Yanzhi curiously asked, "Mistress, why don't we just wait at home for that person to come to us? If she comes, won't we know who schemed with the Cheng family?"
Gu Ying laughed and said, "Oh you, Cheng is foolish but her accomplice is clever. Why would she rush over just because Cheng urgently summoned her?"
Yanzhi suddenly realized her mistake and hurried to catch up.
With a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, Yin Lan said, "Yanzhi is becoming more and more clever, Mistress. Do you still plan to go out?"
Gu Ying looked at Yanzhi's retreating figure with satisfaction and said, "Yes."
Although Huai An had already secretly investigated the small courtyard where Cheng had lived in the past, she was still worried that Huai An might have missed some important clues. Anyway, she was free and had nothing to do, so walking around would be good for the baby too.
She then had Huai An prepare a carriage.
After leaving through the side door, Huai An stood beside the carriage with a red face. He glanced at Yin Lan and then quickly looked away. He joked to Gu Ying, "If the master knows you're personally looking into things from back then, he'll skin me alive."
Yin Lan glared at him. "You won't tell the prince consort?"
"Not telling the master would make my death even more miserable if he finds out..."
Yin Lan walked over and pinched his arm.
He instantly behaved and rubbed where Yin Lan had touched him. Grinning, he said, "Don't worry Yin Lan, I'll definitely protect you well. Help the mistress into the carriage quickly."
Gu Ying smiled bitterly and shook her head. She supported her lower back as she got into the rocking carriage.
The courtyard where Cheng had lived was quite remote, located in the most dilapidated Ruyi Lane in Bianjing City.
Before Gu Ying arrived, Huai An had already been here several times. Of course, in order to investigate Cheng and the cause of Lin's death back then, the prince consort had also come countless times.
Upon hearing that it was highly likely Cheng had murdered Lin, Huai An also felt extremely upset.
His disgust for Cheng deepened, and he wished to find evidence as soon as possible to bring Cheng to justice and drive her out of the duke's residence.
All the way there, Huai An chatted endlessly about the suffering the prince consort had endured in the duke's residence after losing his mother as a child. At first, the prince consort didn't believe Lin had committed suicide either, but no one in Bianjing believed a child's words and all said he was crazy. Gradually, no one remembered Lin anymore and the prince consort stopped mentioning her too. Later, the old duke brought him to the border and he charged forward recklessly on the battlefield, earning his achievements today that resound through all of Bianjing and the Eastern Li.
"Before, the master looked like a lifeless King Yama. Only the old duke could make the young master smile. Now that the young master knows Lady Lin was murdered, he certainly won't let that Cheng get away with it." Huai An sighed, "Fortunately the mistress is now here to care for our master, otherwise I wouldn't know how to persuade him."
Gu Ying stroked her belly without speaking as the carriage rocked back and forth. She felt complicated, after all she had also lost her mother at a young age and knew that bitterness well.
Only when they arrived at a small courtyard in Ruyi Lane did Huai An stop the carriage.
"Mistress, we've arrived."
Gu Ying held Yin Lan's hand as she got down from the carriage. Looking around, it was all slums and shabby alleys. Although this courtyard in front was still preserved relatively well, it was covered in cobwebs and clearly hadn't been maintained for a long time.
"Did Cheng used to live here before?"
Huai An said, "Yes, the Cheng family was imprisoned back then. She was a fallen official's daughter and had no money after she got out, so she lived in a place like this."
Gu Ying murmured, "No wonder, this place has all kinds of sketchy people."
Mammy Sun said Cheng had killed many people back then, but the only one she had spared was the scholar she'd had affairs with several times. As long as that scholar was still alive, Cheng's heinous crimes of adultery could be upheld.
Seeing the shabby little courtyard, Yin Lan went forward and pushed open the door. "But Mistress, so many years have passed. Finding a scholar whose name we don't even know is like looking for a needle in the sea."
Gu Ying lifted her skirt and walked inside, saying, "It's true, but Mammy Sun also revealed some details."
As she looked around the courtyard, she continued, "That scholar was a poor student coming to the capital for the exams and could only stay with relatives next door. Also, he had refined features."
Huai An quickly said, "We've roughly checked the records of everyone who lived next door over the years but didn't find any information about the scholar."
Gu Ying pondered, "Cheng's reach wouldn't extend to the government offices. So there's another possibility - someone lent the courtyard to others to stay for free back then. That wouldn't count as a rental and they wouldn't need to sign a contract or report it to officials."
