Chapter 166: The Tragedy of Yingchun, Seeking Help from Luo Zijun

The scorching sun was blazing.

During the period of national mourning, the entire Lin'an City was draped in hemp and mourning clothes, plunged into silence.

The streets were cold and desolate, with few pedestrians.

The merchants also stayed quietly inside their shops, and white cloth was hung at the entrance of every shop.

The national mourning would last for six months.

During these six months, all joyous events across the country, such as entertainment, weddings, and birthday banquets, were prohibited.

Especially for court officials, the rules were even stricter.

Inside and outside the mansions, laughter was not allowed, playing and frolicking were not allowed, drinking alcohol was not allowed, and one was not even allowed to eat or drink as one pleased.

Once discovered, it would not just be a matter of losing one's official hat.

Therefore, the entire Lin'an City was plunged into an unprecedented silence.

Children were all locked up and not allowed to go out, watched tightly by their families and servants for fear that they might frolic or cause a great disaster.

The Academy, the Martial Institute, and schools all suspended classes.

Luo Zijun enjoyed the peace and quiet, practicing in the backyard every day, and occasionally going out to see his senior sister, see Liu Chujian, and see his elder sister and brother-in-law; his days were peaceful and carefree.

Only half a month later, he made another breakthrough.

Martial Artist Fifth Realm!

The energy of the demon core within his body had finally been completely refined by him.

Another month later.

His Dragon Roar Tiger Howl Fist had already been practiced to the second stage; when throwing a punch, one could seemingly hear the sounds of a dragon roaring and a tiger howling.

The cultivation of his soul had also never been neglected.

Every night, he would perform Soul Out-of-Body to possess the black cat for cultivation, and every time he cultivated, that white cat would watch from the side.

A month later, his soul had already broken through to the Day Wandering Realm.

During the day, when his soul was out of his body, he could persist for a long time even when facing the scorching sun.

In the blink of an eye, it was already late autumn.

At this time, his Liehuo Finger could be unleashed instantly, and he could hit his target accurately from over thirty meters away.

His other techniques had also all made progress.

It was still the period of national mourning, and the entire Anguo Mansion was quiet, with servants walking softly and silently.

Xiaohuan kept a straight face all day long on purpose.

After being teased into laughter by Luo Zijun, she immediately covered her face and said, "Young Master, during the national mourning, you are not allowed to laugh!"

Luo Zijun said, "Then why do you still sneak food at night?"

The Young Maid argued plausibly, "Young Master said it himself, it's sneaking food, and it's dark out, so others can't see."

Luo Zijun said, "Ziyuan saw it."

The Young Maid giggled and said, "Sister Ziyuan wants to sneak food too."

Luo Zijun said sternly, "During the national mourning, you are only allowed to eat vegetarian food!"

Ziyuan also laughed from the side, "It was clearly Young Master who snuck meat first, and you even forced Xiaohuan to eat it too; I saw it all."

As the three master and servants were talking in the courtyard, a knock suddenly came from outside the gate.

The smiles on the faces of Xiaohuan and Ziyuan immediately vanished.

Hua'er's voice came from outside the gate: "Is Young Master Luo in? My young lady is here."

Ziyuan hurried to open the gate.

Bai Qingtong was wearing a plain white dress, with her jet-black hair draped down, and she walked in with a graceful posture.

Hua'er hurriedly closed the gate.

Luo Zijun cupped his hands in a salute: "Greetings, Third Miss."

Bai Qingtong smiled slightly and said, "Sir is still so polite; can't you treat me as one of your own?"

Luo Zijun said, "I dare not."

Bai Qingtong's gaze flickered, she didn't say anything more, sat down at the stone table, and said, "Sir, please sit."

Luo Zijun sat down opposite her.

Xiaohuan hurried to pour tea.

Bai Qingtong glanced at the two Young Maids and smiled, "Are Sir's maids enough? If not, you can pick a few more from the mansion."

Luo Zijun hurriedly said, "Thank you, Third Miss, they are enough."

