did, he would not bring harm to his family, let alone his wife and daughter.
As long as Zhao Mingde does not fall, the mother and daughter will still enjoy endless wealth and glory.
Zhao Qiujin's mother, Zhai Zining, is now the object of flattery among the ladies of high rank.
Although Zhao Zong no longer holds an official position, with Zhao Mingde as his backer, Zhai Zining is the most eye-catching presence wherever he goes.
If Shi Yangui had not become famous for repelling the Hu people, the women in the Shi family would not have been able to appear in public.
Zhai Zining only experienced hardship when she was a child. After Zhao Mingde came to power, her future was smooth.
She was raised under the protection of Zhao Mingde, and was arrogant and domineering. She would never accept Zhao Zong's betrayal.
Others don’t know that Zhao Zong was not chosen by Zhao Mingde because of his outstanding abilities, but because Zhai Zining noticed him during a hunting match, so Zhao Mingde had no choice but to choose him.
Fortunately, Zhao Zong had some real skills, and over the years he gradually became Zhao Mingde's right-hand man.
Zhai Zining had feelings for Zhao Zong, and she always thought that Zhao Zong had feelings for her as well.
She did not allow him to take a concubine, so he only married her. Before Shi Er and Zhao Zong's relationship was exposed, she thought they still had an unswerving love.
The more he yearned for it, the more desperate he became. Zhai Zining could not accept Zhao Zong's betrayal and was determined to kill him.
When he was really sentenced to death, Zhai Zining felt a little melancholy and hid in a side room drinking alone.
Zhao Qiujin walked around the screen and found her mother. She felt a little distressed when she saw her distressed look.
She walked forward and took the wine jar away, "Mother, father did this and ignored the love you and he had for many years. Why do you worry about him?"
Zhai Zining smiled bitterly, "Although he is ruthless, you also said that he and I have been husband and wife for many years. Now he is dying... Shouldn't I ask my father for help?"
Zhai Zining has always called Zhao Mingde his father.
"Why not? Father brought this upon himself!" Zhao Qiujin said indignantly, "You didn't see the miserable conditions in the secret room of Gao's house. Those women ate a lot of pills for no reason. Those who couldn't hold on were boned and thrown into the alchemy furnace to make new pills for them to eat. I get scared just by hearing about such dirty things. They have to be locked up for years. I am too ashamed to face anyone with such a father."
Zhai Zining stared at the wine jar in a trance.
Doesn’t she know about what Zhao Zong did?
How is that possible.
She knew something. At least she knew what Izumo Tower was doing.
In the early years, Chuyun Tower was just a hidden force of Zhao Mingde in the capital. Later, more and more masters gathered in Chuyun Tower, and its fame gradually became famous.
It's really ridiculous that I can still get a name now.
But Zhai Zining never thought about taking care of Zhao Zong.
She had never really harmed anyone. At most, she was a little domineering towards the servants. But when her father and husband harmed people, she never felt pity for those people.
There were chess pieces on both sides, chess pieces for the Zhao family to climb up. She was so high up, how could she feel pity?
But Zhao Qiujin felt sorry for them.
Zhai Zining held Zhao Qiujin's hand, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Should she not have mercy? That doesn't seem right.
Zhai Zining asked: "You really don't blame me for killing your father?"
"He was the one who harmed my father," Zhao Qiujin said firmly, "If he didn't do anything, how could this happen? He did everything himself, and now he is beheaded, which is in line with the laws of the Great Zhou. For those dead women, even if their fathers were beheaded, it would not eliminate their resentment, and their lives will not be brought back after all."
Zhai Zining couldn't help but ask, "Did the teacher teach you all this?"
After she gave birth to Zhao Qiujin, her health was not very good. She and Zhao Zong only had this one child, and all their efforts were on her, so naturally they had to invite a teacher to come to their house to teach her.
Zhao Qiujin couldn't explain it clearly either, "Anyway, I know I can't harm people, especially innocent people."
