Xie Jiang nodded, "Yes, very large. The Marquis's mansion has plenty of servants, maids, and concubines. There's no need to buy from outside."
She paused, then continued, "But the Southern Xiong Marquis's mansion is different from other families. They buy people from outside every few days, always young girls around ten years old, who must be young, beautiful, and healthy, just like your Hongyun."
"Do you know what the Southern Xiong Marquis's mansion does with young girls like Hongyun after buying them?"
Madam Zhou seemed to realize something, her voice trembling involuntarily, "No, not as maids?"
"The heir of the Southern Xiong Marquis's mansion, Lu Baofang, has a nickname: the Cannibal. You might not recall it, but you've probably heard of it vaguely. It's not a secret."
"The reason Lu Baofang is called the Cannibal is not only because he enjoys eating human flesh, but also because he treats people like pigs and sheep. Before consuming them, he goes through a complex process, first making them into jerky. And the raw material must be virgin girls..."
"Xie Jiang!"
Xu Hengyi felt Xie Jiang was utterly insane. It was one thing to break the news to Madam Zhou indirectly, but why did she have to be so detailed!
Xia Zeshi's scalp tingled. He also felt Xie Jiang's actions were too much.
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou's mind began to reel, and her entire body froze.
Cannibal, virgin girls...
Xie Jiang remained unfazed. After being interrupted, she paused for a moment, then continued, "Lu Baofang is very picky. He only wants young and healthy girls, and they must be tender and beautiful. Your Hongyun is probably..."
With a thud, Madam Zhou could no longer support herself and collapsed to the ground. https:/
The two elderly neighbors were also stunned, forgetting to help Madam Zhou. It took them a while to react.
One aunt trembled, "Young Master Xie, are you saying that Hongyun girl... she was made into jerky?"
"We haven't seen it with our own eyes, so we cannot be certain. However, Hongyun being sold to the Southern Xiong Marquis's mansion and Lu Baofang eating people are absolutely true."
"This, this..." The aunt was so shocked she couldn't speak.
They had indeed heard whispers of wealthy families eating human flesh, but those wealthy families were far away, and they always felt it had nothing to do with them.
What could the affairs of wealthy families have to do with them, common folk?
It was miles apart!
But, how...
Another aunt suddenly slapped her thigh and cried out, "Wu Laosan, that heartless beast!"
Madam Zhou, however, seemed to have lost her soul. She lay on the ground motionless for a long time. Only after the two aunts helped her sit up did she suddenly burst into tears.
Xu Hengyi had been glaring at Xie Jiang, thinking she was heartless, cold, and...
Until Madam Zhou's heart-wrenching cry.
Xu Hengyi, unable to bear it, stumbled out of the door, tears instantly filling his eyes.
Xia Zeshi followed closely, his eyes red, and fled.
"Xie Jiang, you bastard!"
In the familiar courtyard, every corner held the vivid presence of Wu Hongyun.
She had said that once her mother recovered, she would go to the Duke of Wei's mansion to work as a cook.
Her cooking skills were so good, Grandmother would surely like them.
Lu Baofang was simply not human! More terrifying than a ghost! Damn him!
Xie Jiang stood at the doorway, her expressionless face and straight posture, as if oblivious to the despair within the room.
After a long while.
"...The Southern Xiong Marquis's mansion, right? Where is the Southern Xiong Marquis's mansion? I want to find Hongyun, I want to find my Hongyun. They can't do this, they can't do this..."
"I'll take you," Xie Jiang looked into the room.
"Young Master Xie, was my Hongyun, was she eaten by them? Really eaten?"
Madam Zhou looked at Xie Jiang, as if grasping at the last straw, as if as long as Xie Jiang shook her head, Wu Hongyun might still be alive.
"I don't know," Xie Jiang answered truthfully. "Judging by Steward Lu's attitude, Hongyun is likely in grave danger. But Madam Zhou, I ask you."
Madam Zhou forced herself to listen.
Xie Jiang looked at her and said word by word, "If Hongyun has already met her end, are you willing to seek justice for Hongyun?"
Madam Zhou replied blankly, "How can I seek justice?"
Xie Jiang said sternly, "Go to the Southern Xiong Marquis's mansion to demand her, go to the yamen to cry out injustice!"
The aunt who had slapped her thigh said tearfully, "What's the use of that? They are a marquis's mansion, powerful and influential. If Hongyun's mother goes, won't she just be thrown out? Even if we report to the officials, who will help us common people?"
Xie Jiang said with conviction, "I will help."
The aunt looked at her suspiciously, "Young Master Xie, you're not joking, are you?"
Xie Jiang didn't answer her but looked at Madam Zhou, "The dead cannot be brought back to life, but Madam Zhou, are you willing to accept this? To let Hongyun die like this? She was so young, how scared must she have been before she was killed? How much suffering did she endure?"
Madam Zhou couldn't bear to think about it. How helpless and scared her Hongyun must have been at that moment, perhaps even calling for her mother? Thinking of these scenes, Madam Zhou felt as if her heart and lungs were being torn apart.
"Ahhh! My Hongyun! My life... I'm not reconciled! Young Master Xie, I'm not reconciled! I want to kill those beasts..."
Madam Zhou lay on the ground, her hatred fueling her to punch the ground, wanting to kill those demons.
The two aunts held Madam Zhou tightly, unable to help but shed tears.
Xie Jiang squatted beside them, her calm and cool voice seeming to stir people's hearts.
"Those beasts truly deserve to die. Wu Laosan deserves to die, the human traffickers who resold Hongyun deserve to die, and Lu Baofang also deserves a terrible death! So, Madam Zhou, you cannot collapse. No matter how painful it is, you must persevere. You must let everyone know what your Hongyun went through, you must let everyone see clearly how those demons act with impunity, and you must seek justice for Hongyun."
"We are all born equal. Everyone has only one life, and no one's life is nobler than another's. Killing deserves a life for a life, it is only natural. Lu Baofang killed Hongyun, so he should pay with his life for Hongyun! If he killed ten or a hundred girls like Hongyun, he should pay with his life for all of them, and be cut into a thousand pieces..."
...
In the small space, whatever was said in the room could be heard clearly outside.
"Are you crazy? Madam Zhou is a woman who can't even lift a chicken, and she's full of injuries and illnesses. Why are you instigating her to cause trouble!"
As soon as Xie Jiang came out of the room, Xu Hengyi pulled her aside and questioned her in a hushed voice.
"You saw Steward Lu's attitude today. If even a steward is like that, you can imagine what kind of person Lu Baofang is. If you let Madam Zhou cause trouble, aren't you sending her to her death?"
Xie Jiang said sarcastically, "If your own relative, your sister, was made into jerky and fell into the hands of a demon, would you still think this way?"
Xu Hengyi's eyes widened, and just as he was about to retort, Xie Jiang let out a scoff, "You, Young Master Xu the Third, simply think that as the third young master of the Duke of Wei's mansion, your sister is a precious jewel and would never fall into such a situation."
"Since you cannot empathize, then don't spout such nonsense. This matter has nothing to do with you. If you don't want to help, then go find somewhere cool to stay."