Long Er grew angry again as he thought about it. This woman was truly despicable—ungrateful, heartless, cunning, and hypocritical. He gritted his teeth, wishing she were right in front of him so he could pin her down on his lap and give her a good beating.
The servants and maids stood by, carefully attending to the young master. They watched him sometimes stare blankly, sometimes smile, sometimes frown in distress, and sometimes grit his teeth. They were all flustered and dared not utter a sound.
At this moment, Long Er suddenly stood up and strode out. Without saying a word, he rushed to the stable. The young servant was so surprised to see him that he didn't have time to react before Long Er had already harnessed his horse, mounted it, and galloped away.
Long Er rode straight to the tavern. By then it was already dark, the tavern door was locked, and it was pitch black inside. Long Er dismounted, didn't knock, and went straight to the backyard, climbing over the wall to get in.
Ju Mu'er's door was open, and the window was also open. Long Er jumped into the yard and immediately saw her sitting in the house wiping away tears. Without paying any attention, Long Er stormed in.
Hearing the voice, Ju Mu'er was startled and had just opened her mouth to ask, "Who is it?" when Long Er lifted her up and placed her across his lap. Without saying a word, he slapped her bottom hard several times. Ju Mu'er was both shocked and frightened. Although she already knew who it was, she was still so scared that she screamed.
Long Er had struck her quite hard, and Ju Mu'er's eyes welled up with tears. After finishing, Long Er put Ju Mu'er aside, stood up, and turned to leave. Reaching the door, he couldn't help but glance back at her. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face turned towards the direction of his footsteps, but her lifeless eyes clearly couldn't see anything. She held her fists at her sides, biting her lip, saying nothing.
He must have hurt her with those blows, but he didn't feel any remorse at all. Long Er turned and continued walking out, showing no remorse whatsoever.
Without leaving a single word, Long Er quickly scaled the wall, got on his horse, and rode away.
This time he rode slowly, the horse moving leisurely. Long Er thought about the scene just now; her eyes were so swollen, did it hurt from crying?
You deserve to be in pain!
It was already dark. He wondered if she had eaten dinner. He thought about it carefully and remembered seeing two white steamed buns and a bowl of porridge in her room. The buns were untouched, but the porridge was full. She definitely hadn't eaten.
If you don't want to eat, fine, you deserve to starve!
He should hit her a few more times, harder. Thinking this, he spurred his horse and galloped faster. He had beaten her, but the resentment in his heart hadn't subsided; he was still very angry, his anger seething inside.
No, he couldn't let it go like this. A few beatings weren't enough; he wasn't satisfied yet, he wanted to teach her a lesson.
Long Er turned his horse around and charged towards the home-style liquor store again.
As usual, he climbed over the back wall. Once inside, he saw his beloved Mu'er standing alone in the yard. She must have followed him out earlier, but she hadn't called out to him. So, was following him just his own assumption?
Long Er pursed his lips, reminding himself how hateful, infuriating, and unworthy of sympathy this woman was. Thinking this, he strode heavily to Ju Mu'er.
Hearing the footsteps, Ju Mu'er's eyes widened in surprise, and her breathing quickened. She heard the sound stop in front of her, swallowed hard, and didn't know what to do with her hands.
Long Er remained silent for a long time, simply staring at her. Ju Mu'er grew increasingly nervous as she waited, biting her lip again. Finally, she couldn't help but timidly call out, "Second Master."
"It wasn't me!" Long Er said harshly, then suddenly realized what a foolish thing he had said. He had been so confident, so completely calm, what kind of nonsense was he spouting? Long Er gritted his teeth and tried to salvage the situation: "If it wasn't me, what are you going to do about it?"
Ju Mu'er was very surprised. Her eyes widened, and she thought for a long time before saying, "There's no one else."
"How could there be no one? This haunted house is in the middle of nowhere, with no one in sight. The huge front hall and back yard are completely deserted. Wouldn't thieves and villains be happy to come here?"
“I have lived here for twenty years and have never encountered any petty thieves or scoundrels.”
"You're quite disappointed, aren't you?" Long Er roared fiercely with an unusually loud voice.
Ju Mu'er bit her lip and lowered her head: "I was wrong, Second Master, please don't be angry."
"I'm not angry. I won't get upset over you. Who are you to me? From now on, you have nothing to do with me. I don't need to get angry over you, right?"
Ju Mu'er had her head down, and with the darkness of the night, he couldn't see her expression. He only heard her answer, her voice choked with emotion, after a long while: "Yes."
You still dare to answer "correct"?!
How dare you answer "yes" in such a pitiful voice?!
She's back again, using the same trick on him again.
Long Er was furious. He started pacing back and forth, he was so angry!
He suddenly pulled Ju Mu'er into the house and roughly threw her onto a chair. The room was dark and nothing could be seen in the moonlight. Long Er tripped over the table and almost dropped Ju Mu'er on the ground when he threw her.
Both of them looked disheveled. Long Er was furious and shouted, "Where are the candles?"
