“Xu Lingze?!” Jiang Li’s breath caught. “Are you certain?”
Fu Yunci answered bitterly, “I have been betrothed to him for four years, and we grew up together. I could never mistake his voice. In the forest of stone steles, towering more than ten feet high, I first felt joy at hearing him—thinking perhaps he had come for his grandmother’s sake. But before I could reveal myself, his words struck me like thunder—”
Clutching the brocade quilt at her side, Fu Yunci cried out in pain: “I… I heard him meeting secretly with a woman…”
Jiang Li’s brows furrowed deeply. “Did you see who it was?”
Fu Yunci shook her head through tears. “Her voice was low; I could not make out her words. I only heard Xu Lingze say he would leave first to avoid being discovered, and that a carriage waited outside the north gate. He told her to follow later. My mind was in turmoil—I lacked the courage to confront them. By the time I gathered myself, footsteps had already faded away. When I stepped out from behind the steles, I saw only the slender back of a woman in violet robes heading toward the north gate. I hesitated, unwilling to deceive myself, and so I followed quietly.”
Her breath quickened. “Beyond the north gate, they were gone. Only the bamboo grove lay ahead, secluded and silent. The sky was heavy with snow. I entered the grove, the light dimming further. That short path took me a quarter of an hour, yet I saw no one. Then snowflakes began to fall…”
“I wavered, thinking to turn back, but resolved to search once more. At the grove’s end, I finally saw a carriage with blue curtains on the hillside. My blood surged—I wanted to rush forward and demand the truth. But then… footsteps sounded behind me—”
Her voice trembled, her body shaking. “I realized the danger too late. A sharp pain struck my neck, darkness swallowed me, and I lost consciousness. I never saw Xu Lingze’s face, nor the woman’s. I cannot believe he could be tied to the Bride Killer…”
Jiang Li leaned close to wipe her tears. “So when you awoke yesterday, fear silenced you.”
Fu Yunci nodded faintly. “I am certain I did not mishear. Yet I never caught them in the act. With our wedding so near, if my parents knew, chaos would erupt. And if I claimed the Bride Killer attacked me, I could not easily let him bear the name of murderer. But if he truly is that killer… that is far more terrifying than a secret tryst. What kind of man have I loved all these years?”
Jiang Li steadied her voice. “If you cannot believe it, then you must uncover the truth. The tryst you heard with your own ears; the attack can also be investigated.” She paused, then asked softly, “How did you escape afterward?”
Fu Yunci’s face paled, terror flashing in her eyes. Jiang Li, seeing her distress, clasped her hand with her uninjured left. “Miss Fu, the heir was right—you are the first life I saved upon returning to Chang’an. I wish to help you. If you do not want others to know, I can investigate myself.”
Fu Yunci stared at her in shock. Jiang Li’s lips curved faintly. “You said I resemble your old friend—then perhaps fate binds us. And I, too, am a woman. I understand your fears. Such ordeals are hard to confide even to kin, let alone to officials who are all men.”
Her gentle gaze and warm tone struck Fu Yunci’s heart. Her grievance deepened, yet her burden eased slightly. She whispered through tears: “That day… when I awoke, darkness had already fallen. My… my collar had been loosened, and someone’s heavy breath pressed against me…”
Fu Yunci clenched her teeth, as if unable to continue the memory. Jiang Li tightened her grip on her hand. “Miss Fu, the one who suffered that night was your past self, not the you of this moment. You will never endure the same torment again. But we must seek justice for the you of that night, and bring that villain to account—he has already harmed five innocent young women…”
The act of recalling felt like reliving the humiliation, yet Jiang Li’s words pulled Fu Yunci back from the abyss. She drew a deep, ragged breath and forced herself to speak. “I… I felt a man’s hand upon my chest. I woke with a jolt and shoved him away. Only then did I realize I was inside a carriage. He reacted swiftly—striking me down with a slap. After that… I screamed, fought, and struggled. At first, he seemed unwilling to kill me, but as the struggle dragged on, his breathing grew heavier. Then, in a flash, a cold gleam swept past—pain pierced my chest—and I tumbled out through the carriage door…”
“I fell to the ground, too terrified to feel pain. In the distance, I saw a flicker of firelight and ran toward it. I stumbled and staggered, not knowing where I was, footsteps pounding behind me. I dared not look back. I ran until I collapsed, rolling into the snow. My body ached, the cold gnawed at me, and I thought I would die there…” Her breath came fast, as if the nightmare had finally ended. “When I woke fully, it was already morning.”
