I asked, "What's your name?"
She said, "Replying to Seventh Young Mistress, Pearl."
"Good girl, quickly help Third Sister back to her room to rest. If Third Sister wants to talk to someone, come to Lengyan Xiaozhu to find me."
"Pearl has remembered."
I comforted Third Sister for a while before leaving with Little Butterfly. Little Butterfly looked up and asked me curiously, "Is that Sister Pearl a maid?"
"right."
"Oh, but she doesn't look like Alan."
I gently patted her face: "Silly child, how can people look the same?"
11
I only met the Fifth Madam once. In my memory, she was a pure and beautiful woman, very young, not very talkative, and possessed a gentle beauty. But no one in the manor liked her much; people from brothels are looked down upon even by the servants.
The Fifth Madam resides in the Brocade Garden. Because the mansion is so vast, she got lost quite a bit; she should have had a maid guide her. I never knew the Dugu family, with so many members, would have an empty courtyard. The courtyard was quite dilapidated, looking like it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. The red paint on the gate was faded beyond recognition, but a few characters were still faintly discernible: 藏娇阁 (Hidden Beauty Pavilion).
Keeping a mistress in a gilded cage?
None of the courtyards in the Dugu family had doors, except for this one, which was locked.
I took two steps forward, intending to push the door to see if it was even there, when suddenly a soft, charming female voice came from behind me: "Don't push that door."
I was startled and turned around; it was the Fifth Madam.
"Why?"
"That door is not clean."
I smiled sweetly and said, "Fifth Sister, I was just on my way to your courtyard to look for you, but I got lost and ended up here."
"Looking for me?" The Fifth Madam smiled slightly. "What is it?"
She didn't seem to have invited me, so I dropped the formalities and asked directly, "I just wanted to ask Fifth Sister, on the night Yuanyang died, she came to deliver shoe patterns to you. When did she arrive, and when did she leave?"
"She came to deliver shoe samples to me. She left after delivering them. I don't remember when she left, but I do remember that it started to drizzle when she left."
"Oh, is that so?" I frowned, trying hard to recall what happened that night.
The Fifth Madam smiled and twisted the silk handkerchief in her hand: "You doubt me?"
"Ruyan just wanted to understand."
"It's useless. Marrying into the Dugu family is like waiting to die. You'll either be cursed to death, scared to death, or tortured to death. Someone as lowly as me doesn't deserve to die. Ruyan, you've already become a widow right after marrying in; how pathetic." There was no pity on her face, only sarcasm. I didn't want to pay her any more attention. I glanced at the mysterious courtyard and turned to leave. The Fifth Madam gave off a strange feeling; her demeanor didn't seem like that of someone who would say such things. However, I didn't want to see her sarcastic expression again.
As I passed the kitchen, I glanced inside curiously before hurrying on, my footsteps making a clattering sound.
It was a flower, bluish-purple, with six petals, red stamens, and a unique fragrance. The flower had already been dried. I picked one up; it was definitely saffron, as recorded in Dugu Leng's book. A servant came over and respectfully greeted, "Greetings, Seventh Young Mistress." He began to pick up the dried flowers one by one and place them in a small jar.
"What is such a precious flower used for?"
"Oh, it was the Second Madam who ordered it to be made into a beauty porridge for the young ladies." The servant put the flowers away, and then a woman's voice came from the kitchen: "Third Master, bring the plum blossom jar out of the cellar." The servant responded and left without hesitation. I was curious about what the plum blossoms sealed in the jar looked like, and I wanted to follow, but Uncle Zhong stopped me. He said, "Seventh Young Madam, I've finally found you! I've found out where Cuiyi is."
Cuiyi was brought to our home by an honest, simple couple. Her expression was blank, and she kept fiddling with the sugar figurine in her hand. I called out to her, "Cuiyi, come here." She glanced at me timidly, then hid behind the elderly couple. My heart tightened, and tears almost welled up. The old couple said that when they found Cuiyi, she was lying in the rice paddy like a dead person. She had suffered a severe head injury, and when she woke up, she didn't recognize anyone or know where her home was. However, the silver she carried bore the mark of the Dugu family, so they quickly brought her back.
As night fell, I soothed Cuiyi to sleep and changed into my night clothes to go out.
If I'm not mistaken, that courtyard called Cangjiao Pavilion must have been the residence of the Third Madam Dugu Aoran. Later generations sealed it off to prevent anyone from approaching that unclean place.
