Ink Burns

Chapter 233 Change of plan
Zhou Fangniang didn't have time to hide her smile; a sheepish grin still lingered on her lips.

Zhou Fangniang looked around in embarrassment, as if she had suffered a great humiliation!
She was, after all, the mistress of a noble family. How could Fu Mingjiang hit her in front of so many people? If word got out, how could she face anyone?

She covered her face with one hand, her eyes darting around, and cried out in a disheveled voice, "Princess, you! You! How could you hit someone like that!"

"You should thank my mother! Otherwise, it wouldn't have been just a beating!"

Fu Mingjiang stuck out her belly, shouted angrily, and raised her hand high, as if she wanted to vent all her anger on Zhou Fangniang!

Just as the second slap was about to land, it was firmly grasped by a slender and elegant hand.

Fu Mingjiang looked up abruptly and saw the serene and aloof face of the lady.

Fu Mingjiang gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, "Get out of my way—don't think I won't hit you!"

Shan Yue raised her arms high, and despite Fu Mingjiang's flushed face and straining efforts, she still firmly restrained him.

Shan Yue lowered her head slightly, leaned close to Fu Mingjiang's ear, and, where no one could see, curled her lips into a frivolous smile: "Do you dare to hit me? If I leave a mark on my face, not only will Xue Xiao outside not let you off the hook."

Shan Yue withdrew her gaze, her eyes landing meaningfully on the four bright windows of the connecting corridor. Her voice was even lower than before: "The people inside will not let you off the hook either—haven't you had enough of being beaten today?"

"Liu Shi!" Fu Mingjiang collapsed, screaming in shock. Following Shan Yue's gaze, her eyes involuntarily fell on the glass windows. Glass was expensive and ordinary houses could not afford it. They could only use cheap paper to cover the windows, which blocked the light and was not transparent. The Grand Princess's Mansion was the first family in the capital to use glass windows.

Now, on the smooth, glassy surface, her and Liu's appearances are clearly reflected—Liu's face is as white as jade, her eyebrows and eyes are delicate and bright, her cheeks are slender and graceful, exuding an air of elegance and relaxation. Her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth are outlined with a noble and confident curve. At some point, Liu was no longer as docile and weak as when they first met, but instead, she seemed to have a hidden provocative aggression.

On the other hand, she...

Her body was bloated, her cheeks were red and swollen, her eyes were bloodshot, and her expression was muddled. She was no longer as bright as she used to be, but looked like a haggard old woman!

Comparing the two, there is a sense of absurdity, as if the heavens and earth are reversed.

Fu Mingjiang braced her stomach against her back, her mind filled with only one thought: she would tear Liu's face apart! No matter the consequences! She couldn't let Liu be so arrogant!
Fu Mingjiang shouted, "Tie up Liu Shi! Tie her up!"

The voice is sharp.

The surrounding servants dared not move.

Shan Yue lowered her head and whispered, almost in her ear, "Princess, you've fallen out of favor—" A soft laugh followed, "What can you do? Even the servants don't listen to you anymore."

Fu Mingjiang took a deep breath, raised his trembling hand and pointed at Shan Yue, his eyes wide, and shouted hysterically, "Tie him up! Tie him up! Anyone who doesn't move, I'll kill them!"

"What are you still doing!" A female voice, though lacking in strength, rang out from the lintel of the connecting corridor.

As soon as Shan Yue turned around, she lowered her eyes, tears welling up in her lashes, her voice trembling with sobs: "I don't know why, but the Princess grabbed Madam Zhou and me and started shouting for a beating—Madam Zhou even got slapped in the face by the Princess. I begged the Princess to stop, but the Princess wanted to tie me up and beat me to death too!"

As she spoke, she sobbed and cried, "Perhaps it's because the weather is too hot during the dog days of summer, and the princess, being pregnant, is feeling restless."

Jing'an turned his head and saw the burning slap mark on Zhou Fangniang's face.