After she calmed, Jiang Li asked again, “So, in the carriage, you never saw the attacker’s face nor heard him speak? Could it have been Xu Lingze?”
Fu Yunci shook her head, then nodded, uncertain. “The carriage was pitch dark. His face seemed covered with black cloth. I saw only a thin silhouette. My mind was clouded—I had no time to think. He never spoke. Whether it was Xu Lingze… I cannot say. But I lean toward believing it was not him.”
Jiang Li frowned. “Why so?”
Fu Yunci stared blankly at the canopy above. “I cannot explain. Perhaps it was his breathing, perhaps his strength. Xu Lingze is trained in martial arts—he would never fail to overpower me. The man I fought, though not weak, still let me escape after my desperate struggle. At the very least, he was no skilled fighter…”
Jiang Li fell into thought. “I had my suspicions before. Now, with your account, we must investigate further. To uncover whom Xu Lingze met in secret and whether he is tied to the Bride Butcher—these are not difficult matters. You need only wait for news.”
At this, Fu Yunci choked out, “My reputation is already ruined. I cannot blame others.”
Jiang Li shook her head firmly. “You have been slandered. Rumors can be dispelled. Lord Pei has already found some clues—you need only wait for good news.”
Fu Yunci sighed bitterly. “Rumors may be false, but my violation is real. You grew up in the jianghu, unbound by convention. But I was raised in Chang’an—I know too well the fate of a woman whose reputation is destroyed. A woman’s chastity is as vital as her life. Since ancient times, one who loses it may earn sympathy only by dying. But if she lives on, she is branded shameless, unworthy of being called a woman. And now I…”
Jiang Li’s expression grew stern. “Miss Fu, what is chastity? To be steadfast is chastity; to be virtuous is purity. You have been wounded, but that does not mean you have lost everything. A woman’s chastity is never bound beneath her skirts. These rumors aim to break your spirit with that single word. If you despair and seek death, would that not grant the villain his victory?”
Fu Yunci stared, stunned. Slowly, the shadow in her eyes eased. Shame colored her voice. “I have studied since childhood, yet I am not as strong or clear-sighted as you. You are right—I must not abandon myself…” She glanced toward the outer room. “No matter what, I must learn who seeks to destroy me.”
Jiang Li’s heart eased slightly. Then Fu Yunci added, “For now, please keep this from my father and mother. Ah Heng is hot-tempered, but fortunately, Lord Pei restrains him. If he and Lord Pei ask you, you need not conceal the truth.”
Jiang Li nodded. Fu Yunci said softly, “Though my dealings with Lord Pei have been few, he treats Ah Heng with great kindness. He has always been upright and just—worthy of trust. Yet, as you said, those experiences are things I could never bring myself to speak of before a man. Now that you have eased my heart, if Lord Pei can seize that villain, then my suffering will not have been in vain.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li finally felt her heart settle. “Rest assured, I know what must be done. But what of Xu Lingze? He claims he does not believe the rumors outside, yet insists on hearing you deny them yourself.”
Fu Yunci’s expression wavered between reluctance and sorrow. At last, she shook her head. “Until the truth is uncovered, I have no need to speak with him. To demand that I personally deny such baseless slander—how laughable.”
Jiang Li agreed, checked her pulse once more, and then stepped out of the inner chamber.
Outside, Madam Liu and the others waited anxiously. The moment they saw her, they rushed forward. “Miss Xue…”
Jiang Li said gently, “Madam, please go and give Miss Fu her medicine.”
At once, Madam Liu understood that Fu Yunci’s spirits had shifted. She quickly gathered Nanny Cui and the others and hurried inside.
Just then, Xu Lingze stepped forward. “Miss Xue, how is Ah Ci?”
Jiang Li’s face darkened slightly. “Master Xu, you should return.”
Xu Lingze cast a desperate glance toward the inner room. “But…”
Jiang Li replied, “If you truly trust Miss Fu, why must you demand her words? Besides, her wounds have not yet healed. To see you now would only deepen her sorrow.”
Xu Lingze faltered, unable to speak. Fu Yunheng gave a cold snort. “Brother Xu, our families have been close for many years. At this point, everything must be for my sister’s health. Surely you won’t begrudge her even this?”
Xu Lingze’s face flushed pale, then dark. With a bitter smile, he said, “Of course. Very well—another day I shall apologize to Ah Ci in person. Once I return, I will also investigate the source of these rumors. Take good care of her.”
