CHAPTER 400: CHAPTER 400: SHUI BANIANG

"Tsk tsk, Huai Siliu, although we have not seen each other in forty years, it was I who helped you enter Linglong Painting Boat back then. How could you, now an Old Master, have forgotten about me, Master Wu?"

The old servant was called Huai Wu; he was once a small housekeeper of the Linglong Painting Boat, responsible for overseeing the male servants on board, and it was he who had managed to get Old Master Lu into the boat.

Old Master Lu’s face turned pale, and he tried to deny it, but the old nanny beside him had already spoken, "Huai Siliu, you don’t need to deny it anymore. Aside from being a bit older, you haven’t changed much in appearance, especially your voice. It’s still the same as before, not very loud, with a raspy quality unlike anyone else’s, as if your throat is blocked by phlegm. One can tell it’s you just by listening."

Old Master Lu looked towards the old nanny, and upon sight, was shocked... Not only had Huai Wu come, but Little Heye was there too.

She, she was supposed to have been torn apart by the Zheng Family and Shangguan Family, wasn’t she? How could she possibly still be alive?

Seeing his reaction, Little Heye sneered, "You are surprised that the old woman isn’t dead, aren’t you? Noble families are really not as simple as courtesans imagine. Others are not fools; they can tell that both families have been played."

Old Master Lu was bewildered. What did she mean? What about both families being played? He didn’t know anything about it at all.

In another nearby cell, Mrs. Han heard the conversation and trembled nonstop... Little Heye was actually not dead, how could she not be dead? If Little Heye were not dead, then the fact that she had instigated Xiao Lianxian years ago, causing the young masters of both families to become jealous and fight over her, ultimately leading to Shangguan Hua’s accidental drowning and the enmity between the two families, would be exposed, wouldn’t it?

Mrs. Han was terrified; if the things she had done back in the day were to be discovered by both families, her fate might be worse than death!

Mrs. Han thought the best option at this moment was to kill herself by crashing into a wall, but she was unwilling to die like that. She quickly turned her back, trying to lower her presence, not wanting Little Heye to discover her... As long as Little Heye didn’t find out, even if Old Master Lu was judged as a fugitive slave, as long as Concubine Lu was there, she would surely rescue her.

After all, she was not a runaway slave; the county government couldn’t keep her locked up forever.

However, before Gu Jinli and Gu Jin’an returned to the village, they had already informed Luo Wu that Mrs. Han was no ordinary person—with her capabilities, she had been able to coach Concubine Lu, allowing her to be favored in the County Governor Mansion for nearly twenty years.

Where had Mrs. Han learned such skills?

And what exactly was Linglong Painting Boat?

Therefore, Gu Jinli suspected that Mrs. Han might have connections to the Linglong Painting Boat and advised Luo Wu that if the Slave Registration Book was sent from the Prefecture, he must check if there was someone named Mrs. Han from Linglong Painting Boat.

Luo Wu was not foolish; he had been well-trained during this period. From the moment he entered the jail, he kept his eyes on Mrs. Han, noticing every little move she made. Now he quietly took the government official’s keys, unlocked the prison door, and dashed over, grabbing hold of Mrs. Han.

Mrs. Han was greatly startled but didn’t dare to cry out too loudly, fearing that it would attract Little Heye. Instead, she just glared at Luo Wu, angrily saying, "You damned thing, do you know I am Concubine Lu’s trusted nanny? The Lu Family may have fallen, but Concubine Lu has a son by her side; she will definitely not fall... All of you have daughters in your families, don’t offend the old woman. Otherwise, I’ll get Concubine Lu to take action, and ensure that the daughters of your families meet a bad end."

Hearing this, Luo Wu was truly taken aback; he had never seen such a vicious Old Devout Woman. She was already caught and locked up in the jail, yet she still had the audacity to threaten others.

If it were before, with his limited experience, he might have been frightened by Mrs. Han for the sake of several young ladies from various families, but now, after working under Squad Leader Yang and County Captain Jiang for a few months, he was taught by them hand in hand and knew that to deal with someone like Mrs. Han, he couldn’t let her threats affect him—he had to crush her, to prevent future troubles.

"Lords Jiang, Squad Leader Yang, Squad Leader Cheng, please bring those two old servants here to identify this person, to see if she’s indeed from Linglong Painting Boat," Luo Wu shouted to County Captain Jiang and the others, while grabbing Mrs. Han’s jaw to prevent her from biting her tongue and committing suicide.

Hearing this, County Captain Jiang and the others quickly invited the two elderly servants over.

Squad Leader Yang, fearing that Old Master Lu might attempt suicide again, first stuffed his mouth with a burlap wad before following them.

Little Heye stared at Mrs. Han for quite a while before breaking into laughter, "Hahaha, Shui Baniang, it really is you. Do you know how hard I’ve been searching for you all these years? Do you realize, because of your little scheme back then, the entirety of Linglong Painting Boat was destroyed!"

Little Heye was very emotional, and by the end, broke down into a loud sob.

It was all because of Shui Baniang. Had it not been for her, Linglong Painting Boat wouldn’t have met with disaster; the Zheng family and the Shangguan family wouldn’t have become enemies; the servants of Linglong Painting Boat wouldn’t have been sold to such wretched places; twelve painted boats, including the main family and nearly three hundred people, would not have died for the most part.

And then there were the wealthy families of Jiangnan who were implicated because of the case involving Linglong Painting Boat... That year, because of Shui Baniang’s little scheme and a sentence that incited Xiao Lianxian, nearly half of Jinling Prefecture’s blood flowed into rivers.

Hearing this, Mrs. Han forced herself to stay calm, not speaking a word, only shaking her head in denial, not knowing at all what Little Heye was talking about.

Squad Leader Cheng, receiving instructions from both the Zheng and Shangguan families, saw excitement in his eyes when Little Heye found the main culprit of the past. He pointed at Mrs. Han and asked, "Mrs. Ye, is this the Shui Baniang from back then?"

Little Heye nodded, "Indeed, it’s her. Even if she turned to ashes, this old woman would recognize her! She was never content with being just a servant, always wanting to live a good life through Xiao Lianxian, and as a result, she doomed the entire Linglong Painting Boat."

Squad Leader Cheng did not care about the tragedy of Linglong Painting Boat. Hearing that Mrs. Han was indeed Shui Baniang, he immediately spoke to County Captain Jiang, "Lord Jiang, this person is a major criminal, involved in a grudge that spans forty years between the Zheng and Shangguan families; we must take her out immediately for questioning."

County Captain Jiang had already guessed that there was more to Linglong Painting Boat’s disaster when he learned that the legitimate heir of the Zheng and Shangguan families came to Tianfu County, and upon hearing this, he immediately had Luo Wu escort Mrs. Han out of the cell.

Old Master Lu was also taken out, and the group arrived at the public court.

Upon seeing Zheng Ying, Little Heye knelt down and said, "Report to the young master, this is the Shui Baniang from back then. Your servant has fulfilled the Zheng Family’s expectations, and finally found her!"

Little Heye was one of the two maids close to Xiao Lianxian, and back then, the young masters of the Zheng and Shangguan families had a conflict over contending for Xiao Lianxian, leading to the Shangguan family’s young master accidentally falling into the water and dying.

Originally, Little Heye was to be executed, but at the last moment, she revealed that it was Shui Baniang who instigated Xiao Lianxian, which caused the conflict between the two young masters.

At that time, the Shangguan family thought it was simply the Zheng family being overbearing, deliberately competing with the Shangguan family’s young master for a person, which led to the death of the Shangguan family’s young master, and they utterly despised the Zheng family.