Chapter 132 The Truth

Inside the Jiang residence, Jiang Li stared fixedly at Zhao Ke, her gaze unblinking.

At first, Zhao Ke said nothing at all, but in the end, he finally caved and said, "When this subordinate arrived at the Jiang residence, the Eldest Miss Jiang had already passed away. The Lord ordered me to keep watch over the Jiang residence, so I inquired into everything about the household that could be found out. However, inner courtyard intrigues are outside the scope of my duties, so I only have a rough understanding of the general picture."

"Speak," Jiang Li said.

"Although this subordinate did not witness the premature death of Eldest Miss Jiang with my own eyes back then, the Jiang family's primary branch has always been extremely tight-lipped about it. Ever since then, the Eldest Miss's biological mother, Concubine Hu, was moved to a remote courtyard and has several times narrowly escaped fatal accidents."

Jiang Li's gaze sharpened: "What do you mean by that?"

"They were all accidental events, but Concubine Hu has good fortune and managed to escape narrowly each time. Later, seeing that she was pitiful, the Dowager Jiang frequently helped her out. Furthermore, as Concubine Hu fell ill from time to time, her presence gradually vanished from the estate entirely."

Jiang Li thought for a moment and only asked: "Zhao Ke, answer me this: does the death of Eldest Miss Jiang have anything to do with Ji Shuran?"

Zhao Ke was clearly unaccustomed to discussing such matters with others. He hesitated for a moment before saying: "Nine times out of ten."

"As expected..." Jiang Li murmured. She turned her gaze to Zhao Ke, her questions growing sharper: "Then how much do you know about my affairs?"

Zhao Ke: "What?"

"Back then, my reputation for killing my mother and murdering my younger brother spread far and wide, creating an uproar throughout the entire capital of Yanjing. For the Jiang family, it was also a major event that everyone knew about. Since you came to the Jiang family as a spy, it is impossible that you would have missed this detail. Just how much do you know about my affairs? For example, why did I push Ji Shuran and cause her to miscarry? Before that, didn't Ji Shuran and I have a rather good relationship? At such a young age, I somehow had the ability to pull off such deeds. Perhaps there are some hidden circumstances behind all this?"

The events of those years were too far in the past. Tong'er knew nothing at all, while Bai Xue had entered the household much later. It was said that all the maidservants and old hags involved in the incident back then were driven out of the estate for failing in their duty of care. Now, trying to find someone who knew the truth was simply impossible. Aside from a notorious reputation of unforgivable wickedness, not a single clue remained from that affair. Yet Jiang Li herself was not truly the Second Miss Jiang; lacking any memories of that incident, she had no way of knowing the truth.

Zhao Ke said, "Second Miss, although this was a major event for the Jiang family, when you went to Mount Qingcheng back then, in the eyes of the people of Yanjing, you were no different from an abandoned pawn of the Jiang family. The Lord ordered this subordinate to infiltrate the Jiang family, but he would not waste energy and effort investigating the affairs of a discarded pawn."

Jiang Li: "..."

Ji Heng's subordinates shared a temperament cut from the exact same cloth as Ji Heng himself. His words could be described as utterly blunt—and of course, not entirely wrong either. A premier's daughter, banished to a nunnery for quiet cultivation thousands of li away—no matter how one looked at it, this young lady would likely find it difficult to ever return to Yanjing in her lifetime. For someone to expend a great deal of effort on a young lady whom everyone had forgotten, that truly would have been strange.

"Furthermore," Zhao Ke added, "why would Second Miss Jiang ask this subordinate about these matters? When it comes to what the truth is, shouldn't Second Miss herself be the one who knows best?"

He actually managed to turn the tables on her. Presumably, Ji Heng's subordinates were just like him: sharp-eyed and adept at grasping the core of an issue. Jiang Li smiled: "Yet what I saw back then was also one-sided, and I only witnessed a fraction of Ji Shuran's hidden face. What I saw is not necessarily the whole truth; perhaps there are even deeper things hidden behind the truth, isn't that so?"

Zhao Ke said, "Yes."

"Zhao Ke, do you truly know nothing at all about Ji Shuran's miscarriage back then?"

Zhao Ke replied, "This subordinate does not know."

