On the last day of February, Zhao Hui asked Yu Shu to tidy up the house and move the house.
During breakfast, Yu Shu told Zhao Hui that she was going out. She was afraid that Zhao Hui would hurt herself, so she told her to arrange for the servants to clean up the house and not to walk around with a big belly. Fortunately, He Fangzhi said that he would not go to the clinic today and would stay at home to look after Zhao Hui. Yu Shu was relieved.
She went back to her room and changed into men's clothes. After half an hour, Yu Shu came to the door of the courtyard on Huixing Street in the south of the city. She knocked on the door and the person who answered the door was the tall and strong Zhou Hu.
Seeing Yu Shu who had not come for a long time, Zhou Hu was surprised. He quickly bowed and let her in.
"Close the door." Yu Shu asked Zhou Hu to bring her to the place where the prisoners were locked up. It was the room that Jing Chen used to live in. She pulled open the bolt and pushed the door open, only to see a figure curled up in a ball tied up on the empty bed.
"What's wrong with him?" Yu Shu pointed at Qu Hai, who was lying on the bed.
Zhou Hu said helplessly: "I don't know why this person always said that he had a headache. Two nights ago, he suddenly hit his head against the wall. I was afraid that something bad would happen to him, so I tied him to the bed."
Yu Shu turned around and looked at the courtyard. She did not see the honest looking Song Dali. "Why are you alone? Where is your brother?"
Zhou Hu said: "There is no oil in the house. I asked him to go out and buy some."
Yu Shu nodded and sent him away: "Go outside and guard for a while. I have something to say to this person."
"Yes, I will be at the door. Miss, call me if you need anything." Zhou Hu left.
Yu Shu closed the door and walked to the bed. She looked at Qu Hai who was lying on the bed with his back facing her. She thought about what happened to him and said with mixed feelings: "I know you are not asleep. Qu Hai, I want to ask you a few questions. If you tell me the truth, I will let you go today."
The body of the person tied to the bed moved. He slowly turned around to face Yu Shu, revealing a face with an ugly scar. His bloodshot eyes looked at her with hostility. He said in a hoarse voice, "What do you want to ask me?"
Hearing the hidden meaning in his words, Yu Shu just frowned and decided not to argue with this poor guy whose family was ruined. She calmly asked, "Last time, you said that you have a wife and a son at home?"
Qu Hai was stunned. His face instantly revealed a painful expression, and he tightly clenched his fists that were bound in front of him. Trembling slightly, he said in a hoarse voice, "It's all gone. It's all gone. I killed them. They're all … killed by me."
The last time Yu Shu heard Qu Hai say this, she thought that he was crazy and full of nonsense. Last night, she heard Xue Rui's investigation. Just now, it was confirmed that Qu Hai did have a wife and child, but they had already been killed. Since it was done by Qu Hai's enemies, Qu Hai painfully blamed himself and claimed that he had killed his wife and child.
"I asked someone to inquire about it. Your wife and child had already committed suicide by jumping into the river before you escaped from prison. Their bodies stayed in the memorial hall for half a month. Because no one claimed them, they were hastily buried in the graveyard. I-"
"Do you know where they were buried!?"
Before Yu Shu finished her words, she was interrupted by Qu Hai's urgent voice. He looked agitated and struggled to sit up from the bed. Unfortunately, he was tied tightly, so he fell back heavily. His head hit the bed, but he didn't cry out in pain. He just stared at Yu Shu, as if he would pounce on her and bite her if she dared to say that she didn't know.
Yu Shu didn't intend to keep him guessing, so she nodded and said, "I know."
"Tell me!" The blue veins on Qu Hai's forehead bulged, and he shouted at Yu Shu.
With her hands behind her back, Yu Shu turned around and said in a low voice, "I see that you are a pitiful person. Although your sins are deep, you still have a bit of humanity left in you. There is no harm in telling you, but you must swear in the name of your deceased relatives that you will never oppose me in your lifetime. Not only will I tell you where they are buried, but I will also let you go and let you worship the dead."
"I promise!" Qu Hai blurted out almost without thinking. He didn't know where he got the strength from, but he rolled from the bed to the ground. He knelt up, tied his hands behind his back, and kowtowed to Yu Shu several times. He said hoarsely with all his strength, "I, Qu Hai, swear today that if I go against you or make things difficult for you, I will be smashed to pieces, and my wife and daughter will die in the netherworld … with everlasting regret, and my soul will scatter!"
Yu Shu's back was facing Qu Hai, and a trace of pity flashed across her face. She secretly apologized. She didn't mean to be disrespectful to the dead, but Qu Hai was a vicious person. It was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't turn his back on her after he recovered. She could only let him go with a peace of mind if she could make him make such a vicious oath.
"They were buried outside the western suburbs of An Ling City …"
Yu Shu squatted in front of Qu Hai, slowed down her voice, and told him the place where his wife and daughter were buried. Because the place was remote, she repeated it twice, and Qu Hai nodded to show that he remembered it.
In fact, Yu Shu was very curious about the person who could send people into the prison to threaten Qu Hai, force him to fake his death to escape from prison, and then kill his own flesh and blood. However, if she inquired about it at this time, it was inevitable that she would be suspected of blackmailing a dead person. It was not for self-protection, and Yu Shu did not want to do such a thing that would damage her virtue, so she had to avoid trouble.