Ju Mu'er trembled at his shout and jumped up to grab a candle, but Long Er shouted at her again, "Sit down!" Ju Mu'er was so frightened that she sat down again and just pointed to the small cabinet by the wall.
Long Er strode over to the small cabinet, roughly pulled open the drawers, the first one was empty, the second one was empty, and the third one was empty. He was tearing the house down, making a huge commotion, and Ju Mu'er shrank back, not daring to speak.
Long Er searched for a long time and finally found all the candles and tinder, and there was finally some light. However, he couldn't find the candlestick, so he couldn't fulfill his idea of forcefully slamming the candlestick in front of her. So he got angry again.
The candle stood upright on the table, like a small flame, burning between the two of them. She sat at one end of the table, he stood. Separated by the candle, they remained silent.
Ju Mu'er looked at the candlelight and blinked. Long Er suddenly remembered her saying that she could see a faint light in extremely dark environments. At this moment, perhaps she could see a blurry glimmer of light, but she couldn't see him.
Long Er stood there, irritable and agitated, unable to describe his feelings.
He looked at her swollen eyes and asked in a harsh voice, "Why are you crying? Isn't this all your doing? Isn't it all to your liking?"
Ju Mu'er was taken aback, lowered her head, twisted her fingers, and said softly, "I'm sorry."
"Because of that case? Because of Shi Boyin? I didn't agree to you investigating further, and this is how you treat me?"
Ju Mu'er bit her lip hard, unsure how to answer.
"You didn't even give me a heads-up, catching me completely off guard. Did you even think about discussing it with me? How can you treat me like this?"
Ju Mu'er bit her lip tightly, feeling the pain, but she continued to bite hard. She dared not speak; tears were already welling up in her eyes. If she opened her mouth, she would burst into tears; if she moved, tears would fall. She couldn't cry in front of him; she didn't want to appear pitiful. This was entirely her fault; she had wronged him terribly, but she had to end things with him.
Let him resent her, let him hate her, she deserves it, she has no right to it!
Ju Mu'er's silence only fueled Long Er's anger. He slammed his hand on the table: "Speak!"
The table and Ju Mu'er shook simultaneously, the candle was knocked over, the fire went out, and the room became dark.
After a long time, Long Er heard Ju Mu'er whisper, "Second Master is extremely intelligent. If I had revealed my intentions beforehand, it wouldn't have been so easy for Second Master to divorce me. It was my fault, I'm sorry to Second Master."
Long Er sneered: "You schemed against me, and then praised me for being incredibly clever. What kind of nonsense is this? Besides, you're quite confident in yourself. If you had laid things out on the table, how do you know I wouldn't have helped you quickly write the divorce papers, saving you all this trouble? Do you think I would cling to you? You think you're some kind of celestial beauty, and that I can't live without you?"
His words were deeply hurtful, and Ju Mu'er fell silent in the darkness.
Long Er heard his own heartbeat and his mind went blank for a moment. He couldn't tell whether he felt regret or annoyance. Just then, he heard Ju Mu'er say, "Second Master is right. I should have just divorced you and left, but I was vain and hypocritical and insisted on saving face. I've caused you trouble. Please forgive me since I'm already a discarded woman. We may never see each other again. I only beg you not to hold a grudge against me."
Very well, she's a considerate person, taking all the blame and saving him face. Unfortunately, he doesn't buy it. He'll hold a grudge against her, he'll blame her, and what can she do about it?
"Is Shi Bo Yin more important than me?"
Ju Mu'er shook her head. Long Er could see her movements, but not clearly. He reached out and lifted the candle, intending to relight it.
"Second Master, please don't light the candles," she whispered.
Long Er ignored him and started lighting a tinderbox.
"Please."
Beg him? Very well. He'll do the things she doesn't want him to do.
The candlelight was lit, and Ju Mu'er kept her head down. Long Er moved a chair and sat down in front of her, a little distance from the table, so that he wouldn't lose his temper and smother it.
The room was bright, which gave him a sense of having the upper hand.
He cleared his throat twice, trying his best to appear calm and easy to talk to. "Tell me the truth, and I will no longer hold a grudge against you."
Ju Mu'er moved slightly, then rubbed her eyes with her hand. Long Er frowned, pulled her hand down, and said, "Your eyes are already so swollen, and you're still rubbing them. If you go blind, fine, but what if you rub your eyeballs out?"
"I'm only giving you this one chance. If you explain yourself clearly, I won't blame you. Otherwise..." The last syllable of his words was drawn out, clearly indicating his threat. He left a veiled message in his words, but in reality, Long Er knew exactly what he would do. He hadn't even thought about what would happen otherwise.
What else could he do? He hit her, but that didn't quell his anger. He cursed at her, but he still harbored resentment. He yelled at her, but he was still filled with bitterness.
What else could he do? How could he deal with her? He hadn't figured it out.
Ju Mu'er sniffed. She didn't want him to resent her. She had been sitting here crying for so long because she was thinking about how much he must hate her. She wasn't afraid of danger or conspiracy, but she couldn't bear his resentment. She originally thought she could handle it, but after it happened, she realized it was far more painful than she had imagined.
