Chapter 314 - 313: The Truth
"I’ve heard Aunt Li say," Jin Ling softened her voice, raised her hand to tuck the loose strands of hair behind her ear, revealing her beautiful delicate face, "you’ve wanted to be a bride since you were young, saying that the bright red wedding dress looks the best. You dream about it every night, and now you’re finally going to get on the bridal sedan chair. You wouldn’t want to be taken back to the mansion at this time, would you? Once taken back, the wedding is over."
Zizhu’s eyes were red: "Can I still get married properly like this? If he finds out what I’ve done, will there still be hope for my days ahead?"
Jin Ling said, "What did you do? Madam certainly wants to move past it and won’t speak of it outside. Think it through yourself, do you want to marry gloriously or..."
Zizhu bit her lower lip hard until a bright red mark appeared.
She looked at Jin Ling, her mind filled with last year’s late autumn scene when Jin Ling was carried in the bridal sedan chair to Willow Tree Alley.
The deafening gongs, drums, suonas, firecrackers; the wedding dress cover and embroidered shoes that made her unable to look away, she thought at the time, when she gets married, she must be this beautiful, as it would be the only time in her life to be so.
She really wanted to get married.
Understanding had already formed in Zizhu’s heart, but when she opened her mouth, she realized how difficult it was to say it out loud.
But what if she doesn’t say it?
If not spoken, she is doomed; if she speaks, maybe there is a chance.
Perhaps Du Yunluo might really spare her, or maybe Du Yunluo would use her against the Lian Family, and she could at least live till then. Or, she might be silenced directly after speaking.
But there would be just a tiny chance.
People are like this, with no hope, they feel like dead ash; but once seeing some light, even knowing it’s a mirage, a deception from others, they want to gamble on it.
It wouldn’t be worse than now.
Zizhu’s eyelids trembled, and she whispered, "I pushed Cangzhu, it’s me who harmed her life, I did it..."
Seeing her speak, Jin Ling’s heart, which had been in suspense, finally relaxed.
Without urging her to continue, Jin Ling just quietly waited for Zizhu to explain everything.
"I was forced by her, I didn’t want that, but she..." Zizhu choked up, bowed her head to look at her hands, it was these hands that harmed a person’s life, and she covered her face, crying.
"She heard that I had a bracelet, assumed Mr. Si gave it to me, she, she said I seduced Mr. Si, demanded I ask Mr. Si for more reward silver, she wanted to extort silver from me...
I, I am engaged, how could I possibly seduce Mr. Si...
I had no silver to give her, she said she would go to Mrs. Second to accuse me, I, I was helpless!
If it really reached Mrs. Second, I am doomed! If the bracelet issue comes out, I am doomed!
It’s my stupidity, I shouldn’t have hidden the bracelet under the pillow. I didn’t expect Second Sister would find it and wear it out, letting so many people see it...
Sister-in-law, don’t you know, Second Sister said just because she saw Ying’er had so many good things, she didn’t want Ying’er to outshine her, so she wore my bracelet to show off.
Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, please ask Madam to spare my life, I didn’t intend to harm anyone."
Zizhu rushed forward, grabbing Jin Ling’s arm, crying uncontrollably.
Jin Ling sighed gently in her heart and said, "Speak slowly, what’s the matter with the bracelet?"
Zizhu tightened her grip suddenly, Jin Ling felt the pain, and Zizhu quickly released her hand in fear.
She hung her head and said, "The bracelet belongs to Lady An.
One night there was a sudden thunderstorm, Shan Qi worried Mr. Si didn’t have an umbrella, so I walked through the corridor to find Mr. Si.
Mr. Si usually has his meals in the backyard and exits from the side gate next to the Manhe Garden, through the corridor back to the front yard.
But that day I discovered Mr. Si and Lady An in the dark... doing, doing that kind of thing...
I was terrified at the time and ran, neither Mr. Si nor Lady An saw me.
