"I really didn't do anything. It was Princess Anhe who ordered it. She wanted to make things difficult for the Liu family, and as a mere Jinshi, how could I refuse?" Hu Jiayuan pleaded with his eyes.
"I believe that. Then tell me how my grandmother and the two old ancestors of the Liu family met their end?" Wu Caiwei stared intently into his eyes, not letting any flicker of emotion escape.
"Everyone knows that. The two elders of the Liu family were angered to death by your grandmother. At that time, Liu Qing's mother insisted on leaving with me. They spat blood on the spot and never recovered. As for Liu Qing's mother, she died of illness." Hu Jiayuan spoke of these matters with no hint of guilt. If Wu Caiwei hadn't seen his guilty eyes back then, she might have believed him.
"It seems you're not being honest," Wu Caiwei walked up to him and pressed the dagger against his throat. "Tell me, what will happen if I stab you with this knife?"
"Don't, don't, my lady, this is no laughing matter," Hu Jiayuan recoiled, trembling.
"Who's joking with you? People like you are dishonest." With that, she unexpectedly plunged the dagger fiercely into his thigh.
A deafening scream erupted instantly, and Hu Jiayuan's body trembled with pain.
"If you don't tell the truth, I have plenty of time to play with you properly." Seeing Wu Caiwei raise her knife again, Hu Jiayuan squeezed his eyes shut and shouted, "I'll talk, I'll talk."
"Speak, I'm listening," Wu Caiwei waved the knife in front of him. "If you dare to lie to me, I can't guarantee where the next cut will be."
"Do you think your grandmother was so innocent? She was unfaithful and made Master Junma infatuated with her. Princess Anhe, unable to bear Master Junma's affections for another, then brought about her own demise." Speaking of this, Hu Jiayuan seemed indignant as if he had been wronged.
"So you killed her."
"It was her own fault..." he blurted out the words that had been hidden in his heart for a long time. The moment they left his lips, he regretted it and quickly tried to cover up, "How could that be? She just couldn't bear it and died of melancholy."
"What about the two old ancestors of the Liu family?"
"I truly don't know about them. I only know that Princess Anhe once said she wouldn't let the Liu family off easy. At that time, I had already married Miss Zhang, and my future was bright. Why would I do such a thing? If it were discovered, I would be doomed. I only took over the Liu family's assets after the two elders passed away. If you don't believe me, I dare to swear to the heavens." He was about to raise his hand to swear.
"Enough, don't swear. I believe that. I just find you too strange. You consort with noble ladies outside, yet you call your wife promiscuous when she's merely noticed by someone else. Then someone like you who deceives in marriage should be dismembered to vent one's anger?"
"How can men and women be the same? It's normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines, but women must uphold wifely virtue and not be promiscuous outside," Hu Jiayuan vehemently disagreed with her view and argued.
"It's useless to argue with someone like you. I don't know about anything else, but I do know you're in trouble now."
"Didn't you say it's fine as long as I tell the truth?"
"I never said that. Beat him severely, just don't kill him," Wu Caiwei sat back down on her stool and ordered the guards to beat him, enjoying Hu Jiayuan's suffering.
Hu Jiayuan didn't return all night. His wife didn't think of looking for him; she even wished he would die outside and never return.
In the evening, hearing the noisy chatter outside the door, she opened it to see what was happening.
To her surprise, upon opening the door, she saw a man lying at the entrance like a bloody mess. The neighbors gathered around, pointing and gossiping. No one stepped forward to help, nor did anyone call for a doctor.
The residents of this area had some understanding of the Hu family. They feared being implicated if something went wrong and they offered help, or if they called a doctor and the Hu family couldn't afford the medical fees, they would have to bear it themselves.
Seeing the situation at the door, Hu furen resigned herself to fate and asked two people to help carry him into the house. However, she refused to call a doctor for him, letting him fend for himself. After all, with such severe injuries, it was normal if he didn't make it.
After dealing with the situation here, she returned to the Liu family to inform Liu furen and Liu fuda. She had avenged them and reclaimed what belonged to the Liu family.
When Liu fuda and Liu furen heard this news, tears streamed down their faces. They had finally avenged their first child, and the Liu family was back.
She suspected that someone was manipulating everything the Liu family had suffered. To uncover the truth, she decided to go to the capital.
Liu fuda also wanted to go with her, but he was old and his body couldn't withstand long journeys. Fearing for his daughter's safety, he hired many guards at a great expense.
When Wu Caiwei met these guards, she scanned each of their faces. Her gaze paused for a moment, and then she casually greeted them.
Lin Shuisheng knew Wu Caiwei was looking at them, and his palms were sweating with nervousness.
Finally, as she bid farewell to Liu fuda and Liu furen, she casually mentioned, "Among these guards, one person looks very familiar to me, but I can't recall where I've seen him before."
Liu fuda pondered for a moment and said, "You must be referring to Shuisheng. He's from our Qingshan Village. You used to help him often when you were little."
"Oh? How do I not remember?"
"You were very young then, and he wasn't much older either. His stepmother made him work all day and didn't give him enough to eat. You would always sneak food from home to him. You thought we didn't know, but we actually felt sorry for him and deliberately indulged your actions, providing for him," Liu fuda recalled his daughter's childhood anecdotes, stroking her head with doting affection.
"Why didn't I see him again later?" Wu Caiwei was somewhat curious.
"Later, he learned some skills from the mountain hunters and went hunting every day. The game he hunted could be sold for money. His stepmother's attitude towards him changed. Although it wasn't much better, he no longer had to worry about not having enough to eat. Gradually, you both grew up, and there was a need to observe propriety between men and women. Later, you were betrothed to Liu Yixuan, and all your thoughts revolved around him, so you naturally didn't pay attention to things around you. However, before your betrothal, he came to me and asked for some time. He said he would come to propose once he saved enough money. I refused because his family was too complicated, and I feared you would suffer." As he spoke, Liu fuda looked back and forth between Wu Caiwei and Lin Shuisheng.
Wu Caiwei saw his mysterious gaze and knew exactly what he was thinking. In fact, Wu Caiwei had paid special attention to Lin Shuisheng because, after the original host died, she saw him weeping uncontrollably at her grave.
At that time, her heart was set on Liu Yixuan. Although she found it strange, she didn't pay much attention. Seeing him today, she realized it was him.
Wu Caiwei and Liu fuda were thinking along the same lines. Regarding Lin Shuisheng, she needed to interact with him more and consider things carefully. After all, one couldn't make a decision based solely on a memory.
After bidding farewell to her parents, Wu Caiwei, accompanied by a group of guards and two personal maids, set off in great style to face new challenges.