cold clothes

Leng Yi returned to Zhuoyu Pavilion and waited anxiously all night. Early in the morning, she wanted to go to the herbal medicine hall to find Yin Jiu, but she did not see Yin Jiu. Doctor Xie looked exhausted.

"Aunt Fang, what's wrong?" Leng Yi stepped forward and asked with concern.

"Ningbi... Alas, Qingchun is dead."

"What?" Leng Yi was shocked and couldn't wait to ask, "What exactly happened? Aunt Fang, do you know?"

With a long sigh, Dr. Xie recounted what she had witnessed the previous night.

Last night, Madam Hu suddenly sent someone to invite Doctor Xie to Jingyaxuan. Doctor Xie was quite puzzled at first, since Madam Hu had never been sick before. It wasn't until she was led to the dungeon and saw Qingchun's appearance that she understood.

A deep, long scar was prominently displayed on her face. It was described as "creeping" because the scar was not smooth; it was crooked and uneven, not like an injury from a sharp weapon, but rather like someone had slowly cut it with a blunt instrument.

Dr. Xie has practiced medicine for many years and can tell the cause at a glance.

Qingchun knelt down, her hands and feet shackled, and her clothes were filthy as if they had been trampled on.

Mrs. Hu sat in front of her, her face very unpleasant, while Yun Qiu stood to the side with her head down.

"Dr. Xie is here. You choose. If you obey me, Dr. Xie will heal your face. If you resist, I have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead," Madam Hu said fiercely.

"Qingchun only desires death," Qingchun said without hesitation.

Dr. Xie was taken aback, never expecting Qingchun to be so resolute. Mother Hu, on the other hand, was furious.

"I've raised you for ten years, and this is how you repay me? You're going to rebel against me for another man?"

Qingchun shook her head firmly and said, "No, Mom, I'm not doing this for a man, I'm doing it for myself."

"Has Fengxianglou mistreated you?"

Qingchun closed her eyes in anguish: "I've been treated well in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, but apart from that, have I been treated like a human being? Mother, am I not just a tool for your revenge?"

"Absurd!" Mrs. Hu slammed her hand on the table, shattering it. "You actually think like that? I've raised you all these years for nothing! If I had known this would happen, I should have thrown you out and let you be trampled on and left to rot in the wilderness!"

"You can throw me out now and let me fend for myself."

"Have you thought this through? Do you really think you can accept life outside? Can you bear the thought of your appearance being ruined and people pointing fingers at you?"

Mrs. Hu tried to persuade Qingchun, but Qingchun was determined to rebel against Mrs. Hu, saying that even if she were to die, she would not want to live without freedom like before.

Mother Hu was furious. "Since you're so stubborn, I'll grant your wish. You can live freely in your next life!"

Then Doctor Xie prepared a cup of poisoned wine, and Qingchun died with her body covered in sores.

Leng Yi found it hard to digest. Was Qing Chun really that kind of person? Suddenly, she felt a sense of awe and guilt.

"She died. Was she buried in the back mountain like Sister Yunmei...?" Leng Yi asked.

"Probably." Doctor Xie's eyes were complicated as he looked at Leng Yi's melancholy expression.

In fact, Dr. Xie concealed some facts from Leng Yi; there was actually another person present at the time.

-

After Qingchun declared her intention to die, Madam Hu did not immediately execute her. Although she was angry, she was still the courtesan she had painstakingly cultivated, and she retained a sliver of compassion. But at this moment, a mocking young voice rang out: "Living freely, I never thought there would be any fools dreaming of such a thing."

Yin Jiu was also present. No, at that time he wasn't Yin Jiu, but Xie Yin.

Xie Yin walked up to Qingchun, casting a shadow over her. "What do you think freedom is? Leaving Fengxiang Brothel? Or getting married and having children like a normal woman?"

"It's better than being a slave and being controlled by you!"

"If you cut yourself seven more times in the face, I'll let you go. Can you accept that?"

"Since I've already disfigured myself, I don't care if it's just one cut or how many cuts!"

"You have real backbone. I'm starting to admire you."

After Xie Yin finished speaking, he threw a dagger to Qing Chun.

Qingchun slowly reached out and picked it up, staring blankly at the cold blade.

"What, are you scared?" Xie Yin raised an eyebrow.

“No,” Qingchun exhaled a breath of stale air, “I’ve never been so clear-headed in my life. Perhaps there is no true freedom in the world, but everything I’m doing right now is my choice, and my heart is free.” With that, Qingchun resolutely made seven cuts on her face.

"Qingchun!" Yunqiu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise and was about to step forward to stop her, but was stopped by Xie Yin's cold look.

"Miss Yunqiu, do you also want to gain freedom?"

Yunqiu shivered and shrank back.

Doctor Xie had seen Xie Yin's cold and ruthless demeanor before, but chose to conceal it from Leng Yi.

"By the way, Aunt Fang, where did Yin Jiu go? Aunt Fang?"

Doctor Xie was pulled back to his thoughts by Leng Yi's voice, "Him? I sent him to collect medicinal herbs. He probably won't be back for a while."

"Oh, I see. Okay then... I'll come visit you again when I have time. Goodbye!"

Dr. Xie forced a smile and said goodbye to Leng Yi.

After walking a short distance, Leng Yi's expression turned serious. She had originally wanted to clarify her doubts, but now she was even more confused.

Did Qingchun really die so simply? Did Yinjiu really leave to collect medicinal herbs? She didn't believe Yinjiu was just a simple medicine boy.

A few days later, news spread that Qingchun had died of illness, and at the same time, Yunqiu was taken to the Duke's mansion as a concubine.

At the main entrance of Fengxiang Tower, four people carried a sedan chair toward the Duke's Mansion, while at the back entrance, a person wearing a bamboo hat and a white cloth covering their face walked out.

The masked man glanced back at Fengxiang Tower; that was his final look.