Die weibliche Nebenfigur ist unschuldig

Kapitel 8

Wow, it's that madam, the one whose bag of jewelry and silver I stole, and who cried her eyes out in the street. I never thought this was her headquarters.

By the way, I heard during the day that she had some trouble at night. Could it be that what she said was true?

It's really noisy inside.

My sleepiness vanished instantly. I rolled my eyes, smiled, and with a quick turn of my foot, slipped into the alley and circled around from the back.

*********************

The mirror was clear and bright, the room filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, and the gentle sound of wind chimes echoed through the silence. A beautiful woman sat alone before the mirror, dressed in white embroidered with butterflies, her eyebrows lightly drawn, her face expressionless.

Zi Ru lightly picked up a jade hairpin and stared at it intently. She listened quietly to the argument coming from the hall, a faint sneer appearing on her lips.

Her family fell into decline, her mother died early, and she was later sold into a brothel by her father and brothers. After years of wandering and the treacherous nature of the world, although she was still young, she felt that her heart had grown old. A brothel woman never has any freedom in her entire life. Even if she becomes the most beautiful courtesan, she is nothing more than a plaything, passing from one person's hands to another, and she will never be in control of her own life.

My gaze fell on the windowsill, where the wind chimes rang urgently, like the wheel of fate, urging us onward.

Beside the broken bridge outside the post station, a lonely flower blooms, ownerless and forlorn. Dusk falls, and I am filled with sorrow, further burdened by wind and rain. I have no intention of vying for spring's favor, letting all the other flowers be jealous. Fallen and crushed into mud and dust, only my fragrance remains.

Given her appearance and the current situation, perhaps her decline is not far off?

Her delicate hand caressed the wind chime, and with a sudden burst of strength, she ripped it off. Fate, ah, where can fate lead a person? And what did she have to fear?

Just as he was about to throw away the wind chime in disgust, a sound suddenly came from the window, and a head popped out.

Zi Ru's hand trembled, and the wind chime fell to the ground with a snap, startling the person outside the window.

The two stared at each other, bewildered.

Chapter 22 First Encounters

"Ah—sister, it's you? You almost scared me to death." The person outside the window was the first to react, beaming with joy. As she spoke, she exaggeratedly patted her chest, reached out and grabbed the window frame, and climbed in.

Zi Ru took a step back, still staring warily at the newcomer.

The boy who arrived was thin and small, with a clear voice, a sweet smile, and bright, sparkling phoenix eyes. His lips were curved, and he was very cute. Although his face was covered with freckles, they could not hide his handsome appearance.

Ziru's tension subsided without her realizing it, and her knuckles, which had been clenched so tightly they turned white, gradually relaxed.

She took another step back, creating some distance between herself and the boy, "You..."

The boy's eyes crinkled with undisguised joy, especially when he saw the soft, large bed in Ziru's room. His eyes immediately lit up, and he yawned, forcing himself to perk up. He pounced on her, grabbing her hand and shaking it. "Sister, don't you recognize me? We just met not long ago. You were on the boat that day, you know..."

The boy frowned as he spoke, as if he was extremely reluctant to mention someone.

Without needing further prompting, Ziru immediately remembered. Anyone who had gone through such an experience would likely never forget it. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked the boy up and down, her expression a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. "You're that girl who fell from the sky?"

The boy nodded vigorously, his smile as bright as the sun.

Yes, it's her.

Such clear and bright eyes, such vibrant and energetic spirit, such an uninhibited personality—how could one forget them after just one encounter?

"How did you end up here?" Zi Ru covered her mouth and laughed. This woman seemed to possess an irresistible charm that made Zi Ru, who was never one to easily trust people, fall in love with her at first sight.

"Sister, you actually want to ask me why I'm like this, right?" The girl playfully stuck out her tongue, smiling brightly. "That's a long story. Sister, what's going on outside? Who's that courtesan those thugs were talking about?"

Ziru's smile held a hint of bitterness.

"No, it's you, sister, isn't it?" The girl was very perceptive and immediately spoke up.

Zi Ru's gaze swept over the wind chimes on the ground, she smiled faintly, took the girl's hand, and said, "Little sister looks very tired. If you don't mind, why don't you take a nap here with me?"

"Okay." The girl's eyes crinkled as she hugged Ziru, taking a deep breath. "Sister smells so good, so wonderful."

Zi Ru chuckled.

"Sister, I have a way to get rid of those people for you."

Huh? Zi Ru was taken aback.

The girl's eyes crinkled with excitement as she declared, "Sister, I'll let you get revenge!"

Chapter 23 Deadline

Zhongfang Garden has been operating for many years, with many young women working there, and its pavilions and terraces are exquisite and spacious. Apart from the delicate eaves, even the pillars of the garden buildings, which can be seen everywhere, are made of fine redwood and carved with intricate designs. Beneath these redwood pillars, a gentle world renowned throughout Huaicheng and famous throughout the world is built.

On ordinary days, Zhongfang Garden is covered in red brocade and layers of light gauze, with carved and winding corridors faintly visible. Around the banquets, various musical instruments are scattered, including guzheng, se, pipa, guqin, and others whose names I do not know. The layout of the entire garden is exquisite and graceful. Under the windows and in front of the corridors, you can see carved golden censers that slowly release a faint fragrance.

Today, however, everything is in chaos. The beautiful scenery is gone, tables and chairs are overturned, musical instruments are mostly destroyed, and the graceful figures that used to come and go have all been frightened away and hidden deep within the curtains. Even the gilded incense burner weighing over a hundred pounds in the center of the hall has been thrown aside, and a large stone lion that originally stood outside the door has proudly taken the place of the incense burner.

A foot was treading on the stone lion—it was Master Jin's foot. Master Jin remained silent, only coldly watching the madam of Zhongfangyuan, who had collapsed in front of him, her face filled with panic. In other parts of the hall, a large group of thugs in short shirts and mandarin jackets, wielding sticks and long knives, stood scattered about, their faces fierce. On the ground lay Zhongfangyuan thugs, lying haphazardly, their heads bleeding, unable to get up.

"Rong Meigu, Master Jin said today is the deadline. Either hand over three thousand taels of silver, or hand over Ziru. Which one do you choose?" A thug next to Jin San asked impatiently.

Madam Rong trembled with fright, crawled a few steps to Jin San, and hugged his legs. "Master Jin, Master Jin... please, please give this humble woman another way! Master Jin, I beg you... it's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that Zi Ruji has already been betrothed to another gentleman. Even if I had the greatest courage in the world, I wouldn't dare offend that gentleman..."

"How dare you! You dare to offend Master Jin when you dare to offend others? No matter how powerful others are, offending them will mean your death is yet to come, but offending Master Jin means you'll die right here!"

"Waaaaah..." Madam Rong huddled in a ball, terrified, and frantically kowtowed, "Master Jin, please spare this little woman, I beg you..."

Kim San's eyes swept coldly over her, and he kicked Rong's mother away. "The third way is if you move this big stone lion out, I might spare you this time."

Rong's mother's crying suddenly stopped. Her face was deathly pale. She looked at Jin San, whose expression was cold and stern, and then at the huge stone lion in front of her. Despair was evident in her eyes.

"Go, bring Ziru down here," Jin San ordered coldly.