Zhou Fangniang shrank back and hunched her neck.

She didn't quite understand why Shan Yue wanted to sow discord between Jing An and Fu Ming Jiang, but her instinct for self-preservation and avoiding harm, honed by years of reading people's expressions, kept her silent.

Jing'an looked at Fu Mingjiang and saw her daughter's face flushed red and her posture disheveled.

"No! Mother! No!" Fu Mingjiang stammered incoherently, "It's Liu—"

"Enough!" Jing'an snapped in a low voice, "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough already?!"

Jing'an knew perfectly well that his eldest daughter was using this as an excuse to make trouble. His gaze towards his daughter was filled with heartbreaking disappointment: "A'Qiao, send Linniang back to the Cui family. You go and tell Cui Yulang yourself that if you need something from someone, you should act like you're asking for it! Whatever you want, come to us personally! Don't use my daughter as a stepping stone! My daughter is not a ladder for him to ask for favors! This is only for this once. If my daughter and I become estranged again because of Cui Yulang, you two might as well leave each other. The child in your womb will take your surname, Fu, and I'll make sure Cui Yulang gets out of the capital!"

Madam Fu responded and went to help Fu Mingjiang.

Fu Mingjiang stood frozen in place.

Shan Yue followed closely behind Zhou Fangniang, keeping her head down as she walked past Fu Mingjiang. She didn't miss the fact that Fu Mingjiang's eyes, which had been initially disheveled, were now filled with resentment.

Who is she blaming?
Surely it couldn't be her dear husband?

If it's not Cui Yulang, then who could it be?

Shan Yue buried her head inside, shrinking her neck, willingly playing the role of an obedient quail. Jing An sat down again, supporting herself with one hand, not wanting to talk to Zhou Shi and Shan Yue about her daughter's offense anymore. She just leaned back in the armchair, a little tired, and listened to Zhou Shi's rambling report.

"The Noble Consort in the palace wants to invite a painter to the palace to paint portraits of the empresses and concubines of the Zhaode Dynasty. The Empress Dowager has agreed to this. The Six Departments have approached the Guan'anzhai, asking us to recommend a candidate, preferably a lady or madam, not a man. Of course, someone with some status or position would be even better. I am a little hesitant. The lawsuit that Guan'anzhai has gotten into has not yet been settled. If we recommend someone to the palace at this time, it might be a bit too much." Zhou Fangniang rubbed her hands.

Jing'an listened to Zhou Fangniang's words and his expression softened slightly: "I thought you were here to persuade me as well." He paused, then waved his hand dismissively: "If this case isn't resolved, are we supposed to stop being human? If we have to pass the buck, we can. It's not hard to find a female painter."

Jing'an glanced at Shan Yue and knew in his heart that Zhou had brought Liu Shi here today to push Liu Shi away.

Fu Mingjiang has never been polite to Zhou Shi, and just now she slapped Zhou Shi in public. Zhou Shi is usually obedient and docile. In terms of both reason and emotion, she should not have rejected Zhou Shi's recommendation.

"Let Liu go. Her reputation for painting is already established. Take this opportunity to have her meet the Dowager Consort and curry favor with her. It's not a big deal," Jing'an said casually. Since Zhou wasn't going to be a persuader, she decided to comfort her. So she brought up the matter of Chang Lin: "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, Chang Lin will be safe. I will never allow Cui Bainian to use the Chang family to his advantage."

Zhou Fangniang's face stiffened.

She's at ease? As long as Chang Lin is alive, she's worried every second!
Today, she had come to Jing'an under the pretext of finding a painter to inquire about the truth. Now that she had found out, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, could finally be put to rest!

Jing'an said a few more words and then dismissed Zhou Fangniang and Shanyue from the mansion.

Zhou Fangniang remained silent the whole way, twisting the hem of her clothes back and forth in her hands: Tomorrow, tomorrow Changlin's confinement will be lifted! Her good days are over, and the days of being beaten have returned!

