Chapter 153: Is She Worthy?
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Du Zi Heng’s expression instantly turned awkward. “She… she’s attending as a friend.”
Yu Zhi Yi was baffled.
“A friend?” she echoed, utterly shaken.
Given their situation, could they really revert to being mere friends? She had lived through two lifetimes and never encountered such a scenario.
Red Luan had once mentioned that in more open-minded places, divorced couples didn’t always become enemies. Lovers who broke up might even remain on friendly terms. But Yu Zhi Yi herself had never experienced this.
In both commoner families and noble households, when a marriage failed, it wasn’t just the couple who bore grudges—often, their entire families would end up at odds.
Du Zi Heng hummed softly in confirmation.
He tried to maintain a neutral expression, but the sorrow in his eyes betrayed him.
It was Bing Yue who suggested it.
She had said that since he was already married and unwilling to abandon his wife, and given the irreparable rift between her and his family, the only option left was to part ways.
That day, they talked for hours. He had tried to salvage their relationship.
But she asked him, “I can’t accept sharing a husband. Can you change this situation?”
Du Zi Heng couldn’t.
At least not anytime soon.
Although he had already promised Yu Zhi Yi that they could amicably separate in a few years, now was not the time.
He had told Bing Yue the truth, and she sneered. “A few years? I’m already seventeen. In this era, most women my age could have two or three children by now. Waiting for you has already made me an ‘old maiden.’”
“If I wait a few more years, I’ll be in my twenties. No man will want me then.”
“And you have the gall to ask me to wait for you? Do you even hear yourself?”
Du Zi Heng was rendered speechless.
On one side, there was his love and reluctance to let Bing Yue go; on the other, his responsibility toward Yu Zhi Yi.
In the end, he let go with great pain.
After all, it was he who had driven the sword into Yu Zhi Yi’s abdomen, stripping her of the ability to bear children. These were things he didn’t wish to revisit, so he diverted the conversation.
“In short, we’ve broken up. From now on, she won’t pose a threat to you or target you as she did before. As the Young Madam of the Chancellor’s Mansion, you have every right to attend.”
Yu Zhi Yi found it absurd.
The two people who had been madly in love in her past life had just… broken up? She could hardly believe it.
“Zhi Yi, accompany me to the gathering.”
Du Zi Heng’s tone was earnest, almost pleading.
After some thought, she realized that, in the eyes of his friends, Du Zi Heng had broken up with Bing Yue for her. If she refused to attend, she might come across as ungrateful.
She wasn’t particularly concerned about gossip, but Madam Yao had always supported her. She couldn’t afford to let Madam Yao lose face.
“Fine,” she agreed.
After all, she intended to watch the drama unfold anyway.
With only a little time left, not enough to refine the Golden Light of Merit, Yu Zhi Yi pulled out the dossier on South Cao Village.
She had delayed dealing with the case of the female ghost in South Cao Village not because she didn’t want to, but because the village was several hundred miles away from Sheng’s Capital. She couldn’t conduct an on-site investigation.
Even if she did go, thirty years had passed. Those connected to the case might no longer be alive.
Rather than making a fruitless trip, she had demanded all the household registration information for South Cao Village from the Ministry of Revenue.
South Cao Village was a typical clan-based village. Two-thirds of its households shared the same lineage, while the remaining third were refugees from other regions who had settled there permanently.
Strangely, almost all the drowned victims belonged to the Cao clan of South Cao Village, with only one exception among the third of the population bearing other surnames.
Yu Zhi Yi, seemingly detached from the case these past two days, had in fact been meticulously examining the victims’ birth chart trios daily to reconstruct their lives. Among the eight deceased, six had been scrutinized so far. She prudently reserved one divination slot each day for solving ongoing cases.
Despite only six analyses, Yu Zhi Yi had unearthed a peculiar inconsistency. Pondering further, she picked up the file of the seventh individual, extracting their details and eight characters to proceed with her calculations.
Moments later, closing the household registration file, she let out a long sigh. As expected.
The picture was becoming clearer in her mind. Yet, ever meticulous, Yu Zhi Yi resolved to complete the final individual’s reading tomorrow before drawing her conclusions.
As Li Rou noticed her mistress immersed in work, she quietly retreated, deciding to fetch a bowl of silver ear and lotus seed soup from the main kitchen. Although mealtime was approaching, she doubted her mistress would eat much at the banquet, especially with the arrival of that “Miss You.” Having overheard her young master’s comments earlier, she felt certain her mistress would be in no mood for feasting.
Since the small kitchen wasn’t active, preparing the soup would take ages. Thankfully, the main kitchen always kept some ready for such occasions.
On her way, she noticed a glimpse of fabric peeking out from behind a nearby rockery.
“Who’s there behind the rockery? Show yourself!” she demanded.
After a reluctant pause, a figure emerged, clearly displeased. “Li Rou, are you unwell? I was just searching for something behind the rockery. What’s with all the shouting?”
Recognizing the figure, Li Rou was momentarily stunned. “Sister Pan Er? You… lost something?”
Yu Pan Er raised her chin haughtily. “Why else would I be back there? You think I’m sneaking around like a thief?”
Something felt off to Li Rou, but after pondering briefly, she hesitated and scratched her head awkwardly. “Is… is that so? My apologies, I misunderstood.”
Suddenly, Yu Pan Er’s sharp eyes caught sight of a jade pendant at Li Rou’s waist. The pendant’s clarity and craftsmanship were exquisite, even bearing the carved character “Rou,” making it unmistakably personal.
But Yu Pan Er distinctly remembered Li Rou didn’t have such an item just days ago!
Her gaze turned piercing. “Where did you get that jade pendant?”
Li Rou looked down at the pendant, her cheeks flushing with a mix of shyness and delight. “Oh, this? Miss gave it to me. She said she carved it herself.”
Earlier that morning, her mistress had handed it to her personally, explaining that wearing it would bolster her health and ward off evil. Li Rou, knowing her mistress’ abilities, accepted it gleefully, trusting its supposed powerful effects.
Jealousy burned in Yu Pan Er’s eyes. “When did she become so generous?”
First, it was clothes and cosmetics, and now this valuable jade pendant. And all for a mere servant like Li Rou? What made her worthy?
Then, Yu Pan Er smirked inwardly. After tonight, she’d become a de facto concubine, perhaps even elevated to the rank of secondary wife. By then, what treasures couldn’t she claim? Why would she covet a mere trinket like that jade pendant?
Hmph.
Stupid woman. Stupid maid. Stupid person. Any misdeeds she does now have major consequences on herself. In the past, she can go wild because she was a maid of the Minister Yu Family. She had a backer, making it difficult for others to touch her. Now that the Minister Yu family is no more than commoners, its easy to kill her off. A useless maid who couldn’t even master the basics needed for a high ranking maid. If she thinks being a concubine is easy over being a maid, then she’s absolutely ignorant to the horrors concubines go through.