Chapter 47: Chu Meng is the Catalyst for the Chu Family

Stepping out of the Wang residence, Qiuyi finally could not help bursting into a laugh.

"My lady, this is truly divine intervention! Chu Jiaojiao is about to fall into misfortune, and this maid is certainly looking forward to it."

Qiuyi no longer felt any sympathy for anyone. It would be best if that Chu Jiaojiao simply dropped dead; that person must have frequently bullied her mistress in the past, and since she was no good, she deserved to die.

Chu Li sneered softly. She had never expected that Chu Jiaojiao would have a connection to the Wang family's daughter-in-law, and would actually go so far as to purchase the fur tainted with a blood curse.

However, earlier at the Drunken Jade Pavilion, she had not sensed any curse upon Chu Jiaojiao herself. She must have entrusted someone else to buy it and had not yet come into direct contact with the white sable fur.

"No need to rush. We shall simply wait for the good show to begin. The Chu family does not have many days of peace left."

***

Not long after Chu Li left the Wang residence, Pei Heng also withdrew, without showing his face throughout the entire affair.

Once Magistrate Zhou had arranged for the commoners to drink the talisman water, he suddenly remembered that he had failed to ask for the address of that young Miss Chu, and by then, she was nowhere to be found.

Assistant Magistrate Sun looked at the remaining purification talisman in his hand, momentarily at a loss as to what to do.

"Sir, do you suppose that Miss Chu might be a member of the Chu family? I checked the recent entry logs and the household registries of the entire city, and there is a woman named Chu Meng who only recently entered the city. The surname Chu is rather rare here in Rong City; apart from outsiders, the only local family with this surname is the Chu clan."

At the mention of the name "Chu Meng," Magistrate Zhou immediately furrowed his brow.

"Chu Meng? Could it be that adopted daughter taken in by the Chu family over a dozen years ago?"

Assistant Magistrate Sun nodded, his tone revealing a deep prejudice against the Chu family.

"It is her. I hear that three years ago, Chu Meng went missing, and the Chu family searched for her secretly for a long time. She suddenly returned recently, and everyone says she is plagued by bad luck—she didn't return sooner or later, but came back precisely when the Fang family proposed marriage to the Chu household."

Zhou Jiangshun paid no attention to the gossip surrounding various households, which was why he had been unaware of this matter.

"She went missing for three years, yet the Chu family never reported it to the authorities? I heard that Chu Meng was even entered into the Chu family's ancestral registry, granted the status of a legitimate daughter of the direct line, no less?"

Since ancient times, the direct line was revered and held a higher status than concubine-born offspring. For a foster daughter with no blood relation whatsoever to enter the ancestral hall, be added to the genealogy, and be granted the status of a young miss of the direct line—such a thing was virtually unheard of in most prominent families.

Therefore, Zhou Jiangshun simply assumed that Chu Meng was valued within the Chu family and that they should not have remained unconcerned for three years, yet the yamen had received no relevant reports of a missing person.

Assistant Magistrate Sun knew that Magistrate Zhou usually ignored domestic gossip and was unfamiliar with the affairs of the Chu family, so he briefly explained the situation between the Chu and Fang families. After pondering for a moment, he said:

"Sir, I have been serving in Rong City for over a dozen years and know a great deal about the Chu family's affairs. Does Your Honor know why the Chu family adopted Chu Meng in the first place?"

Interest piqued, Zhou Jiangshun simply put down the case files in his hand and began to converse with Assistant Magistrate Sun in detail.

"Why? Wasn't it because the members of the Chu family are kind-hearted?"

Upon hearing this, Assistant Magistrate Sun rolled his eyes immediately.

"Sir, you must be joking. The Chu family kind-hearted? How could the Chu family, who have acted as local tyrants in Rong City for so long, be simple folk?"

"I heard that back then, the Chu family suffered from a lack of male heirs. After the sons of the old family head married, none of them produced any offspring. The old family head invited a Daoist priest to tell fortunes, and the priest actually declared that the Chu family's line might die out completely, though there was a turning point. He left behind a set of Eight Characters of birth, stating that as long as they found a child whose birth characters matched to act as a catalyst, they would be blessed with a house full of descendants and grandchildren."

"That person was Chu Meng. Less than a year after Chu Meng was brought into the Chu family, the bellies of the young mistresses indeed began to show signs of pregnancy. It must be related to this that Chu Meng was able to enter the ancestral hall."

"Such a thing actually happened..." Zhou Jiangshun was momentarily left speechless, instantly comprehending the truth.

Chu Meng was merely a "catalyst" used to bring offspring to the Chu family, and she had merely occupied the status of the direct line. Once she lost her usefulness, her situation within the Chu family could be easily imagined.

