The Double

But this was a grave sin of a lascivious harem, a capital offense. Even as Yin Zhan still hesitated, the Empress Dowager had already ordered her attendants to seize Yu Hongye.

Yu Hongye had given birth to Jih Heng less than a year ago, and Yin Zhan couldn’t bear to act. This daughter of a concubine from the Yu Family, although but a daughter of a concubine, was renowned across the world for her stunning beauty and allure, and was the woman Jih Minghan cherished. There had been better times; he still remembered the days when he accompanied Jih Minghan to see Yu Hongye, toasting over wine, while they struck their cups in raucous merriment. Then carefree joy had turned to a heavy cloak of murderous intent. How could he strike at this young sister-in-law?

Lin Roujia looked at him and said coldly, "Yin Zhan, do you wish to kill me?"

In that instant, Yin Zhan shuddered and suddenly understood. He hesitated no longer, even allowing his men to defile Yu Hongye before killing her and throwing her body at the Jih family’s door in the dead of night. Only in this way, with a violated corpse, the Jih family, for the sake of preserving face, would certainly dare not publicize the matter. And his good brother Jih Minghan, who so adored Yu Hongye, would not let her suffer indignities beyond death.

Everything went according to his plan.

Jih Heng fiddled with the folding fan in his hand, his red attire stark amidst the festivity, red and haunting. His voice still carried laughter, but it was a laugh with an exceptionally grim chill to it, "I saw my mother’s body with my own eyes back then."

With that light statement, Yin Zhan suddenly understood what Jih Heng meant.

Could a one-year-old child have memories? Understand what was happening? But perhaps it was possible; having witnessed such a scene, that might have been his first encounter with darkness in his life. That day came too early; hence he fell into hell and made a deal with the devil, returning to the world of the living.

Yin Zhan laughed heartily, gulping down several drinks, and said to Jih Heng, "For that, I truly am sorry!"

Everything happened as Yin Zhan and Lin Roujia expected. Yu Hongye was a traitor’s daughter and moreover a daughter of a concubine. Previously demoted to a brothel, Jih Minghan had defied his family’s opposition to marry Yu Hongye, already incurring their collective wrath. Now with Yu Hongye dead, it fit well with what the Jih family clan desired. When Jih Minghan returned triumphantly and learned of his wife’s death, determined to seek justice for his wife and to find the true culprit, he faced the obstruction of all the Jih family elders.

They said that such a scandal should not be made public, that they must not allow the Jih family to become the laughingstock of all under heaven. Being buried under the accusation of dying from a lingering illness; wasn’t everyone happy with that? Would he really want everyone to know what Yu Hongye endured before her death, that her body had been sullied? Did it truly prove the saying, beauties bring disaster?

Even Old General Jih came to comfort Jih Minghan, advising him to swallow his anger and let the matter rest.