So she thought about it seriously for a long time before finally speaking.
"Second Master, I've told you about Mr. Shi's case. I firmly believe that his grievance is genuine. I remember everything you said back then, and I know that every word you uttered made sense. I have no evidence, so there's nothing I can do. Actually, I know all of this perfectly well, which is why I've kept it a secret for the past two years. I haven't told anyone. But after marrying you, I suddenly became a little greedy, but your words woke me up. Qian Jiangyi's grievance before the Emperor was a real eye-opener. I realized that I had been oversimplifying everything."
Long Er lifted her face to look at her expression. She had calmed down and spoke clearly, but her face was streaked with tears, making her look disheveled.
Long Er reached out and wiped her face. Ju Mu'er resisted the urge to hug him and continued, "Marrying you, Second Master, is probably the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me. These past six months have been the happiest and most joyful time of my life. Everyone in the Long family is wonderful. I am selfish, cunning, and hypocritical; I am truly unworthy to be their family. Second Master, I have long been unable to extricate myself from the matter of Master Shi's wrongful conviction. Ever since Brother Yibai asked me to memorize the zither score, I have been caught up in it. When Brother Yibai died, I was terrified and fearful. I even felt that I would be next. I don't know how to describe that kind of feeling that I had without any evidence."
"Then you should have told me, instead of silently plotting on your own."
"Second Master." Ju Mu'er finally couldn't help but reach for his hand and grasp it. "Second Master is right. This case is personally supervised by the Emperor and rigorously investigated by the Ministry of Justice. No matter what the final result is, it's impossible to easily overturn the case. The Long family has no connection with Mr. Shi and shouldn't have gotten involved in this matter. It's all my fault. I can't extricate myself, but the Long family can. As long as I have no further connection with the Long family, no matter what happens in the future, neither the Ministry of Justice nor the Emperor can blame the Long family."
The reason was the same as Long Er's, but hearing it with his own ears brought him no joy. She spoke so easily; she couldn't extricate herself, but they could? Had she considered him? How could he extricate himself?
"You're so heartless and decisive. You married into the family when you wanted to, and you left when you wanted to."
"Second Master." Ju Mu'er wanted to say something, but ultimately kept her mouth shut.
"What you're saying is that the Long family should sever ties? If that's really the case, why did you bother me in the first place? You were the one who asked to marry me, remember? And what were your intentions when you asked?"
"It's my fault, I was wrong." Ju Mu'er bit her lip; this was indeed the result of her selfishness. At the time, she only sought safety and protection, without considering the other party's feelings. She naively thought the Long family would be her strongest support, completely unaware that behind this matter were not only the mastermind, but also the Emperor and the court.
Inside, power struggles rage, layer upon layer, intricately complex. She is dragging the entire Dragon Manor into a completely unpredictable and perilous situation. Not only the Dragon Manor, but also her most beloved person.
"You're quick to admit your mistake."
"Second Master, I am sincere, please don't blame me."
"What are your plans for the future? You said you're in deep trouble, so you must know something."
"There has been some progress these days, but it's not concrete evidence, just some indirect clues that need further investigation."
"It seems you need someone's help. Otherwise, how can you, a blind person, possibly investigate?"
"There's not much we can do for now, but I'll confirm the clues and hide them well. Maybe one day I'll meet a benefactor and this case will have a chance to see the light of day again."
"A benefactor?" Long Er smiled. "It sounds like someone with power, influence, and connections. I seem to be one of those people."
Ju Mu'er shook her head: "This matter has nothing to do with Second Master."
"Yes, I've already divorced you, so naturally it's none of my business. But why didn't you think of asking me for help? Our Long family has various forces at play, with plenty of money and manpower. We're the best benefactors we could ask. If we could uncover any indirect clues about you and overturn your case, wouldn't that be great? Once the case is solved, there will be no connection whatsoever. Our Long family will also gain face and our reputation will soar."
"No." Ju Mu'er shook her head.
Why not?
Ju Mu'er didn't speak, she just shook her head.
"You're abandoning the person right in front of you, what are you waiting for some other benefactor? Tell me, which benefactor has more connections than me, Long Er?"
"That's not how it works."
"Or do you look down on me from the bottom of your heart? You've always liked to play mind games with me. You always think you're smarter and more capable than me, don't you? So you think I'm useless. Even this matter of divorcing my wife had to be planned and arranged by you. You always got the upper hand. I'm just a good-for-nothing, incapable of accomplishing anything, isn't that right?"
"No," Ju Mu'er shook her head frantically.
"Other benefactors are so much better; they can help you investigate cases and seek justice for you. But what about benefactors? I'm no match for them. You've severed ties with me and are now looking for someone else you can rely on. How incompetent do you think I am..."
"No!" Ju Mu'er shouted.
"Then why can't I?"
“Because of me…” Ju Mu’er opened her mouth wide, her voice stuck in her throat. Her heart was pounding. She couldn’t accept that she was so despicable in his eyes. Tears finally streamed down her face, and her voice came out: “In my heart, Second Master is the most important person, no one more important than me.”