Chapter 11
For a moment, the old man said nothing, probably startled by the string of grandiose words; even his gaze toward Jiuque shifted subtly. In recent years, the court had been rather strict toward women, and he hadn’t encountered such an independent young lady before.
But don’t think there’s anything wrong with being shameless—if it helps achieve your goal, why not be shameless?
At this moment, the old man cast a gentle look at Jinhua and said kindly:
“Jinhua, if you truly know something, you can tell these young people. After all, Scholar Yu is gone. You should live your own life and find some peace for yourself, shouldn’t you?”
The woman who had always acted strong suddenly relaxed a little, no longer resisting so intensely.
However, she still didn’t want to speak about Yu Lang in front of so many people. Although everyone here was united at the moment, once things were over, gossip was inevitable—human nature. She didn’t want to take that risk.
After inviting several respected elders inside, including the old man, and closing the courtyard gate, Jinhua still nestled close to her large black dog, a little reserved.
“What do you want to ask?”
Jiuque glanced around at the layout, similar to Yun Niang’s house, then at the small vegetable garden on the side, and finally at Yun Niang, who was pursing her lips.
“How did you meet Yu Lang?”
This question was somewhat different from what she had imagined, and Jinhua resisted slightly.
“Do you really have to ask that? Why not ask if he came to see me today?”
“Of course we’ll ask that, but not now. I want to know how you and Yu Lang actually met.”
Faced with this question, Jinhua fell silent for a long while before speaking with a dark expression:
“I am the daughter of a hunter. My parents died early, and I lived alone in the village. By chance, I met Yu Lang while he was traveling. Seeing that I was beautiful, he took me as a concubine. I was a lonely, helpless girl; life in the village wasn’t easy, and my uncle and aunt even tried to sell me off. Who knew what dirty place I would end up in? Although he was older, he was educated, literate, and had an extraordinary bearing. Even as a concubine, it wasn’t a loss, so I went to the city with him…”
While listening to her recount her past, Jiuque kept observing her surroundings. Chunyu Shuang quietly tugged at the fabric at her waist. Following Chunyu Shuang’s gaze, Jiuque noticed Jinhua tightly clinging to her black dog, and saw faint bluish bruises on the exposed skin at her collar.
They didn’t look like marks from marital intimacy; they looked more like…
“…Anyway, he’s dead. I’m sad too, but it has nothing to do with me. If you think you can bully me because I’m alone, I’ll tell you—that’s not allowed!”
Jinhua spoke as she waved her arms. Memories of past pain crossed her mind. More skin at her neck was exposed, revealing a complete bluish mark—a clear palm print!
So Yu Lang had beaten her?
According to Jinhua’s earlier account, she rarely went out. Besides, everyone in the alley knew she was a concubine, similar to the troubles near a widow’s house; few people would visit voluntarily. Besides Yu Lang, it was hard to imagine another man with such a large hand leaving a mark like that.
At this moment, Jinhua noticed the wealthy young lady in front of her constantly looking at her neck. She quickly adjusted her clothes, clinging even closer to her black dog.
Even the old man, who had been sitting calmly, noticed this. His previously gentle expression immediately changed.
“Jinhua, what’s going on? Did he hit you?”
Jinhua touched her neck, unsure what to say. Under the concerned, gentle gazes around her, she bitterly nodded.
“What could I do? He always liked doing those disgusting things. I was alone, without family. If I didn’t rely on him, how would I survive? If I had parents, they could speak up for me, but now I can only endure it. Otherwise, would he drive me out to starve? Since I have to serve someone anyway, why not serve him?”
“Even if he hit or scolded you?”
“Even if he hit or scolded me!”
Jiuque finally understood. Although Jinhua was beautiful, her character was soft. Yun Niang, on the other hand, seemed gentle and weak, yet she had remarkable resilience. It was hard to say if Yu Lang knew this, which may explain why he treated Jinhua so recklessly.
But enough talk—the main matter had to be addressed.
“Did Yu Lang come here this morning?”
Jinhua absentmindedly ran her hand through the black dog’s fur. The dog, fierce just moments ago, now stood quietly, clearly close to its owner.
After a moment of silence, Jinhua nodded.
“He did come, stayed here for an hour, then left, saying he had to attend the Emperor’s birthday banquet—he couldn’t delay.”
Seeing Jinhua’s fresh bruises, it seemed Yu Lang had done that before entering the palace. Jiuque felt slightly disgusted; the old man’s expression worsened.
“Did he say anything? Anything unusual or different?”
Jinhua shook her head, but halfway through, she seemed to remember something, hesitating.
“He did say that in a couple of days, things would get better. But I thought he meant he would pass the imperial examination. It shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Hearing this, it seemed fine. Chunyu Shuang stepped in to ask questions while Jiuque wandered the courtyard—the gate, the vegetable garden, the kitchen…
Hmm?
She stopped in front of a small red wooden door, which Yun Niang’s house didn’t have, and examined the red plum painting drawn on it with ink.
“Miss Jinhua, what’s this?”
“That’s Yu Lang’s study. He never let me go in.”
He wouldn’t let her in? Jiuque became even more interested. Yu Lang was already dead, and clearly not a good man. Opening his door brought no mental pressure at all.
She asked the man in black to unlock the door. Jiuque peeked inside and found the study elegantly arranged. Well, Yu Lang was a top scholar, so it made sense. She checked the tables, chairs, and shelves—aside from some books for the imperial examinations and small geographical and historical texts, there was nothing unusual.
Jiuque didn’t believe it. Jinhua probably couldn’t read. If she was so cautious around someone illiterate, there must be more than just exam books here.
After exploring for some time, Jiuque stopped in front of a landscape painting. The painting depicted radiant peonies, each uniquely beautiful. However, something seemed odd—some peonies were bright, others dull.