Bai Qingtong smiled, stretched out her fair hand, picked up the teacup and shook it gently, before explaining the purpose of her visit today: "Three days from now, our Four Great Families are going together to the Guanyin Temple next to the Royal Palace to pray for the new King. Father is afraid that Sir has been stifled at home for too long, so he asked me to come and tell Sir, so that I can take Sir out to get some fresh air then."

"Guanyin Temple?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Zijun's legs trembled involuntarily, and he recalled those terrifying past events.

Bai Qingtong said, "Tanchun also said she wants to see Sir."

Luo Zijun looked at her in confusion.

Bai Qingtong glanced to the side and said, "Hua'er, you go into the room with Ziyuan and Xiaohuan to chat; you don't need to serve us here."

"Yes."

The three Young Maids understood and immediately went into the room, closing the door.

Luo Zijun suddenly felt a bit guilty.

Bai Qingtong looked at him with a half-smile and said, "After leaving the Jia Mansion that time, not two days later, Sir went to the Jia Mansion again and even met that Jia Da Laoye alone, is that right?"

Luo Zijun said, "Yes, I had promised Jia Laoye back then that I would give him some things."

Bai Qingtong looked at him and said, "I heard that on that day, when Yingchun was beaten, Sir suddenly flew into a rage and hit that Jia Da Laoye?"

Luo Zijun immediately said, "How could that be? I am but a mere scholar; even if I had the guts of a bear or a leopard, I would not dare to strike the Great Laoye of the Duke's mansion."

Bai Qingtong smiled and said, "When I first heard it, I also felt it was impossible. However, Tanchun would never lie."

Luo Zijun did not speak again.

At the time, there were still many people who saw him use a feather duster to whip that Jia Da Laoye; besides Lin Meimei, Shi Meimei, and others outside the door, there were also the maidservants and nannies outside the window.

Even if that Jia Laoye wanted to keep it hidden, it was not very likely.

Of course, even so, he would not admit it himself.

Bai Qingtong smiled and said, "Sir, you need not worry. Tanchun looking for you is not for this matter; she might even be secretly happy in her heart and secretly admiring you. I asked about this just out of curiosity."

Luo Zijun asked, "For what matter is Third Miss Tanchun looking for me?"

Bai Qingtong suddenly sighed and said, "It should be about Yingchun's affair. I heard that that Jia Laoye has arranged another marriage for Yingchun, planning to have her marry over once the state mourning ends. Yingchun refused and was crying and making a scene at home, and even asked that Old Ancestor of the Jia Family to come out and persuade him. However, for some reason, that Jia Da Laoye would not even listen to the words of that Old Ancestor, and is determined to have Yingchun married off."

Luo Zijun frowned and said, "Is the other party surnamed Sun?"

Bai Qingtong looked at him with some surprise and said, "Eh, how did you know, Sir? The other party is named Sun Shaozu; he is the descendant of a Martial Official and now holds the official post of a small commander in the Ministry of War. I heard... his reputation is not very good."

Luo Zijun frowned, his heart secretly aching.

He had not expected that even with him stepping in, Yingchun's ending would still turn out so miserable.

He could not help but think of that painting which foretold Yingchun's tragedy.

A wolf, chasing a young girl, devouring her. He then associated it with that painting, "Yingchun Returns to the Origin," where Yingchun was tortured to death, and on the bed beside her corpse, that wolf-like Sun Shaozu was embracing another naked woman, engaging in that illicit act...

A flower-like quality in the golden boudoir, a Young Lady of a dignified Duke's mansion, in the prime of her youth, pure and kind, yet at only sixteen years old, she was tortured to death alive, while no one in the Jia Mansion cared—how tragic.

It seems that the words he said back then and the two poems he wrote had all come true one by one, which the young girl suddenly discovered, so she was fighting with all her might to resist.

Yet in this era, as a weak woman, how could she possibly resist?

If that Jia She truly insisted, even Jia Mu would be unable to persuade him.