The night was quiet, with only the night watchman patrolling and beating his gong. The Fifth Madam's Brocade Garden was right next to the Hidden Beauty Pavilion. The lights in the Brocade Garden were already out, so I climbed over the wall and entered this dilapidated courtyard.
Actually, I don't believe in ghosts at all, nor do I believe they can harm one's descendants. That's just too absurd. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, the paper windows of the main house were fluttering, and the door was unlocked. I gently pushed it open, and the old mahogany door creaked and groaned, releasing a pungent smell of dust and decay. I couldn't help but cover my nose; the air was so awful it made me want to vomit. I pulled a luminous pearl from my pocket, and the dark room instantly brightened.
This is a woman's room, with light gauze curtains and a bronze mirror in front of it, where there is still some makeup and jewelry that has not been applied.
The study and bedroom are connected. This study reminds me of Dugu Leng's study, both filled with books. A portrait of a woman hangs on the wall. She possesses unparalleled beauty, a noble yet reserved air, smiling amidst a profusion of cherry blossoms. The inscription on the painting reads: "Such a beauty, what more could a man ask for? Dugu Aoran."
He must love her very much.
The deeper the love, the harsher the criticism. With this love for her, killing her was tantamount to killing himself.
The bookshelf was filled with scrolls. I picked one up and opened it; it was another portrait of that woman. Her name was Liangyue, meaning "cool moonlight"—a name with such poetic imagery. On the desk lay a notebook; unlike the strong, resolute handwriting, the characters were delicate and graceful.
Just as I was about to open it, the dilapidated door creaked open by itself.
I immediately tucked the luminous pearl into my bosom and hid it under the table. The door opened, letting in a chilling gust of wind. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. Before I could turn around, a wooden stick struck the back of my head, and I blacked out and passed out.
13
When I woke up, I found my hands and feet tightly bound, and my mouth gagged. It was a dark room, and my head was still throbbing. Soon, my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The room was intricately carved with openwork details, and my struggles were futile. Through the dim candlelight, I could see that this wasn't any room I was familiar with, and I could clearly hear a woman's voice accompanied by a faint fragrance.
"How's it going?" The voice was quite cold and hoarse, yet strangely familiar.
"It's all taken care of." I saw the owner of the voice; she was kneeling on the ground, incredibly devout, with a graceful beauty just like when I first met her.
Did you see her breathe her last?
"Reporting to Mother, after I knocked her unconscious, I buried her in the weeds of the Hidden Beauty Pavilion. I figured that Liu Ruyan must have some great skill to lose her life. The Dugu family would never have thought of the Seventh Young Mistress going missing, and even if they did, they would have assumed it was the work of a ghost."
"That Liu Ruyan asked for her own death, she has no reason to blame me."
"Who's next? Please tell me, Mother."
"Let's take a break for now and talk about it again in a few days. They've had enough to frighten them by now."
I was so angry I felt like my lungs were about to burst. I struggled and slammed my head against the wall of the dark chamber with a loud thud. The Fifth Madam was startled and demanded sharply, "Who?!"
She came over and opened the hidden compartment, finding me lying there bound and gagged. She screamed and fell to the ground, clearly terrified. It took her a long time to recover before she cried out, "Mother..." The old woman in black opened the window and vanished in a flash. I sneered inwardly. What kind of mother was this, letting her daughter commit such heinous acts, only to run away herself when trouble struck?
"Liu Ruyan, you're not dead?" She untied the gag from my mouth.
I sneered: "Fifth Madam, I never imagined that all of this was your doing."
"So what if it is? It's a pity you'll never have the chance to say it." She drew her sword from the scabbard hanging on the wall and was about to stab me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the final pain. With a "thud," the Fifth Madam cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
The door was kicked open, and Dugu Han rushed in first, followed by my aunt, uncle, the old lady, the second madam, the third madam, and their maids. The fifth madam was speechless with fright at the sight. Dugu Han came over and helped me untie the ropes. The old lady, seeing my injuries, cried out in anguish, "You heartless woman, you've harmed my children and grandchildren! What do you have to say, you unfilial wretch?"
The Fifth Madam, instead of being afraid, laughed: "What if I harm your children and grandchildren, you old hag?"
The old lady's maid, Xianglian, helped me to my feet. They were all quite agitated, their eyes glaring at the Fifth Madam like knives. Even now, I still felt there were too many unanswered questions. I quickly stopped everyone, fearing that someone might lose control and draw their sword to slit the Fifth Madam's throat.
