Yong Mei knelt in the courtyard until late at night before finally standing up.
A嬷嬷 responsible for tidying the front courtyard quietly crept into the yard, "Quickly go to the back door, a distinguished guest wishes to see you."
Yong Mei was quite familiar with this 嬷嬷. She had been helping her introduce Miss Luo Hong during this time. Upon hearing these words, she hurriedly left the courtyard and made her way towards the back gate of the mansion.
In the alley behind the back gate, Luo Hong was waiting silently alone.
The moment Yong Mei saw Luo Hong, she smiled and ran over, "Miss Luo Hong, you..."
"Slap—!"
Before she could finish speaking, Luo Hong delivered a resounding slap.
Yong Mei stumbled, her body crashing against the wall.
Luo Hong's eyes were filled with ice as she lowered her voice and reprimanded, "What do you think you are? The Fifth Prince accepted you because of the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family. Without the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family, what are you! The Fifth Prince is very disappointed with today's events. From now on, do not contact me again."
Saying this, Luo Hong turned to leave.
Yong Mei was stunned, believing that the Fifth Prince had truly fallen out with her young lady. She quickly grabbed Luo Hong's skirt and knelt, begging for mercy, "Miss Luo Hong, this servant was wrong, this servant truly knows she was wrong. I still hope Miss Luo Hong will believe this servant one more time. This servant is truly sincere towards the Fifth Prince!"
Luo Hong stopped, lowered her eyes, and looked back at Yong Mei, who was prostrate behind her with no shred of shame, feeling a wave of nausea.
But thinking of her master's instructions, she could only suppress her disgust and speak again, "Do you truly know you were wrong?"
"I know, I know, this servant truly knows. I hope Miss Luo Hong will speak well of me to the Fifth Prince. This servant will surely remember Miss Luo Hong's kindness." To seize the chance to fly onto a branch again, Yong Mei did not hesitate to kowtow heavily to Luo Hong.
Luo Hong remained silent for a while longer before withdrawing her skirt, "Since you know you were wrong, reflect on yourself properly. Don't worry, I will surely speak well of you to His Highness. You just wait for news."
Yong Mei quickly nodded, "Then I will trouble Miss Luo Hong. Please tell the Fifth Prince that as long as it is what the Fifth Prince commands, this servant will not hesitate to give her life!"
Luo Hong nodded and walked towards the carriage.
Seeing the coachman about to fetch the stirrup for Luo Hong, Yong Mei quickly stood up and walked over, proactively bending her knees and arching her back, allowing Luo Hong to step on her as a stirrup.
After Luo Hong got into the carriage, Yong Mei proactively helped her close the door.
Such a self-degrading and lowly display stunned even the coachman.
"The Ji family is a centuries-old military lineage, anyone picked at random is a towering figure. Yet now, how can there be such a base thing?
Inside the carriage, Luo Hong's lips curled upwards, and she let out a cold laugh.
She was merely a servant by the side of a useless man, what kind of backbone could she have?
Upon returning to the Fifth Prince's mansion, Luo Hong truthfully reported what had just happened to the Fifth Prince.
Xie Jingzhou smirked darkly and said approvingly, "Very good. For now, do not contact her again. Only when she has thoroughly tasted the bitterness of loss will she completely submit and serve me."
Luo Hong nodded, "Yes, Your Highness."
At the same time, Qing Zhu also informed Ji Zi Zhao of everything that had happened in the alley.
After hearing it, Ji Zi Zhao could not help but sneer.
Coercion and temptation, threats and inducements...
she had to take this Fifth Prince more seriously.
"Continue to watch her closely in secret."
"Yes, Miss."
Qing Zhu received the order and left. However, after a moment, she turned back into the room.
"Miss, Zhang Ji is outside requesting an audience, saying he has something important to discuss with Miss."
At such a late hour, Zhang Ji's unsolicited visit must mean he had uncovered crucial information. Ji Zi Zhao signaled Qing Zhu to extinguish the candles in the room before stepping out.
In the courtyard, as soon as Zhang Ji saw Ji Zi Zhao, he hastily said, "Eldest Miss, Miss Shui Huan has been brought back. I have arranged for her to be in the side room, but..."
Before Zhang Ji could finish speaking, Ji Zi Zhao was already heading towards the side room.
Inside the room, the candlelight was dim.
Shui Huan was lying on the bed wearing extremely revealing thin gauze. The wounds beneath the gauze were clearly visible through the fabric, and her entire body emitted a pungent odor.
Shui Ling, holding a soft cloth dipped in water, wanted to wipe Shui Huan's body but did not know where to start.
Ji Zi Zhao instructed Qing Zhu to fetch her medicine box, then walked to the bedside and said softly, "The smell on her is not on her skin, it cannot be wiped away."
Shui Ling was startled as she saw the Eldest Miss of the Ji family begin to examine Shui Huan's injuries.
Shui Ling dared not disturb them and quickly moved aside.
Since Shui Huan had been sold to that kind of place, she would have undoubtedly undergone so-called training before her first customer.
Therefore, Ji Zi Zhao was not surprised by Shui Huan's external injuries. The reason she had Zhang Ji bring Shui Huan back was actually out of fear that Shui Huan would be defiled by those dirty things.
As it turned out...
It was ultimately too late.
And the smell on Shui Huan's body was enough to indicate what she had experienced before Zhang Ji brought her back.
"The madam of that brothel kept stalling me, and even when I brought enough silver, she kept delaying. In the end, I had to put a knife to her throat before she told me the truth. Tonight was the fourth day Shui Huan was to receive clients. By the time I rushed into the room, it was already too late..."
Zhang Ji lowered his head in self-reproach, truly unwilling to recall the scene in the room at that time.
Ji Zi Zhao's eyes were cold as she continued to treat Shui Huan's wounds, "Is there any news of Zi Qiao?"
Zhang Ji immediately knelt on the ground, "The Zhao family is now an impenetrable fortress. This subordinate is incapable of obtaining any information about Zi Qiao."
Shui Ling, standing nearby, suddenly spoke, "Zi Qiao is that dowry maidservant by the side of the Eldest Madam?"
Ji Zi Zhao looked at Shui Ling, "What do you know?"
Shui Ling already felt indebted to the Old Master of the Ji family, and now she owed the Eldest Miss. She answered Ji Zi Zhao's question truthfully, "Reporting to the Eldest Miss of the Ji family, when I was in the mansion before, I often saw Zi Qiao exchanging glances with the Eldest Young Master. Due to the Eldest Madam's constant suppression, Zi Qiao and the Eldest Young Master were somewhat restrained. Later, after a long while... I happened to go to the Eldest Madam's courtyard to collect laundry that day, and then I heard Zi Qiao tell a maidservant in the courtyard that she was about to become the Eldest Young Master's concubine."
Shui Ling thought carefully, then suddenly slapped her forehead, "If I remember correctly, it was the day after the Eldest Madam claimed to be ill and refused to see anyone!"
No wonder Zi Qiao would even impersonate her third sister and lure her into a trap.
It turned out Zi Qiao had already defected to the Zhao family.
Ji Zi Zhao's heart seethed with anger. She closed her eyes, suppressing it with great effort, "I will trouble Uncle Ji for this matter. I still need to medicate Shui Huan, so Uncle Ji should go and rest."
Zhang Ji nodded and withdrew without further words.
In the room, Ji Zi Zhao was still busy by the bedside.
Clearly, two servant girls who had grown up together accompanying their third sister, one was willing to die for her master, and the other sold out her master for personal gain.
Indeed, besides the sun, the most difficult things to look at in this world were human hearts.