Attacking The Heart

Madam Gu was a woman who liked cleanliness, but there was little one could do about that in jail. She still did her best to look clean and neat, however. Her dress was a little soiled, but not crumpled. She couldn’t wash her hair, so she just tied it into a neat bun.

Even when she sat down, her back was straight and her shoulders were flat, so she didn’t look weak or frail. Her posture was elegant and exuded resilience. Nobody would have dared to harbor any wayward thoughts about her.

Those eyes, especially, were bright and wise, as though she knew everything in the world, like the stars in the night sky, yet also like the fireflies reflected in the lake. They were small, but very resilient and shone brightly without fear. Nobody could do anything about it.

She was very calm when she saw that Song Caitang had come again. Her expression didn’t flinch at all until Song Caitang said that last bit.

That she was here to admire the greatness of a mother’s love.

Madam Gu’s gaze clearly froze and her fingers stiffened up visibly.

“What do you mean, Miss Song? I do not understand.”

Her reaction was fast and her voice was calm. Her gaze moved naturally to look at Song Caitang, then her fingers also reached out to pull at her sleeve before she retracted them again, as though she intended to do so in the first place, so her actions seemed perfectly normal.

But Song Caitang was observing her with every ounce of focus she had. Of course she had noticed her immediate reaction.

“You’re finally willing to talk.”

Song Caitang smiled faintly as she used a slim finger to twirl the hair by her ears very slowly and deliberately.

Soft and fine hair was usually a feminine trait, and only the unmarried women of this country would tie their hair such that the sides next to their ears remained long and untied. They represented the charm and liveliness of a young woman. Once she was married she was to tie all of her hair and not leave the sides long like that.

Song Caitang’s actions were very clear.

She knew Madam Gu’s secret. She knew about her motherly love for a daughter.

Madam Gu clenched her fists that were hidden in her sleeve. She regretted saying that. She shouldn’t have asked that question.

“It’s not because you’ve not been careful and you’ve walked into my trap. It’s just that you’ve shown real emotions that all humans would have.”

Song Caitang found a stool that seemed relatively clean, put a handkerchief over it and sat down.

Madam Gu closed her eyes. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Song Caitang asked another question, “Who’s more important to you? Your son or your daughter?”

Perhaps Madam Gu had really gotten angry this time. She raised her brows, the space between her eyes were slightly wrinkled from a frown and her gaze looked like it was brewing a huge thunderstorm. “Miss Song, sometimes the things one says can get them into very big trouble. You’re still young, so I’d advise you to watch the things you say.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Ji. There’s no one else here.” Song Caitang knew what Madam Gu was afraid of. She pulled out the gold plaque from Zhao Zhi and showed it to Madam Gu. “Commandery Prince Zhao has already helped to clear the jail of anyone else, so anything you say today will only be between us and a fourth person will not find out. I didn’t even tell Old Madam Li that I’m here.”

A fourth person…

Madam Gu said, “In other words, the commandery prince knows about this matter.”

“He’s the official in charge and he’s an extremely sharp man who’s already noticed something amiss, so I can’t hide it from him.” Song Caitang spoke with a clear and earnest look in her eyes. “This matter is important to both the case and yourself, so I hope you will give it some thought.”

This society was very harsh to women. Madam Gu had lost her husband very early and it had been difficult for her to bring up her son as a widow thus far, so if there was any way Song Caitang could help her, she would.

Zhao Zhi was not the type to shoot his mouth off, and while Qi Yan loved juicy gossip, he knew what he could say and what he could not say.

If Madam Gu was just someone connected to the case and not the murderer, then taking the rap was not the right thing to do and it was punishable by law, but it was better not to go into all that now.

Song Caitang noticed that Madam Gu was staring at the floor and hadn’t spoken in a long time, so she said quietly, “I ran into Ji Yuanjia on the streets the other day.”

Madam Gu’s eyelashes trembled as she clenched her fists tightly inside her sleeve again.

“He told me that his mother taught him that a man should stand with his head high, his actions honest, his conscience clear. That you hoped that when he grew old and looked back on his past, he would be glad that he had once walked this earth. And he would be glad because of his good deeds, what he protected, how responsible he’d been, what he had achieved, what touched his heart. It would never be a life of guilt.”

Song Caitang looked at Madam Gu with her bright eyes. “I don’t know you and have never interacted with you before this, but based on what I’ve heard about you from Old Madam Li and Ji Yuanjia, I think you’re a really heroic woman. For someone to be like this, for someone to raise her son like this, I’m sure you’re someone who will stand up for what she believes in.”

