The mountain forest looks very quiet in autumn, but from a distance, you can see how deep it was.
The third concubine might have looked delicate and frail, but her physical strength was quite remarkable. She led several adult men to walk for so long without showing signs of fatigue.
After much thought, the third concubine finally asked: “Sir, you said earlier that Brother Zhao Rong was not the murderer. Didn’t you just say it to deceive me into leading the way for you?”
Song Que laughed: “Look at us, a not yet fully grown weak young lad, a scholar with no physical strength to speak of, and then there’s me. What’s the point of lying to you? Zhao Rong is a snake catcher, and he is very familiar with this mountain forest. Even if we wanted to catch him, it would be difficult for us.”
As soon as Song Que said these words, Ji Xiao and Chen Hong couldn’t help but cough. Although the judgment of their combat prowess was quite fair, it still sounded a bit embarrassing to hear. Moreover, the third concubine was unaware, but they knew for sure that Song Que was determined to catch Zhao Rong.
The third concubine felt relieved.
Song Que asked: “Now that things have come to this point, I’d like to inquire, what’s your relationship with Zhao Rong?”
The third concubine glanced at Chen Hong and hesitated to speak.
Chen Hong felt genuinely awkward at this moment. No matter what, the third concubine was his father’s concubine, yet she seemed to have a relationship with another man, and both of them appeared to be related to his father’s death. With Song Que around, he couldn’t intervene, but ignoring the situation didn’t seem right either.
Chen Hong finally asked: “Are you and him…”
The third concubine shook her head and said: “I and he were once lovers, but after I entered the mansion, we never violated the rules.”
Regardless of the truth, with these words, Chen Hong stepped down and said: “As long as you two did not violate the rules during my father’s lifetime and had nothing to do with my father’s death, my mother’s words to let you leave the mansion will always be true.”
The third concubine’s eyes were filled with tears, was about to fall down. She turned her head, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears, then turned back and said, “Didn’t you ask about Brother Zhao Rong and me? I’ll tell you now.”
The third concubine and Zhao Rong were childhood sweethearts.
Zhao Rong’s parents passed away early, so he usually relied on neighbors for his daily needs. The one who contributed the most was the third concubine’s family.
The third concubine has an older brother and two older sisters. She was the youngest child in the family. Her father would give anything to her brother first, while her mother would set aside some for the youngest. The third concubine’s life was pretty good.
She was kind-hearted, and seeing how pitiful Zhao Rong was, she couldn’t help but take extra care of him. Zhao Rong had a solitary nature, but after receiving her kindness for so long, the two became close. Later, Zhao Rong learned the skill of catching snakes from someone. Although he looked more sinister, he finally started to save money. The third concubine’s parents acquiesced to their relationship.
If days pass like this, the two of them should be getting married, but unfortunately, good times did not last long. The third concubine’s elder brother suddenly fell seriously ill, depleting the family’s savings entirely, yet his condition remained unimproved. The doctor said the illness required long-term care and gradual recuperation to truly recover.
But where can their family get this money?
The first one to be sold was the eldest sister. On the night she was sold, the second sister hugged the Third concubine and cried, urging her to marry Zhao Rong quickly. At that time, the third concubine was still naive and didn’t understand why her second sister said that. Then the second sister was also sold and became a servant.
Only then did the third concubine sensed the danger and went to find Zhao Rong, but was stopped by her father and was locked in the house. Zhao Rong didn’t see her for several days and came to find her, only to discover what had happened. He gave all the money he had painstakingly saved to the third concubine’s father, hoping to marry her, but his request was rejected..
The third concubine knew that she could not escape, so she went to beg her father. If he had to be sold, she would accept being a servant, but she refused to become someone else’s concubine. Her father agreed to her request..
At that time, she still held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking that as long as she worked hard enough and paid off her debt of servitude, she could still live a good life with Zhao Rong..
But in the end, her father still broke his promise to her..
The third concubine was the most beautiful of the three sisters. She was sold to the Chen mansion for a large sum of money.
From that moment on, the third concubine forced herself to abandon all hope. Zhao Rong would meet other good girls, and they would no longer have any possibility together.
But Zhao Rong didn’t think so. He didn’t directly disturb her, but silently waited for her in his own way.
In the courtyard where the third concubine resided, there was a slightly taller pavilion. Occasionally, she would sit there to do some needlework. On that day, as she pushed open the window to take a closer look, she saw Zhao Rong sitting outside the wall, with a snake basket placed in front of him, as if waiting for someone to inquire about its price. However, his eyes were firmly fixed on the pavilion where the third concubine was, and as soon as she pushed open the window, she met his intense gaze.
The third concubine never opened that window again, but she had no doubt that Zhao Rong was still waiting there, day after day, year after year. Eventually, she couldn’t harden her heart to ignore him. The third concubine decided to talk to Zhao Rong once, hoping to put an end to his feelings completely. After that conversation, when she went back to the pavilion and pushed open the window, she no longer saw the snake seller in the corner. She thought he had given up, until that day when Master Chen was found dead in his room, poisoned by a snake bite. The third concubine’s first thought was that Zhao Rong had killed him. She sent him a message asking him to flee, she even willing to take the blame for him if Song Que caught him. But now, Song Que told her that Zhao Rong was not the murderer…
The third concubine couldn’t help but confirm again: “Sir, is it true that brother Zhao Rong didn’t commit the murder?”
Song Que said: “Why do you think it was him who committed the murder?”
