This day, as she returned from outside, she saw the Prefect again and teased him playfully, "It seems Your Excellency the Prefect is quite idle lately. The tea here is very fragrant."
"You are so clever, you must know why I've come to find you. You got such an important clue, why didn't you tell me? I even trusted you so much and specifically asked that day." Kong Jialiang felt she had changed, becoming someone he didn't quite recognize.
"Oh, you're talking about the court proceedings? So it's true. I just got the news and couldn't wait to tell the Magistrate, which is as good as telling you. See, you've come looking for me, haven't you?" Wu Caiwei sat down on her own, poured herself a cup of tea, and slowly savored it.
"Don't mention this matter again. It's been investigated and cleared. The murderer of Master Liu is Master Wu." Kong Jialiang also sat down, gazing intently at her, a hint of warning in his eyes.
"It's good to be the Prefect's wife. To harm someone twice and still get away with it," Wu Caiwei scoffed.
This made Kong Jialiang recall the incident with the ruby that targeted her last time. He didn't know what his wife was thinking, always using rubies in her actions. It was hard not to link the two incidents, and no wonder the other party went to investigate her.
"Didn't you not get into trouble? She guaranteed me she wouldn't do such things again. Can't you forgive her just once?" Although Kong Jialiang felt a little guilty, he still thought the other party was being unreasonable. Didn't she know that if his wife were truly implicated in a murder case, Kong Jialiang's future would be ruined? His own life would be over.
"Then fine. Some other day, I'll poison you and your husband. As long as no one dies, it's fine. Don't you come looking for trouble with me then." Wu Caiwei looked at him seriously, her sincere eyes telling him she absolutely would.
"Why are you being so stubborn? What's passed is passed. Whatever compensation you want, I'll give it to you. I'll even help you find a good marriage, and you can still live happily. Why must you put yourself at risk?" He thought she was quite gentle and understanding, but when faced with trouble, he realized she was, after all, a woman—too foolish, too naive.
"I just want to have nothing to do with you and your wife in the future. Furthermore, revenge is my own business; I don't need you to act." The previous night, he had packed his already prepared bags and turned to leave.
This time, she was truly leaving. Since she couldn't touch the Prefect's wife locally, she would start from the capital. She didn't believe she couldn't get to know high officials and deal with the couple.
When she went to pick up the baby, she found Huayi also carrying a small bundle. "What's this?"
"I've decided to go to the capital with Madam. I wanted to leave you before because I had attachments, but now I realize they aren't worth it, and I don't want to get married. I can only follow Madam. Please don't dislike me." Huayi smiled at her.
"You little rascal, hurry up and get in." Wu Caiwei flicked her forehead playfully. Amidst the reluctant gazes of the Liu family, they slowly departed. Before leaving, she specifically went into the city to find Liu Dagui, telling him to take good care of the Liu family from now on, and that she wouldn't let him off if even a single hair on any of them was harmed while she was away. Liu Dagui quickly promised he would do as she said.
Without Feng Yi's company, she suddenly felt something was missing. He had left without a word a few days prior, leaving her somewhat dejected. At the same time, she found herself ridiculous. Clearly, they were incompatible, and seeing each other daily was a torment for others. She felt this mindset was unacceptable.
Because of the child, they traveled very slowly, resting at every stop. Fortunately, they had enough money, and the coachman wasn't in a hurry. The capital, which could have been reached in half a month, took them two full months.
By then, their money was almost gone. Wu Caiwei first rented a small courtyard, hired two women to clean the house, and bought some furniture to settle down temporarily.
A few days later, she closed all the doors and windows, asked Hua Yi to stay home and look after the baby, and then disguised herself as a man. She secretly left with all the money they had left.
"Miss, be careful with everything." Huayi instructed with concern. Although she worried about her, they were almost out of money and had to survive, so her miss had to work hard.
"Don't worry. Your Miss brought you to the capital, and I won't let you go hungry. I'll be back soon." With that, Wu Caiwei didn't hesitate any longer and hurried off. She needed to be quick. After all, they had just arrived, and she didn't know if there might be thugs who would prey on them, seeing them as two women with a child. Once she earned money, they would need to move to a different place and buy some servants, so she wouldn't worry when she went out.
Only after reaching her destination did she take out this fan and walk leisurely towards the opposite side. From inside the building, she heard the boisterous shouts: "Big, big, small, big..."
Yes, to quickly earn money this time, she had come to the gambling house.
After looking around, she found that the patrons at the innermost table were playing for the highest stakes. She unconsciously joined them. With her exceptionally keen hearing, she quickly won over five hundred taels of silver and immediately noticed several pairs of eyes watching her.
She nonchalantly moved to the next table and soon won another two hundred taels. She figured she would have over a hundred taels of profit for the day. Moreover, it wasn't close to where they were staying, so she needed to hurry back and stop playing.
As soon as she left the entrance of the gambling house, she discovered she was being followed. She quickly led her pursuers through a series of turns, infusing her steps with inner strength, and soon shook them off.
Returning home and seeing the two children safe and sound, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With nearly eight hundred taels of silver, they could live comfortably in the capital for a few more months. Of course, this was not a long-term solution, especially since she had been targeted by the gambling house after just one session.
With the money, she naturally wouldn't skimp on herself. The next day, she bought a maid, a wet nurse, and two guards.
The courtyard wasn't large, and it felt a bit cramped, but with these people, she felt much more secure. Her neighbors, who had been watching them, became covetous when they saw so many people suddenly added to their household. The thugs, who had initially thought two women would be easy targets, were surprised by the instant appearance of two strong men and had to abandon their lascivious intentions.
Consequently, Wu Caiwei found that people proposing marriage to her almost broke down their doorstep. She headachefully told everyone she wouldn't marry, only accepting a live-in son-in-law, a condition that immediately deterred a large group.
Originally, she wanted to say that her child's father was still alive and well, so she could never marry. However, she feared that if she found him, and he turned out to be someone they knew, it would cause trouble. As for her suffering, that condition could be met or withdrawn at any time.