maidservant

Yunshan and the female doctor exchanged a glance, packed their medicine boxes, and hurriedly followed the servant to the house. When they arrived, they found the atmosphere inside the house oppressive, and everyone looking anxious.

As soon as Yunshan stepped through the second gate of the house, she sensed that the atmosphere was strange.

In the courtyard, several servants were pretending to sweep. They were burly, with high bulges in their arms and chests, and their every move was nimble and steady, as if they were trained martial artists.

Yun Shan glanced at the servants out of the corner of her eye and noticed that although they seemed focused on their work, their dark eyes followed her and Duan Niang's every move closely.

As Yun Shan walked past them, she felt a chill run down her spine and a strange sense of unease crept over her.

The female doctor strode into the girl's room, and after examining her, her brows furrowed even more deeply.

Yun Shan watched from the side, her doubts growing even stronger.

At that moment, she inadvertently glanced at a scroll painting on the bedside table. The scroll was slightly rolled up, revealing a corner, and it seemed to depict a scene on the battlefield, with the figure of a general vaguely visible.

When no one was looking, Yunshan pretended to knock the painting over, and when she picked it up, she gently unfolded the scroll to look at it.

The general in the painting is dashing and his armor is gleaming, but his face is unfamiliar.

Just as she was about to take a closer look, a sharp shout suddenly came from behind: "What are you doing!" Yun Shan and the female doctor were startled and turned around to see the girl's mother walking towards them with a face full of anger.

The mother rushed forward, snatched the painting from Yunshan's hand, her eyes filled with panic and anger, "Who gave you permission to touch my things!"

Before Yunshan and the female doctor could react, she quickly threw the painting into the stove next to her. The flames instantly engulfed the painting, leaving only wisps of black smoke.

Yun Shan forced herself to remain calm, apologetic smile on her face. "I'm so sorry, I accidentally knocked the scroll over and was just trying to pick it up and tidy it up."

The mother snorted coldly, clearly not believing it, but said nothing more, only urging the female doctor to treat the girl quickly.

While examining Yunshan, the female doctor gave her subtle signals with her eyes.

Yun Shan nodded slightly, and while everyone's attention was on the hospital bed, she quietly looked around the room.

She discovered that although the room had been deliberately tidied up, there were still some clues that revealed the identity of the man in the portrait. For example, there was an exquisite jade pendant on the windowsill, with an antique style, which was obviously something worn by a man.

After leaving that house, Yunshan and the female doctor both fell silent.

Back at the clinic, Yun Shan finally spoke: "There must be more to this than meets the eye. The person in the painting isn't General Lin Xiao. He looks about the same age as General Lin, or maybe a little older, yet she burned it so hastily. It's too suspicious. Since that woman mentioned Lin Xiao in her sleep, I must get to the bottom of this."

Yunshan began to inquire about the family. She learned from casual conversations on the streets that the family had suddenly moved in a year ago.

The servants were brought along as well. The dozen or so family members lived a secluded life and rarely interacted with their neighbors.

She then remembered the sword and the patterns on its hilt that the female doctor had mentioned, so she returned to the Li residence and began to peruse some historical records of the dynasty.

Late into the night, Yunshan finally found the exact same pattern in a picture book.

"is her?"

Yunshan recalled the past that Zhanqian had told her.

Lin Xiao had secretly placed the widow of an old friend in the brothel. That old friend was the right-hand man of the deposed crown prince, and had died during the palace coup.

Before his death, the old friend met a woman, and the two fell in love. Instead of marrying, he took her as his mistress. The infant in his arms is likely the old friend's only descendant.

Their family moved here a year ago, which, judging by the timeline, should have been after the woman left the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district).

Perhaps because a child had been born, the crying infant could no longer be hidden in the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district).

But why? Her mother made her recognize that baby as her younger brother?
Never mind, this is just their private matter.

Yun Shan changed into her undergarments and went to bed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, Yun Shan suddenly thought of something:

Could this woman have some other hidden secrets about her background?

This person was protected by Lin Xiao. If there are doubts about her background, will it affect Lin Xiao?
Thinking of this, Yunshan tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

No rush, no rush. This matter needs to be investigated thoroughly; we must proceed slowly and methodically.

Since she has already appeared at that woman's house, there must have been spies who reported this to their superiors. In that case, there's no need to avoid this matter anymore.

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Yunshan finally got up.

Yunshan was washing up when Afu called out from the courtyard. Yunshan quickly tidied herself up and came out, asking him if something had happened at the clinic. Afu shook his head, then nodded, his expression grave, hesitant to speak.

"Miss, the clinic is fine, but a strange woman came to the door. She was injured and looked quite pitiful. She refused to see a doctor or treat her, and she wouldn't say what happened."

Yun Shan strode towards the front hall and saw a woman sitting in the corner. Her body was hunched over, and her tattered clothes could not hide the bruises on her wrists. Her hair was disheveled, and her downcast eyes were full of fear and timidity.

Yun Shan asked softly, and the woman slowly raised her head after a long while, revealing half of her red and swollen face. Her eyes darted around, and she stammered, "Doctor, please, just give me some free medicine, I... I'm not seriously ill."

Yunshan moved a stool over, sat down next to the woman, and spoke softly:
"Don't worry, no one will bully you in this clinic anymore. You need to take a good look at your injury, otherwise it could lead to a serious problem."

The woman bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. Finally, the pain she had suppressed for so long poured out like a flood breaking through a dam.

The woman's name was Xiugu. She had been married into the Wang family for ten years. She thought she had found a good husband and could live a peaceful life, but little did she know that it was the beginning of a nightmare.

At first, her husband was only slightly irritable after drinking, and he would push her a few times. Xiugu thought he was just confused for a moment and chose to silently endure it.

As time went on, the husband's violence became increasingly unrestrained, with physical abuse becoming commonplace. Any slight dissatisfaction, whether it was the food not to his liking or something in the house that was misplaced, would result in a brutal beating.

For the sake of her child and the "completeness" of her family, Xiugu swallowed her grievances and pain time and time again.

Just a few days ago, her husband lost money gambling outside and took out his anger on Xiugu when he got home. He picked up a stick and beat her severely. The young child was so frightened that he cried and rushed over to stop him, but was also pushed to the ground.

At that moment, looking at the injured child, Xiugu felt an unprecedented surge of courage—she had to escape, for herself and for the child.

While her husband was asleep, she took her child and fled that terrifying home in the middle of the night.

Yunshan's eyes reddened as she listened, her heart filled with indignation and sympathy. She carefully treated Xiugu's wounds; every bruise and every scar seemed to tell a story of endless suffering.

(End of this chapter)