23. Nightmare
◎Just because, you don’t want to let me go◎
Chapter 23
"Where are the people? Didn't they run this way just now?" The voices of the men came from the dark alley.
"You go that way, I'll go this way. We must take this woman's life tonight."
After that, the three of them scattered in the dark alley to look for Jiang Qiuye.
Squatting in a corner, the person behind him let go of Jiang Qiuye.
She turned around in shock and looked at the person in front of her. She whispered in disbelief, "Master Wang, why are you here?"
Manager Wang stuck his head out and looked outside, then looked at Jiang Qiuye in the moonlight and said, "My home is nearby. I was on my way home after closing today when I heard sounds of chasing and fighting nearby, so I came to check it out. Unexpectedly, Miss Qiu, who are those three people? Why would they be chasing you?"
Jiang Qiuye lowered his eyes, his expression darkening as he said, "I don't know who it is either. Perhaps it's some lustful scoundrel."
Manager Wang glanced at her and didn't say whether he believed her or not. He just said with a hint of anxiety, "Looking at the direction those three people are going, we can't just hide in my house."
Jiang Qiuye's feet felt numb from squatting. She stuck her head out and looked around. She saw a dog hole not far away that was neither too big nor too small, leading directly to the outside continent. It was just the right size for a woman to pass through.
"Sister, if we hide here, we will be discovered by those three sooner or later. I see a dog hole over there. After we go out from there, it's not far to Guihong Hall. Why don't you go to my place first tonight? Anyway, I have to trouble you, sister..."
Manager Wang took a look at the dog hole, nodded, and seeing that there was no one around, he pulled Jiang Qiuye over and went in first.
Jiang Qiuye followed behind, but while climbing, the protruding bricks beside him squeezed the wound on his arm, causing a lot of blood to flow out instantly. Coupled with the poison in his body, the pain made Jiang Qiuye's eyes go black.
After a moment of clarity, he pushed again and got out of the dog hole.
Only then did Wang Shifu notice the arrow wound on Jiang Qiuye's arm. He covered his mouth and asked, "Are you injured? Why are you bleeding so much?"
Jiang Qiuye lowered his eyes, covered it with his other hand, shook his head and said it was no problem, then he took Master Wang and quickly hid from place to place and returned to Guihong Hall.
At this moment, Guihong Hall was empty, and not a single candle was lit. Jiang Qiuye locked the door and took Manager Wang up to the second-floor bedroom, where he lit a candle.
She took a medicine bottle from the cabinet, walked to the table, sat down, and took off her cloak and outer robe.
Manager Wang took the medicine bottle from her hand and said distressedly, "Let me do it."
Jiang Qiuye smiled, wearing a thin shirt and rolled up the sleeves to her shoulders.
The arrow wound was so deep that the bone was visible, and blood was still flowing out. Manager Wang shook some medicinal powder onto her wound, and the instantaneous stinging pain made her cry out slightly.
With the help of candlelight, Manager Wang noticed that in addition to this wound on Jiang Qiuye's arm, there was also a fading whip scar.
He couldn't help but tighten his grip and asked, "How did my sister get such severe whip wounds?"
Jiang Qiuye lowered her eyes and saw that the once horrific scar had now turned into a tender pink. She was not prone to scarring, and with the medication, the scar would not last more than two months.
"When the Zhang family case first happened, I returned to the Duke's Mansion. My father embarrassed me and used family rules to punish me."
"But this... this is too harsh. What kind of father could be so cruel?"
"No problem." Jiang Qiuye smiled slightly, "It's all in the past. I'm now settled in Shengjing and don't need to go back to the Anguo Mansion on weekdays."
"Well, it's really not easy." Manager Wang couldn't help but sigh.
She watched as Manager Wang skillfully bandaged the wound on her arm with a clean white cloth and lowered his sleeve.
He got up and boiled a pot of hot water for Jiang Qiuye, then returned to the table.
"Sister Head, why did you give me that gilded headpiece with the pattern of spring flowers attracting butterflies when you first met me?"
Manager Wang thought of their first meeting and couldn't help but smile. He poured hot water into the cup, added some cold water, and pushed it in front of Jiang Qiuye.
"I once said that the first time we met, I felt that we were destined to be together."
"Fate? Why?" Jiang Qiuye took the water cup, blew on it to his lips, and then looked up at her.
"I once had an older sister when I was still young. I remember her personality was just like yours. When I saw you acting in Jinpin Pavilion that day, I remembered that my sister also loved acting. Sometimes she was a little hated, but more often she was adorable." Manager Wang's eyes were filled with nostalgia, and he laughed as he thought about it.
"I see."
…
Ji Ci had been busy in the prison all afternoon. After washing his hands, he walked out. Tian Qu stepped forward and handed him a clean handkerchief. He took it, wiped his hands, and threw it back to Tian Qu. He had a lingering smell of blood on him, and his eyes revealed annoyance.
Tian went to follow Ji Ci into the carriage when a sudden strong wind blew up. The horses were startled, and the coachman pulled the reins hard and apologized to Ji Ci inside the carriage.
"No problem."
He looked at the curtains that were blown up and couldn't help but say, "It's winter, and there are still such strong winds."
The storm is coming...
Tian Qu handed over the cloak in his hand, but Ji Ci waved his hand to refuse.
As the carriage began its journey towards the palace, Tian Qu began to report on the recent investigation, saying, "There has been new progress regarding the tragic Zhang family massacre."
"What's the progress?"