After Yu Shu and Qu Hai reached an agreement, she opened the door and called Zhou Hu in. She pointed to Qu Hai who was kneeling on the ground and said, "Untie him."
Zhou Hu was surprised and said with uncertainty, "Miss, you want to let him go, but this person …"
Yu Shu raised her hand and interrupted him, "It's okay, let him go."
Zhou Hu took out a dagger from his waist, stepped forward and cut the rope, but he was in a defensive position. As long as Qu Hai made a move, he would capture him.
Qu Hai didn't pay attention to his little movements. When the rope was loosened, he got up from the ground, moved his hands and feet a few times, and then looked up and asked Yu Shu, "Can I go now?"
Yu Shu took out the money bag that she prepared in her sleeve and threw it to Qu Hai, "Take this money. If you can find a place to live, bury the dead well. Be careful not to be caught."
Qu Hai caught the pouch and held it in his hand. He nodded to Yu Shu and said gratefully, "Don't worry, Miss. Although I am a vicious and evil person, my words carry enormous weight and I will keep them. I owe you a favor, and I will repay it in the future. "
Yu Shu looked at him and secretly sighed that this person did have the courage to achieve great things, but unfortunately he didn't take the right path. If he took one wrong step, he would never be able to turn back.
She nodded and moved to the side of the door, indicating that he could go.
Qu Hai cupped his fists towards her and quickly walked past her. Without looking back, he opened the courtyard door and disappeared in a flash.
With Qu Hai gone, Zhou Hu and Song Dali had nothing to do. As for where they should go, Yu Shu thought about it for a while. Zhao Hui's family already had a lot of people, so she didn't lack people to order around. In a few days, Old Madam He would enter the capital, so there would be no place to settle them. It would be very inconvenient, so she decided to leave the two of them in this small courtyard and give them other tasks in the future.
When Song Dali came back from buying oil for the lamp, Yu Shu left enough money for their daily expenses and said to the two of them, "I told you, I am a barter. Now that the Dayan results are released, I have no distractions. Stay here for a while, and I will give you other tasks later."
Zhou Hu and Song Dali were happy that no one was controlling them and readily agreed.
Yu Shu told Zhou Hu to send her back to her residence in the west of the city. Before noon, she left Huixing Street again.
*
*
*
Yu Shu rested for two days and just finished dealing with the chores around her. On the morning of the first day of the third month, Liu Tan sent someone to take her to the guesthouse again.
The weather was getting warmer and Zhao Hui was pregnant, so it wasn't convenient for her to take care of the household. The clothes for this season hadn't been cut yet, so when Yu Shu came to the capital, she was empty-handed. She only had clothes for autumn and winter. She couldn't even find a skirt for spring. This morning, she delayed getting up for a long time before she put on an autumn robe as a spring outfit.
However, she looked energetic and her complexion had been nourished by He Fangzhi's three bowls of Chinese medicine a day. She wore a man's robe with a belt and her hair was neatly combed at the back of her head, which made her look taller and more attractive than in women's clothes.
When Liu Tan and Helan Chou saw Yu Shu's attire, they both looked at her a few more times. The former subconsciously furrowed his brows while the latter shook his head and recited, "People don't recognize the joy of the heart. It's said that slacking off to learn from youths ~"
Yu Shu didn't understand what he meant. She only smiled and followed behind Liu Tan onto the sedan.
The journey to Qiongyu Lou was silent. When it was time, everyone was seated. There were still the same few people, but Ning Wang's side was more lively than usual. Yu Shu took a closer look and saw that it was Liu Du and Liu Yi's seats. They were all leaning against Ji Xingxuan's side, talking and laughing intimately around her.
This wasn't strange. As a young Hidewon Da Yi Master, her future was limitless. There were many in the trade who wanted to get close to her. Moreover, there was also Ning Wang's face. One could imagine how popular Ji Xingxuan was now.
Yu Shu's mouth twitched. She looked to the other side at Twelfth Prince Liu Chan's seat, which was as lonely and ignored as she was. There was a thirteen or fourteen year old girl with large eyes.
Who would have thought that the little girl was also looking at her. When their eyes met, Yu Shu couldn't help but smile kindly at her. The little girl's eyes lit up and she actually pulled on the sleeve of Liu Chan, who wasn't much older than her. She mumbled a few words and Liu Chan nodded. She stood up and left her seat, rushing excitedly towards Yu Shu.
"Ninth Prince," the little girl first bowed to Liu Tan, who was sitting on Yu Shu's seat. Her eyes glanced in Yu Shu's direction.
Liu Tan didn't make things difficult for the little girl. He nodded and pointed to Yu Shu, introducing, "This is the seat I invited, Miss Lotus Room. This is my twelfth brother's seat, Sixth Miss of the Xin family. "
When Yu Shu heard the word "family", she then realized that this child-looking girl in front of her was from a famous Yi school. She stood up and bowed.
"Miss Xin."
"Miss Lotus Room," Sixth Miss Xin winked at Yu Shu, "May I sit next to you and we can talk?"
Yu Shu turned to look at Liu Tan, waiting for his signal. Liu Tan still gave Yu Shu face. He waved his hand and ordered the attendants behind him, "Set up a seat for Miss Xin."
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