“Could she have beaten that girl? Or disfigured her?” Yao Shu wondered to herself, imagining Pei Yingxia’s jealousy of another woman’s beauty—most likely she would have targeted the girl’s face.
But she had underestimated Pei Yingxia’s cruelty.
Nanny Ou sighed. “I think what she did was even more terrifying than ruining someone’s face.” She pointed south before continuing: “In the southern part of the city, there’s a district of vice—gambling dens, brothels, and opium houses lined up one after another. That singing girl had a frail mother and a younger brother of fourteen or fifteen. Miss Pei didn’t act directly—she had someone lure the boy into gambling. He lost everything and racked up huge debts. When the debt collectors came to their door, the mother cried and begged to protect her son. In desperation, she sold her daughter to a brothel—one of those places with ‘special entertainments.’ The poor girl couldn’t endure half a month before she took her own life.”
Listening, Yao Shu clenched her fists, anger rising. At the same time, she felt a chill of fear—yesterday she had openly confronted Pei Yingxia. Surely she was already hated by her, and from now on, she would have to be careful about her own safety.
After returning the bowls to the kitchen and washing up, Yao Shu lay down again. The dreamscape came for her once more.
This time, the dream was still of the body’s original owner, but the era seemed further back. The girl’s face was younger, yet unmistakably Yao Shu herself.
In a blizzard, a family of three struggled forward. Her father, Yao Yue, pulled the horse at the front, while her mother, Xu Qing, pushed the cart from behind. Yao Shu leaned out from the carriage window, her face full of worry.
“Old Yue, I can’t push anymore. Should we just go on foot? If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss the boat—it leaves in less than half an hour!” Xu Qing strained against the cart, her words carried by the icy wind to Yao Shu and Yao Yue, muffled and unclear.
Yao Yue gripped the reins tightly, refusing to give up. Each time he opened his mouth, the snow threatened to choke him.
“Once we’re out of this forest, it’s the main road. On foot, we’ll never outrun them. Only now, with the blizzard covering our tracks, do we have a chance. If they realize and follow us through the forest, without the carriage, we’ll never escape.”
“Mother, don’t worry—I’ll help too.” Yao Shu jumped down from the carriage. The three of them worked together for half an incense stick’s time before finally pulling the cart free from the pit. They resumed their journey.
The dream blurred and shifted. Now the three were aboard a boat. Yao Shu leaned against a bundle, nearly asleep, while faintly hearing her parents speak.
“Old Yue, this matter happened so many years ago. Why is it surfacing again now? How long must we keep running? What is Marquis Changning’s attitude in all this?”
“This isn’t something we can bear. Don’t mention it again. Once we disembark and take the small paths, we’ll reach Yu County in two days. After that, no one will ever find us. Don’t worry.”
Marquis Changning? The name sounded familiar—had she heard it somewhere before…?
A slow, steady knock at the door pulled Yao Shu awake again, with dark circles under her eyes.
The nightly dreams left her exhausted, as if beaten. When He Xiang entered, she was startled.
“Miss Yao, is something wrong with the bed? You’ve looked so worn out these past two mornings.”
Dragging her slippers, Yao Shu shuffled to the mirror to wash up, claiming she was simply overtired these past days.
“He Xiang, could you call me later next time? I really haven’t slept enough…”
He Xiang chuckled softly. “Miss Yao, it was the Prince’s order. He told me to wake you punctually each morning, so you wouldn’t miss the carriage to the Court. Walking would take far too long.”
So it was Fu Xiujin’s arrangement. It seemed her superior was a diligent taskmaster indeed.
Reluctantly, Yao Shu stepped out of the residence, sighed, and climbed into the familiar carriage. As usual, Fu Xiujin sat inside, reading a book, not even lifting his eyes.
“Is the bed in Prince Su’s residence full of thorns? With your weary look, people might think I’ve neglected you. When we arrive at Marquis Changning’s estate, don’t be muddle-headed and speak nonsense.”
Yao Shu had been slumped against the window, listless. But at the mention of “Marquis Changning,” she immediately sat upright, startling Fu Xiujin, who frowned.
Could it be—the Marquis Changning her parents had spoken of in the dream? Yao Shu felt the mystery surrounding the Yao family’s hidden murder case grow ever deeper.