After all, in that Rongguo Mansion, Jia She is the one who truly inherited the title, and he also holds the name of Yingchun's biological father; the command of parents is reasonable and lawful—who would dare to persuade or stop him?

It is estimated that at this moment, that young girl is already in despair.

Luo Zijun secretly sighed and said, "Third Miss, I have also heard of that Sun Shaozu; it is said that he is lecherous and cruel, and everyone in his household, from top to bottom, has been violated and beaten by him. If Miss Yingchun marries over, I fear... she will be stepping into a fire pit, from which it will be hard to escape."

Bai Qingtong's expression changed slightly: "I only heard that the man's reputation was not very good, that he was greedy and lecherous; I did not expect this person to be so terrifying?"

Luo Zijun said in a deep voice, "I fear he is even more terrifying than I described."

A living Duke's Young Lady, in the prime of her youth and beauty, yet only one year after marrying over, she was tortured to death, her fragrance dissipated and her jade shattered; one can imagine the cruelty of the other party's methods.

Bai Qingtong frowned and was silent for a long while, then said, "Even that Old Ancestor of the Jia Family cannot persuade him; I fear this matter is already set in stone. Poor Yingchun, such a kind and honest person, who always thought of others first and treated her maids and servants with gentleness and kindness—how could she end up like this..."

!

"Third Miss, in three days, I will go with you."

Luo Zijun's gaze was firm as he made his decision.

Bai Qingtong looked at him and nodded.

The two chatted for a while longer about matters in the palace.

"The new King is young, only seven years old; he is the nephew of the late King and has not yet officially ascended the throne. Now, the Queen is ruling from behind the curtain. The Queen believes in Buddhism, and that Guanyin Temple was also built by the Queen back then..."

"Sir may not know, but the Queen is the greatest beauty of our Daliang; when the late King married her, it took quite a bit of effort..."

"However, the Queen is too young. I heard from Father that there are still many people in the imperial court who are not convinced..."

"The three regent ministers also seem to be at odds with the Queen..."

Luo Zijun suddenly said, "Is the greatest beauty of Daliang not the eldest daughter of our Bai Mansion?"

Once these words were spoken, Bai Qingtong was stunned for a moment, then looked at him with a smile and said, "So in your heart, Sir, my sister is the greatest beauty of Daliang. I heard from Fenfen back then that when you were at the West Lake Academy, Sir, every time you saw my sister, you would just stare blankly, and I didn't believe it. Now, I do believe it."

Luo Zijun was not embarrassed and said with a calm face, "The eldest daughter is indeed very beautiful; I was merely appreciating it purely and dared not have any thoughts of desecration."

Bai Qingtong's smile faded slightly as she looked at him and said, "It is a pity that my sister's face was ruined. Before the incident, my sister was not only the greatest beauty of our Daliang, but it would not be an exaggeration to say she was the greatest beauty of the entire Great Yan."

Luo Zijun said, "That is true."

Seeing his natural expression, Bai Qingtong's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but she held back.

The two chatted for a while longer, and Bai Qingtong rose to take her leave.

At dusk.

Luo Zijun went out and, with a heavy heart, arrived at Bao'an Hall.

In the shop.

Su Qingling was sitting alone behind the counter, her hands propping up her chin as she stared blankly. Her pure yet alluring face was cradled in her two snow-white, slender, and beautiful jade hands, looking as charming and enticing as a blooming flower.

Luo Zijun stood in front of the counter and watched her quietly for a while, then suddenly went over, moved a stool, and took the initiative to walk inside the counter, sitting down beside her, and said, "Senior Sister, I want to tell you a story."

Su Qingling came back to her senses, turned her head to stare at him for a while, and said, "I won't listen."

Luo Zijun said, "Even if you don't listen, I am going to tell it."

Su Qingling lay on the counter and covered her ears with both hands.

