Ink Burns

Chapter 190 Who is the woman? (Fatty Chapter)

After the unfamiliar old woman finished speaking arrogantly, it was hard for her to take her eyes off Shan Yue, who was standing to the side with her head down. The woman was like a spirit that had suddenly appeared in the mountain valley. Her exposed skin, including her cheeks, wrists, and neck, was as white as a sudden ray of light in the dark rainy day. She was tall and thin, and even though she wore a plain and unremarkable old satin dress, she had an extra air of aloofness and otherworldly elegance.

She had seen this woman before. She was the new bride of "Qingfeng" this year, sent from Songjiang Prefecture. She was arranged by the deceased Madam Zhu to be by the side of the mad dog Xue Xiao. Now she was being favored by men and was gradually becoming more and more important in "Qingfeng"—especially Madam Zhou of Guanbei. In just half a year, she had become very close to this Madam Liu.

Xin Die'er flies well, which is good, but she knows that her princess has always been impatient with seeing women like her.

The old woman frowned and asked Madam Zhou, "Is Madam Liu going too?"

Shan Yue hurriedly turned to Madam Zhou and said, "If it's inconvenient, I won't go—the important thing is the eldest young master."

Madam Zhou, however, remembered the comforting words Shan Yue had given her earlier, so she took a step closer to Shan Yue and smiled ingratiatingly at the old woman: "Why don't you send Madam Liu too? If you're worried about Madam Liu being exposed, I'll have my maid change into something similar to hers and stay at the Guan'anzhai for a while."

Madam Zhou's eyes were red, and her voice softened: "After all, Madam Liu was chosen by Madam Zhu. Although Madam Zhu is a despicable woman, the debts are settled when the person dies. Now that Chen-ge'er is dead, shouldn't she be allowed to hear the truth? I know my Su-ge'er. He is a bit hot-tempered, but he has always been righteous. If there was no reason, why would he hit Chen-ge'er?"

The old woman glanced sideways into the inner room, as if she had seen something dirty, then turned her back and walked out, her disdainful attitude full of: "Fish follow fish, shrimp follow shrimp; clouds follow dragons, wind follows tigers, all things follow their kind, the sage is truly not deceiving me."

The old lady who had read a few books was different; she quoted classical texts even when she cursed. If it were Aunt Wang, she would have been asking with concern when the other woman's parents had become such beasts and when they had given birth to such a wicked child.
******
Shan Yue followed Madam Zhou in a carriage.

Not far from the Jingzhao Yin, right next to Baixianglou in Twelve Hutongs, a black-clad clerk was already waiting at the small door of the back alley. Upon entering the inner prison, compared to the underground Tianbao Temple, this place was damp and dark. Every cell had a small skylight at the highest point of the wall. The cells were filled with piles of dry straw, and scattered among them were four or five prisoners in prison uniforms.

Madam Zhou's face turned pale, and she covered her mouth and nose: "Where is Princess Suiyuan?"

The clerk bowed and said, "Lord Shaoqing, you came to pick up the princess from the south gate, perhaps you took a different route."

Madam Zhou's face grew increasingly grim: Of course she knew there was another way! She had been here before, and that was the way she had taken! She didn't have to see these dying, lowly people! Nor did she have to smell this rotting, stinking stench! Fu Mingjiang had always looked down on her nominal stepfather and was even more eager to make things difficult for her!

When three- or four-year-old Fu Mingjiang first saw her, he pouted his rosy, childlike face and begged her to sing a piece of opera. She thought this was a sign that Fu Mingjiang liked her and valued her, so she hurriedly put on makeup and powder, and sang her best opera style with flowing sleeves.

Unexpectedly, at the very end, Fu Mingjiang had a seven or eight-year-old servant boy stand on tiptoe and stuff silver ingots into her clothes.

Fu Mingjiang watched from afar, smiling as she spoke: "You sang so well! Sing another verse! Sing another verse!"

The servant boy grinned and his hands restlessly brushed against her still-untouched breasts.

If there had been a white cloth at that time, she would have hanged herself—although she came from a poor background, she was raised with the protection of her brother, who was a star, and she had never suffered any great hardship along the way.

After Fu Mingjiang sang another verse, the servants beside the stage were changed from seven or eight-year-old boys to several tall and strong grooms.

She stood alone on the stage, crying and trembling.

Fu Mingjiang called her to his side. The little girl with red lips and white teeth was extremely beautiful. Her eyebrows and eyes were round and bright, and her smiling face looked just like a maidservant under the seat of Guanyin.

"Tell your brother that I don't want any more younger siblings. If I accidentally get pregnant, not only will you have to stand here and sing opera, but I'll also send you to sing in the mountains, on boats, and on the water, every day and every moment. Do you understand?"

The girl's voice still had a childlike quality, while the grooms behind her resembled hyenas exuding a foul stench, ready to pounce and tear her apart at any moment.

Even now, when Madam Zhou recalls this old incident, she feels an overwhelming sense of shock and fear.

She's been a spoiled brat since she was little!
Shan Yue secretly tugged at Madam Zhou's sleeve and softly comforted her, "Your Highness is of noble status. It's already very kind of you to help smooth things over with the Prefect of the Capital. Please remember that you are an elder, and it is important to be tolerant in small matters."

Madam Zhou took a deep breath and held back.

We've put up with this for so many years, we don't need another stinking passageway.

She tried to please the old woman and insisted on bringing Liu along, partly to provide Fu Mingjiang with another outlet for her anger—it was better than her being alone with Fu Mingjiang!

As you ascend the escalator to the second floor, the view suddenly opens up. Windows are open all around, allowing air to circulate. The rain is gradually subsiding, and a gray-white curtain is descending on the horizon. The setting sun hides behind thick clouds, casting only short, thick rays of white light.

