maidservant

Chapter 136 Lady Su hangs herself, suffers from syphilis, and speaks ill of others.
"Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper—" Afu ran over and shouted. Yunshan saw his flustered appearance and wondered what had happened.

"Don't rush, tell me slowly, what happened?" Yunshan put down the medical book in her hand, stood up and helped Afu.

Afu, panting heavily, finally managed to steady himself and said in a tearful voice, "Su...Su Wanqing hanged herself!"

Yun Shan's head buzzed, and she nearly dropped the teacup in her hand. She never imagined that Su Wanqing, whom she had worked so hard to save and who was gradually recovering from her illness, would choose such a resolute way.

"When did this happen? Tell me clearly!" Yun Shan pressed urgently.

Afu composed herself and said, "Just now, the maid in her courtyard discovered it. I heard that after her concubine died in childbirth, her husband insisted it was her fault and started beating and scolding her. The servants in the house also started bullying her. This morning, the maid went to call her, but couldn't get the door open no matter what she did. She broke down the door and saw..."

Afu couldn't continue speaking; his eyes were filled with reluctance.

Yun Shan felt a pang of pain in her heart. She remembered the first time Su Wanqing asked her to come for a medical consultation. Su Wanqing looked haggard and had a look of despair in her eyes, but she still held a glimmer of hope for life and actively cooperated with the treatment.

Later, he contracted syphilis and even had suicidal thoughts, but eventually, with Yunshan's persuasion, he took medicine and gradually recovered.

Several months ago, Yunshan went to take Su Niangzi's pulse and was pleased to find that her condition had improved.

As I watched her health gradually improve, I felt relieved for her, thinking that things would get better in the future.

But now, all hope has been shattered by that white silk ribbon.

"Where is her husband? What is he doing now?" Yun Shan's tone was as cold as the frost of the coldest winter, and every word she spoke was filled with barely suppressed anger.

The image of Lady Su's gentle yet sorrowful face kept flashing through her mind, and the thought of all that Lady Su had suffered made her furious.

"He...he was arranging the funeral for that concubine,"

As Afu spoke, the muscles in his face trembled slightly with anger, his words filled with resentment and bitterness.

"They turned a blind eye to Su Niangzi's death and even said that Su Niangzi committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

As Afu spoke, he clenched his fists. He knew Su Niangzi's character; she was kind and gentle, and could be said to have embodied the traditional virtues of obedience to the core.

"Suicide out of fear of punishment?!" Upon hearing this, Yun Shan's lips curled into an extremely mocking smile, a smile filled with disdain and contempt for Master Zhao's shameless behavior.
"Master Zhao is so concerned about his reputation! To protect his false honor, he slanders his own wife like this. He's unworthy of being a husband!"

Poor Lady Su, once a vibrant and bright woman with her own dreams and expectations, was worn down and lost her vitality in this deep mansion, and in the end, her life was cut short.

Even though she is no longer alive, it is heartbreaking to be slandered by her husband of many years.

Yun Shan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her turbulent emotions, but her clenched fists betrayed her inner turmoil. She secretly made up her mind that she would never let Su Niangzi suffer such injustice in vain.

Yun Shan opened her eyes, her gaze filled with determination and resolve. She looked at Afu and said in a deep voice, "Afu, this matter cannot be left like this. Madam Su cannot die without knowing the truth."

Afu nodded emphatically, his eyes full of agreement: "Miss Yun, whatever you say, I'll follow you!"

Yun Shan pondered for a moment and said, "Since Zhao Hongye wants to protect his reputation, let's make a big fuss and let everyone know how he treats Su Niangzi."

"Manager, Madam Su's maid has just been kicked out of the house. Should I go and fetch her?" Afu asked. "Go and fetch her quickly!"

Half an hour later, Afu found Su Niangzi's personal maid.

Yunshan patiently comforted their frightened and grief-stricken emotions, carefully inquiring about the details of Su Niangzi's life, and noting down all the clues that could prove Su Niangzi's innocence and tragic fate.

Outside the Zhao family residence, a carriage and Yunshan's horse arrived together, and a man and a woman with white cloth strips tied around their cuffs stepped out of the carriage.

"They look like Su Niangzi's parents," Afu reminded him.

Su Niangzi's parents had already cried their eyes out; their faces were haggard, and their eyes were filled with pain and despair.

Yun Shan stopped them before they entered the house and quietly explained her purpose. However, after a brief moment of surprise, Mr. and Mrs. Su exchanged a glance and looked troubled.

Mr. Su sighed, his voice hoarse: "Miss Yun, we appreciate your kindness, but we don't want to publicize this matter any further."

Yun Shan looked on in astonishment and hurriedly said, "Uncle, Aunt, Lady Su died unjustly! How can we just swallow this anger? We must make the truth come out and give her justice!"

Mother Su wiped away her tears and said sadly, "Girl, how could we not want to seek justice for our daughter? But she's already gone. If we make a fuss, won't those nasty rumors spread even more? We only had one daughter, and we don't want her to be disturbed even after her death, nor do we want the Su family to be disgraced."

"This?—" Afu was also taken aback. Although he was a slave, he had experienced the love of parents when he was young. He couldn't understand why this respectable family would show less affection for their daughter than an ordinary poor family.

"Poor Lady Su, she was treated like this!"

"Ha, everyone cares about their own reputation, but what about Lady Su's reputation?"

Yun Shan entered the Zhao family home, barging straight into the mourning hall. Seeing Zhao Hongye feigning grief and wailing, she was filled with rage and rushed forward, grabbing him by the collar.
"Zhao Hongye! What crime did Su Wanqing commit? You tortured her to the point of suicide?"

Zhao Hongye was taken aback at first, then flew into a rage, shaking off Yun Shan's hand: "Where did you come from, you shrew, daring to cause trouble in my mansion! Su Wanqing killed my unborn child and his mother, and she deserved to die to atone for her sins!"

Yun Shan sneered, "What a 'you deserve it' attitude! You indulged in debauchery after your marriage, taking several concubines, and even infected Su Wanqing with a sexually transmitted disease. Just when she was recovering, you forced her to marry your lover and have her take care of her. Now that something has happened, you're blaming her for everything. Aren't you afraid of retribution for being so heartless and ungrateful?"

The maidservant of Lady Su also chimed in, praising her mistress's kindness and innocence, her words falling softly.

The servants around him began to whisper and point at Zhao Hongye.

Zhao Hongye's face turned pale and then red. He hadn't expected Yun Shan to expose these shameful secrets in public. "You...you're spouting nonsense! Guards, throw this madwoman out of here!"

Yun Shan was held back by several servants, but she still refused to yield and shouted, "Zhao Hongye, what you have done today is unforgivable! Su Wanqing's spirit in heaven will not let you off!"

Afu used all his strength to protect Yunshan behind him, but the two were forced to retreat outside.

Yunshan gazed at the gate, feeling sorry for Su Niangzi, but could only shed tears.

There are many people here today. I hope that after listening to what these people have to say, they will trust Su Niangzi and preserve her reputation! Yun Shan thought to herself, silently shedding tears.

However, things did not go as Yun Shan had expected, and the news spread half a day later.