Shan Yue, who was riding in the same carriage as her, lifted the curtain and said casually, "The princess must have gone to ask the Grand Princess to use Chang Lin as a scapegoat, but unfortunately she failed miserably. It seems Your Highness is determined to protect Chang Lin to the death."

Shan Yue clicked her tongue and shook her head slightly. She then took out a white jade ointment from her sleeve and handed it to Zhou Fangniang: "Take this. This ointment is quite effective at removing bruises and dissipating discoloration. The bruises around your eyes from last time are completely gone now. You can't see them anymore. I felt guilty and ashamed for not being able to help Su Ge'er. Aunt Zhou, you know my situation. I can't disobey Xue Xiao. I still have to continue with the 'Qingfeng' matter. Being caught in the middle and hiding things makes it hard for me to even protect myself. I can only do things that make me feel better."

The white jade ointment retains body heat.

Zhou Fangniang's eyes immediately reddened, and she gripped the white porcelain medicine pot in her hand: "Everything is fate, and we have no say in anything. We are just 'Qingfeng's' butterflies. Su Ge'er's matter is his father's fault for not paying attention and the Chang family's fault for not helping. The 'Daxing' gang was deliberately tracking Su Ge'er's whereabouts. If it hadn't happened to you, it would have happened somewhere else. It has nothing to do with you."

They are all fragile "butterflies," struggling to survive in the cracks, so no one should blame anyone else.

Zhou Fangniang had long since figured this out.

It's all Chang Lin's fault.

It's all Chang Lin's fault!
Shan Yue nodded sadly, saying only, "I thought that if the Marquis of Guanbei couldn't rise again, your life would be a little easier—"

Zhou Fangniang then burst into tears.

"If only he could be unable to move again." Shan Yue sighed sadly, "Just like when I took that tethering drug, I felt weak all over and couldn't move my hands or feet—if that were the case, he would no longer be able to hit you."

Pulling the locomotive.
Zhou Fangniang raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears.

Yes.

Why didn't she think of setting a trap for Chang Lin?

She was also brewing "Qingfeng's" medicine, and she naturally had the medicinal materials prepared by Qianji Yin—a few months ago, the antidote for Liu's illness was delivered from her!

If she were to use the tethering technique on Chang Lin while simultaneously untying it at the appropriate time and gradually increasing the dosage, given that Chang Lin loves to drink and drinking can cause numbness in his hands and feet, and if he were to take medication on top of that, and one day he drank too much and accidentally hit his head, who would be able to trace it back to her!

“But, but, Chang Lin seems to still be useful to His Highness.” Zhou Fangniang hesitated.

Shan Yue frowned and said, "Your Highness? Since when did you start thinking about whether you're of any use to Her Highness?! I ask you, has Her Highness ever asked you a single question about the bruises on your body, whether they hurt, or how they got there? Has she ever asked you a single question?!"

Zhou Fangniang's face seemed to split open, as if something she had always ignored had been brought to the forefront—she often came to see Jing'an with bruises and scars, but Jing'an had never asked how these injuries came about! Nor had he ever stopped Chang Lin's evil deeds!

Zhou Fangniang clasped her hands tightly on her knees, her lips pressed together, her hands clenched into a tight ball, her expression extremely dazed.

Shan Yue turned her eyes away seemingly unintentionally, leaned her head against the carriage window frame, and listlessly lifted the curtain to look at the crowded alley.

In the alley, a black horse was hidden in a corner.

On the black horse, in the darkness, Xue Xiao sat upright, his hindquarters pressed against the horse's belly.

As the carriage passed by, Shan Yue slightly raised her head, revealing her smooth and slender neck. Her right hand made a swift, knife-like motion across her neck, a small but decisive movement filled with murderous intent: the plan had changed, using someone else to kill was no longer feasible, and she needed to deal with Chang Lin herself.

The man gently squeezed the horse's flanks with his legs, pulled on the reins, and turned to leave.

(End of this chapter)