The third concubine said: “The snake…”
Song Que said : “I forgot to tell you that Master Chen did not die from snake venom, he died from a long nail. This snake bite is a cover-up and a frame-up. Everyone who buys a snake may be the murderer. That’s why I came to find Zhao Rong.. It is a coincidence for you to let Zhao Rong flee. Although the mastermind behind the scenes may not eradicate the roots, everything is possible. You have a lot of credit for being able to save his life now.”
Chen Hong and the third concubine were both surprised. They had never heard about long nails.
Chen Hong said: “Sir, what’s going on with the long nails?”
Song Que said: “I can’t tell you too much now.”
Chen Hong pursed his lips and stopped asking any more questions. He was truly a restrained person, never making things difficult for others.
Song Que said: “It’s a bit offensive to ask this, but young master Chen, it seems you are not very close with Concubine Bai?”
Chen Hong didn’t expect Song Que to bring up this topic, it did make him feel a little uncomfortable. After careful consideration, he answered: “I was raised by my mother when I was a child, and my mother was very good to me.”
Madam Chen gave birth at old age. Before that, she might have given up hope of having children, so she kept Chen Hong, the only male descendant.
Madam Chen was not a harsh person. Considering the likelihood of not having her own children, she treated Chen Hong as her own. She didn’t spoil him in order to make him closer to her, but instead, she aimed to nurture his talents. When it came to Chen Hong’s upbringing, she personally took care of matters and never relied on others. Even after Madam Chen had her own son, she didn’t change much towards Chen Hong. Unlike other legitimate wife who might hinder concubine children from succeeding, she provided him with ample opportunities for education. Whether he could climb the ladder of success depended entirely on Chen Hong himself.
“I’ve actually always known that I’m not my mother’s biological child, and she never hid it from me. When I was young, Concubine Bai had a period of being favored, and I saw mother looking lonely during that time. But later on, mother stopped caring about it. Maybe because of this, I find it difficult to get close to Concubine Bai. I’m afraid of hurting my mother. I’ll be respectful and filial to both mother and Concubine Bai according to propriety, but sometimes my actions are just subconscious, and I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Having said this, Chen Hong sighed deeply. Despite his young age, he already conducted himself with a great deal of decorum, but his status was awkward and he was often in a dilemma.
Song Que remembered that Madam Chen watched over Chen Hai with great care and attention, but she easily put him in Chen Hong’s arms. Based on this trust alone, Song Que was sure that Chen Hong’s words were mostly true. Although not connected by blood, the relationship between mother and son was indeed close.
Everyone was chatting and soon reached the depths of the mountain forest, where they saw signs that someone had been there. Third concubine had followed Zhao Rong into the mountains several times before, and she had a very clear idea of where he would stay.
The third concubine said: “It should be around here.”
Song Que said: “You call him, if we make a sound, we may scare him away.”
The third concubine nodded and walked along the path, calling out for Zhao Rong. Meanwhile, Song Que carefully observed his surroundings, and his ears would twitch whenever there was any slight movement.
While everyone else remained unaware. Song Que accurately captured the unnatural rustling of the leaves. In no time, he swiftly climbed up the tree. Before the others could even catch a glimpse of his movement, Song Que had already grabbed hold of someone and leaped down from the tree..
The man was still trying to break free from Song Que’s grasp, but stopped when he saw the third concubine’s face. He raised his head, revealing a slightly dirty face. Although he had already heard the third concubine calling him, he still couldn’t help but want to confirm: “Shuang’er, did you lead them to arrest me… …”
The third concubine was stunned for a moment, and suddenly realized that he had misunderstood.
As Zhao Rong thought carefully, he found the situation somewhat amusing. Now that the matter has come to this, what else was there to ask? Besides, hadn’t he already made up his mind when she asked him to run away? Since she wanted him to take the blame, then so be it.
Thinking of this, Zhao Rong gave up his struggle completely and said: “Sir, it’s true that I killed Master Chen. You can take me back.”
Chen Hong: “…”
This is the second time he has heard this word today. Why did people keep rushing to admit to being the murderer of his father??
Song Que was also helpless: “Then tell me how Master Chen died.”
Zhao Rong was speechless for a moment. The third concubine urged him to leave. He only knew that the old man she married was dead, he really didn’t know how. he died.
The third concubine also came back to her senses and said angrily: “You think I asked you to take the blame, don’t you?”
Zhao Rong was a little confused about the situation for a moment. Let’s not dwell on how the two of them covertly communicated. Finally, when Zhao Rong understood the current situation, Song Que said, “Is it hard to find a snake?”
Zhao Rong nodded and said: “Even I find it difficult to catch snakes in the mountains every day. While they may occasionally appear near ordinary households, it’s rare, let alone actively biting people.”
Song Que: “Do you know who else does this business besides you?”
Zhao Rong smiled bitterly: “Although this trade can earn money, it’s not much. It’s both tough and exhausting. Some have bad luck and get bitten by venomous snakes. There’s no way to save them. The master who taught me how to catch snakes died like this. If it wasn’t for the need to make a living, who would do this? Anyway, I have never seen anyone in the same profession.”
Song Que said : “Then the real culprit is likely someone who bought a snake from you. Maybe not the person themselves, but they could have sent someone else to buy it. Think carefully about who bought snakes from you in the past few days. If you don’t recognize them, try to remember their appearance. ”
On the other side, Song Que turned to the third concubine and asked: “Did you bump into anyone on the day you met Zhao Rong?”
The third concubine hesitated again and again, but said: “I’m not sure if she saw it…”
Song Que asked : “Who?”
The third concubine said: “Concubine Bai.”