“I too, hope that when you grow old and look back on your past, you would be glad you once walked this earth. And you’d be glad because of your good deeds, what you protected, what you took responsibility for, and never because of guilt.”

Madam Gu was silent for a while before she suddenly said, “What do you want to say? Just say it.”

Song Caitang knew from the look in Madam Gu’s eyes that she was already wavering, but this wavering did not mean that Madam Gu was going to come clean. Song Caitang did not think that what she said would have such an effect anyway, especially since this was something that could affect Madam Gu very badly.

She could only try her best.

“Commandery Prince Zhao has done an investigation and found out that you were once kidnapped 18 years ago and was only rescued three days later. But at that time, your family just claimed that you went on a trip and they covered everything up, so nobody else found out about it. It was not your fault that this happened at all. But after you returned home, it was said that you fell severely ill and could not get well, so you were going to stay home and not attend any parties, and you even cut ties with your best friends… This does not make sense though, given your activities and your body condition after you were married.”

“You remained supposedly ill for two whole years and did not leave the house or appear in front of anyone else, all the way until you were married into the Ji family.”

“During the first year of your supposed illness, someone in your family had great difficulty giving birth, and her baby was stillborn, so she was sent out of the household. This matter had been done in secret and nobody took notice.”

Song Caitang paused at this juncture. “But was this family member really a member of the family? Did her child really die? Or should I say… the child had to die?”

Madam Gu closed her eyes and her eyelashes trembled.

She didn’t say anything, but her expression said a lot.

Song Caitang continued, “When you first got to the Ji family, you went through a lot of difficulties. The Ji family is of very high standing and many members are court officials. Court officials are very particular about rules and how they carry themselves, so while they garner a lot of respect from people, they could also end up offending another important person. At the same time, they were clean officials, so they didn’t have a lot of money. Mr. Ji passed away early, so you had to bring up a very young Ji Yuanjia while trying to keep your position in the household. It took you many years and a lot of effort to finally rise to your current position and status, and to stabilize the situation within the family. You finally had time to do the things you’ve always wanted to do.”

“Commandery Prince Zhao also found out that you’ve been investigating something. You’ve been searching for a young lady who was born 17 years ago.”

At this point, Madam Gu shut her eyes tightly. Her breathing also became a little quicker now.

Song Caitang did not stop, “But your investigations were stopped by the Gus. Your family didn’t want you to continue your search. But what happened in the end? Did you find this young lady?”

Madam Gu’s eyelashes were slightly wet. Song Caitang sighed inwardly. Things were exactly as she had thought.

“This young lady is Lv Mingyue, correct?”

Madam Gu still did not speak.

Song Caitang went on, “I believe that mothers and their daughters have some sort of connection, or rather, that a mother can recognize their child from something about the child. Even if they were separated, they would sense something when they met and you would want to confirm it. So, by coincidence, you recognized Lv Mingyue. Is that what happened?”

Based on everything she’d seen so far, Lv Mingyue probably knew that the Lvs were not her actual parents. She probably really wanted to meet with her real parents, but she didn’t know who they were at all. Otherwise, given her personality, she wouldn’t have been able to hide her emotions about the case.

Song Caitang made a guess, “You recognized Lv Mingyue, but there was too little time and there were too many other people around, so you couldn’t just go up to her and tell her that you’re her mother. You could only watch her from the shadows and keep a close eye on her. Then… you noticed something.”

“Nobody had noticed that knife that was used to kill Lin Feizhou, but you did, because it was in Lv Mingyue’s hand, right? Lv Mingyue was awfully frightened and didn’t know what to do, so you made the decision on the spot to slap that knife out of her hands and it fell to the ground next to your dress… You had already made a decision, so even took the chance to get some blood on your dress during the chaos. Is that right?”

“You thought to yourself, you had never done anything for this daughter, so you wanted to do something for her for once, correct?”

Song Caitang’s voice was not loud, but the way it echoed inside the jail made it sound cold and sad.

Madam Gu remained silent for a very long time before she finally spoke.

“All of this is merely your conjecture. The knife was found next to my feet, my dress and hands had blood on them. I killed him. It doesn’t matter who comes to talk to me, I’ll always say the same thing.”

Song Caitang sighed. “So, you’re determined to do this for your daughter and disregard your son?”