As the mother and daughter were talking, a maid came in, bowed, and then said, "Madam, the young prince sent someone to deliver a letter to the young lady."
Zhai Zining became nervous, "He? What does he want to do?"
Liang Yi was always jumping up and down and was at odds with Zhao Mingde. To Zhai Zining, this was just a disagreement with her.
Zhao Qiujin took the letter.
Zhai Zining said, "Let the servants take it down. Be careful of fraud."
"They? No way." Zhao Qiujin took out the letter. There were no words on the letter, only a... picture.
Zhai Zining asked in confusion: "What is this? A stove? Why would he draw a stove for you?"
Of course Liang Yi didn't want Zhao Qiujin to look at the stove. What he wanted to show Zhao Qiujin was the pot on the stove.
Zhao Qiujin: “…”
This coroner named Su!
Zhao Qiujin asked her maid to lead the way to find the servant who came from Liang Yi's mansion.
When they arrived at the gate of Zhao's mansion, the servant was gone, but there was a carriage parked at the corner of the courtyard wall.
Zhao Qiujin asked the maid to go back home and walked towards the carriage alone. Without asking who the visitor was, she directly lifted the curtain and walked in.
Liang Yi was shocked and said, "You really dare to come."
Su Yan waved at her and said hello, "Hello."
Zhao Qiujin: “…”
She returned the letter to Su Yan, "Please explain clearly, why are you calling me a pot?"
When she was at Baiyun Temple, she said that she was the scapegoat!
Su Yan patiently explained, "This is not an insult, this is a name for you. Don't you know what the word xia means? This is a compliment. I often call you this, my little prince. This name reflects your chivalrous spirit and also expresses my appreciation for you."
After finishing the reading comprehension, both offspring were very satisfied.
Zhao Qiujin said: "Don't treat me and my father as the same. I can't stand them bullying the people."
Liang Yi said: "Then you won't be happy every day."
Zhao Qiujin: “?”
"Your father bullies the people every day."
Zhao Qiujin: “…”
Su Yan reminded Liang Yi in a low voice, "We are here to ask Miss Zhao for help, please be polite."
Liang Yi nodded to show that he understood.
Zhao Qiujin: “…I heard it all!”
Su Yan was not vague and said, "Then I'll just say it straight."
Zhao Qiujin: “???”
Shouldn't you be more polite?
Su Yan said: "When you followed me down the secret passage that day, did you notice that you were being followed?"
Zhao Qiujin asked doubtfully, "Are you saying that someone is following me? That's impossible."
Su Yan smiled.
How could it be impossible? At least Yun Xing was always looking at her.
Su Yan said: "Where was Aunt Yudong at that time? Why didn't she come to find us? Think about it carefully."
Zhao Qiujin was stunned for a moment, then she suddenly realized: "At that time, I was indeed worried that my aunt would come looking for us. She is cautious, so why would she let us into the secret passage? Chenyu is not a reliable person. After entering the secret passage, I was still worried that she would call for help. Now that I think about it, it is very strange that she didn't come looking for me. As for whether someone followed me..."
Zhao Qiujin recalled for a moment and said: "I did hear some noise, but it was very slight. I also observed and didn't see anyone at the time. I'm not sure if someone was following me."
"How much do you know about Yudong?"
Zhao Qiujin shook her head, "She has never spoken to me alone."
Su Yan was surprised, "She didn't mention that she had a daughter?"
"She has a daughter? She has a daughter and she wants to harm someone else's daughter? That's unreasonable!"
It seems that Yu Dong only told Su Yan.
But to Yu Dong, Su Yan was nothing special. He was just another person who was chosen to be a "medicine master".
Yu Dong said that Su Yan was about the same age as her daughter. Did she take a fancy to this? Yu Dong worked for Zhao Zong and was treated well in Gao's house. Why had she never seen her daughter?
She intentionally let them go to the secret room...
Su Yan said slowly: "Maybe Yu Dong's daughter was also killed."