Yin Lan's eyes lit up. "Then this slave will go ask around the vicinity."
The corners of Gu Ying's lips curved up. "Huai An, go with Yin Lan. Remember to expand the scope and ask the elderly who have lived in Ruyi Lane for years. If there's still no news, keep asking in the neighboring alleys."
Huai An turned his head. His silly, handsome face immediately broke into a smile and he shyly glanced at Yin Lan. "Yes!"
After Yin Lan and Huai An left, Gu Ying walked around alone nearby.
At the foot of the city wall, Ruyi Lane was the poorest and most chaotic place in all of Bianjing City. The deeper she went, the more chilling it became.
Gu Ying stopped at a crooked tree and leaned against it, weakly grabbing the trunk. She stared at the dark, narrow courtyard not far away and took a deep breath.
Actually this wasn't her first time here. In her past life, Jiang Yin first imprisoned her in a remote courtyard, and then Gu Jia and Jiang Ling'er came on his orders in the middle of the night. They broke her legs and crippled her hands before transporting her in a carriage to the dilapidated temple...
If she remembered correctly, that courtyard was just ahead at the end of Ruyi Lane.
That was the most painful night of her previous life... The pain of her bones shattering was so excruciating that even with her mouth gagged, she couldn't scream... By the time Gu Jia ripped off the cloth over her mouth, she was drenched in cold sweat and collapsed on the icy floor like a fish about to be slaughtered, without even the strength left to yell.
Gu Ying sneered. Her whole body felt somewhat cold, and her leg and foot bones ached with a lingering chill and pain.
Even after reliving her life once, returning to where she had been harmed in her past life still made her instinctively fearful and terrified. That was the bone-deep fear... the anguish that could not be erased no matter how much time passed.
She grabbed her brow uncomfortably, panting as she leaned against the crooked tree. Her legs felt somewhat numb and she couldn't move for the moment.
She held her belly tightly, breathing rapidly. It took quite a while before she showed some signs of recovering.
She had thought she could overcome her fears, but in reality, she had overestimated herself.
Just as she closed her eyes and prepared to collect herself to leave, a familiar female voice suddenly sounded behind her.
"Miss... How can it be you?" The woman's tone changed slightly.
Yanzhi curiously asked, "Mistress, why don't we just wait at home for that person to come to us? If she comes, won't we know who schemed with the Cheng family?"
Gu Ying laughed and said, "Oh you, Cheng is foolish but her accomplice is clever. Why would she rush over just because Cheng urgently summoned her?"
Yanzhi suddenly realized her mistake and hurried to catch up.
With a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, Yin Lan said, "Yanzhi is becoming more and more clever, Mistress. Do you still plan to go out?"
Gu Ying looked at Yanzhi's retreating figure with satisfaction and said, "Yes."
Although Huai An had already secretly investigated the small courtyard where Cheng had lived in the past, she was still worried that Huai An might have missed some important clues. Anyway, she was free and had nothing to do, so walking around would be good for the baby too.
She then had Huai An prepare a carriage.
After leaving through the side door, Huai An stood beside the carriage with a red face. He glanced at Yin Lan and then quickly looked away. He joked to Gu Ying, "If the master knows you're personally looking into things from back then, he'll skin me alive."
Yin Lan glared at him. "You won't tell the prince consort?"
"Not telling the master would make my death even more miserable if he finds out..."
Yin Lan walked over and pinched his arm.
He instantly behaved and rubbed where Yin Lan had touched him. Grinning, he said, "Don't worry Yin Lan, I'll definitely protect you well. Help the mistress into the carriage quickly."
Gu Ying smiled bitterly and shook her head. She supported her lower back as she got into the rocking carriage.
The courtyard where Cheng had lived was quite remote, located in the most dilapidated Ruyi Lane in Bianjing City.
Before Gu Ying arrived, Huai An had already been here several times. Of course, in order to investigate Cheng and the cause of Lin's death back then, the prince consort had also come countless times.
Upon hearing that it was highly likely Cheng had murdered Lin, Huai An also felt extremely upset.
His disgust for Cheng deepened, and he wished to find evidence as soon as possible to bring Cheng to justice and drive her out of the duke's residence.
All the way there, Huai An chatted endlessly about the suffering the prince consort had endured in the duke's residence after losing his mother as a child. At first, the prince consort didn't believe Lin had committed suicide either, but no one in Bianjing believed a child's words and all said he was crazy. Gradually, no one remembered Lin anymore and the prince consort stopped mentioning her too. Later, the old duke brought him to the border and he charged forward recklessly on the battlefield, earning his achievements today that resound through all of Bianjing and the Eastern Li.
