Yu Shu came to the Ji mansion today to find out about Aunt Cui's situation and find a way to get her out. However, seeing that the Ji family was in chaos because of Ji Huaishan's death, and no one was in charge of the mansion, she felt that she couldn't miss this opportunity. She didn't need to wait for tomorrow or the day after. She could take advantage of this time to 'steal' Aunt Cui out.
There was no time to lose. When Ji Xingxuan went to the Ji mansion and listened to the servant's description, with her intelligence, she might guess that it was her who came. If she didn't get Aunt Cui out today, it would be more difficult in the future.
With Xiang Sui leading the way, Yu Shu quickly found the place where Aunt Cui was locked up. This was a remote courtyard in the west courtyard. There were two or three rooms neatly lined up. The front was the kitchen, and the back was where livestock and firewood were kept.
It was morning, and it was past breakfast time. There was no one in the kitchen. Yu Shu and Xiang Sui stuck close to the tree and went around to the back of the house without being discovered.
A laborer was stacking firewood in the backyard. There were two doors behind him, one open and the other closed. There was a copper lock on the closed door. It was obvious that Concubine Cui was locked inside. She must not have expected that someone would dare to "steal" her, so there was not even a guard.
Yu Shu looked around and bent down in the grass. She whispered in Xiang Sui's ear: "You go there and lead this worker away. Tell him that there are few people carrying things in front, and the housekeeper called someone to help. Lure him away. You think of a way to the back door in the west corner. I saved your Yiniang, and I will wait for you there."
Because Yu Shu had prepared this maidservant in advance, Xiang Sui only hesitated for a moment and whispered: "Miss, you, you won't abandon this servant, right?"
Yu Shu slapped her head and scolded in a low voice: "If I abandon you, I will be reincarnated as a tortoise in my next life. Alright, go quickly. "
Perhaps Yu Shu's promise worked. Kaho gritted her teeth and handed the small bag in her hand to Yu Shu. He walked out from behind the tree and pretended to come from the front yard. He called out to the woodcutter with a bluff and bit his tongue when he lied. Only then did he manage to trick her away.
As soon as they disappeared, Yu Shu stood up from the bushes. He trotted to the tightly shut woodshed, pulled the lock on the door, and pressed his ear against the door to listen inside. He did not call out to Aunt Cui. Firstly, there were still people in the kitchen in front. Secondly, Aunt Cui was not reliable. If she got excited when she heard her voice, she would not make a fuss and attract people.
Yu Shu was sure that there was someone inside. She stepped back and picked up the axe that the worker had used to chop firewood. She hung the bag on her elbow. She returned to the front and inserted the axe between the lock and the door knocker. After a few forceful prying, the lock loosened and he pulled it down. Yu Shu caught the lock with one hand and did not let it fall to the ground with a loud sound. She gently placed the axe on the ground and Yu Shu pushed the door open. She looked around and effortlessly found a woman with disheveled hair curled up at the foot of the wall.
Yu Shu closed the door behind her and strode forward. She squatted in front of Aunt Cui and reached out to shake her shoulder. She whispered: "Mother, mother?"
Aunt Cui was sleeping in a fog, having a nightmare. She suddenly heard someone calling her. She opened her eyes and saw a figure in front of her. Her face was a little dazed as she asked: "You, you're also locked in here?"
Yu Shu saw that the woman's dirty face had a few purple finger marks on it. There was even a dried blood scab under her nose. Even if she could not stand the sight of her, she could not help but get angry. She scolded Ji Hyotani who loved to hit women. She reached out to untie her and whispered: "Mother, I'm here to bring you out. You can't stay in the Ji family anymore. You have to come with me."
Aunt Cui woke up from her dream. She looked at Yu Shu and in a blink of an eye, tears streamed down her face. Her hands and feet were tied and she used her head to hit Yu Shu. She cried and scolded: "You damned girl, you want to kill me. How dare you kill Master Ji? Why don't you let me die? Do you want me to die?"
Yu Shu heard her shouting and quickly covered her mouth. She scolded softly: "Shhh, if you want to attract people, you will really die here. When that time comes, I will accompany you to the underworld. You will be happy."
