"Help! Help me!"
A piercing scream shattered the silence of the Count's Estate. In the darkness, lamps flickered to life one by one. Servants hurriedly threw on their robes and scrambled to their feet; in an instant, the entire estate was thrown into a state of panic.
Then, one agonizing scream after another erupted from the Jinxiu Courtyard. Maidservants and mammies rushed toward the sound, but upon pushing open the door, they were stunned by the scene before them.
Madam Wen’s clothes were in disarray, her hairpins scattered, and her bun undone. Though Count Jingwen was gripping her hands with all his might, she was still struggling like a trapped beast, her face contorted into a savage mask. She shrieked wildly, utterly unhinged, appearing no different from a madwoman.
Count Jingwen’s face was livid, the veins on his forehead bulging. Several bright red scratch marks and slap prints were clearly visible on his skin, and his robes were shredded and disheveled. Too occupied to care about his appearance, he gritted his teeth and fought with all his strength to fend off Madam Wen’s frenzied assault. Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead; it was clear he was struggling to hold her back.
The onlookers were terrified, staring at each other, not daring to step forward.
"Are you all dead?" the Count roared, his fury erupting when he saw the servants standing frozen in place, offering no help.
The servants trembled at his shout. A few of the bolder mammies finally summoned their courage and crept forward, attempting to restrain Madam Wen.
However, the moment they reached out, Madam Wen’s eyelids suddenly drooped. Her body went limp like a marionette with severed strings. She collapsed, seemingly plunging into a deep sleep, even letting out a soft snore, as if everything that had just transpired had never happened.
The crowd stood frozen, at a loss for what to do. An eerie atmosphere permeated the room, chilling everyone to the bone.
"This... could it be sleepwalking?" one mammy whispered.
"Madwoman!" the Count cursed. He hastily threw on his outer coat, not even bothering to tie the sashes, and stormed out with a flick of his sleeves.
Madam Wen’s confidante, Mammy Zhou, hurried after him. She saw the Count striding urgently toward Huaxiang Residence. The night wind whipped his robes, and in the dim light of the corridor lamps, his retreating figure appeared exceptionally disheveled.
...
The occupants of Huaxiang Residence had already heard the commotion. Seeing the Count arrive in the dead of night, the mammies and maids rushed to greet him, their expressions cautious and wary, fearing they might provoke a master who was clearly in a foul mood.
Concubine An sat quietly in the room, holding a book. Under the candlelight, her delicate face bore a hint of exhaustion, her features cold and distant. She was only a few years older than Fu Mingyue. She had been the daughter of a modest farming family, but after a natural disaster struck her hometown and her parents perished, she had wandered alone until she reached Ningdu. By a twist of fate, she had been encountered by Count Jingwen, taken into the estate, and made a concubine.
By nature, she was indifferent to worldly affairs. She grew utterly weary of Madam Wen’s harassment and the petty infighting of the estate. Thus, she often feigned illness, living in seclusion and seeking only peace to raise her young daughter safely.
Because she had no desire to compete for favor, the Count’s initial interest had long since faded, and his visits to her courtyard grew increasingly rare.
Now, facing a midnight visit, Concubine An felt a surge of irritation, but she merely sighed softly, stood up, and welcomed the Count into the room.
The next morning, when Madam Wen woke, her entire body felt sore and weak. Her wrists throbbed with a dull pain, as if she had been through a brutal battle the night before. As she wondered about it, she noticed the maids and mammies around her darting nervous glances at her, causing her to knit her brows.
Finally, when Mammy Zhou hesitated for the third time, Madam Wen could no longer restrain herself.
"What exactly happened?" she asked impatiently while trying on jewelry in front of the mirror.
"Side Consort, last night..." Mammy Zhou gritted her teeth and recounted the events of the previous night in full detail.
Hearing this, Madam Wen felt the room spin; she felt as if she had fallen into a pit of ice.
No wonder she had felt so weak this morning, and why there were bruises on her wrists. She had assumed it was because she and the Count had been "too enthusiastic" the night before, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined...
She had no memory of what happened last night; she only remembered having a nightmare.
In the dream, a man in black had appeared with a hideous face, his skin as pale as paper, his eyes gleaming with a ghostly, cold light, and two trails of blood flowing from them. His withered fingers, with veins popping, ended in sharp, cruel claws as he lunged straight for her.
She had fought with all her might to resist, finally driving the "evil ghost" away in her dream, after which she had collapsed from exhaustion and fallen into a deep sleep.
She had thought it was just a nightmare, but she never imagined the "evil ghost" was actually the Count!
Worse, she had actually scratched the Count!
Panic rose in Madam Wen’s heart. She thought about going to the small kitchen to brew some ginseng soup to properly soothe the Count.
However, before she could even rise, she heard Mammy Zhou quietly add that after the Count left last night, he had gone straight to Huaxiang Residence. Her guilt instantly vanished, replaced by a surge of fury.
"Hmph, those sluts in this house, they really know how to seize any opening to steal favor!"
She slammed her teacup down, cursing through gritted teeth, a flash of cruelty in her eyes. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she turned to Mammy Zhou.
"Yesterday, was there any movement in the other courtyards?"
Mammy Zhou shook her head, looking at her cautiously.
"How could that be..." Madam Wen muttered to herself, a sense of unease gnawing at her.
"Mother, do you think people from Prince Jing's Estate will come today?" A crisp voice rang out from outside the door, interrupting Madam Wen’s thoughts.
She looked up to see Fu Jing'an wearing a pink dress, her hair styled in an exquisite bun. She ran in with light, hurried steps, her skirt fluttering like a butterfly dancing in the spring air.
Looking at her daughter, Madam Wen steadied her heart, comforting herself with the thought that she still had her daughter. As long as her daughter could marry into a prestigious family in the future, what did she have to worry about? At the thought of this, a soft smile appeared on her face.
Last night, Fu Yingzhi’s courtyard had been as silent as a stagnant pool, while there had been quite a stir in her mother’s courtyard, which had aroused Fu Jing'an’s suspicion. That was why she had come to Madam Wen’s courtyard early this morning, seeking to verify her guess.
But seeing Madam Wen’s current expression, she assumed she had been overthinking.
Fu Jing'an finally relaxed, and seeing Madam Wen lost in thought, she couldn't help but tug on her sleeve. "Mother, Mother!"
Madam Wen snapped back to reality, a sharp light flashing in her eyes.
"Where is your father?" She grabbed Fu Jing'an, her tone filled with urgency.
"The Count went to the study early this morning," Mammy Zhou quickly stepped forward to answer in a low voice.
Madam Wen understood immediately. The Count had not taken any action regarding Fu Yingzhi’s words, which clearly meant he did not believe them either.
The corners of her mouth curled up, a trace of mockery in her eyes. She turned to Fu Jing'an, patted her hand, and said with certainty, "Jing'an, don't worry. Today, Mother will definitely get justice for you!"
Before the words were even out of her mouth, a series of hurried footsteps sounded from outside. Then, a servant rushed in, panicked and breathless, and announced loudly: "His Highness Prince Jing has arrived at the front gate!"