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墨書 Inktalez
【With rain and smoke, the branches are deep and shallow】.
Looking at the inexplicable note in front of her, the previously weak and powerless Sleeping Beauty suddenly clenched her fist. Apart from the daily patrols of the pillar, no one would come, and no one could come to her room. She had just returned from her last business deal and, without thinking, she bathed in the hot water prepared behind the screen. A few moments of cleanliness were also good.
Wait, hot water! Normally she would return to her room before the hot water is delivered. Why did it come early today? Could it be left by that servant? The meaningful glance from that day reappeared in front of her once again. Sleeping Beauty She opened her fist, unfolded the note, and read it again. Who is he really? How did he know this poem?
Sleeping Beauty (in a flustered murmur): "Could it be... he really knows me!?"
On the second day, a rare day without any business. Sleeping Beauty sat quietly in the room, waiting for the servant to bring water. She had too many questions in her heart, but didn't know where to start. When the clinking of iron chains suddenly sounded, she became very nervous.
The servant was the same as usual, wearing tattered clothes and seeming to have two new whip marks on his left shoulder. He struggled to lift the water and slowly poured the hot water into the bathtub. Sleeping Beauty clenched her sleeves tightly, keeping her eyes on the servant.
Sleeping Beauty: "Who... are you really?"
Servant (hoarsely): "It's really you."
Sleeping Beauty: "You're not mute!?"
Sleeping Beauty was surprised that the mute person actually spoke, quickly ran to the door, looked around, and swiftly closed the door.
Servant: "There's no one outside. We're closed today. Everyone in the manor is drinking."
Sleeping Beauty: "Who are you? Do you know me?"
Servant: "Rain prayer ceremony I saw you from a distance once, when you were not yet of marriageable age, standing by your father..."
Sleeping Beauty (interrupting): "You've got the wrong person, that's not me!"
Servant: "Whether you recognize it or not."
Sleeping Beauty: "What is your purpose in writing that note? Are you trying to get something from me?"
Servant: "What do you think, can you give me anything now?"
Sleeping Beauty: "I..."
Servant: "The women who come here are all sold here. It seems your father is ruthless enough."
Sleeping Beauty: "You're talking nonsense! My father is the best father in the world. I was... I was..."
Servant: "I don't care how you got here. I only ask, do you want to leave or not?"
Sleeping Beauty: "Leaving... (sadly) Ah, how can I leave?"
Servant: "I have my ways."
Sleeping Beauty: "If what you say is true, then why don't you leave yourself."
Servant (shaking the iron chain): "What do you think?"
Sleeping Beauty: "Do you have a way to contact people outside?"
Servant: "Who do you want to seek help from? Your father?"
Sleeping Beauty: "No, the people here have quite a bit of power. My father has many connections, but he is just a merchant. It would be useless even if he knew. I... I want to seek help from the lord of Ming Water City now, Jiang Duming."
Servant (squinting): "Jiang Duming? You want to seek help from him? What is your relationship with him?"
Sleeping Beauty: "We just had a brief encounter. Before I got into trouble, I heard that he sent someone to propose marriage... so I..."
Servant: "So, do you think he cares about you, knows you're in trouble, and will come to save you?"
Sleeping Beauty: "No, I... I dare not hope for anything now... The lord acts decisively, is kind-hearted, and as the ruler of the city, he will definitely take on the responsibility of protecting the people. Once Ming Water City is out of this filthy place, I believe he will inquire about it."
Servant (frantic): "Hahaha... Hahaha! Jiang Duming, kind-hearted!? Hahaha! You can really say that! Do you know who the master here is?"
Sleeping Beauty: "Who is it?"
Servant: "It is none other than the kind-hearted Lord of Ming Water City, Jiang Duming!"
Sleeping Beauty: "What!?"
Servant: "Also, my lord has already married, and he married the daughter of the Oda family, Liu Daiyu."
Sleeping Beauty (dazed): " Liu Daiyu? (despairing) Hehehe...hahaha... Liu Daiyu! (hoarse) Liu Daiyu!"
Servant (calmly): "A clean face doesn't necessarily mean a clean heart. I think you should understand this."
Until the servant left and the water in the bath turned cold, Sleeping Beauty slowly recovered from her shock. She didn't want to believe what the servant had said, but his almost crazy laughter lingered in her mind. Deep inside, a faint yet firm voice told her - this is true.
She took a hasty bath with the cold water, and that night Sleeping Beauty developed a high fever, and the next day she was even more out of it. Her sickly appearance meant she wouldn't be able to do business for a while, which made pillar furious. If she forced medicine on her, it might cause a fatal incident. It wasn't worth losing this money-making body, so she had to let her take the medicine and rest first.
After three full days, Sleeping Beauty finally regained some clarity and was able to sit up. She had originally thought that what she had encountered earlier was fate, but now she realized it was a doomed fate. The current situation she found herself in was nothing but digging her own grave. How deep was the hatred at this moment? It was the kind of pain that couldn't be suppressed, even if it felt like fingertips embedded in the palm until it bled.
The clinking sound came again. Pillar learned of Sleeping Beauty's awakening and immediately ordered the servant to bring water to wash away the illness.
Sleeping Beauty: "You said earlier that there was a way to go out."
Servant: "Have you figured it out?"
Sleeping Beauty (staring at the other person): "Go ahead, what are your conditions."
Servant: "I just need you to kill someone for me."
Sleeping Beauty: "Kill someone?"
Servant: "Jiang Duming."
Sleeping Beauty: "Let's not talk about whether I can really get out, just as a weak woman, how can I kill the lord of a city?"
Servant: "With my method, you can."
Sleeping Beauty He wanted to ask the servant why he didn't do it himself, but after looking at the iron chains, he understood that the servant couldn't move freely. This man had new injuries every day, so his body probably couldn't handle too much scheming. But why did he choose him?
Sleeping Beauty: "Why me?"
Servant: "You have a hatred stronger than anyone else's. It's because of this hatred that you haven't turned into the mud here. And, you are a special case, just look at the house you live in, other women don't have your luck."
Sleeping Beauty (mocking herself): "Luck? (serious) What do I need to sacrifice?"
Servant: "If I say it's your life, would you dare?"
Sleeping Beauty (firmly): "I dare. At this point, there's no difference between this and death. To be at death's door before coming back to life, I understand."
Servant (gazes steadily, with a mysterious smile): "Good. I will make arrangements. Please bear with it a little longer, Miss Liu."
Sleeping Beauty: "I am not Miss Liu!"
Servant: (smiling indifferently, turning to leave)
Sleeping Beauty: "Wait, who are you...? What is your grudge with Jiang Duming?"
The servant said nothing, just glanced lightly and picked up the empty bucket and left. Sleeping Beauty was really curious about the identity of this servant. The only thing she could be sure of was that both of them were suppressing a deep hatred, which would surely lead to bloodshed once it erupted. Although there was no sign of an escape plan, it did not diminish her anticipation.
Sleeping Beauty She propped up her ailing body and sat down by the window, which was not really a window but just a few bricks knocked out of the wall and covered with a layer of rough paper to let in some light. At this moment, the twilight light shot straight into her chest, piercing through her clothes, seeping through her skin, and opening a gap called "vitality" in the position of her heart.
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