Chapter 494

Gu Jiu Ling never expected that the woman before her, tortured beyond human appearance, would actually be the wife Cao Mao Lin had newly married half a year ago.

One must know that Zheng Yan's natal family, the Zheng clan, was also one of the top salt merchants in Yangzhou; when they initially intermarried with the Cao clan, it was a union of equals.

Unexpectedly, within these six months, I heard that Zheng Yan's relationship with Cao Mao Lin was not good, and the Zheng clan also fell out with the Cao clan over a dispute in grain transport, after which the two families ceased all contact.

It is said that Zheng Yan is also one of Yangzhou's foremost talented women, versed in literature and reason, and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Who would have thought she would fall to such a state, actually being tortured into this condition?

Even if the Zheng and Cao clans had grudges, how could one be so inhuman as to torture one's own wife?

Zheng Yan, after all, is a lady from a respectable family; seeing her current ghastly appearance, it simply sends a chill down one's spine.

Zheng Yan's expression grew somewhat agitated; she desperately bit the pen, frantically scribbling, so that some characters even overlapped.

Gu Jiu Ling hurriedly, together with Xiao Yin, held up the paper, cooperating with her to write down those twisted characters one by one.

The more she looked, the more her heart trembled with fear; as it turned out, even a month earlier the Zheng household had suffered a massacre, with all the old and young slaughtered cleanly in a single night by jianghu people.

Only Zheng Yan remained alive; the reason she was not killed was that, when the Zheng clan had done business with the Cao clan in the past, they had kept an additional ledger.

This ledger recorded many of the Cao clan's unsavory dealings; the Zheng clan had always kept it as a magic weapon to restrain the Cao clan, never expecting the Cao clan to be even more ruthless, coming directly with an extermination.

Even if the Zheng clan held leverage, what could they do?

Who would dare expose this matter for the Zheng clan, when the Zheng clan's vital descendants are all gone—who else would have the courage and spirit to fight the Cao clan?

Even so, the Cao clan still wanted to obtain the ledger, so they could only coerce Zheng Yan.

Who would have thought Zheng Yan was a tough nut, refusing to divulge her parents' and brothers' secrets even if beaten to death, thus being locked away here in darkness.

Gu Jiu Ling carefully took the pen from her mouth, picked up a cloth to wipe her face, and fed her a bowl of rice porridge that Yun Duo had brought in.

Cao Mao Lin had been feeding her only scraps and leftovers, rotten vegetables and cold rice; this time she smelled the aroma of rice again, rushed to Gu Jiu Ling's hand and gulped it down in large mouthfuls, obviously famished.

"Where is that ledger?" Xiao Yin asked slowly.

Zheng Yan lifted her head, and her expression actually became somewhat composed.

Xiao Yin brought the pen to Zheng Yan's lips; she steadied herself and wrote a few characters.

To obtain the ledger, one must help her kill Cao Mao Lin and Gu Nan Xiang, those two scoundrels.

Upon seeing the three characters 'Gu Nan Xiang,' Gu Jiu Ling's eye twitched.

Looking at the pitiful state of this woman before her, Gu Jiu Ling guessed it was also Gu Nan Xiang's vicious method, and felt that Gu Nan Xiang was born a bad seed, unchangeable.

In this world there are such people, born bad seeds; do not expect them to have even a shred of mercy.

Xiao Yin drew a breath and said: "Only by obtaining the ledger can we kill Cao Mao Lin; although I am this time the Imperial Envoy sent to Yangzhou to inspect the salt merchants, without evidence killing him would ultimately leave us open to attack."

"First hand over the evidence, then I will kill Cao Mao Lin and Gu Nan Xiang to avenge you!"

Xiao Yin had made his words very clear, but he did not expect Zheng Yan to fall silent again, slowly lowering her head.

Her disheveled hair covered her ferocious face completely, evidently her attitude had become uncooperative.

Xiao Yin's face darkened slightly; just as he was about to erupt, Gu Jiu Ling grabbed his arm.

Zheng Yan is unlike the Cao clan's dark guard from before; one cannot make her talk by feeding her a couple of centipede poisons, after all she is also a pitiful person, and Gu Jiu Ling cannot bring herself to harm an innocent, or else she would become a beast.