Jiang Li studied his expression, confirming that he was not lying. Understanding dawned on her heart. After a moment of thought, she said, "Very well, you don't need to mention Ji Shuran's affair anymore. Over the next few days, I want you to handle three things for me. First, help me investigate as much as possible the reasons behind the premature death of Eldest Miss Jiang back then. If you cannot find out, then even trivial matters concerning the Eldest Miss will do. Second, keep a close eye recently on whether any exceptional individuals have been wandering around the capital of Yanjing; I believe Daoist Chongxu should have arrived. Third," she paused, "I need a master of ventriloquism. Your Duke's Residence possesses many talented and extraordinary individuals, so I assume you must know quite a few people like that."

When these three tasks were laid out, Zhao Ke's expression turned exceedingly unsightly once more. He didn't ask Jiang Li why she wanted these three things done, only saying with undisguised reluctance, "Second Miss Jiang, you are not this subordinate's master."

"I am not your master, but since your Lord lent you to me, I am entitled to make use of you," Jiang Li smiled. "Or would you prefer to go back and lodge a protest with your Lord, either leaving the Jiang family or having someone else sent in your place?"

Zhao Ke was brimming with gloom inside. He was one of the premier talents of the Duke's Residence; whether it came to martial arts, disguise, or wits, any skill he pulled out would draw praise from everyone. That was why the Lord had entrusted him with the dangerous task of infiltrating the Jiang family. Yet now, when Second Miss Jiang employed him, not only did she not show the slightest shred of embarrassment, but she used him as naturally as breathing. Anyone unaware would think he was her personal pageboy and she was his proper master.

Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, using a butcher's knife to slaughter a chicken—it was simply outrageous!

Yet he still didn't dare to tell Ji Heng to send someone else instead.

So be it, just this once. Besides, if the Lord knew he was being ordered around like this, he would surely remind Second Miss Jiang not to go too far and would certainly show him some compassion. With no other choice, Zhao Ke could only respond with resignation, "Very well. If there is nothing else, this subordinate will take his leave."

Jiang Li called him back and asked, "Everything I've just said to you—will you report it word for word to your Lord?"

"Second Miss Jiang," Zhao Ke said solemnly, "The Lord is this subordinate's master."

"Good," Jiang Li said. "Then you can conveniently add one more sentence: for those matters you are unable to investigate, if your Lord is capable of digging them out, I wonder if he might be willing to lend a helping hand?"

Zhao Ke stared at Jiang Li in utter astonishment. This person was actually pushing her luck! Not only did she dare to order him around, but she even dared to make such an unreasonable demand of the Lord?!

Because the shock he received inwardly was simply too intense, outwardly he was utterly incapable of displaying any expression. With a stiff face, he vanished beyond the window.

Jiang Li closed the window, returned to the couch, and sat down. Mulling over what Zhao Ke had said, the fact that the events of the past were so difficult to unearth seemed to further corroborate that Ji Shuran had done a great deal of covert and shady work.

Although she was not the true Second Miss Jiang, it was precisely because of the Second Miss Jiang that she had survived. In a sense, she could comprehend the feelings of the Second Miss Jiang. There was nothing she could do before, but now, perhaps the only thing she could do to help the Second Miss Jiang was to help her reclaim the truth, so she would no longer bear a罪名 that did not belong to her.

On the other side, within the Duke's Residence, Lu Ji could no longer sit still upon hearing the news brought back by Zhao Ke.

"She, she, she..." The scholar in cyan robes, usually one to keep his emotions hidden, cast aside his usual calm and composed demeanor and anxiously blurted out, "How could she be so audacious?"

Audacious was putting it mildly; she was simply ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. Just listen to what she was saying—not only did she have the experts of the Duke's Residence working for her, but she even dared to order Ji Heng around. Was this girl raised on the gall of bears and leopards? Was she born without knowing how to write the word "fear"?

Ji Heng, however, acted as if he didn't take the matter to heart at all, merely murmuring to himself, "She asked about the matter of Ji Shuran's miscarriage?"

"Yes," Wen Ji replied. "Zhao Ke said that's how Second Miss Jiang asked."

"As for the three tasks she wants Zhao Ke to carry out, the first two can still be considered. But the third one—finding someone skilled in ventriloquism... What does that mean?" Lu Ji shook his head. "Is she trying to perform magic tricks?"

"There are numerous retainers in the estate; Lu Ji, go find one," Ji Heng said.

