She waited and waited, full of hope, thinking Wei Youshan would fulfill his promise, but instead, she saw the Qiao mother and daughter overjoyed.

Unable to bear it any longer, she took leave from Linglong Pavilion and rushed to Jiangnian County, where she sought out Wei Youshan and sought clarification.

However, Wei Youshan responded that while he appreciated her past financial support, it was merely gratitude, a repayment, and compensation. He truly loved Miss Qiao. As for the money she had spent, he would gather it up in the near future and double it to compensate her.

But what she wanted was more than just the money.

She had toiled for so long, fantasized for so long, believing she truly loved him, only to receive nothing but a word of gratitude?

And even threats after she refused.

She hated him to the core!

She wanted revenge!

She tricked him into returning to Hedong Prefecture, saying that if he refused, she would reveal her past to the Qiao family and the county school, exposing his betrayal to everyone.

Wei Youshan was terrified. Even after scolding her, he followed her back to Hedong Prefecture, to the small courtyard where he once lived.

But while his body was back, his heart remained. He demanded daily how much money she wanted to keep quiet forever, and even secretly bought arsenic, intending to poison her.

She took the initiative, smashing his repulsive face with his favorite brushwasher. Then, under the cover of darkness, she secretly carried the remains to a small alley halfway across the city and dumped them in a shared well.

To prevent his body from being discovered prematurely, she even tied a stone to his body.

Unexpectedly, the hemp rope loosened with time, the stone dislodged, and Wei Youshan’s body floated to the surface, where it was discovered…

When Madam Fang first spoke of these things, whether from fear or from anger, her words came out somewhat stammered. But the more she spoke, the smoother her speech became, her face filling with expressions, carrying the vivid air of a lively narration.

It was as if she were recounting a story she had heard rather than something she had personally experienced.

After finishing her story, Madam Fang kowtowed to Qu Zhiwen and said, “Sir, this is what happened. I, a commoner, killed Wei Youshan in anger.”

She killed such a heartless, fickle man.

Seeing Madam Fang’s calm demeanor, without any fear or resistance, Qu Zhiwen lowered his eyes and asked, “Why did the clothes you changed Wei Youshan into after killing him not fit?”

Since Madam Fang had been with Wei Youshan for a long time and was an excellent embroiderer, she should have been very familiar with Wei Youshan’s body measurements, and the clothes she made should have been suitable.

“That dress was originally a new spring dress for him. I had intended to make it to his measurements to fit him better, but then I realized he was so busy with his studies that he didn’t want me to visit him often, and he didn’t want me to visit him often either. So I made the dress longer, so I’d have an excuse to visit him again.”

Madam Fang said this with a wry smile. “I never imagined this would be the last time I’d make him a dress, and there would be no need to alter it again.”

Her tone was filled with disappointment and resentment, less the anger she had just used to scold Wei Youshan.

Qu Zhiwen couldn’t help but sigh.

The most difficult thing to describe in this world was the word “love,” and the most unpredictable was the word “human heart.”

After a pause, Qu Zhiwen spoke again, “It seems you and Madam Yun made the clothes Miss Su requested. The words embroidered on the men’s coat for Miss Su were embroidered by you, right?”

“Indeed,” Madam Fang admitted bluntly, “I heard Miss Su, though unofficially, seems to be very doted on.”

“For a concubine to be treated this way shows how cold-blooded and heartless that man is to his wife. Since Miss Su has tasted so much doting, she deserves to experience the bitterness of a man’s displeasure.”

Hence, the embroidered words of love were an inconspicuous spot on the garment.

The man’s greatest intolerance was the sight of him wearing a shimmering green hat. He would undoubtedly be enraged, and, for all the talk of doting, he would likely want to kill Miss Su.

There should always be more heartbroken women like her in this world.

Otherwise, wouldn’t it seem like she was just too unlucky?

Ha…

Qu Zhiwen frowned at Madam Fang’s answer and raised his hand, “Take her away.”

A yamen runner stepped forward and put chains and shackles on Madam Fang.

Madam Fang didn’t resist at all, only cooperating obediently. Before leaving, she called out to Shopkeeper Du, who was sighing in the corner. “I have a lot of money hidden under my pillow in my bedroom. I’ve saved up a lot of money. Please give it to Sister Yun as a token of my gratitude for taking care of me all these years.”

“Okay,” Shopkeeper Du agreed, and hurriedly escorted Qu Zhiwen and the others out of Linglong Pavilion.

After watching the group leave and the onlookers disperse, Shopkeeper Du finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to find Madam Yun to tell her about the money in the pillow.

Madam Yun’s eyes darkened as she heard the whole story.

As expected.

There was no shortage of unfaithful men in this world, and no shortage of women who turn love into hate…

After returning to the government office, Qu Zhiwen went to see He Yanxiu.

Upon meeting, he bowed and said, “This case is closed, truly thanks to Lord He.”

Without him, he would have been like a headless fly, blundering around aimlessly and ultimately reaching no conclusion.

“Lord Qu, you’re too kind. I just happened to come across this matter, and I thought it was suspicious, so I asked Xing’an to take notice.”

Embroidering such words on the clothes was clearly an attempt to sow discord and frame Su Yujin.

He Yanxiu believed that ever since Su Yujin had arrived in Hedong Prefecture, she had kept a low profile. The few people she interacted with all spoke of her with praise. It could be said that Su Yujin had virtually no enemies at all.

But even though she had no enemies, someone held such a grudge. It could only be said that someone in Linglong Pavilion was trapped in love, unable to escape, and so angry that she was willing to drag others into it.

Since she could drag unrelated people into the water without hesitation, one can imagine what she did to the man who hurt her.

It can be said that this was indeed a very coincidental thing.

Qu Zhiwen nodded, indicating that he understood what He Yanxiu meant by coincidence.

But even if it was a coincidence, He Yanxiu was able to connect all the clues and guessed it accurately, which showed how wise and decisive he was.

Qu Zhiwen had a little more recognition and heartfelt admiration for this young Langzhong of the Ministry of Revenue.

In the evening, He Yanxiu finished his business and returned to the backyard.

“Second Master, I will take these two clothes and throw them away.”

These two clothes were made by that lady, and that woman was a murderer. It was unlucky to wear such clothes or keep them around.

Author’s Note: To ensure a more logical plot, the author may make minor revisions to the previous sections if they discover bugs or conflicts with later character developments. The author will provide a reminder in the chapter notes after the revisions.

Today, there are three revisions: in Chapter 1, He Yanxiu’s maternal grandfather’s family name has been changed from Prince Ding’an to Duke Dingguo; in Chapter 80, He Yande’s position has been changed from the Ministry of Rites to the Ministry of Works; and in Chapter 101, Madam Zuo Kang has been changed to Aunt Kang, and Kang’s character design has been changed to older, unmarried women.

If there are any subsequent changes, the author will continue to announce them.

(End of this chapter)

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