Although Zhou Jiangshun was not adept at perceiving petty domestic gossip, he was well aware of the sordid affairs that frequently occurred within deep courtyards—especially in a family like the Chu clan, which possessed considerable wealth but lacked deep roots. Kicking the fallen and licking the high was bound to be their habitual practice; how could they possibly bestow genuine affection upon a useless adopted daughter?

Assistant Magistrate Sun had many grapevine sources in Rong City and knew that the Chu family had never treated Chu Meng kindly. Looking at the talisman in his hand, he felt certain that this Miss Chu was none other than Chu Meng of the Chu family.

"No, sir, I must make a trip to the Chu family to check. In case Miss Chu is indeed Chu Meng, she helped us, and we cannot simply abandon her to her fate."

Besides, the yellow talisman was still in his hands; he could not possibly keep it for himself and had to return it properly.

***

When Chu Li brought Qiuyi back to the Chu residence, she happened to run into Chu Jiaojiao and Chu Yan'er, who were also returning home.

The moment Chu Jiaojiao caught sight of Chu Meng, a surge of overwhelming fury erupted within her. Blocking the doorway, she began to scream and shout at Chu Li:

"Chu Meng! Didn't you leave long ago? Why are you only returning now?"

Chu Li was just thinking of hurrying back to prepare the items she needed for the night, but upon seeing Chu Jiaojiao, her sense of urgency suddenly vanished. Her gaze swept across the other girl's face, and she smiled ambiguously:

"Where I go—does that require reporting to you? I am, after all, your eldest sister."

"You!" In broad daylight, Chu Jiaojiao dared not dispute this fact, but suddenly remembering what Young Master Fang had said before leaving, her attitude shifted completely.

"Eldest Sister, this younger sister was only worried about you. Actually, I quite envy you. Even though you have lost your purity, Young Master Fang still wishes to marry you. If it were any other man, he certainly wouldn't be willing."

Chu Yan'er chimed in at the appropriate moment: "It must be because Eldest Sister possesses such charm that she has captivated Young Master Fang. Second Sister, you needn't envy her; when you reach Eldest Sister's age, you will surely be just as full of mature allure."

Chu Yan'er was attempting to curry favor with both sides, but Chu Li cast a smiling yet expressionless glance at her.

Hearing this, Chu Jiaojiao was deeply displeased. Raising her hand, she landed a vicious slap across Chu Yan'er's face.

"Are you my real sister? How dare you compare me to her? What is your intention?"

An adopted daughter of the household—likely some worthless trash picked up from a mountain ditch—who had now arbitrarily married herself off and lost her purity. How could such a cheap, low-status creature who held herself in such low regard ever be compared to her?

Chu Yan'er was completely dazed by this sudden slap. Clutching her face, she stood frozen in place, unable to recover her senses for a long time. Even Chu Li could not help raising an eyebrow, her gaze curiously darting between the two of them.

What was going on with these two sisters? Such a solid, resounding slap—if it didn't stem from deep-seated hatred, it was at the very least a total lack of respect. Chu Jiaojiao would strike her own biological sister without a second thought; this was becoming quite interesting.

Chu Jiaojiao withdrew her stinging hand and glared fiercely at Chu Li.

"You just wait and see! The Fang family has always been on friendly terms with our Chu family. Since you showed Young Master Fang such disrespect earlier, Father will not let you off lightly once he finds out!"

Having delivered her fierce threat, Chu Jiaojiao stomped heavily, her rapid footsteps echoing as she hurried toward the main courtyard, most likely to lodge a complaint against Chu Li.

Once the others had departed, Chu Li leisurely looked over at Chu Yan'er. A bright red handprint was imprinted upon one of her tender cheeks, looking painful enough just to behold.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Third Sister, how did you offend your second sister? How could she treat you with such disdain right in front of the servants? Does she even regard you as her real sister at all?"

Chu Li's words pierced into Chu Yan'er's heart like a needle. The few guards stationed at the gate all lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound, but the sly, sideways glances they cast at Chu Yan'er's wretched state were not lost on her.

With a dark expression, Chu Yan'er clenched her fists fiercely, her fingernails digging painfully into her palms, yet this still could not mask the stinging humiliation brought by the slap from her own biological sister.

Clenching her teeth tightly, she lowered her head and replied, "It was Yan'er who spoke wrongly. Second Sister was merely angry, which is why she acted that way. Naturally, she regards me as her real sister."

No one hearing those words would believe them. Chu Yan'er proved to be quite capable of endurance; she seemed to possess a much deeper cunning than her sister.

The corners of Chu Li's lips curved slightly upward. Watching the retreating figure of Chu Yan'er, the sudden surge of murderous intent emanating from the girl told her everything she needed to know...