Lu Ji acknowledged the order, though he felt puzzled inwardly. Why was it that whenever Jiang Li wanted something done, Ji Heng responded to every request? At the very beginning, Ji Heng hadn't even cared about Jiang Li's death. Lu Ji suspected there were still other secrets between the two of them; naturally, he wouldn't go prying. But to be able to cause such a massive change in Ji Heng, the Second Miss Jiang could truly be considered quite formidable.

"Second Miss Jiang seems to have been investigating Ji's affairs lately," Lu Ji said. "Could she be preparing to move against the Ji family? Behind Madame Ji stands the Ji family, and the Ji family has Consort Li. If Second Miss Jiang goes against Madame Ji, she is going against Consort Li. Right now, Yongning also hates Second Miss Jiang. If Yongning and Consort Li join forces, Second Miss Jiang's days won't be easy." Lu Ji shook his head. "She's always been shrewd; why would she pull a stunt like this at a juncture like this?"

"She has been holding it in for too long," Ji Heng said. "By now, she can no longer endure it. But that's fine; enemies are never defeated by mere forbearance. Acting like this is rather refreshing."

"Jiang Yuan柏 is astute in state affairs, but when it comes to family matters, he's not even as capable as this daughter of his," Lu Ji sighed. "Well then, we're in for a good show."

Ji Heng stared at the flickering candlelight on the table, a smile playing on his lips, his gaze deep and fathomless.

Indeed, they were in for a good show, because even he was beginning to feel curious.

...

During the winter in Yanjing, the sun was always a precious commodity. The day before had seen sunlight, but today seemed intent on taking back yesterday's good weather. Early in the morning, a biting wind mixed with sleet and snow blew so fiercely that the flower branches in the flowerbeds could not bear the heavy accumulation of snow, snapping off in large numbers.

Mingyue and Qingfeng, wearing thick cotton padded jackets, were busy sweeping up the broken flower branches in the courtyard into a single pile. Jiang Li looked out the window, and Tong'er said, "Miss, with such a heavy wind and snow today, we shouldn't go to the Ye family's place, right?"

In weather with wind and snow this heavy, aside from commoners forced to hustle for their lives, anyone from a slightly affluent household wouldn't even need to step out of doors—it was simply far too cold. The charcoal fire burned brightly inside, and Jiang Li even held a hand warmer in her palm, yet standing at the doorway of the courtyard, she could still feel the biting chill creeping in.

"We cannot not go," Jiang Li looked at the sky. "However, it's indeed inconvenient to go out right now. Let's wait until the snow lightens up a bit in the afternoon."

Tong'er lowered her head in resignation; Jiang Li's reply was entirely within her expectations. Regarding Xue Huanyuan, regardless of wind or rain, Jiang Li insisted on visiting him. Sometimes she truly didn't understand—even if her young lady was kind-hearted, Xue County Magistrate already had people taking care of him; why was she unable to let go?

Just as she was thinking this, Bai Xue walked in from outside and said, "Miss, Concubine Hu has come."

"Concubine Hu?" Tong'er was stunned.

Jiang Li, however, did not look particularly surprised. She smiled faintly: "She's much faster than I anticipated. Tong'er, pour some tea. Bai Xue, invite Concubine Hu in."

When Concubine Hu entered, she was still accompanied by the maid from the other day. She seemed to have only this single maid; after all, although she held the title of a concubine, in reality, almost no one in the household remembered her existence. She possessed the title of concubine in name only.

Concubine Hu and her maid entered Jiang Li's room together.

The inside and outside of the room seemed like two entirely different worlds, and Concubine Hu and her maid had likely not felt such warmth in a long time. Jiang Li clearly saw the maid involuntarily moving a bit closer to the charcoal fire, greedily drinking in the meager warmth of the room.

Jiang Li sighed inwardly. In the dead of winter, this mistress and servant were wearing only thin cotton garments. It was hard to imagine that in a grand family like the Jiang residence, even servants had winter clothes, yet these two lived in such destitution. Although Dowager Jiang had the heart to relieve Concubine Hu, the authority of managing the household ultimately rested in Ji Shuran's hands, and Dowager Jiang could not possibly attend to every minute detail. As for how Concubine Hu and her servant had fallen to such a state, Jiang Li simply could not believe it had happened without Ji Shuran's tacit permission.