Liang Yi and Zhao Qiujin were both shocked, "How could it be?!"
"I can't think of any other reason. The discovery of Gao's house's secret will not benefit her in the slightest. She asked me to look for someone, for her daughter. Could it be that she was looking for a corpse?"
Liang Yi was already used to the boneless, he asked: "Then should we go see Yu Dong?"
Su Yan said: "If I go to the prison, wouldn't that be a trap for me?"
She looked at Zhao Qiujin.
Zhao Qiujin hesitated for a moment, patted her chest and said, "I'll go see her, I'm fine!"
Su Yan: “!”
He turned out to be the scapegoat she had chosen!
Zhao Qiujin was used to a life of luxury, so when she came to the prison for the first time, she saw a horrific scene.
The servants in Gao's house were tight-lipped, so some tricks had to be used to pry them open. Now their bodies were covered in blood and their wounds had just scabbed over.
Zhao Qiujin covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and tiptoed forward, muttering as she walked, "You didn't even apply some medicine on the wound... He's almost dying, please call a doctor!"
The yamen runners looked at each other in bewilderment.
Liang Yi followed behind and said, "Do you know who she is? Do you know who I am? Even if these people are to be beheaded, they cannot die before beheading!"
Yamen runners: "..."
No matter who they were, they couldn't afford to offend the yamen runners, so they went to find the doctor quickly.
Finally we arrived at the place where Yu Dong was imprisoned. Yu Dong was the first to confess. He was not tortured and was intact.
Zhao Qiujin breathed a sigh of relief and knocked on the wooden fence, "Su Yan asked me to come here, are you looking for her?"
Yu Dong turned around.
Unlike the madness and restlessness imagined, Yu Dong was very calm.
According to Shi Er, she was also very calm when she explained what Gao Zhai had done.
Yu Dong said: "The Su Yan you are talking about is Su Mumu?"
Zhao Qiujin said: "When you go out, you have to use a fake name to protect yourself."
Yu Dong smiled faintly, "Whether her name is Su Yan or Su Mumu, I don't care. I'm looking for her just because I didn't call anyone, so I hope she can help me find my daughter."
Zhao Qiujin said: "You really know that we have entered the secret passage."
"I didn't take it seriously at first, but she didn't look like an ordinary woman. I thought maybe she came in to investigate, so I gave it a try."
Liang Yi was quite curious, "Why is she not ordinary?"
Yu Dong raised his eyes, stared at Liang Yi and said, "She is the same as you."
"I?"
"There was no fear or servility in her eyes. She was not afraid of me and never thought of herself as inferior to others."
Liang Yi: “…”
Yu Dong’s evaluation is very accurate.
Liang Yi has always regarded Su Yan as a friend. Now that he thinks about it, although she would occasionally flatter him, she has never been truly afraid of some powerful person.
She also always talks about equality, which seems incredible to Liang Yi.
Zhao Qiujin was not happy, "So there is slavery in my eyes?"
Yu Dong smiled and said, "You are useless."
Zhao Qiujin was unconvinced, "Why don't you place your hopes on me?"
Liang Yi: "…What is there to argue about?"
Yu Dong said: "Someone has already informed you of your visit to Gao's residence. We just need to provide you with good food and drink so that you don't find out what happened at Gao's residence."
“But I found out.”
Yu Dong said: "If it weren't for Su Yan, you wouldn't have discovered it."
In other words, if Yu Dong had not deliberately put them into the secret passage, Zhao Qiujin would only see them acting as obedient maids.
"I know Chenyu is impatient and she is the biggest variable, but she and your father...your father likes her very much, but I know that he never really wanted to take Chenyu as a concubine. To him, women are just toys for entertainment, but Chenyu believes his lies, which is really stupid. But it's good this way, I can lead you in and discover the secrets of Gao's house."
Liang Yi said: "Since you don't want to work for Gao Zhai, why don't you report to the authorities?"
"Report to the police?" Yu Dong raised his eyebrows. "Your Highness is really... naive. Who would believe me?"
