The Wood - Storage Shed of the Cui Mansion.
When the door of the wood - storage shed was pushed open, Cui Chunniang was already at her last gasp.
Cui Chunniang lay on the damp straw, writhing like a fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others.
There were bloodstains on the corner of her mouth, and each breath came out with a shattered "ho ho" sound.
Cui Jintang stood at the door.
She was dressed in a narrow - sleeved yellowish - brown robe with extremely fine gold thread edging the cuffs. With every movement, tiny golden glints would appear.
She raised her hand and slowly ran her fingertips across the cold back of the knife.
"Where did you bury A Chao?"
Her voice was not loud, but it was as cold as ice shards hitting the ground, terrifyingly cold - hearted.
When Cui Jintang came to the capital, besides seeking justice for Sister Rou, the more important thing was to find A Xun and A Chao, this pair of siblings.
They were Cui Chunniang's own children!
Back then, out of consideration that Cui Chunniang was her aunt, Cui Jintang refused to lend her money to pay off debts.
Unexpectedly, in order to raise the gambling money, Cui Chunniang first sold A Chao's heart, liver, and spleen to the medical hall. In the end, there wasn't even a complete corpse left.
Then she sold A Xun, who was seriously ill with a fever, into a brothel.
She was completely inhumane!
This was also a pain in Cui Jintang's heart that could not be touched.
Cui Chunniang struggled to raise her head. There was a malicious smile in her swollen eyes: "If I tell you... will you spare my life?"
"I'll only ask once."
Cui Jintang half - squatted down, pressing the back of the knife against Cui Chunniang's face and slowly scraping down. Drops of blood rolled down the blade into the straw.
"If you don't tell me, I'll make sure you don't even have a complete set of bones when you die."
Cui Chunniang swallowed hard. The stinging pain on her face made her scream: "If you kill me, you'll never find A Chao! I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life—"
Before her provocative words were finished, Cui Jintang had already struck back with her elbow.
The handle of the knife hit hard under Cui Chunniang's rib. The sound of the bone cracking was clearly audible.
Before Cui Chunniang could let out a shrill scream, Cui Jintang grabbed her chin and pressed her back to the ground.
She leaned over, her voice as soft as a whisper: "Threaten me with A Chao one more time, and I'll nail your tongue to the coffin board and let you rot with him."
Cui Jintang let go of her hand in disgust, casually wiping her fingertips on Cui Chunniang's lapel as if brushing off dust.
Cui Chunniang coughed up blood convulsively. The blood splashed onto the yellowish - brown corner of Cui Jintang's robe, spreading a pool of crimson.
Cui Jintang lowered her eyes and ground her boot tip on Cui Chunniang's knee.
She shouted: "Tell me or not!"
Cui Chunniang twitched all over. There was a look of determination to die in her eyes. Shaking her lips, she finally squeezed out three words from between her teeth: "Ying... Chou... Jian..."
After hearing this, Cui Jintang threw the dagger in her hand in front of Cui Chunniang.
The sound made Cui Chunniang burst into tears.
She cried out: "Jintang! I'm your own aunt!"
"I'm your only relative left!"
Cui Jintang stood up, turning her back on Cui Chunniang. Her voice was calm as she instructed the guard outside the door: "Keep her alive until we find A Chao's body."
The guard outside the door took the order.
Cui Jintang stepped over the threshold, and even her back showed determination.
In the wood - storage shed, only Cui Chunniang's intermittent gasps were left, like a broken string.
Then came a series of noisy and hoarse cries.
——
In the Liuyi Alley, the Pei Mansion.
The afternoon sun was scorching, but the main hall was as cold as ice.
The hall was brightly lit. A white cat was curled up beside the corner of the ebony table, and the golden collar on its neck glinted.
Luo Xiang walked in gracefully, holding a small gilded box in her hand.
She looked a bit cautious, but her voice was sweet: "Zhaolin, you haven't had lunch yet, have you?"