Luo Zijun looked at her beautiful and cute appearance, and smelling the faint scent of a young girl on her, he was silent for a long while, then said, "Senior Sister, I want to kneel and lick your embroidered shoes."

Su Qingling turned her head, her beautiful eyes gradually becoming cold, and said, "State the matter first."

Luo Zijun lowered his head and said in a low, humble voice, "I... I want to save someone, a kind and honest poor person who is about to step into a fire pit..."

Su Qingling narrowed her eyes: "That is fine. Men, girls under seven, and women over fifty are all fine."

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Senior Sister, it is a... young girl from a sheltered boudoir."

Su Qingling's beautiful eyes were cold, and her pretty face was covered in frost: "How do you want to save her?"

Luo Zijun lowered his head and said, "Spend money, buy her... or, use medicinal pills..."

Su Qingling slowly clenched her fists and said, "Whose money to spend? Whose medicinal pills to use?"

Luo Zijun said in a low voice, "Senior Sister's..."

Su Qingling tightened her fist, slowly raised it, and said in a cold voice, "And after you buy it?"

Luo Zijun said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's, "To serve as my..."

"Bang!"

"Ah..."

At the same time.

In a side room in the back courtyard of the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Yingchun was lowering her head and weeping, while Jia Tanchun, beside her, was trying to comfort her with red eyes.

Lin Daiyu sat nearby, her beautiful brows furrowed, looking down at the rice paper in her hands.

Two poems were written on that rice paper.

One was "The Son is a Wolf of Zhongshan," and the other was "Seeing the Moon, the Cold Lamp Shines on a Weeping Face."

After a long while.

The expression on her face was complex, and she murmured in disbelief, "I never expected that he would actually calculate it correctly... The Son is a Wolf of Zhongshan... A flower-and-willow nature in the golden boudoir... Seeing the Sun, she does not marry... Could that Young Master Luo truly be a banished immortal descended to earth..."

Jia Tanchun raised her head, looked at the poem in her hands, and said with red eyes, "A year spent in a yellow millet dream... Is this truly the outcome?"

Jia Yingchun cried, "I will not marry... I would rather die right now than marry..."

Lin Daiyu furrowed her brows and said, "Should we take these two poems to..."

She suddenly shook her head again, sighed softly, and said, "Who would believe it? Perhaps, Great Uncle would even slander us, saying we just wrote them ourselves..."

Jia Tanchun also shook her head, her voice choked with sobs, "Great Uncle's attitude is so firm; even the Old Ancestor and my father's persuasion were of no use. Even with these two poems, what could be done? Besides, he also..."

Lin Daiyu raised her head and said, "He also what?"

Jia Tanchun did not continue, lowered her head, and sighed bitterly, "We noble Young Ladies, it sounds glorious, but who knows that we are even more helpless than ordinary people?"

Jia Yingchun suddenly took the hairpin from her head and was about to stab it into her own neck.

Jia Tanchun and Lin Daiyu cried out in panic, rushed over, and grabbed her hands; Lin Daiyu cried, "Second Sister, don't..."

Jia Tanchun hurriedly snatched the hairpin away and cried, "Second Sister, you silly girl, if you want to die, now is not the time. Haven't I already gone to notify Young Master Luo? Since he was able to calculate your fate in advance, he must have a way to save you."

Jia Yingchun cried, "But... but Father has already accepted the silver from the Sun Family... This matter is hard to reverse... Wuwu..."

Jia Tanchun suddenly said angrily, "Then we will return double the silver to him! It is not as if our Jia Mansion cannot afford it!"

Jia Yingchun sobbed, "Father will not compromise, wu..."

Jia Tanchun suddenly hugged her and began to cry as well.

Lin Daiyu suddenly wiped her tears and said, "That depends on who it is. If that Young Master Luo is willing to help... Second Sister, have you forgotten? That day in the front, that Young Master Luo used a feather duster to whip your father, and your father not only did not blame him, but was full of smiles, currying favor with him."

As soon as these words were spoken, the weeping in the room suddenly stopped.

(End of this chapter)