Liang Yi was speechless.
If Su Yan hadn't made a big deal about the matter, and if Shi Yangui hadn't arrived in time, the matter might have been over.
To ordinary people, the sky of the Great Zhou Dynasty had long been obscured. A few people stood at the top and fooled the people. Right or wrong was just a matter of their words.
Liang Yi felt a little lonely.
"That being said, you said you wanted to find your daughter. Where should we look for her? Is she dead?"
Yu Dong’s smile froze.
She has been a maid in a wealthy family since she was born.
By chance, he entered Zhao Mingde's private residence outside the palace, and was later sent to Gao's house to do this kind of thing.
Although Zhao Mingde did not let her get married, the treatment she received working for Zhao Mingde was really good, and she could live a good life with the money.
But after all, she was young once. She had met a Tanhua scholar back then. His sweet words made her believe that there was true love in the world, and she was willing to give up everything and leave with the Tanhua scholar.
But not long after they had sex, Tanhua's marriage was arranged. He was to marry the daughter of a high-ranking official.
Yu Dong couldn't believe that Tanhua would betray her, and then she found out that she was pregnant.
Tanhua insulted Yu Dong with words, calling her a despicable person and asked her to abort the child as soon as possible.
The past lingering affections have become a stain on his life, and the vows of love that Yu Dong thought were made were just a dream after all.
Yu Dong was pregnant every day, and gave birth to the child without telling anyone. She wanted to bring the child to Tanhua to end his dream of wealth and fame.
But when there really was a baby around him, Yu Dong couldn't bear it anymore.
The third place winner did not have a good ending either. His father-in-law's family offended Zhao Mingde, and Yu Dong took the opportunity to whisper in Zhao Zong's ear. The whole family was exiled, and the third place winner died on the way to exile.
From then on, Yu Dong raised her daughter alone. Zhao Zong didn't care much about whether she had a daughter or not. As long as she did her job well, it didn't matter if she wanted to raise two men.
"The elixir presented to His Majesty is ineffective, and His Majesty's holy body is getting worse and worse. Baiyun Temple has come up with a new idea, saying that long-term use of elixirs will damage the holy body, and they want to find a compromise, using women's genitals as medicine... They calculated my birth date and horoscope, and unexpectedly chose my Fu Yue."
The first person who was taken to take the elixir that year was Fu Yue.
Zhao Qiujin didn't believe it. "How could they do such a ridiculous thing? You are still working for them, and they want to eat your children?"
Zhao Qiujin thought that since they were one of her own, she should at least show some mercy to them.
If I really touch Yu Dong's child, I can't keep Yu Dong by my side. Wouldn't that leave hidden dangers for myself?
Yu Dong laughed and said, "Me? Am I important?"
Zhao Qiujin was stunned.
Yu Dong said, "I am just a maid. Do they care about my thoughts, my life and death, my joys and sorrows? I am at the mercy of others. It is my blessing to be able to do something for my masters. When they took Fu Yue away, they didn't even tell me. I went out every year to look for my daughter. A few years ago, I met the servant who had escaped from Gao's house and found out that she had been killed... It turns out that I am not worthy of knowing where my daughter is."
These words left Zhao Qiujin speechless.
Liang Yi listened quietly, and seemed to understand some of Su Yan's words.
"Anyway, what I'm looking for is my daughter's remains, buried in the ground, hoping that she can rest in peace, and in the afterlife... there is no afterlife, so don't be reincarnated again."
"But you are forcing her too much," Zhao Qiujin said. "She has been dead for many years, and only her bones are left. You should know how many people you have harmed over the years. With so many bones piled together, who can tell them apart? Why not bury them together?"
Liang Yi coughed loudly and walked towards Yu Dong. "Our coroner Su had already guessed it. Tell us the time of your daughter's death, her height, and her physical features. If you can find the bones, then find them. If you can't find them, don't be too sad. After all, you have contributed to the deaths of these people."
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