Old Man Ju was reluctant, but after glancing at Ding Yanxiang and then at his own daughter, he finally agreed. However, he added, "I'll just sunbathe in the yard."
Ju Mu'er smiled and agreed, and then her father slowly walked out.
Upon hearing Old Man Ju walk to the door and close it, Ju Mu'er asked, "I wonder what brings Madam Yun here today?"
Ding Yanxiang glanced at Ju Mu'er several times and asked softly, "I heard that Miss Ju was not in good health before. Are you well now?"
"It's all fine now, thank you for your concern, Madam."
Ding Yanxiang added, "Miss Ju's mother passed away early, so she was entirely cared for by Uncle Ju, right?"
"Yes." Ju Mu'er didn't understand what he meant, so she answered accordingly.
“Uncle Ju has to run the liquor store and take care of you at the same time, so it must not be easy for him.”
“My eyesight is poor, and I am indeed a burden to Father.”
Ding Yanxiang was quiet for a moment, then asked about her daily life. Her tone was gentle and very kind, but Ju Mu'er became more and more cautious in her response.
Yun Qingxian had confessed his feelings to her, but she rejected him. After that, he visited less and less often, but each time he did, he spoke softly and gently, his feelings overflowing, clearly showing that he hadn't given up on her. Ju Mu'er was distressed, but she couldn't stop his thoughts. Now, the rumors outside were quite unpleasant, and this Madam Yun's visit certainly wasn't just out of concern for her daily life.
As expected, Ding Yanxiang exchanged some perfunctory greetings before finally getting to the point. "Miss Ju, if I may be so bold as to ask, has my husband expressed his affection for you and his desire to marry you?"
Ju Mu'er thought about what she wanted to say before replying, "I am just a blind woman in plain clothes. I am not worthy of Lord Yun. Please rest assured, Madam."
Ding Yanxiang's voice was still gentle as she asked, "Is it because you're not good enough for me, or are you unwilling to be a concubine?"
Nine blind women are distressed by being forced into prostitution.
Ju Mu'er sighed inwardly. As expected, it was a couple asking the same question.
Whether it's because she can't marry up or she's unwilling to be a concubine, the key point is that she won't marry. Why don't they understand?
“Madam, I promise I will never marry Lord Yun. Is that satisfactory?”
"No." Ding Yanxiang's voice was soft and gentle, but her answer was firm.
Ju Mu'er's heart tightened, and she simply asked directly, "Then how can Madam be at ease?"
Ding Yanxiang sighed and said, "Miss Mu'er, my sister was rude before and hired someone to harass you. She was too ignorant, and I have already taught her a lesson. She will not do it again, so please rest assured."
These words had absolutely nothing to do with whether or not she would marry Yun Qingxian. Ju Mu'er couldn't understand Ding Yanxiang's meaning, so she kept quiet.
Ding Yanxiang continued, "I am actually a very easy person to talk to. If it weren't for something I really couldn't stand, I wouldn't have done anything. I know that my husband is thinking about you, Miss. Originally, I shouldn't have said anything about his affairs, let alone interfered. But seeing him depressed and unhappy, I was also very sad. So after thinking it over, I came to find you."
Ju Mu'er remained silent. Did Ding Yanxiang want to tell her that she was deeply in love with her husband, Qingxian? But she had already promised never to interfere in their relationship. What more did Ding Yanxiang want?
Ju Mu'er was a little scared, and she subconsciously gripped her bamboo cane tighter.
Ding Yanxiang paused for a moment, then continued, "My husband is gentle and considerate, taking excellent care of me in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. He is also kind and gentle to the servants, never beating or scolding them indiscriminately. Miss Ju, don't you think such a good match is hard to find?"
Ju Mu'er said softly, "That's because Madam is very fortunate."
Ding Yanxiang smiled and suddenly asked, "When did Miss Mu'er start learning the zither?"
“Three years old,” Ju Mu’er answered.
Ding Yanxiang nodded: "I'm also three years old. But I can't play the zither as well as you, Miss."
Ju Mu'er replied cautiously, "Madam is too modest."
Ding Yanxiang smiled again: "That's the truth. My husband loves the zither the most. When I play the zither with him, he always praises your skills."
Ju Mu'er felt heavy-hearted and didn't know what to say.