Moreover, Zheng Yan has been tortured in the secret chamber for so long, showing her will is tenacious; not to mention feeding her centipedes, even if one fed her poisonous snakes, this woman would likely still not speak.

For a moment they reached an impasse, but now that the person has been rescued, they cannot possibly lock her back in the secret chamber.

Although she and Xiao Yin now occupy this house, the Cao clan will come rushing over tomorrow, at which point other variables may arise, making it hard to control.

Xiao Yin furrowed his brows, and Gu Jiu Ling seized his wrist, whispering: "Your Highness! Take it slow!"

Xiao Yin felt a surge of frustration; Zheng Yan, this woman, is also clever—she told them the secret of the ledger but not fully, using it to coerce them into agreeing to her terms.

However, sending this person away is not difficult.

"Ling Feng! Take this…" Xiao Yin glanced at the inhuman-looking Zheng Yan before him, steadied himself, and said: "Send the young mistress out of the Cao household, and summon a physician to properly care for her."

Ling Feng bowed and replied: "Your Highness, where should the young mistress be sent to?"

Xiao Yin pondered, then his eyes flickered slightly as he leaned close to Gu Jiu Ling's ear and whispered softly: "Earlier we kept Cao Mao Lin because we wanted to squeeze something out of him; now we have a new witness—should we keep this person or not?"

Gu Jiu Ling instantly understood; since Zheng Yan said the condition for handing over the ledger was the lives of Cao Mao Lin and Gu Nan Xiang, she decided to go along with the flow.

She slowly raised her hand, her soft white hand making a light gesture across her own throat, and Xiao Yin's lips curled into a smile.

"Ling Feng! Spread the word: say that this prince, on the road to Yangzhou, knocked over a blind, deaf female beggar whose hands and feet tendons were all severed; my princess consort, kind-hearted, cannot bear such human suffering, so I sent the female beggar to the Cao household to be raised, which is also a way to accumulate blessings for the Cao family's old and young."

This explanation was truly seamless, and even Gu Jiu Ling admired it.

As it turns out, the former Southern Qi war god who once commanded the winds and clouds also has a sharp tongue.

Ling Feng hurriedly spread this news, and Gu Jiu Ling had Yun Duo bring two of the Cao clan's maidservants to help Zheng Yan wash her body.

After washing her clean, Gu Jiu Ling again applied medicine to Zheng Yan.

Zheng Yan had long suffered malnutrition; her diet was personally designed by Gu Jiu Ling, who then promptly tidied a separate room in this courtyard of Cao Mao Lin and had Zheng Yan move in.

Zheng Yan never expected that she herself had once been the mistress of this courtyard, yet now she exists as a guest.

Sure enough, Cao Mao Lin and Gu Nan Xiang could not sit still; early the next morning they came to visit the young Xiao Yin, but Xiao Yin refused the visit on the pretext of travel fatigue and bodily weariness.

On the third day, Cao Mao Lin personally set up a banquet at Yangzhou's largest tavern, the Wangyue Lou.

He invited all the salt merchants of Yangzhou, even the Yangzhou prefect and various local officials, and the entire tavern was bought out by Cao Mao Lin alone.

At this point Cao Mao Lin could hardly stay seated; without guessing, one knows Xiao Yin has discovered Zheng Yan.

This time the Imperial Court sent an Imperial Envoy; the Cao clan's attempts to intercept and block them on the road failed, and up to now Cao Mao Lin feels himself everywhere on the defensive, yet the superficial formalities must still be observed.

Not long after, Xiao Yin and Gu Jiu Ling arrived at the Wangyue Lou by carriage.

Cao Mao Lin personally came out to greet them; this time, facing Xiao Yin, his attitude was extremely courteous.

The other salt merchants and local officials of Yangzhou rose one after another, paid their respects to Xiao Yin and company, and then ushered the three of them to the main seats.

Cao Mao Lin smiled while introducing Yangzhou's salt merchants, but Xiao Yin interrupted him with a light smile, saying: "I have heard that Yangzhou also has a renowned salt merchant clan, the Zheng family; have any Zheng family members come today?"

Cao Mao Lin's face changed noticeably in an instant.