I said, "Fifth Madam, things have come to this point, so you should explain how you killed Yuanyang."
The Fifth Madam smiled calmly: "I did not kill Yuanyang; she did commit suicide."
The third wife cried and tried to rush forward, but Dugu Han held her back. He cried heartbrokenly, "How could you, heartless woman, kill my daughter?"
The Fifth Madam remained calm: "I did not kill Yuanyang. Yuanyang brought me a shoe pattern that day and then went back. As for why she committed suicide, I don't know."
"Then what exactly did you do?" my uncle asked, heartbroken.
Fifth Madam got up from the ground; at this point, she had nothing to fear anymore. She elegantly tidied her hair, then sat down in the peachwood chair and said, "I didn't do anything. I only put a little bit of intoxicating incense in Fourth Young Master's tea to drive him mad, and when Seventh Young Master went to fetch his bride, I put a little bit of Seven-Day Soul-Chasing Powder in his sachet. Speaking of that Seventh Young Master, he really has a lucky life; he ate plum blossom cakes for so long and still didn't die!"
I laughed: "So, you made those plum blossom cakes. I've been wondering why Chef Li spoke so softly; at first, I thought she was guilty. Turns out, you made the cakes, and she just wanted to take credit. I knew all along that Chef Li didn't commit suicide, because no one would use the Tang Clan's Thousand Ants Devouring Heart Powder to kill themselves. Anyone who possesses such a poison must know its power. Thousands of ants devouring the heart—how can that compare to the quick death of hanging?"
"I really underestimated you, girl. You actually know how to use Tang Clan's poison." The Fifth Madam laughed miserably.
"This is no problem for me. It's just that you've overlooked one thing." I smiled slightly, feeling a sweet warmth in my heart.
"What's up?"
"That is, my husband, Dugu Leng, he is not dead."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked. The aunt said, "Could it be that the coachman is lying?"
"That's just the coachman's side of the story. Besides, no one has seen his body, has they? Dugu Leng Yingjia hasn't returned. Those with malicious intentions only know he's been murdered and haven't even thought to hide themselves, so they're even more unscrupulous in their attempts to harm others." I paused, looking at the surprised expressions around me, and continued, "I was followed in the garden. The footsteps were very light and quick. If it were a man, his shoes would have wider soles and make a much deeper sound. I found a half-footprint under a cherry blossom tree in the garden, meaning that anyone following someone walks on tiptoe to avoid making too much noise. The footprint was very narrow, clearly a woman's. Everyone knows that maids' shoes are mostly made of coarse cloth, and if you look closely at them on the ground, they leave very rough marks. But the shoes of young ladies and wives are made of satin, smooth and soft, leaving a delicate layer on the ground. And the footprint I saw was left by a silk shoe."
Everyone gasped. I secretly observed everyone's expressions and chuckled to myself.
A maid brought me a cup of tea. I took a sip and continued, "That day I went to the temple fair. When I got to the lively part, I felt someone following me. That person originally wanted to hurt me, but when they saw Cuiyi go out, they kidnapped her and beat her up."
The Fifth Madam listened, somewhat stunned, and said blankly, "That's true. The Japanese wanted to kidnap you and scare these masters and ladies, but you didn't come out for a long time. Instead, they saw a little maid peeking out and took the opportunity to kidnap her. You're really a clever girl."
I smiled slightly, and Dugu Han asked anxiously, "Since you say that Seventh Brother is not dead, then where is he?"
I looked around and shouted, "Dugu Leng, how long are you going to hide?"
"You're quite the clever girl." Dugu Leng emerged from another hidden compartment. This was the first time I saw him, and he was indeed as I had imagined—elegant, wise, and dashing.
"Leng'er!" the old lady exclaimed in surprise. Dugu Leng helped his grandmother to a chair and said, "Ruyan, how did you know I wasn't dead?"
My mood brightened: "That's easy. How could a fan with a intact hanging ring fall off the screen on its own? How could there be fresh tea on a desk that no one has read from in so long? The tea spilled on the book, and the earlier characters didn't bleed, but the later ones did. This can only mean that the writing was fresh, and the ink hadn't fully bonded with the paper before the water soaked through. Also, if it weren't for you, how could I have mysteriously appeared in the Fifth Madam's secret chamber after being buried alive? In our area, many wealthy families have set up many traps in their rooms for emergencies. I think that's the secret to how you hid in the room without being discovered."