Fortunately, Aunt Cui had been hungry all night and did not have much strength. Her voice was not loud. After being frightened by Yu Shu, she obediently closed her mouth. However, her tears fell even more fiercely. She stared at Yu Shu like an enemy and did not let go for a moment.
"Don't stare at me. Master Ji committed a big crime and wanted to die. Why are you blaming me? You should leave with me quickly. Otherwise, you will die sooner or later if you stay in this family."
Yu Shu complained as she untied Aunt Cui. She hastily tied up her hair and tied it with a hairpin. She helped her to stand up. Aunt Cui's legs softened. She took a deep breath and said: "Ouch! It hurts!"
Finding that she had sprained her ankle, Yu Shu frowned. She picked up the bundle on the ground, put one of Aunt Cui's arms around her neck, and carried her out. "Bear with it. You will be fine when we are outside."
What else could Aunt Cui say? She pursed her lips, put her weight on Yu Shu, and limped out. At this point, even a fool would know that she could not stay in the Ji family any longer. It was said that her daughter killed Master Ji. Wouldn't she have to pay with her life if she stayed?
Yu Shu half carried and half dragged Aunt Cui out of the woodshed and moved towards the back door in the west corner. Along the way, she hid from people and ran into bushes. Aunt Cui complained that her ankle hurt and wanted to throw a tantrum. She was scared by Yu Shu and held it in. Fortunately, Yu Shu had some strength and pulled the woman like a sandbag.
Hiding behind an old tree near the back door, Yu Shu let Aunt Cui squat. She panted and rotated her sore arm, looking back at the way they came.
"Why are you not going?" Aunt Cui tugged at Yu Shu's trousers and asked, "Why are you not going?"
"Wait for Xiang Sui. She will be here in a moment."
Hearing this, Aunt Cui hurriedly said: "Why are you waiting for that heartless thing? Yesterday, she saw me getting beaten up and she didn't even dare to stop me. Let's go. Let's see how you can run when someone chases after us."
Yu Shu rolled her eyes at her and did not explain. Anyone with enough brains would not leave their accomplice behind after doing something bad. Wouldn't it be a waste to leave a witness?
*
*
*
Late last night, Liu Hao sent Ji Xingxuan back to the Ji mansion. She fainted after being stimulated in the court and slept for several hours. If she didn't insist on going back, Liu Hao would not have sent her back.
All the families in the capital were kneeling in the mourning hall, crying and grieving. Ji Huaishan's body was placed in the coffin at the back. The coffin had not been closed for seven days.
She heard from a servant that someone was looking for her in the front yard. Although Ji Xingxuan was not in the mood to see a guest, she heard that it was a classmate of Taishi Library. Thinking that it was most likely someone with ulterior motives who came to visit at this time, it was not good to be neglectful. She suppressed her grief and told her parents. She went back to her room to freshen up and go to the front yard to receive the guest.
Who would have thought that when she arrived at the tea room, she would not see a single person.
"Oh, strange. This humble one asked Miss Zhou to wait here." The servant touched the back of his head in confusion and looked at Ji Xingxuan. He was afraid that she would scold him, so he said, "Miss, this person probably couldn't wait to leave."
Ji Xingxuan looked at the empty living room and was also confused about who the person was. There were several Miss Zhou in Taishi Library, and two of them were friends with her. One was the daughter of the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the other was the sister of the general of the Yulin Royal Guards. She didn't know who it was.
"What does that Miss look like?" Ji Xingxuan asked.
"Looks, looks …" The servant was speechless and didn't know how to describe the person's appearance. After a long time, he said, "Looks like a son of a rich family."
Ji Xingxuan turned her head and became suspicious, "A son of a rich family?"
The servant nodded, "Yes, dressed like a son of a rich family. But this Miss, this humble one almost mistook her for someone else."
Hearing this description, Ji Xingxuan suddenly thought of a person and asked in a low voice, "Is her left hand wrapped in gauze? Is she taller than me?"
"This … This humble one didn't notice if she was wrapped in gauze or not, but her height is similar to mine."
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