Later, one day, Shan Qi didn’t have time to tidy up Mr. Si’s replaced clothes and asked me to help. While tidying, I found the bracelet, it should have accidentally wrapped in Mr. Si’s clothes during their private meeting.
I’m, I was possessed, and stole the bracelet.
Sister-in-law, I’ve told you such a big secret, I haven’t lied a single word. I stole the bracelet, I was wrong, but I...
But I was afraid too, when Cangzhu came to threaten me, how could I dare to expose Mr. Si and Lady An’s affair?
Aside from pushing her, aside from pushing her, I didn’t know what else to do...
I’ve been scared these days too, afraid she would come back to find me. I indeed harmed someone, and I have nightmares even when I close my eyes..."
Having released all the secrets buried in her heart, Zizhu lay on the table and cried to the point of breathlessness.
She was afraid, she was fearful, but she dared not tell anyone, not even her parents or younger sister.
Now that she’s spoken, while there’s a sense of relief, she still can’t get over the hurdle in her heart.
Jin Ling stood behind her, patting her head gently.
She recalled that Shan Qi was Mu Lianyu’s servant, what Zizhu said should be true.
Right and wrong, truth and falsehood, how can there be such clear distinctions in this world?
If she were Zizhu, she too wouldn’t know what’s truly the best action when threatened and extorted by Cangzhu.
It’s not a matter of life and death; Zizhu’s action of pushing Cangzhu isn’t so incomprehensible.
In terms of cause and effect, Zizhu shouldn’t have taken that bracelet. Without it, there wouldn’t have been the subsequent events.
As for Lian Family, Zizhu is smart not to report them.
Mu Lianyu having an affair with a widow, and that widow being someone close to his aunt, Zizhu witnessing such a disgraceful matter couldn’t possibly survive, neither Lian Family nor Madam Wu would allow it.
"I know everything now, I will report honestly to Madam, don’t worry, as long as you keep your mouth shut, Madam won’t trouble you," Jin Ling sighed, "Later when Auntie asks, just say you’re crying because you can’t bear to leave your parents for marriage."
Zizhu sobbed, replying vaguely.
Jin Ling went outside to ask Aunt Li for water.
Aunt Li was surprised: "What happened?"
Jin Ling smiled and said, "She asked me about some matters of great etiquette, and then cried, saying she can’t bear to leave you all."
Aunt Li was startled, took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her eyes: "This child! Making you laugh."
Jin Ling returned home, took a picture album from the shelf, and opened it to look at it.
The album contained flower patterns drawn by Miss Jin Rui from years ago, Jin Ling liked them and compiled a copy for herself.
She took the album and walked outside.
Upon reaching Shaohui Garden, Mrs. Shen was sitting at the door of the inverted house sewing clothes, seeing Jin Ling, she was surprised: "Yun Qi’s wife, didn’t you just leave? Why come again?"
Jin Ling raised the album in her hand: "Madam wanted to embroider this ’Flower Blooming Wealth,’ but couldn’t find the pattern, knowing I had it, she asked me to bring it."
Mrs. Shen laughed: "Everyone in the alley says your embroidery and patterns are good, can you lend me the album later to copy a couple of sheets?"
Jin Ling covered her mouth and laughed: "Ma’am, you’re going far for something nearby, all my patterns are drawn by Miss Jin Rui, she is the real expert.
Just this ’Flower Blooming Wealth,’ she drew no less than thirty versions, each a bit different, Madam asked her about it and she mixed them up, couldn’t tell which was which.
Since I’ve embroidered this one, when Madam talked about it I remembered, so I went to fetch it."
"That’s wonderful," Mrs. Shen said with a smile, "I’ll ask Miss Jin Rui to draw me some, I want to embroider a sachet for my daughter."
Jin Ling nodded with a smile, walked to the main house, tidied her clothing, and after announcing her visit, lifted the curtain and stepped inside.