Chapter 13: A Cry for Help

Wu Renpin felt as though he had been deceived, yet he lacked the evidence to prove it. After all, according to their agreement, he still had over thirty days to wait.

Things had not been easy for Mistress Gou these past few days. Although the disappearance of the Su mother and daughter seemed like good news, the men she had dispatched to deal with them had not returned, and she dared not even launch a search. She could not let Wu Renpin know about this, leaving her in a state of constant, gnawing anxiety.

Wu Renpin counted the days on his fingers, planning to move his dozen or so concubines to a secondary residence one by one to keep up appearances. Once Qin Yuanniang truly belonged to him, he would decide whether to bring them back. As for their status, ordinary people would hardly dare to harbor them; could they simply vanish into thin air? At most, they would return to their maiden homes. She still had an older brother in Chongluan...

At this thought, his mood brightened considerably. Yes, if she hadn’t returned by then, he could simply take men to Chongluan. Her brother was nothing more than a destitute scholar; could he possibly stop him from taking her? Furthermore, a disgraced widow from a high official’s household living long-term at her brother’s home would surely lead a miserable life. When he arrived to “rescue” her, it would be seen as a gesture of timely help!

Pleased with his own shrewdness, Wu Renpin felt excellent. He applauded his own brilliance, rose, and headed toward Mistress Gou’s quarters.

What he did not know was that at this very moment, in the thick of the night, a pair of eyes sharp as a hawk’s were watching him from the branches of a tall osmanthus tree not far from the courtyard.

Su Yunqing had waited for him in that tree for four nights. Finally seeing him enter Mistress Gou’s room, she held her breath. Once the light inside dimmed, she hugged the trunk and slid down with ease.

She ran to a section of the courtyard wall she had already scouted, threw a rope with an iron hook over the top, and tugged to ensure it was secure. She scaled the wall quickly, spotted the flowerbed below, and leaped. Upon landing, she retrieved the rope and hid it among the flowers. The soil in the bed was frequently turned, allowing her to land from such a height without injury.

She stood up and walked toward Mistress Gou’s room with composed confidence. Having observed the house for days, she knew that the Wu household had many maids, and their coming and going to serve their masters at night was common. Dressed in a maid’s attire with her hair styled accordingly, she drew no extra glances even when she passed the night patrol.

She reached the door without obstruction. Only a dim, flickering candle remained inside, casting two silhouettes that swayed against the paper of the window.

"Master, who am I?"

"Yuanniang..." Wu Renpin’s voice was thick with intoxication.

Outside the door, Su Yunqing’s expression was as unsightly as that of Mistress Gou inside. She did not merely want to gouge out Wu Renpin’s eyes and crush them underfoot; she wanted to tear out his tongue and feed it to the dogs.

She drew a bamboo tube from her bodice, inserted a few incense pellets, and lit them. Using a fire-starter, she burned a small hole in the window paper. Just as she prepared to insert the tube, she caught a glimpse of Mistress Gou’s back inside, dressed in mourning clothes.

That back looked so much like her mother’s that a wave of intense humiliation caused her to bite her own lower lip until it nearly bled. She slowly inserted the tube into the hole, waiting for the room to go quiet so she could send them both to hell.

Just then, she heard a faint sound from the roof. She tensed and pricked up her ears, but the noise stopped. Perhaps a cat, she thought. She steadied her heart and waited.

Inside, Wu Renpin’s voice grew increasingly lewd: "Keep it on! Do not take it off!"

"Oh, Master, look, the household is peaceful now, no one is dead. Why do you always make me wear this? It’s so unlucky!"

"I told you to wear it, so you wear it! Why so much chatter? Turn around..."

Su Yunqing stood guard at the door. No matter what unbearable sounds emerged from within, she could not leave. She told herself to wait just a little longer—the incense would take effect soon. She had waited all these days for this chance to catch them both in one net.

Just as she was silently praying for them to lose consciousness, a roof tile slid from the eaves in front of her and shattered on the ground. *That damned stray cat, flipping tiles on the roof!* If this sound drew anyone here, all her efforts would be for naught. She peered around; fortunately, no one was coming. She clasped her hands together and resumed her mantra: *Lose consciousness, lose consciousness...*

"Ah..."

Su Yunqing was startled by the cry; it was Wu Renpin’s voice. She looked back at the room and saw the last candle had been extinguished. The rhythmic creaking sounds had also stopped.

"Help... Help me... Ah..."

That was Mistress Gou’s voice. What was happening inside?

She pricked up her ears again, but all she heard was the sound of something heavy crashing to the floor. This was wrong. She pulled out the bamboo tube and peered through the hole, but the room was pitch black. She couldn't see clearly, but a thick, metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils.

"Oh no! Master, Concubine, something is wrong! Someone, come quickly!"

A lantern appeared in the distance and raced toward her. There was no time to run, and nowhere to hide. In her panic, she prepared to crouch behind the corner of the wall. But as she moved, her hand brushed the door, and the two leaves swung wide open.

The lantern was now less than ten yards away. In that split second, she realized the most dangerous place was the safest. Instead of crouching by the wall, she dove into the room with lightning speed and slammed the door shut.

Backing against the door, she looked up to see a large hole in the roof, through which starlight trickled. Beneath her feet, she felt something wet. She looked down and realized it was blood. She began to panic.

Scanning the room, she could vaguely make out two bodies lying on the floor. Beside them stood a dark figure, who seemed to be observing her as well.

Just as she was about to speak, the butler’s voice drifted in from outside.

"What are you shouting about? So reckless! The Master is in the Concubine’s room—why are you making such a racket?"

"But I just heard someone calling for help! Is something wrong?"

"What could possibly be wrong? Whenever the Master is with a concubine, which one of them doesn't cry for help?"

"But I heard it! Not just crying for help, but other sounds too—quite a commotion."

"When has the Master ever been quiet? But I don’t blame you; you’re new, aren't you? Let me tell you, from now on, don’t make a fuss when you hear such things in this house, you hear?"

"But I clearly saw a maid enter the room too!"

"Oh, that’s even more normal... You’re just a child. Go on, don’t make noise and ruin the Master’s mood!"

"But..."

"Enough with the 'buts.' You’ll understand once you’re married..."

The two voices faded into the distance, and silence returned.

Safe for the moment, Su Yunqing’s wits finally returned, only for her to realize that the dark figure had moved silently to stand directly before her, close enough to touch.