Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When I woke the next day, the sky was already bright.

Seeing the front gate standing wide open, my heart clenched. “Where is my father?”

Ah Er was standing by the well pulley, drawing water. At my question, he replied, “The master has gone to the shop.”

I hurried out, cutting through Oxtail Alley. From a distance, I saw my father behind the counter selling flatbread, the tip of his nose red from the cold. When he saw me coming, he quickly brought over a bowl of boiled noodles for me to eat.

The moment I saw the snow-white noodles roiling in the pot, my throat lurched. I only waved him off and slipped into the shop.

Fortunately, my father’s old eyes were dim, and he had not noticed the corpse buried deep in the straw. That, at least, was a blessing amid misfortune.

Staring at the corner of black cloth showing through a thin patch of straw, I suddenly remembered that carriage from yesterday, the one whose fragrance had drifted for miles.

Then I recalled the direction that procession had taken when it left. It had clearly been toward the Qu Family in the west of the city…

The more I thought about it, the more my heart sank like a stone.

“Daughter!”

“Daughter!”

Hearing my old father call several times from outside, I snapped back to myself and quickly turned to go out. At the entrance stood a tall carriage. The driver was fair-skinned and a little plump-it was Liuyao.

At the sight of me, his face immediately filled with smiles. “Madam.”

I was unmoved. “What madam?”

My old father stood to the side, watching us trade barbs, so anxious he kept wringing his hands.

Seeing my coldness, Liuyao only became more courteous. “Please do not take offense, Madam. My lord knows your livelihood is difficult, so he specially sent me to bring you some money and goods.”

With that, he turned back to the carriage and carried over a small basket.

The basket was covered with red cloth. When he lifted it, I saw it was filled to the brim with cast coins.

Judging by his expression and behavior, he did not seem to be pretending. Confusion surged through me. Last night, that Young Lady had wanted me dead, yet the next day Qu Huang sent money to me. Could it be that he knew nothing about it?

Waves crashed through my heart, but my face remained numb. “Your household has already welcomed a new mistress, has it not?”

“How did you know, my lady-”

Seeing the mockery in my expression, Liuyao realized he had misspoken and gave an awkward smile. “Though my lord has taken a new wife, he has not cast you entirely from his mind…”

At that, I let out a cold laugh. “Is that so?”

The young man respectfully replied that it was. I shook my head. “Then this is simple. Help me take something back to him, and I will naturally understand his intentions.”

“Madam, command me as you wish.”

Since he remained so polite, I led him to the corner and kicked apart the pile of straw before us. In an instant, a swollen, pallid head rolled out with a thud.

Liuyao stared at the head, his eyes bulging. Harsh, choking sounds came from his throat; he could not even speak.

I pressed a hand on his shoulder from behind. Perhaps because all pretense had been torn away, an odd calm settled over my heart.

“This head-I want you to take it to the Qu Family as well.”