“You feel guilty toward your daughter, but what about the son you brought up through such great suffering? What about the son whom you’ve grown so close to over the past ten odd years? Are you sure you can just abandon him like that?”

“Ji Yuanjia is only 15 this year, isn’t he? He’s very clever and talented, but his life must have been tough, given how mature and sensitive he is at this young age. And look at how terribly skinny he is too. Do you really think that he’s good enough to stand on his own within the family without your help? His life without you will really be smooth sailing?”

Song Caitang stared intensely at Madam Gu. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but boys at this age are often not very flexible in their thinking. They haven’t reached adulthood and they have no exposure to a much broader and much crueler world. They aren’t able to smile confidently or stand up against challenges well, yet they possess the courage and aggression that an adult man has. If you just remain in jail, he might be alright. But if you are sentenced to death, will he really be able to cope?”

“Ji Yuanjia lost his father at a very young age and it hasn’t been easy for him thus far. Don’t you… want to watch him grow to become more mature and more successful in life? If he finds out the truth one day, how do you expect him to deal with it? And even if he never finds out… He’s 15 and it’s about time to talk about his marriage. If you’re not around, guess what will happen? His marriage will become something the other members of the Ji family will make use of for their own benefit, right? He doesn’t know how to manage a marriage or how to be a good husband yet, and you’re going to allow other people to have control over your son’s marriage? Allow your daughter-in-law to marry into this family without knowing anything, to suffer bullying without being able to speak up about it?”

“Mrs. Ji, are you sure you’re willing to let all of this happen?”

Madam Gu’s nostrils trembled as she pursed her lips tightly and glared at Song Caitang. But she stopped insisting that she was the killer.

Song Caitang dropped one last bomb. “Lv Mingyue has gone missing.”

“I went to the Lvs to visit her once and her behavior was very unusual. She’s not the type to scheme and all her thoughts are written all over her face. Yet she still tried to put herself in such a compromising situation. I suspect that this was not her own intention, but that someone else led her to do this. Commandery Prince Zhao has already sent a lot of people out to search for her, but there’s still no news yet. If you remain unwilling to speak the truth and unwilling to help, I’m afraid the consequences…”

Song Caitang did not finish her sentence. She stood up, straightened her skirt and bowed. “I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time. I have no intention of forcing you to do anything, but I just hope that you will take the time to think through carefully. If you need anything, tell the guards and I’ll come immediately.”

With that, she turned and walked away with confident steps.

The candlelight wavered slightly because of the wind. The jail grew cold and dark again. It was impossible to see the end of the corridor.

It was only after Song Caitang had walked out of sight and her footsteps could no longer be heard that Madam Gu let out a quiet sigh. Her voice was filled with disdain and despise for herself. “Someone who stands up for what she believes in? Tsk. I’m just a useless fool.”

After a long time, a guard approached her. “Madam Gu, you have a visitor.”

In the long, dark corridor, a tall and awfully skinny young man with brilliant eyes walked down with a box of food in his hands. “Mother.”

Madam Gu instantly burst into tears. “My son…”

Song Caitang saw Zhao Zhi immediately after she walked out of the jail.

“Are you cold?”

Zhao Zhi marched up to her and stuffed a hand warmer into her hands without waiting for an answer.

Song Caitang noticed that he had raised a hand to pat her on the head, but hesitated halfway and put it back down again. His behavior was careful and filled with anxiety, as though she was some fragile treasure that had to be handled with great care, so much so that he himself couldn’t even bear to touch it. She couldn’t help but chuckle.

But after chuckling, she felt so bad for him.

She wondered what sort of past he had with the previous owner of her body. How did he get so hurt?

His eyes burned so brightly, it could warm another person’s heart. But why did he hold himself back like this?

What was he afraid of?

Song Caitang had a feeling that she would be able to find answers within Bianliang, the place where Zhao Zhi grew up.

“Let’s go.” She turned and walked away.

Every question would be answered in due course.

Madam Gu would definitely straighten her thoughts out.

Song Caitang’s breath was white as she casually asked Zhao Zhi, “How long do you think it’ll take for Madam Gu to call for me?”

Zhao Zhi had great faith in her. “Within two days?”

Song Caitang looked up at the dreary sky. “I hope it’ll be sooner than that, though.”

The sooner, the better.

Unfortunately, time was not on her side at all. Before she had even made it home, someone had come to report to Zhao Zhi that Lv Mingyue’s body had been found.

Lv Mingyue was dead.