"It's cold outside, Concubine Hu, have some hot tea." Jiang Li pushed the teacup a little closer to Concubine Hu.

Concubine Hu accepted the teacup and took a sip. Only then did she seem to regain a bit of warmth, her pale complexion acquiring a trace of color. She said, "Second Miss, this concubine has come today to answer the question Second Miss asked yesterday."

Jiang Li smiled slightly. Concubine Hu was a smart person; not answering immediately yesterday was simply to weigh the pros and cons. But by today, she had already made her decision—she truly was astute.

"There's no rush," Jiang Li smiled. "I said before, whenever Concubine Hu wishes to speak, she may speak. There's no need to rush; I won't force you."

"Second Miss has the compassionate heart of a Buddha and naturally would not coerce this concubine. However, from this concubine's perspective, the bitter battle between Second Miss and the Ji woman will soon begin. This concubine shares an irreconcilable feud with the Ji woman, so naturally, I lean toward assisting Second Miss. Therefore, coming here today is to pledge my loyalty." She said, "This concubine is willing to lend Second Miss a helping hand."

"Lend me a helping hand?" Jiang Li smiled. "Concubine Hu doesn't need to put it in such righteous terms. Whether it's lending me a helping hand or borrowing a knife to kill someone, it's just different phrasing. Besides, helping me doesn't that mean helping yourself, Concubine Hu?"

Concubine Hu looked at Jiang Li for a long time, then suddenly smiled. When she smiled, she revealed a calm and gentle demeanor. She said, "Second Miss and Madame are truly different."

The "Madame" she spoke of naturally referred to Ye Zhenzhen.

Jiang Li smiled indifferently: "The time I spent with my mother was not long, and I could only learn what kind of person she was from the mouths of others. I hear that you and my mother were once close friends, so you must know."

"Madame was a good person," Concubine Hu said softly.

"Because my mother could tolerate the existence of your elder sister, while the Ji woman cannot."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room fell silent. Tong'er and Bai Xue didn't even dare to breathe heavily, standing quietly behind Jiang Li.

"Second Miss's courage is truly too great," Concubine Hu said. "Aren't you afraid the Master will hear these words?"

"You overestimate my father's clairvoyance and omniscience, Concubine Hu," Jiang Li said calmly. "If he were truly able to see everything and hear everything, this estate wouldn't be plagued by so many muddled affairs."

"Second Miss is a discerning person." Ji Shuran lowered her head and slowly said, "Yue'er falling from the rockery was indeed no accident."

"Yue'er" was Eldest Miss Jiang's childhood nickname. In truth, whether it was the Eldest Miss's childhood name or her formal name, the entire Jiang family seemed to have forgotten it entirely. She was merely a daughter of a concubine; back then, had it not been for Ye Zhenzhen's soft heart, she shouldn't have even existed in this world. Therefore, regarding Yue'er's ultimate death, everyone assumed it was simply fate—a destiny that lacked the fortune to be born, struggling to the very end yet unable to break free from fate's grasp.

Yet whether it was fate or a conspiracy, no one cared to pursue it any further, save for her biological mother.

"Please go on," Jiang Li said.

"After I gave birth to Yue'er, Madame later gave birth to Second Miss. Madame treated Yue'er very well, and whenever there were good things, she always shared a portion with Yue'er. Although Yue'er was a concubine's daughter, her treatment was actually not much different from Second Miss's. Back then, this concubine felt extremely fortunate to have met such a good person as Madame, and I only wished for Yue'er to grow up safe and sound, marry an honest man, and live a peaceful, ordinary life. That would have been more than enough."

"I simply didn't expect Madame to pass away so prematurely. Afterward, the Ji woman married into the family." She looked at Jiang Li and smiled self-deprecatingly: "Although the Ji woman appeared exceptionally gentle and generous on the surface, treating Yue'er very well, women possess a certain intuition. The look in her eyes whenever she gazed at Yue'er always carried a sense of obstruction."

"I wanted to make Yue'er stay away from her and not get close to her, but things still went wrong."

"They treated Yue'er as a playmate to amuse Jiang Youyao. But how would ordinary people treat their playmates like that? On that day..."