14
When the Fifth Madam saw Dugu Leng appear, she trembled with excitement, her voice shaking slightly: "When did you discover that I had poisoned her?"
"To be honest, I don't know who poisoned me. Two years ago, I was seriously ill, and later I found out it was because of the plum blossom cake. At that time, the plum blossom cake wasn't made by Chef Li, but by another cook. She died shortly after I recovered and before I could investigate the matter. Strangely enough, no one else in the Dugu family died in the past two years, and I still couldn't find out the reason. Later, when I asked for plum blossom cake again, there was no more poison in it. It wasn't until I married Ruyan that I discovered someone had put poison in the sachet, which led to this fake death."
The Fifth Madam laughed wildly: "I originally wanted to make Liu Ruyan sick to the point of death as well."
Enraged, her aunt kicked her and yelled, "You wretch! Our Dugu family has no grudges against you. Master even spent a fortune to redeem you from the brothel. Why are you treating us like this?"
The Fifth Madam laughed shrilly, her eyes seemingly spitting fire: "You dare tell me you have no regrets? Who said I was the reincarnation of Liangyue, the vengeful spirit, and then threw me into the mountains to be fed to the wolves? If my mother hadn't felt sorry for me and rescued me from the mountains, leaving me in the town, I might have been eaten by wolves long ago. It's a pity I have such bad luck; I was picked up by a madam and grew up in a brothel, experiencing all the hardships of life."
The aunt was shocked and took several steps back: "How is that possible? Yan Hong is dead. I watched her breathe her last."
The Fifth Madam cried out, "You've mistaken me! I'm not dead! I've become a prostitute, and my own father bought me back as a concubine! That's why I hate you all! I'll kill the entire Dugu family one by one!" She let her hair down, her jet-black hair cascading down like snowflakes. She tore open her clothes to show us a birthmark like a cherry blossom. My aunt and uncle were stunned. After a long while, my aunt rushed forward like a madwoman, screaming, "My Yan Hong! You really are my Yan Hong!"
I exclaimed in surprise, "What on earth is going on?"
Uncle Tan slowly recounted the whole story from his chair: "The madam once gave birth to a daughter, and that girl was born with a cherry blossom-like mark on her left shoulder. The third madam of Dugu Aoran also has a mark on her left shoulder. So this girl was considered to be the reincarnation of Liangyue. After discussing it with the family, everyone decided to kill this child named Yan Hong and throw her into the mountains."
The second wife listened and sobbed uncontrollably: "If I had done as the master said and strangled Yan Hong to death, this tragedy would not have happened. Yan Hong was especially cute when she was born. When she was being strangled to death, I couldn't bear it, so I told you that she had stopped breathing. Of course, I didn't throw her up the mountain, but in the town."
Dugu Leng slowly approached me: "Then, is the mother that the Fifth Madam claims to be someone else?" He put his arm around my waist: "Ruyan, this is truly a difficult problem."
I shook my head: "That's not difficult." I walked up to the Third Madam and asked, "Third Madam, could you please let Ruyan see your sachet?" The Third Madam's expression changed slightly as she untied the sachet and placed it in my hand. Everyone else watched my actions with curiosity. I held the sachet to my nose and sniffed it: "What a beautiful scent. A few days ago, Third Madam and I met in the garden, and the fragrance of this sachet was particularly strong and unique then. Ruyan is naturally sensitive to pollen. And today, in the Fifth Madam's room, I smelled this scent again. At that time, only the Fifth Madam and her so-called mother were in the room. The Fifth Madam only smelled of cosmetics, so this Fifth Madam's mother must be the Third Madam's maid, Zhu'er!"
The Fifth Madam exclaimed in shock: "Impossible!"
All eyes were drawn to the maid behind the Third Madam. Zhu'er knelt down in a panic: "Seventh Young Madam, you can't say such things carelessly. It's true that Zhu'er has picked up some fragrance from following the Third Young Madam all day, but you can't wrong Zhu'er because of one-sided words."
A clear voice came from outside the door: "Who said my young lady wronged you?"
Cuiyi entered with her small chest puffed out proudly, throwing a set of night clothes and some disguise tools on the ground: "Miss, I've taken care of everything. This was found in Zhu'er's room."
Zhu'er didn't argue, and said resentfully, "Liu Ruyan, you're ruthless."