"Before, the master looked like a lifeless King Yama. Only the old duke could make the young master smile. Now that the young master knows Lady Lin was murdered, he certainly won't let that Cheng get away with it." Huai An sighed, "Fortunately the mistress is now here to care for our master, otherwise I wouldn't know how to persuade him."
Gu Ying stroked her belly without speaking as the carriage rocked back and forth. She felt complicated, after all she had also lost her mother at a young age and knew that bitterness well.
Only when they arrived at a small courtyard in Ruyi Lane did Huai An stop the carriage.
"Mistress, we've arrived."
Gu Ying held Yin Lan's hand as she got down from the carriage. Looking around, it was all slums and shabby alleys. Although this courtyard in front was still preserved relatively well, it was covered in cobwebs and clearly hadn't been maintained for a long time.
"Did Cheng used to live here before?"
Huai An said, "Yes, the Cheng family was imprisoned back then. She was a fallen official's daughter and had no money after she got out, so she lived in a place like this."
Gu Ying murmured, "No wonder, this place has all kinds of sketchy people."
Mammy Sun said Cheng had killed many people back then, but the only one she had spared was the scholar she'd had affairs with several times. As long as that scholar was still alive, Cheng's heinous crimes of adultery could be upheld.
Seeing the shabby little courtyard, Yin Lan went forward and pushed open the door. "But Mistress, so many years have passed. Finding a scholar whose name we don't even know is like looking for a needle in the sea."
Gu Ying lifted her skirt and walked inside, saying, "It's true, but Mammy Sun also revealed some details."
As she looked around the courtyard, she continued, "That scholar was a poor student coming to the capital for the exams and could only stay with relatives next door. Also, he had refined features."
Huai An quickly said, "We've roughly checked the records of everyone who lived next door over the years but didn't find any information about the scholar."
Gu Ying pondered, "Cheng's reach wouldn't extend to the government offices. So there's another possibility - someone lent the courtyard to others to stay for free back then. That wouldn't count as a rental and they wouldn't need to sign a contract or report it to officials."
Yin Lan's eyes lit up. "Then this slave will go ask around the vicinity."
The corners of Gu Ying's lips curved up. "Huai An, go with Yin Lan. Remember to expand the scope and ask the elderly who have lived in Ruyi Lane for years. If there's still no news, keep asking in the neighboring alleys."
Huai An turned his head. His silly, handsome face immediately broke into a smile and he shyly glanced at Yin Lan. "Yes!"
After Yin Lan and Huai An left, Gu Ying walked around alone nearby.
At the foot of the city wall, Ruyi Lane was the poorest and most chaotic place in all of Bianjing City. The deeper she went, the more chilling it became.
Gu Ying stopped at a crooked tree and leaned against it, weakly grabbing the trunk. She stared at the dark, narrow courtyard not far away and took a deep breath.
Actually this wasn't her first time here. In her past life, Jiang Yin first imprisoned her in a remote courtyard, and then Gu Jia and Jiang Ling'er came on his orders in the middle of the night. They broke her legs and crippled her hands before transporting her in a carriage to the dilapidated temple...
If she remembered correctly, that courtyard was just ahead at the end of Ruyi Lane.
That was the most painful night of her previous life... The pain of her bones shattering was so excruciating that even with her mouth gagged, she couldn't scream... By the time Gu Jia ripped off the cloth over her mouth, she was drenched in cold sweat and collapsed on the icy floor like a fish about to be slaughtered, without even the strength left to yell.
Gu Ying sneered. Her whole body felt somewhat cold, and her leg and foot bones ached with a lingering chill and pain.
Even after reliving her life once, returning to where she had been harmed in her past life still made her instinctively fearful and terrified. That was the bone-deep fear... the anguish that could not be erased no matter how much time passed.
She grabbed her brow uncomfortably, panting as she leaned against the crooked tree. Her legs felt somewhat numb and she couldn't move for the moment.
She held her belly tightly, breathing rapidly. It took quite a while before she showed some signs of recovering.
She had thought she could overcome her fears, but in reality, she had overestimated herself.
Just as she closed her eyes and prepared to collect herself to leave, a familiar female voice suddenly sounded behind her.
"Miss... How can it be you?" The woman's tone changed slightly.