On that day, the Eldest Miss Jiang was playing with Jiang Youyao in the estate. Jiang Youyao was barely two years old then, a child who understood nothing. Whatever Eldest Miss Jiang did, she somehow bumped into Jiang Youyao. Furious on the spot, Ji Shuran casually lashed out and kicked Jiang Yue'er. The Eldest Miss Jiang was only four years old, and that kick held no restraint. It sent little Jiang Yue'er flying backward, the back of her head striking the door threshold, and she died on the spot.

Ji Shuran panicked for only a moment before immediately making a decision. She merely had the servants take Jiang Yue'er to the rockery to stage an accident, making it look as though Jiang Yue'er had carelessly tumbled down the rockery and thus lost her life.

"They never stopped to think—Yue'er was only four years old; how could she possibly have climbed such a rockery?" Although Concubine Hu tried her utmost to speak of the past calmly, her body still trembled slightly. She curled her fingers and clawed at the air, as if trying to grasp her already vanished daughter. She said, "My Yue'er died right at the hands of Ji Shuran."

"How did you know?" Jiang Li asked.

"My maid, her name is Baoqin." She raised her head, gesturing toward the maid standing beside her, and said, "Her twin sister was named Siqi, and on that day, she was the one serving by Yue'er's side. Outside, she happened to witness the Ji woman ordering others to stage the scene. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was watching, she ran back to the courtyard and told me."

"And that maid?" Jiang Li asked.

"Dead," Concubine Hu lowered her head. "Everyone in the courtyard that day became scapegoats. Siqi was beaten to death under the pretext of failing to protect the young miss. I was unable to save her."

"Knowing this, why didn't you tell my father?" Jiang Li asked.

"Second Miss, did you think I never told the Master?" Concubine Hu said with bitter mockery. "It's just that not a single person believed my words. They all claimed that losing Yue'er had driven me mad with hysteria, that I was slandering and framing the Ji woman, and they even wanted to send me away to a temple. Had Dowager Jiang not remembered our past mistress-servant ties and spoken up for me, I likely would have encountered an 'accident' midway to some temple and died an unnatural death long ago."

Jiang Li fell silent. After a moment, she asked, "Not a single person in the estate believed your words?"

"How could they believe them?" Concubine Hu said. "She is a young lady of the Ji family, now the legal mistress of the house—gentle, generous, and virtuous. No one would believe she could lay a hand on a concubine's daughter who posed no threat to her. Perhaps... perhaps some sensed the unnaturalness of it all, but back then the Ji family was rising rapidly in power and influence. Who would offend a marital alliance with the Ji family for the sake of someone already dead? Second Miss, you too reside within the Jiang family; you should see human relationships and interests much more clearly than I do. They have familial affection too, but even that affection is weighed on the scales of pros and cons. In the face of interests, it is exceedingly fragile."

She spoke with a look that was half-laughing, half-crying. Yet Jiang Li seemed to be able to peer past the face of this woman whose youth had faded, seeing the surging resentment and sorrow bottled up inside her.

Concubine Hu calmed herself for a moment before speaking softly, "There was one person in this estate who should have believed me, and that was Madame. Unfortunately, she was already dead. This is probably my retribution."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Li acutely sensed the underlying implication in her words.

"Second Miss, this matter has been buried in my heart for many years," Concubine Hu gave a miserable laugh. "Everyone in this estate avoided me like the plague, and I never had the chance to tell this secret to anyone else. But now that you have come, I thought that you at least ought to know about this. In truth, Madame's death back then was no accident."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li felt as though a basin of freezing water had been dumped over her head, making the already cold weather feel piercingly bone-chilling. Her smile vanished entirely, and she only asked: "Concubine Hu, you had better make yourself clear."

Concubine Hu acted as though she didn't notice the sudden shift in Jiang Li's expression, continuing to herself: "Back then, when the Ji woman had just married into the family, I initially thought that as long as we acted submissively and gently, the Ji woman would spare our mother and daughter and not make trouble for us. At that time, I frequently tried to curry favor with the Ji woman, sending her homemade food, embroidery, and the like. One day, I overheard the Ji woman talking with her wet nurse. What they discussed was the physician who had treated Madame back then—he had returned to the capital of Yanjing, and they needed to find someone to silence him."