"I sent someone to follow up on the lead provided by the servant, Ayuan, and discovered that Zhang Liang had six mistresses. Our people contacted each of them one by one, but none of them found the so-called plum blossom tattoo on their arms. It wasn't until the other day when we were leaving one of the mistress's house that we met a nanny. After a conversation with our people, we learned that Zhang Liang had a seventh mistress."
Ji Ci pulled the corner of his mouth, "This man was so obsessed with love affairs, it's not surprising that he died on a woman."
Tian Qu pursed his lips and continued, "This seventh concubine usually dresses very mysteriously, as if intentionally hiding from those around her. Fortunately, the nanny has seen her once. The prince may know this person."
"Who is it?"
"Jinpin Pavilion, Manager Wang."
Ji Ci narrowed his eyes, "It's actually her."
…
A rare strong wind blew in Shengjing City in winter. The windows were slapping with a loud noise. The bamboo curtains on the first floor of Guihong Hall were also blown up by the wind outside the window, dancing in the air with their fangs and claws bared.
Jiang Qiuye put down the water cup in her hand, looked at Wang Zhangshi who was lost in his memories, and asked curiously: "What about your sister?"
After hearing this, Wang Shishi came back to his senses and pursed his lips. "He died a long time ago."
"...I'm sorry. I mentioned the sad story of the head sister."
"It's okay." Manager Wang shook his head, looked at the moonlight outside the window, and listened to the strong wind.
Jiang Qiuye's expression darkened, and she said calmly, "Sister, you know I'm Zhang Liang's widow, but you've never heard me mention the tragedy that happened to the Zhang family that day, right? We've known each other for so long, and you've never asked about it. Aren't you curious?"
Manager Wang stroked his temples and said, "Sister, I'm afraid to mention your sad story. If Miss Qiu is willing to talk, sister is all ears."
Jiang Qiuye took the water cup in her hand and rubbed it. "Sister, you know, I grew up in Wuzhou. My mother died early, and my father wasn't a father. If it weren't for the marriage with the Zhang family, why would they bring me back from Wuzhou? I originally thought I couldn't rely on my mother's family, but what if I could rely on my husband's family? Although General Zhang is so much older than me, isn't a woman's life just like this, gritting her teeth and getting through it?"
"On our wedding day, my first impression of General Zhang wasn't when he lifted the veil, but when I looked down and saw the hand he extended to me as we met. Unlike mine, it was a hand that had been on the battlefield, rough and with visible scars from past knife wounds. These were the marks of a man's achievements and honor."
Jiang Qiuye was so immersed in the play that she completely put herself into the role of Qiu Ziye. She even believed what she said, with a slight sadness in her heart.
"But when I saw his face after the wedding veil was lifted, I still felt unhappy. I was abandoned by my father. When I was young, he abandoned me in Wuzhou. When I grew up, he abandoned me in my old husband's general's mansion. Later, I sometimes felt fortunate that such a tragedy happened on my wedding night. It gave me the opportunity not to be a caged bird in the general's mansion, but to have the opportunity to establish myself in Shengjing."
"But the tragic scene of our wedding night still lingers in my mind. I keep having nightmares, and I'm back to that night in the general's mansion, blood flowing like a river, corpses strewn all over the ground. And before Zhang Liang died, he stared at me with wide eyes, then spurted blood all over the ground and collapsed to the ground, dead. I thought at the time, how could a brave general who had fought in the battlefield be killed so easily? It was really ironic and ridiculous."
"Don't you think so? Sister in charge."
Manager Wang stepped forward with a distressed look on his face, holding Jiang Qiuye's hand and saying, "It's all in the past, it's all in the past, don't think about it anymore."
Jiang Qiuye lowered her head and remained silent for a long time, listening to the raging wind outside. She stood up, walked to the closed window, and opened it. The wind instantly lifted her long hair, bringing with it the cold air from outside, making her feel slightly cold, and blowing away some of the heat she had been holding back.
She turned to look at the motionless Wang sitting at the table and suddenly asked, "Sister, I, Qiu Ziye, have always been helpless, alone and helpless, with no one to protect me. Marrying Zhang Liang was the result of Duke An's willful pursuit of personal gain. What does it have to do with me? Why, why, would you not let me go?"
Manager Wang looked up at Jiang Qiuye, smiled blankly, and said, "What is Miss Qiu saying? Why don't I understand?"
Jiang Qiuye walked back from the window, sat down, and said softly, "Sister, on the wedding night when the tragedy happened, I waited in the bridal chamber for a long time, and only dared to come out after no one was around. On the way, I accidentally ran into three people. Although I didn't see their faces, I remember their voices."
"Where's the person? Didn't a figure just pass by? It looked like a woman."
"You must be mistaken. I don't see anyone. The Zhang family is almost dead. The order has been given to evacuate. Let's go."
"Retreat? Hurry up and leave."
The rough voices of three people outside the woodshed flashed through her mind.
Jiang Qiuye looked at Wang, whose fists were clenched and whose face was gradually becoming ferocious, and continued, "The voices of those three people kept lingering in my mind until I heard the same voices in Jinpin Pavilion."
"Sister, can you show me your arm?"
Manager Wang laughed while sitting in the chair, starting with a soft laugh and then laughing loudly. She covered her stomach and shook her shoulders. She laughed for a long time before she fell silent.
He looked at Jiang Qiuye who was standing not far away, without saying a word, just staring at her.
After a moment, she reached out and pulled up her sleeves, and a plum blossom quietly bloomed on her slender and white arm.
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