Ding Yanxiang smiled and leaned over to shake Ju Mu'er's hand. Her hand was icy cold, which startled Ju Mu'er and made her shiver.
Ding Yanxiang said, "Miss Ju, I am not a resentful woman who cannot tolerate others."
Ju Mu'er's heart pounded. Ding Yanxiang's cold fingers exuded a gloomy aura, which made Ju Mu'er feel extremely uncomfortable.
Ding Yanxiang's next words startled her even more. She said, "Miss Mu'er, I hope you can marry into the Yun family and keep me company. Although you will be a concubine, your food, clothing, and all the privileges you receive will be the same as mine. You will never feel wronged in the slightest. What do you think?"
Ju Mu'er froze. Had she come here to persuade her to share her husband?
Ju Mu'er felt a cold sweat break out on her back. She thought and thought, afraid of making a mistake, and dared not say more. After a long while, she finally answered, "Madam, Mu'er is indeed not worthy of your name."
Ding Yanxiang stared at her face for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "It seems that Miss Mu'er is not unwilling to be a concubine, but rather genuinely does not want to marry her husband."
Ju Mu'er breathed a sigh of relief, realizing she had just been tested. She quickly and earnestly replied, "That's true. Madam, everything Mu'er says is true. You can rest assured."
But to her utter surprise, Ding Yanxiang said, "I mean it from the bottom of my heart, Miss Mu'er. Since my husband is devoted to you, how can I be considered a good wife if I cannot fulfill his wishes?"
Ju Mu'er's heart, which had just settled, suddenly jumped again. She heard Ding Yanxiang's voice becoming even more gentle: "Miss Mu'er, please, you must, absolutely must, marry into our Yun family."
Ju Mu'er gripped her bamboo cane tightly, and after a long while, she finally replied, "I am honored by your kindness, Madam, but I am not worthy of your title."
She said this, but received no response from Ding Yanxiang, which made her even more uneasy. She couldn't see Ding Yanxiang's expression, couldn't see her eyes; she could only hear her voice, and all her judgments had to be based on that voice.
Ding Yanxiang's voice was very gentle, or rather, too gentle, so gentle that it lacked any emotion.
This frightened Ju Mu'er. She couldn't believe that Madam Yun genuinely wanted her to marry into the Yun family, or that she was being forced by Yun Qingxian, or that she herself was going against her will to prove to Yun Qingxian that she was a virtuous wife.
In any case, Ju Mu'er did not believe that this woman was willing to share her husband with someone else.
Ding Yanxiang spoke again: "Please don't refuse, young lady. My husband truly loves you, and I will treat you as my own sister. If you marry into our family, Old Master Ju can be relieved of his burdens and can peacefully find a second wife to live out his old age. You will also have three or five servants to take good care of you, and you will have no worries about food and clothing. Your husband is considerate, and I am reasonable. What could you possibly be dissatisfied with?"
Ju Mu'er gritted her teeth, thought for a long time, and carefully answered, "When I learned that I was blind and would never be able to see again, I made up my mind that I would never marry and would rather grow old alone."
“Miss, you’re just saying that out of spite.” Ding Yanxiang then grasped Ju Mu’er’s hand, which was gripping the bamboo cane, with her cold hand. “With your poor eyesight, you should be taken care of. If you marry into our Yun family, you will have no worries.”
"I appreciate your kind offer, but I have already made up my mind..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ding Yanxiang interrupted her: "Resolve can change." Her words were somewhat harsh, as if a crack had appeared in her gentle mask. Although the change in tone was very subtle, Ju Mu'er still sensed it.
Ju Mu'er remained silent, trying to think of a way to respond. Ding Yanxiang then spoke up, "Miss Mu'er, think about it carefully. Your eyesight is poor, and it's not easy for you to live without anyone to take care of you. What if you go out to run errands or relax, and encounter some villains? Old Man Ju is also getting old. He has to take care of you and run his business to support his family. You have to think about him. You wouldn't want him to suffer an accident from overwork, would you?"
As Ju Mu'er listened to Ding Yanxiang's every word, she felt her fingers grow cold.
She understood.
"Is this Lord Yun's intention?"