"What did you say?" Jiang Li frowned. "Wasn't my mother's health weak because she gave birth to me, leading to her passing?" She had heard that the original Second Miss Jiang was wracked with intense self-reproach precisely because of this affair; had she not desperately forced her way into the world, Ye Zhenzhen would not have departed so early.

"Weak health can be slowly restored with proper care," Concubine Hu said. "Yet Madame's condition deteriorated day by day over those six months. At the time, we didn't suspect anything amiss. But that day, I suddenly sensed that something wasn't right. After Madame passed away, several of her close personal maids also left the Jiang residence for various reasons—either to return home to care for a critically ill mother, or to leave the estate and get married. Within half a year, not a single trace of news was ever heard from them again. Even among the maids around you, Second Miss, very few of the ones Madame left you remain."

"Thinking back on it now, it's quite possible the Ji woman bribed those maids and the physician, tampering with Madame's medicinal diet to bring about her demise."

Jiang Li shook her head: "There was no necessity for that. My father only took a fancy to Ji Shuran after my mother passed away. At that time, Ji Shuran was still unmarried. Given the standing of the Ji family in the capital of Yanjing, while they couldn't find a high-ranking household like the Jiangs, marrying the son of an ordinary official family would have been more than enough. There was no need to come here and act as a step-wife."

"That is precisely what this concubine could not comprehend," confusion surfaced on Concubine Hu's face. "If one were to say the Ji woman had already set her sights on the Master beforehand and thus resorted to such vicious methods, it still doesn't add up. The Ji woman and the Master had never even met prior to that."

Jiang Li fell silent.

"After learning of this, this concubine did not dare to make a sound, fearing that the more secrets I knew, the faster I would die," Concubine Hu said. "I thought, as long as I could protect Yue'er as she grew up, I would pretend I knew nothing of these matters and let them rot in my stomach. I never expected..." She gave a bitter laugh: "This was Heaven's punishment for me. Madame treated me so kindly during her lifetime, yet I could not seek justice for her, so I deserved to lose Yue'er. I brought this upon myself."

Jiang Li looked at her. She knew Concubine Hu was heartbroken, but she could no longer continue sympathizing with her. Had Concubine Hu leaked even the tiniest hint of these matters back then, and had the true Second Miss Jiang grown wary of Ji Shuran, such a tragic conclusion might have been averted. Although to outsiders, she, the Second Miss Jiang, had everything despite her poor past reputation, only Jiang Li knew that the real Second Miss Jiang no longer existed in this world.

The daughter Ye Zhenzhen had sought to protect had never survived within the Jiang residence.

"Second Miss, I know you resent me, and I don't harbor any extravagant hopes that you will forgive me. However, I will bear my own sins. Yet the Ji woman carries the lives of two people on her hands and still lives a life of ease—I am unreconciled." At this point, she dropped the humble self-appellation entirely. She said, "I have endured for so many years, dreaming of how to perish together with her, but I cannot even get close to her. I have no money, I cannot command the servants, and to put it bluntly, even if I wanted to poison her, I couldn't afford to buy arsenic. And then I realized, letting the Ji woman die like that would be letting her off far too lightly. Even if I killed her, people would only say I was vicious and cruel, murdering the legal mistress of the house, and that my Yue'er deserved to die young. But what about the Ji woman? She would still retain her virtuous reputation, dying a noble and honored death. That is not what I want."

Jiang Li looked at her and asked, "You tell me all this—what is it you want?"

"Second Miss, I know you led the commoners of Tongxiang to the capital gates to beat the grievance drum. For the sake of a total stranger, you were able to wash away his grievances. Leaving Yue'er aside, Madame was your mother; you surely have a way to prove the innocence of Madame's death, don't you?"

"And what about you?" Jiang Li asked. "Concubine Hu, what can you do?"

"I can... give up everything." In the eyes of the lifeless woman, the flames of revenge gradually ignited. Like a mother lion whose cub had been snatched away by a hunter, her gaze flashed with the madness of mutual destruction. She said, "Including my life."

She suddenly stood up, turned toward Jiang Li, and sank to her knees.

"This concubine begs Second Miss."

Jiang Li watched her, and for some unknown reason, she was reminded of her past self in the Shen residence—placed under house arrest, driven to a dead end.

So utterly cornered that even dying together was beyond reach.

She said, "Concubine Hu, get up. I promise you—not for your sake, but because the Ji woman must die."

She deserved to pay the price.