After Xu Lingze finished speaking, he bowed and took his leave. Nanny Wang and the others also departed quickly.
Once they were gone, Jiang Li turned toward Pei Yan—only to find his gaze already fixed upon her, more precisely upon her injured hand. She shifted it slightly and spoke directly: “Lord Pei, Young Master Fu, Miss Fu has already told me what she remembers of that day. But this matter is for your ears alone.”
Pei Yan stepped forward two paces, while Fu Yunheng dismissed the attendants at the doorway. Jiang Li spared Fu Yunci the humiliating details and recounted her ordeal from beginning to end.
Fu Yunheng’s eyes blazed with fury. As soon as Jiang Li finished, he burst out: “I knew it! I knew your suspicions yesterday were right. My sister would never recklessly endanger herself. And Xu Lingze—whether or not he is tied to the Bride Butcher, how dare he meet secretly with another woman?!”
He looked ready to storm off and confront Xu Lingze, but Pei Yan frowned. “Something is strange.”
Jiang Li glanced at him in puzzlement. Pei Yan explained: “Yesterday I investigated the movements of Xu Lingze and the rest of the Xu household. The old madam and Madam Xu never left the residence. General Xu was at the patrol camp all day. As for Xu Lingze—just as he claimed moments ago—he arrived at the camp at the hour of Shen and did not leave until the second watch of the night.”
Jiang Li asked, “Was he seen in the camp the whole time?”
Pei Yan shook his head. “That account came from the guards at the main gate. But the patrol camp has more than one exit. And with Xu Lingze’s status, he would have plenty of ways to slip past the guards unnoticed. Since we have Miss Fu’s testimony, I will send men to investigate further. Yet she said the assailant never spoke a word after attacking her—that is peculiar.”
Fu Yunheng exclaimed in disbelief, “Could it truly have been Xu Lingze?”
Jiang Li hesitated. “She said the man at first did not intend to kill her, but she was right about another point—Xu Lingze is trained in martial arts. He could not have failed to overpower her. And there have already been five victims before. If we trace Xu Lingze’s whereabouts on those days, we can determine whether he could be the Bride Butcher.”
Pei Yan nodded. “That will not be difficult. Did Miss Fu describe the assailant’s build in detail?”
Jiang Li shook her head. “She had just regained consciousness, drugged and wounded. All she could make out was a thin silhouette…”
Pei Yan inclined his head, though doubt lingered. “From the moment she saw the secret tryst in the stele forest to the time she entered the bamboo grove and met the attacker—barely two quarters of an hour passed. If the culprit was not Xu Lingze, the coincidence is far too great.”
Fu Yunheng shuddered. “These past two years, the Xu family has grown powerful, and relations with our household have grown distant. But to say he is the Bride Butcher—that is almost beyond belief…”
At that, Jiang Li asked, “Lord Pei, you mentioned you had already traced the source of the rumors?”
Pei Yan replied, “This morning, even before the Earl’s household reported anything, I had already heard the rumors. Finding it strange, I ordered Jiu Si to investigate quietly. The trail shows the gossip first spread last night in the Eastern Market.”
Fu Yunheng’s eyes widened. “The Eastern Market?! That place is filled with revelry every night—any news released there will spread across Chang’an by the next day. Someone is deliberately trying to ruin my sister!”
Pei Yan continued, “We traced it to several taverns and teahouses where the story first circulated. But with so many people coming and going in the Eastern Market at night, the exact source remains uncertain. It will take more time.”
As he spoke, a handsome young servant approached—it was Jiu Si, Pei Yan’s attendant. He reported, “Master, news has come from the yamen…” He hesitated, unsure whether to go on.
Pei Yan said firmly, “Speak plainly.”
Jiu Si quickly continued, “They say Miss Qian’s skull and lower body have been found. The coroner has examined them, but there are still few clues. It remains impossible to determine whether the victim was violated before death.”
Jiang Li frowned. “Still no way to confirm whether she was assaulted?”
Pei Yan’s voice grew heavy. “Indeed. The three victims from summer had bodies badly decomposed. Of the last two, one was dismembered too thoroughly, and the other was deliberately left to rot before being discarded. Moreover, the coroner is young and inexperienced, especially with female corpses. With the remains so damaged, he has yet to reach any conclusion.”
Jiang Li fell silent, then glanced toward the inner chamber, recalling Fu Yunci’s anguished account. Steeling herself, she said, “Lord Pei, might you allow me to try?”