In a shabby courtyard in the east of the capital city, a skinny man with a skull and white hair was sitting motionlessly under a locust tree, as if he had fallen asleep. His clothes were so dirty that they could not be seen clearly. His tattered sleeves and hem swayed in the wind.
"Why did you come out? It's still cold. I'm not afraid of catching a cold."
The door of the courtyard rang, and the person under the tree raised his head. On the dark yellow mask without a trace of flesh and blood, two empty eye sockets looked at the person in a horrifying way.
"My body is not so delicate and noble. I have slept in the snow, let alone now." The woman's voice was hoarse and low, like a broken gong that had been knocked for many years.
"Who says that you're not in good health? Although you're not from a noble family, you're still a pretty girl. By the way, how long have you lived in this yard? Oh, it's been almost three years. You've lived in this yard for a long time. It's time to go somewhere else."
"Mrs. Wang, what do you want?" The elder sister was none other than Su Muling, the wife of Song Mingjie, the owner of this courtyard. The one in front of her was Song Mingjie's concubine, Mrs. Wang.
"Sister, haven't you always wanted to go home? I came here today to tell you good news. You don't have to worry about running away. My husband said that he would send you back to your hometown in person after a few days of busy work."
"You got it?" Of course, Su Muling knew what it meant to go back to her hometown. She raised her eyes and looked in the direction of the Wang family.
Su Muling knew that Song Mingjie had put in so much effort just to get his father's map that led to East Ancient Island. Getting this map meant getting a mountain of gold and a mountain of silver. This mountain of gold and a mountain of silver could exchange for the power he wanted.
Mrs. Wang walked up to Su Muling and said proudly, "Of course. Your sister is more capable than you. My husband just said a few good words and she found the picture."
"Su Yuqing? ... She did betray the Su family for the sake of wealth and glory." She gritted her teeth from the small pile under the tree.
"Since you can't live for more than a few days, I'll tell you everything. I've stayed in this yard for a long time, so I may not know. Master Su came here half a year ago and wanted to see me, but how could I go out like this? So I sent Master Su back. I didn't expect that Master Su encountered a robber on his way home. Master Su didn't care about his life, so he was beaten to death by the robber..."
"What? What did you say? Nonsense..."
Su Muling's hands waved wildly in the air. As soon as she turned around, she hugged the big tree beside her. Her ten gray and black fingers grabbed the trunk tightly and struggled to stand up. However, in her old skirt, her legs, which had been broken, could not support her body, which weighed a few pounds.
"My father will be fine. Our Su family is rich and will not risk our lives for a few coins. You are talking nonsense. My father will not die, and he will not die..." Su Muling's broken voice roared because of anxiety, echoing in the empty small courtyard!
Although Mdm Wang knew that Su Muling would react like this, she continued to stab Su Muling in the heart.
"You're right, but Old Master Su is indeed dead. Not only is Old Master Su dead, but your Eldest Cousin, who dotes on you very much, took the initiative to find East Ancient Island for your husband in exchange for you. Unfortunately, he never came back. By the way, the girl you left in the Su Mansion is called... Xichun, right? Haven't you always been thinking about her? I'm telling you that the girl was raped and killed by your brother-in-law, but your brother-in-law didn't get any good results. Soon after he was put in prison, he committed suicide to atone for his crime."
"You... you killed so many people in our Su family because of a picture. Aren't you afraid of retribution?" Su Muling's body softened and she fell to the ground. Two streams of hot tears flowed out of her sunken eyes, leaving two lines of tears on her dark yellow face.
" retribution? Hahaha! I'll tell you another piece of good news. Now it's not Yong'an anymore. The previous emperor has been demoted. The new emperor is the younger brother of the former emperor, the original king of Ping. My husband has been conferred the title of Duke Rong because of his contribution to the painting. Old Madam is a first-grade Honorary Lady, and I... Now you have to call me Madam. This is our retribution, hahaha!"
"Hmph, Madam? What kind of wife are you? As long as I'm not dead, you can only be a concubine that can't be respected." Su Muling's black eye sockets looked at Mrs. Wang as if they were about to burst out a knife light.
Mrs. Wang shivered all over. She quickly looked around and set her posture. Although she knew that Su Muling's leg was broken and her eyes were blind, she did not know why she was afraid of this woman who had no ability to resist.
"You... what's the difference between being alive and dead? If I were you, I would have killed myself by biting my own tongue in front of them." Mdm Wang cursed.