A folding screen stood at the top of the steps, but it couldn't block out the sounds of laughter.

"I wanted to come see you yesterday, but who knew that the person on duty at the Jingzhao Prefecture yesterday was a newly selected military household member who was completely clueless. When our family sent someone to speak to him, he was turned away with just a few words, which made our steward so angry that he kicked his knee!"

The woman's voice was soft, like a cat lazily lying on satin.

She is Princess Suiyuan.

Then a gruff male voice rang out: "What's his surname? Wait until I get out of here, I'll beat him to death!"

"Don't hit me." Fu Mingjiang laughed sweetly, "You think you don't visit the Prefectural Governor's office enough times? In my opinion, you should rent a room here as your bedroom, stay for a short while every three months and a long while every six months. Wouldn't that be more cost-effective?"

The man's voice was rough and hoarse: "Sure! You pay for it, and I'll reserve a warm couch for you!"

Fu Mingjiang slapped the man's shoulder with a "thud," and said disdainfully, "Pah! You're dreaming! -- Don't say such vulgar things, if Yulang hears this, I won't be able to explain myself." The man suppressed a laugh: "Don't use Cui Yulang as an example, he's too lazy to care about you at all."

Then came the sound of the woman's palms slapping viciously against the man's flesh.

Madam Zhou took two quick steps, went around the screen, and burst into tears: "You damned wretch! How could you go mad and kill Xue Chen for no reason! What about your sister? What about the marriage? And how did you get away with it!"

Shan Yue followed closely behind Madam Zhou, and with a casual glance, she finally saw through Chang Yusu's face.

Her hair was sparse, her eyebrows were almost pale, and her hair was casually tied into a high bun, which wasn't very thick and could be neatly tied up with a thin wooden hairpin.

He was very burly.

He has broad shoulders, and his waist and legs are also very thick.

His facial features didn't resemble those of people from Jiangnan; he had a square face, a straight jaw, and deep-set eyes that always revealed a hint of impatience and irritability.

The face before me overlapped with the face in my memory.

Shan Yue lowered her eyes slightly, composed herself.

Madam Zhou's tearful questioning clearly annoyed Chang Yusu.

"Marriage? I killed him for Yu Niang's sake!"

Chang Yusu was easily angered. When she got angry, the corners of her mouth would twitch involuntarily. She slammed her hand on the table: "I thought he was honest and kind. I protected him for ten years, and what did he do? He was clearly engaged to Yu Niang, but he was still entangled with other women outside, and even had the idea of ​​breaking off the engagement!"

Shan Yue clenched her fists tightly.

woman.

It really was for a woman.

Fu Mingjiang reclined leisurely in the bamboo rocking chair, her hand stroking her protruding belly. She glanced at Shan Yue, who stood demurely in the corner, and then disdainfully looked away: her mother had taught her that it didn't matter whether she liked butterflies or not; what mattered was that butterflies could collect nectar.

My mother has been in poor health lately, and she has taught her many things about "Qingfeng," which seems to indicate that she intends to pass on her mantle.

She pondered it carefully and found that what he said made a lot of sense.

If a butterfly can collect nectar, then she is considered beautiful and dazzling.

If butterflies can no longer collect nectar, given their fragile wings and bodies, a gust of wind could easily tear them apart without the butterfly even lifting a finger.

She's someone who enjoys honey, so there's no need for her to have likes or dislikes towards butterflies that collect nectar.

Fu Mingjiang smiled, tilting her chin and looking at Madam Zhou with a half-smile: "You and those Zhu sisters are so close, you shamelessly went to arrange the marriage, but you don't know that their son doesn't even look at Yu Niang, and you're busy finding yourself a bride!"

Madam Zhou was slightly taken aback: "What? What woman? Where did this woman come from? Xue Chen wants to break off the engagement? What does that mean?"

Fu Mingjiang rolled his eyes silently and stopped mocking: "What a fool. But a fool is more likable than a clever one."

Chang Yusu slammed her fist on the table, her anger returning to the "beating" incident of that day. She shouted, "Woman! Xue Chen is seeing other women! He doesn't like Yu Niang! He even got that woman pregnant with his rotten child! He's insulting Yu Niang! Insulting me! Insulting the Chang family! So I killed him! No—I didn't originally intend to kill him! I just wanted to beat him up a few times to vent my anger! Who knew that bastard was so weak! He died on his own! Damn it! When I get out of here, I'll overturn his coffin!"

This was clearly beyond Madam Zhou's comprehension.

Madam Zhou slowly sat down, supporting herself on the edge of the table. Her eyes were fixed on the bright blue brick floor on the second floor. After a while, she looked up without blinking and said, "If that's the case, I'll talk to your father about it—since he was the one who was unrighteous first, I also feel ashamed that Caijin, oh no, Xiaokan is gone."

Madam Zhou paused, then, as if in a daze, called out, "...Shan, Shan Yue."

Shan Yue looked up in a panic.

Madam Zhou said, "You heard that, didn't you? I told you there was a reason. My child is innocent and kind, how could he kill someone for no reason?"

Chang Yusu's gaze followed Madam Zhou's and fell on Shan Yue. As soon as it landed, her expression clearly froze.

Fu Mingjiang noticed Chang Yusu's gaze. Although she remembered the relationship between the butterfly and the honey taster, a slight displeasure still rose in her heart.

"So, killing Xue Chen is a minor matter; the important thing is that shameless woman outside—do you know who she is?"

Fu Mingjiang's voice suddenly interrupted, breaking Chang Yusu's admiration for Shan Yue.