Chapter 95 Part 3: Qiong Zhi
“I didn’t expect Xue Zhao to mention me to you,” Qiong Zhi said with a smile: “after all, I’m just a woman from the brothel. He, being such an upright and righteous man, was actually not afraid of dirtying his own name. However, for him to mention these things means that he has a very good relationship with you.”
There’s probing in her speech, she probably thought that Jiang Li and Xue Zhao’s relation was not ordinary. Jiang Li laughed: “Xue Zhao’s sister and I are good friends. These things were actually not told by Xue Zhao to me, it was Xue Zhao’s sister who told me about them.”
The meaning in her words were obvious, she and Xue Zhao had no relationship, but Xue Fang Fei and she were good friends.
As such, Qiong Zhi’s gaze turned much softer. Qiong Zhi smiled and said: “So it’s like that.”
“I also came here to sound out, thinking perhaps you are no longer in Xi Hua Lou. Didn’t think that you are still here.” Jiang Li said.
“If I’m not at Xi Hua Lou, where else could I go?” Qiong Zhi also laughed.
Jiang Li was silent for a moment before asking: “At that time Xue Zhao wanted to bring you out from Xi Hua Lou, why didn’t you agree with him then?”
Qiong Zhi looked at Jiang Li with an unclear meaning and slowly said: “Miss, I am different from you. Just a glance could tell that you are a young miss from a big family who lives like a princess and doesn’t know the human’s suffering. I was sold into Xi Hua Lou since childhood, after both my parents pa.s.sed away. Learning the four arts, fawning and winning the favors of guests, these are my ways to earn a living. I don’t feel any shame in doing this, compared with those who were sold into big families as slaves or maid servants. Perhaps there would be a day where the master would use them to serve as a bed warmer or a concubine, then they would be living under the hands of the mistress of the house, trembling in fear and trepidation. I’m already very content, at least over here, as a flower girl, I don’t have to guard against the poisonous wife.”
“You see me as if I have no dignity. But if I was born in a wealthy family, I naturally could hold my head high. Only people with money can speak of dignity, people with no money better not speak about dignity.” She smiled and said: “Xue Zhao is very good, although he doesn’t look like a n.o.ble son of a big family, he was born righteous. However, his justice sometimes seems too naive.”
Suddenly, Qiong Zhi seemed to recall something and laughed. She said: “That day when he wanted to bring me away, I asked him, if I followed him to leave Xi Hua Lou, what should I do in the future? As a result, he looked at me in surprise and asked, ‘in the future, you should naturally look for an honorable job to earn a living and live your days well.’” Qiong Zhi spread her hands out and said: “You see, he had never thought of accepting me by his side. Other man redeems a woman’s body not to let her go out and earn a living herself.”
“Xue Zhao does not like me. It was only due to his sense of justice and encountering this kind of thing. I must not treat this as having tender, protective feelings, also must not think that his treatment towards me was due to affection. I cannot follow a person who has no feelings for me, so why should I leave Xi Hua Lou? At least in Xi Hua Lou I won’t lack money and won’t lack men who hold me up in their hands.”
Qiong Zhi sighed, there’s listlessness in her sight. She said with melancholy: “Probably his naive righteousness has moved me. I’ve seen many men in Xi Hua Lou, each and everyone has their own intention, everyone is selfish, only a small number are like him, distinguishing clearly from right and wrong. I don’t know whether in this lifetime I can still meet this kind of person, without any intention, only simply thinking of helping me……. Unfortunately,” she laughed, ridiculing herself, “he never came over anymore. I also haven’t seen him again.”
Jiang Li listened throughout Qiong Zhi’s narration. There were some places where Jiang Li didn’t agree with, but some matters she had no choice but to admire Qiong Zhi for seeing clearly. Indeed Xue Zhao did not like Qiong Zhi and she was fully aware of this, thus she didn’t entangle him. Xue Zhao was indeed naive and righteous. If not, he would not be set up by Princess Yongning and died dubiously.
Restraining the surging emotions in her heart, Jiang Li said: “Miss Qiong Zhi, it’s not that Xue Zhao does not want to come, it’s because he can’t.”
“Oh?” Qiong Zhi laughed, “why can’t he come, could he be married?”
“He is dead.” Jiang Li said.
Qiong Zhi was stunned. As if half a day had pa.s.sed before she understood the meaning behind the three words Jiang Li said. She cried out: “Impossible!”
“He’s really dead, died in Yanjing, the capital. He was robbed and killed, then his corpse was discarded in the river.”
Qiong Zhi covered her mouth at once. Jiang Li clearly saw the tears in Qiong Zhi’s eyes. She shook her head and muttered: “How is it possible…..”
“You only know Xue Zhao’s name, but do not know his ident.i.ty. Xue Zhao was the son of Tongxiang county’s deputy, Xue Huai Yuan. His sister, Xue Fang Fei, was married off and moved to Yanjing. A year ago, Xue Fang Fei had a miscarriage in Yanjing, Xue Zhao went to Yanjing to visit her but met with bandits. Afterwards, Xue Fang Fei died of illness, Xue Huai Yuan also pa.s.sed away.” Jiang Li spoke extremely calmly. She looked at Qiong Zhi, “in a short year, the three people of the Xue family all died. Don’t you feel that it’s strange?”
Qiong Zhi asked: “What do you mean?”