"My husband doesn't know I'm here today, nor does he know I'm here to persuade you. You know he's very methodical; why would he think of asking me to persuade him? He told me about this the other day, promising that if I didn't agree, he wouldn't remarry. He's been so good to me, yet I can't bear to hurt him. That's why I'm here today. If you agree to marry him, he'll be overjoyed, and his joy will make me happy. Miss Mu'er, my husband is the Vice Minister of Justice, my father is the Minister of Justice, and my maternal grandfather, uncles, and other high-ranking officials are all important ministers in the court. With me backing you up, no one will dare to harm you or your father, and your family's wine shop can operate peacefully. See? Isn't this the best thing ever?"
Ju Mu'er closed her eyes, trying to relax. She needed to think carefully about what she should do.
Yun Qingxian was already difficult to deal with, and now there's his first wife, who speaks softly but threatens him with harsh words...
Ju Mu'er couldn't quite figure out Ding Yanxiang's true thoughts. She deeply loved her husband but demanded that another woman marry into the family to share him. In Ju Mu'er's eyes, a woman with such thoughts was more terrifying than a man who had been rejected in his marriage proposal.
Seeing that Ju Mu'er remained silent for a long time and her face turned pale, Ding Yanxiang couldn't help but smile, feeling that she had "convinced" her.
Before Mu'er could think further, she said softly, "Miss Mu'er will surely understand the importance of this matter. It is a blessing for you to marry into our Yun family. After I return, I will begin preparations, and after the New Year, I will choose a day to send someone to handle the betrothal matters."
Ju Mu'er's heart skipped a beat. Was Madam Yun really going to force her to agree to this?
"Madam..." Ju Mu'er had barely uttered a word when Ding Yanxiang interrupted her. "That's settled then. Miss Mu'er, just wait patiently at home." With that, she rose to call for her maid and prepared to leave.
Ju Mu'er stood up abruptly and said loudly, "Madam, I will not marry him."
"Is that so?" Ding Yanxiang smiled, watching the maid and attendant push open the door and enter, followed by Ju Sheng. She ignored Ju Mu'er and went straight to Ju Sheng, saying, "Uncle Ju, the weather has been cold lately, so please wear more clothes and don't get sick. Mu'er only has you as her father, so please take good care of yourself."
Ju Sheng was puzzled. He was standing in the courtyard and couldn't hear what the two were talking about. He didn't expect to be greeted so gently when he came in, so he quickly responded politely. He then turned to look at his daughter, but couldn't discern anything.
Ding Yanxiang glanced at Ju Mu'er, satisfied with her expression and silence. She softly took her leave and departed with her servants.
After she left, Ju Sheng hurriedly asked his daughter what had happened. Ju Mu'er said it was nothing, just that there were some unpleasant rumors circulating outside, so she came to check on things. Ju Sheng was skeptical.
For the next three days, Ju Mu'er locked herself in the music room, playing the zither incessantly. Ju Sheng began to worry. His daughter had returned from the execution ceremony of the zither master, Master Boyin, in a similar frenzied manner, after which a series of misfortunes occurred. Was something about to happen again, given her current state?
On the fifth day at noon, a colleague from Xianyin Qin Shop rushed over to find Ju Mu'er, saying that the shop had received a big order to make a batch of qin (a seven-stringed zither) to sell in the outer city. Because the year-end was approaching, it was difficult to book carriages for transport, so the goods could only be sent out early the next morning. However, this order was for too many qin, and the shop didn't have enough staff to tune and test them. The shopkeeper was anxious and came to ask Ju Mu'er for help.
The music shop was familiar to Ju Mu'er's family, and she often helped out at the shop. When she heard how urgent the matter was, she immediately agreed.
Old Man Ju was worried, so he followed his daughter onto the music store's carriage. Once there, while his daughter worked, he watched over her, handing her water or something.
This work took half a day. Cheng Yin, the owner of the zither shop, served meals to the helpers he had hired, and Old Man Ju took care of his daughter as she ate.
After dinner, Cheng Yin came to ask Old Man Ju for help, hoping that Ju Mu'er could also help out that night to finish getting all the zithers out. He offered to pay three times the wages, and if Ju Mu'er needed to stay in the city, he would cover her room and board.
Seeing that his old acquaintance was in a hurry, Old Man Ju had no reason to refuse. He greeted Ju Mu'er and then went to the Fuyunlai Inn, the closest inn to the music store, to book two rooms, planning to stay there with his daughter after finishing his work that night.
