cold clothes

The woman lying on the bed was naked, only partially covered by a blanket. Her exposed arms and legs were covered in bloodstains, with old and new bruises.

"Yunmei..." As soon as Leng Yi rushed into the room, she was immediately restrained by Granny Qin and Granny Liu. She stared blankly at everything in front of her. Clothes and broken porcelain pieces were scattered on the ground, making a mess. However, the strange man in the room was dressed impeccably.

"Yun Mei... Yun Mei..." Leng Yi felt as if her heart had been ripped out, the pain making it hard to breathe. She abruptly turned to the man and screamed shrilly, "You did it! You did the right thing! Why! Why did you do this! You—"

"Snapped!"

Madam Hu decisively slapped Leng Yi across the face, knocking her voice out of her wits. She then instructed the two nannies, "Gag her!"

The two old women obeyed and stuffed handkerchiefs into Leng Yi's mouth. After being covered for a moment, Leng Yi struggled desperately, glaring fiercely at Lord Liang with her bright blue eyes, as if she wanted to shoot knives and cut Lord Liang into a thousand pieces.

My emotions collapsed in an instant, and tears gushed out, blurring my vision.

Ah—why… I wanted to give Yunmei a birthday full of surprises. Yunmei should be having dinner with us right now, then playing games together… and receiving our gifts and blessings… Tonight is her birthday, she should be having a happy evening, why… why is all of this ruined!

She was the closest sister to me in this world... the one who smiled the gentlest at me... yet she lay there covered in blood...

"Drag her into the dungeon," said Madam Hu, her eyes narrowed as she coldly watched Leng Yi break down in tears.

"Waaaaah..." I'm going to kill you! Leng Yi roared at Lord Liang, but could only make wailing sounds. She struggled in the hands of the two old women, but was knocked unconscious.

Leng Yi was knocked unconscious and dragged out, and everything suddenly became quiet. The maidservant wisely closed the door, leaving only Mama Hu, Lord Liang, and Yun Mei's corpse in the room.

Madam Hu's eyes remained cold, but she forced a smile at Lord Liang and said in a deliberately gentle tone, "The new maid is ignorant, please don't be offended, sir. I will deal with her later."

Lord Liang stared at the doorway without moving, his eyes shining with a hint of surprise as he said, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone with blue eyes. I’ve only read about it in books. There are blonde, blue-eyed enchantresses in the Western Regions… They do look like people from the Central Plains, but there are actually people with black hair and blue eyes in the world… How amazing!”

"That little girl looked at me with the fierceness of a wolf, but she was so beautiful, especially the way she cried at the end. Beautiful, so beautiful." Lord Liang kept muttering to himself, becoming somewhat delirious as he spoke. He suddenly turned to Mama Hu and laughed, "Where did Mama Hu find this rare treasure? She looks so young, could she be the next courtesan queen?"

Madam Hu's smile faded slightly as she said, "I hope Lord Liang will keep this girl's matter a secret. I'm counting on her to earn my funeral money in a few years. As for tonight's events, Fengxianglou will cover for you and won't damage your reputation."

Lord Liang smiled, his face crinkling with wrinkles. "I trust Fengxianglou to do things right. Tomorrow I will send ten thousand taels of silver as a reward to Madam Hu."

"Thank you so much for your kind gift, sir," Madam Hu said with a smile. "It is Fengxianglou's duty to make sure you have a good time."

"Hahaha, very well. Then I'll take my leave." With that, Lord Liang flicked his sleeves and departed.

"Please, sir." Madam Hu bowed in place without moving an inch. After Lord Liang left, the smile on her face gradually faded and froze.

She stared silently at Yunmei's body for a long time until Qin Mama and Liu Mama returned. Then she said coldly, "Dispose of Yunmei's body before dawn, and don't let anyone find out."

If Leng Yi knew that the disgusting old man was taking pleasure in her anger and sorrow, she would want to kill him.

She weakly opened her eyes. It was pitch black all around her. After a while, she felt a faint light shining from above, while a cold wind seemed to be blowing in from somewhere below.

"Where is this..." Leng Yi murmured to herself, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through the back of her head, as if she had been hit. She gradually remembered that she had been knocked unconscious and taken to the dungeon.

Yesterday's events replayed in Leng Yi's mind like a nightmare. The sudden and drastic change left her breathless. She now had only one thought: Yun Mei was really dead.

He was killed by Lord Ryo.

Judging from the horrific scene in the room last night, and Yun Mei's injuries all over her body, it's not hard to guess what that beast did to her.

...beast, beast!

Leng Yi clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. Why hadn't she grabbed a knife and killed that beast? Why was no one punished for such a heinous act?

Why is Mrs. Hu so indifferent, treating Yunmei's life like dirt...?

"Are you resenting me?" Suddenly, Hu's mother's voice came from afar like a ghost, sending a chill down Leng Yi's spine. Startled, Leng Yi turned her head and saw a yellowish candlelight shining in the darkness. Hu's mother's figure was outlined by the candlelight, indistinct and unclear.

The maids behind her stood like silent dolls. Mama Hu opened the iron gate and walked up to Leng Yi.

Leng Yi looked up at her, her face stubborn.

Mrs. Hu smiled slightly, "What beautiful eyes you have. How many men would willingly offer jewels just to get your gaze?"

Leng Yi frowned, her wary and frightened expression resembling that of a startled wolf cub. Yes, a wolf. Mother Hu had long noticed that she was unusual; she seemed gentle and docile, but her eyes betrayed the wild beast within.

“You resent me, don’t you, Ningbi?” Madam Hu’s voice was like a curse, trying to provoke Lengyi’s anger and hatred. “Yunmei’s death was a predetermined result. You should have guessed that Lord Liang was a beast in human form. He liked to torture women and took pleasure in hearing their cries of pain.”

"Since you knew, why didn't you save Yunmei!" Unable to suppress her anger any longer, Leng Yi stood up and yelled at Madam Hu.

"Save her?" Madam Hu glanced at Leng Yi sideways. "If we save Yun Mei, will she not have to die? Will the other women not have to die?"

"Do you think that Liang Shuyun is the only beast in the world?"