Steam filled the bathing chamber as Song Yiqiu rolled up her sleeves and carefully wiped Qingzhu's body in the wooden tub.
Warm water rinsed away the grime, revealing an emaciated frame.
Her back was covered with overlapping old and new whip marks, along with incompletely healed scalds that still bore scabs.
Song Yiqiu's hands trembled violently, her eyes instantly reddening.
Tears silently dripped into the bathwater, merging with the warm liquid.
Her voice choked with emotion:
"Silly Qingzhu, I clearly returned your contract of servitude to you before I left. You were free, why… why didn't you leave this soul-devouring place? Why did you stay to suffer…"
In the bathtub, Qingzhu's eyes remained vacant, as if she couldn't understand the words, merely giggling foolishly.
She excitedly slapped the water surface with her hands, "Hehe, water… water… flowers… flowers…"
The splashing water dampened Song Yiqiu's chest and cheeks.
Song Yiqiu showed no trace of anger, her heart aching as if pierced by needles as she looked at Qingzhu in this state.
If only I had discovered earlier…
She could no longer restrain herself, leaning down to gently embrace the scar-riddled body in the water, full of self-reproach:
"I'm sorry… Qingzhu, I returned too late, making you suffer like this, I'm sorry…"
Tears streamed down her cheeks onto Qingzhu's shoulders when she suddenly heard an extremely soft call by her ear:
"Young… Miss…?"
Song Yiqiu jolted violently, raising her head in disbelief.
The foolish smile had vanished from Qingzhu's face, replaced by freely flowing tears.
Those originally vacant eyes were now clear and bright, filled with grievance, staring at her unblinkingly with excitement.
"Qingzhu! You…"
Song Yiqiu was so shocked she could barely speak,
"You're not mad? You were just… testing me?"
Qingzhu quickly lowered her head, habitually trying to maintain respectfulness, her excitement making her unsteady:
"This servant… this servant didn't dare be completely certain it was really you, Young Miss. I was afraid… afraid it might be another one of their tests, so…Mixed emotions surged in Song Yiqiu's heart – both surprise and lingering fear – as she quickly interrupted Qingzhu:
"It's alright!" What matters is that you're safe, knowing you're safe is what matters!"
She tightly grasped Qingzhu's cold hands, forcing out a smile tinged with lingering fear.
"Fortunately… fortunately I didn't come too late."
But soon, her eyes turned cold, her tone becoming serious:
"Qingzhu, tell me, what exactly is going on? On the day I returned home, I asked Mother for you, but she insisted you had stolen from the household and had long been sold away!"
"Why were you in Second Brother's Hanyun Courtyard? And why were you tortured like this? And… why pretend to be mad?"
When Qingzhu heard 'Mother,' she slightly recoiled.
Casting a wary glance toward the door, she whispered:
"Young Miss, this isn't the place for detailed discussion."
She quickly dried herself, threw on clean clothes, went to the door and carefully listened to confirm no one was outside before taking Song Yiqiu's hand and quickly leading her into the innermost bedroom.
After securely closing the inner chamber door, Qingzhu turned to face Song Yiqiu, took a deep breath, and uttered words that nearly shattered Song Yiqiu's soul:
"Young Miss… The Old Madam… The Old Madam didn't die at the hands of bandits at all! She… she was murdered by someone in the household!"
Song Yiqiu stood frozen in place, her ears buzzing. The malicious, triumphant words Song Sangyu had uttered before her death in her previous life overlapped heavily with Qingzhu's current words.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival night when she was ten years old, her mother Song Shenshi had taken the entire family to her grandmother's suburban villa for a reunion.
Before the banquet began, a large group of 'bandits' suddenly stormed in…
Amid the chaos, she watched helplessly as her grandmother fell in a pool of blood while protecting her.
That scene had haunted her nightmares for seven years.
Her grandmother, Shen Zhaohua, was a founding hero of the nation, the only female general ennobled by the emperor for her military exploits.
All of her children except her mother Shen Ruyi had died in battle.
Yet for some unknown reason, her grandmother strongly opposed her mother inheriting the title.
Moved by the Shen family's loyalty and sacrifices, the emperor issued a special decree: her grandmother's title could be inherited by her grandchildren, but on the condition that they must train at the border for seven years and prove themselves through military exploits.
Although her brothers wanted the title, they were even more aware of the harsh conditions at the border. They shifted the responsibility among themselves, all knowing it was no good place and fearing they would be chosen.
To show 'fairness,' her father Song Qingming took out the token cylinder and persuaded her to draw first. She drew the red token…
Trusting her family completely and without any suspicion, she went to the border where survival was uncertain and stayed there for seven full years!
It wasn't until just before her death in her previous life that her father coldly told her: in that token cylinder, all the tokens… were red.
This title, from beginning to end, was intended solely for Song Sangyu.
"Young miss… young miss! What's wrong? Don't scare me!"
Seeing Song Yiqiu's unsteady body, Qingzhu hurriedly supported her, calling out anxiously.
Song Yiqiu suddenly snapped back to reality, gripping Qingzhu's arm tightly with her opposite hand:
"Grandmother… who killed grandmother? Who was it?"
Qingzhu winced in pain, only shaking her head with tears streaming down:
"As for who specifically masterminded it… this servant doesn't know either. Not long after you left, when I went to deliver tea to the madam's room, I accidentally overheard outside the window the madam and the master… seemingly arguing. They vaguely mentioned the 'bandits' from that Mid-Autumn Festival night…"
"Saying things like 'must clean up thoroughly,' 'must not let anyone trace it,' 'it was all for Sang Yu'…"
"I was scared out of my wits and tried to leave quietly, but accidentally knocked over a flowerpot…"
"Although the madam didn't react immediately at the time, soon after, she found excuses to sell off all the old servants in the mansion who might have known something, especially those who had followed the old madam or had been to the villa that year. Some were even… even secretly executed!"
Qingzhu's voice was full of fear:
"To survive, I had no choice but to start pretending to be crazy and foolish, making them think I posed no threat. Later, because… because I still had some looks, the second young master took me as the lowest-ranking rough labor maid. I endured endless torment, barely managing to survive until now…"
"Young miss, the old madam died unjustly! She absolutely must not have died in vain!"
Song Yiqiu's heart turned completely cold.
Since birth, her mother Shen Ruyi had viewed her as a thorn in her side, solely because she resembled her grandmother more, with a strong and unyielding character, unlike Song Sangyu who knew how to act cute and ingratiate herself.
If not for her grandmother's determined protection, she would likely have 'accidentally died young' long ago!
Looking at the tear-streaked Qingzhu before her, she took a deep breath:
"Of course! Grandmother will absolutely not have died in vain! I will not let off anyone involved! I will definitely get to the bottom of this and make them pay with their blood!"
At this point, she suddenly remembered another crucial question:
"Qingzhu, when exactly did Song Sangyu enter the residence?"