Pei Zhaolin glanced at her indifferently and suddenly asked: "What does this cat like to eat?"
Hearing this, Luo Xiang smiled and opened the box lid. She took out a piece of freshly steamed meat cut into the shape of a fish. The aroma filled the air.
She took out a bowl, squatted down and placed it beside the white cat: "Zhaolin, do you remember? The first thing this cat ate after we picked it up was this kind of fish cake—"
The white cat was startled by Luo Xiang. Its fur stood on end, and it arched its back, letting out a low meow at Luo Xiang.
Luo Xiang was instantly stunned.
Pei Zhaolin bent down, picked up the white cat and placed it on his lap. He stroked the cat's head, and it took a while for the cat to stop growling in warning.
He flicked his fingertip on the cat's collar.
"Clang—"
The crisp sound of metal was like ice shards hitting the ground.
"Its name is Facai."
Pei Zhaolin's tone was as calm as water.
Luo Xiang's hand trembled, and the soup in the bowl almost splashed out.
She forced a smile, and her eyes quickly turned red: "This was the nickname I privately gave to Songzi... Facai. I was afraid you'd think it was too delicate, so I didn't dare let you hear it."
"Facai has been sickly since it was a kitten. The nanny said that an ordinary name would be easier to raise, so I changed its name without permission. Later, when you lost your memory, I thought it was just a trivial matter, so I didn't explain it."
Pei Zhaolin didn't say a word. He just looked up at Luo Xiang.
His gaze was as calm as a still lake, but it was like a deep well, making Luo Xiang feel as if her heart was being pulled down bit by bit.
Luo Xiang was extremely panicked at this moment. She couldn't tell from Pei Zhaolin's expression whether he had regained his memory!
Thinking of the person who gave her the medicine and vowed that Pei Zhaolin would never regain his memory, Luo Xiang managed to calm herself down.
Luo Xiang's voice became even softer: "Zhaolin, if you don't like it, I won't call it that anymore. But after all, I picked it up myself..."
"I picked it up from the stables in the Western Camp."
Pei Zhaolin's voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "At that time, it was so hungry that it was chewing on the reins, and there was already a copper plate with the name 'Facai' hanging around its neck."
Luo Xiang tightened her fingers, and the box lid snapped shut. The soup splashed on her cuff, leaving a dark and messy stain.
Pei Zhaolin lowered his eyes and ran his fingertips across the cat's back. His voice was soft yet cold.
"Making up more stories will only make you look more ridiculous."
Before returning to the mansion, Pei Zhaolin had already asked Ying Lan about Facai's origin.
It had nothing in common with what Luo Xiang had said.
Even until now, Luo Xiang hadn't said a single word of truth.
Luo Xiang stood there stiffly. Tears were hanging on her eyelashes, not knowing whether to fall or not.
Facai raised its tail high, and the tip of the tail pointed at her, gently swishing as if chasing away excess dust.
Looking at Facai, a hint of a smile appeared in Pei Zhaolin's eyes.
He stroked Facai's chin and said softly: "Since there's a mistake, we should correct Facai's name."
Luo Xiang looked up in a hurry, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
——
In the afternoon, when the sun was at its hottest.
The servants placed a low table on the bluestone slab in front of the main hall. There was red paper and a gold - lacquered pen on the table.
Opposite the low table, under the long corridor, Facai was sitting on a chair with its fluffy tail tucked under its body. There was also a large vat of ice beside it, and a maid was holding an umbrella to shield it from the sun.
Luo Xiang was invited by the steward of the Pei Mansion to the sun - exposed table.
"Miss Luo, please start writing," the steward said politely. "The master said that you need to write the word 'Facai' one hundred times to correct its name. If you make a single mistake, you'll have to start all over again."
Surrounded by servants and under everyone's watchful eyes.
Luo Xiang was so angry that she trembled all over.
This was no different from slapping her in the face in public!