Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 11 Exploring the Study
The old man remained silent for a moment, probably taken aback by the string of high-sounding words. Even the way he looked at Jiu Que subtly changed. The imperial court had been rather strict with women in recent years, and had never seen such an unconventional girl before.

Don't think there's anything wrong with being shameless. As long as you can achieve your goal, what's wrong with being shameless?
At this moment, the old man glanced at Jin Hua and said with a kind expression.

"Jinhua, if you really know anything, you can tell these young men. Anyway, Scholar Yu is gone. You still have to live your own life. Wouldn't it be better to give yourself some peace and quiet?"

The woman, who had been so assertive, suddenly relaxed and became less resistant.

However, she still didn't want to talk about Yu Lang in front of so many people. Although everyone was very united at the moment, there would inevitably be some gossip after things calmed down. It's human nature, and she didn't want to gamble.

They invited in several respected elders, including the old man, and closed the courtyard gate. Jinhua, still nestled against her big black dog, seemed somewhat reserved.

"What do you want to ask?"

Jiu Que glanced at the layout, which was similar to Yun Niang's, then looked at the small vegetable garden on one side, before finally settling his gaze on Yun Niang, who was pursing her lips.

How did you meet Yu Lang?

This was not the problem she had imagined, and Jin Hua was somewhat resistant to it.

"Do we really have to talk about this? Aren't you going to ask me if he came to my place today?"

"Of course I should ask that, but not now. I'd like to know more about how you and Yu Lang met."

Faced with this question, Jin Hua remained silent for a long time before speaking with a dark expression.

"I'm a hunter's daughter. My parents died early, and I lived alone in the village. I met Yu Lang by chance when he was traveling. He saw that I was beautiful and made me his concubine. I was just a helpless orphan, and even in the village, I didn't have a good life. My uncle and aunt wanted to sell me to a boy, and who knew what kind of filthy place I would end up in. Although he was a bit older, he was educated, literate, and had a distinguished air. Even though I was just a concubine, it wasn't a bad deal, so I went to the city with him..."

While listening to the other person recount her past, Jiu Que was also constantly observing her surroundings. Chunyu Shuang, who was beside her, quietly tugged at the waist of her clothes. Following Chunyu Shuang's gaze, Jiu Que saw the way Jin Hua was clinging tightly to the big black dog and the faint bluish bruises on the skin exposed from her collar.

That doesn't look like the result of marital intercourse; it looks more like...

"...Anyway, he's dead, and I'm very sad, but that has nothing to do with me. If you think you can bully me just because I'm alone, let me tell you, that's not allowed!"

As Jin Hua spoke, she waved her arms, clearly recalling painful memories from the past. More and more skin was exposed on her neck, and the bluish bruises became more clearly visible, revealing a handprint!

So, Yu Lang hit her?
According to Jin Hua's previous statement, she rarely went out. In addition, everyone in the alley knew that she was a mistress. Just like the saying goes, "There's always gossip around a widow's door," so very few people would come to her door. Apart from Yu Lang, it would be hard to imagine that another man with such a large hand could have left such a scar on Jin Hua.

At this moment, Jin Hua also noticed that the wealthy girl in front of her kept looking at her neck. Her expression changed slightly, and she quickly pulled her clothes up and snuggled even closer to her big black dog.

Even the old man who had been sitting perfectly still noticed it, and his gentle expression suddenly changed.

"Jinhua, what happened? Did he hit you?"

Jin Hua touched her neck, unsure of what to say for a moment, but under the worried and gentle gazes of those around her, she nodded bitterly.

“What can I do? He always likes to do those disgusting things. I'm all alone, without even a family. How am I supposed to survive without depending on him? If I had family, they could speak up for me, but now, I can only endure it. Otherwise, am I just going to wait for him to kick me out and let me starve to death? Since I'm serving someone no matter what, why not find someone else?” “Even if he hits and scolds you?”

Even if he hits me or yells at me!

Jiu Que finally understood. Although Jin Hua was more beautiful, she was rather soft-hearted, while Yun Niang, though seemingly gentle and refined, possessed a certain resilience. It was hard to say whether Yu Lang knew this, which was why he treated Jin Hua so recklessly.

But now that we've come this far, it's time to get down to business.

"Did Yu Lang come here this morning?"

Jin Hua unconsciously grabbed a handful of the big black dog's fur. Although the dog had been very fierce just now, it was now standing there obediently, not moving at all, clearly very close to its owner.

In the silence, Jin Hua nodded.

“He did come, stayed here for an hour, and then left, saying that he had to attend the Emperor’s birthday banquet and could not delay.”

Jin Hua's wounds were still fresh, so Yu Lang must have done that kind of thing before entering the palace.
Jiu Que felt a little nauseous, and the old man's expression was even more unpleasant.

"Did he say anything unusual, something different?"

Jin Hua shook her head, but halfway through, she seemed to suddenly remember something and hesitated.

"He did say that in two days, he would be able to live a good life, but I thought he was referring to his passing the imperial examination with top honors. There shouldn't be any problem, right?"

Judging from this, it seemed there was no problem. Chunyu Shuang then stepped forward to ask questions, while Jiu Que wandered around the small courtyard. The gate, the vegetable garden, the kitchen…

Ok?
Looking at the tightly closed red lacquered wooden door that Yunniang's house didn't have, Jiuque stopped and stared intently at the red plum blossoms painted on it with ink.

"Golden Flower Girl, what is this?"

“That’s Yu Lang’s study. He doesn’t usually let me go in there.”

Still not letting me in?

Jiu Que became even more interested. Since Yu Lang was already dead and didn't seem like a good person, Jiu Que felt no psychological pressure at all about opening his door.

Asking the man in black to unlock the tightly closed door, Jiu Que peeked inside and found the place quite tastefully furnished. It was understandable; Yu Lang was, after all, a top scholar, so a certain level of refinement was expected. After searching the surrounding tables, chairs, and bookshelves, aside from some books on the imperial examinations and short biographies of mountains and rivers, there wasn't a single anything particularly special.

Jiu Que refused to believe this superstition. Jin Hua should be illiterate. If he was so wary of Jin Hua who was illiterate, it was impossible that he only had some things used for the imperial examinations.

After wandering around for a while, Jiuque finally stopped in front of a landscape painting. The painting depicted vibrant peonies, each bloom unique and breathtakingly beautiful. However, something seemed amiss; why were some of the peonies' colors so bright while others appeared dull?

(End of this chapter)