Unexpectedly, just as he returned to the music shop, a neighbor rushed over with news that two employees of the liquor store had eaten something unclean at dinner and were vomiting and having diarrhea, nearly losing their lives. A doctor had already been called to take a look, but seeing that the two were really sick and there was no one at home, the neighbor came over to inform Old Man Ju.
Upon hearing this, Ju Sheng was extremely anxious. His two employees had been with him for many years, living and eating together, and were like family to him. Their sudden illness naturally frightened Ju Sheng.
Upon hearing this, Ju Mu'er told Ju Sheng to hurry back. Cheng Yin also reassured him that he would take good care of Ju Mu'er and send someone to take her to the inn when he was done with his work.
Cheng Yin had watched Ju Mu'er grow up, so Ju Sheng naturally trusted him. After explaining things to Ju Mu'er and telling Cheng Yin not to tire his daughter out, he hurriedly went home.
Ju Mu'er was busy until late at night. She wasn't in good health and always went to bed early. Cheng Yin knew this. So, although the work at the music shop wasn't finished, Cheng Yin still let her go to the inn to rest. He said they would definitely finish the rest that night.
Ju Mu'er knew her body couldn't take it, and agreed after hearing this. So a young assistant from the music shop took Ju Mu'er to the inn.
Fuyunlai Inn was just across the street from Xianyin Music Shop. It was late at night, and the inn's lobby was nearly empty. A yawning waiter led the music shop's staff and Ju Mu'er to a guest room on the second floor of the back courtyard. The staff member entered the room, looked around, showed Ju Mu'er the location of each item, and then led her to touch it. After confirming that everything was arranged properly, he took his leave.
Ju Mu'er closed the door, touched and checked all the items in the room again, and then sat down to pour herself a glass of water.
The water in the kettle was ice cold. It was late and chilly, and Ju Mu'er wanted some hot water. She opened the door to call for the waiter, but then thought that it was the middle of the night and she might disturb the others' rest. So she took her bamboo cane and decided to go downstairs to the lobby to ask for water herself.
The lanterns in the second-floor corridor were off, leaving the corridor pitch black. Although Ju Mu'er was blind, she still had a faint sense of light, so darkness wasn't a problem for her. However, she still planned to tell the waiter when she saw him, since it would be more convenient for other guests to move around in the light.
As she walked slowly, lost in thought, a door suddenly opened beside her, and a man cried out in alarm, only to have his mouth covered before he could utter half a word of "help."
Ju Mu'er subconsciously turned her head in the direction of the sound. Of course, she couldn't see anything, but she heard the sound of someone struggling and panting with their mouth covered. The sound quickly disappeared.
Ju Mu'er was startled. She reacted quickly, turning and running while shouting "Help!" But she only managed to utter one "Help!" before someone grabbed her hair. Before she could even scream in pain, she crashed into the arms of the person behind her, and at the same time, a large hand covered her mouth.
Ju Mu'er struggled desperately. She grabbed the man's clothes with her backhand and stabbed him backward with the bamboo cane. The man behind her was hit and groaned. He endured the pain and quickly dragged Ju Mu'er into the room.
Ju Mu'er smelled blood. She was terrified. The person had tightly covered her mouth and held her in their arms. She heard the door close. Then, everything spun around her, and she felt a sharp pain as she was thrown violently to the ground.
Ju Mu'er didn't care about anything else. As soon as she could speak, she quickly said, "I'm blind. I can't see anything. I don't know who you are. Don't kill me."
She didn't know what the other person was doing, she didn't know whether the person who had tried to shout "help" was injured or dead, but she knew that the murderer must have mistaken her for a witness, and as a witness, her final fate would probably be death.
So she immediately declared that she was blind, hoping that the murderer would have at least a little compassion.
She felt breath very close to her face, and she thought it must be someone checking if she was really blind. She pushed herself back, her voice trembling, and said, "Don't kill me, I really can't see anything. I have a bamboo cane, I'm blind."
The man didn't move. Ju Mu'er thought he might be hesitating, but the next moment, she heard a "whoosh" and felt a sharp pain in her head.
She lost consciousness.
10 murders lead to wrongful convictions
Long Er had a headache that day.