Wanniang had committed suicide in prison.
She had just been imprisoned, her heart filled with grief and indignation, carrying a monumental injustice with nowhere to voice it.
So, Wanniang bit her finger and wrote a blood letter on her skirt, intending to use it to cry out for justice.
But to her surprise, she saw Wang Fugui in the prison.
At that time, Wang Fugui did not yet have his current prosperous appearance.
He was clean-shaven, tall, and looked very honest. When he looked at people, he would instinctively shrink back a bit.
This was one of the reasons why Wanniang's parents had chosen him to be their matrilocal son-in-law.
“Wanniang... things have gone terribly wrong. The distillery has been plastered with official notices, and all the aged wine in the shop has been smashed to pieces.
All the customers who bought wine before are clamoring for compensation. The families of those who died even brought coffins to block the prison gates...”
Wang Fugui looked at Wanniang, his voice very soft as he whispered the final part:
“I’ve taken all the silver from the house to grease palms and manage connections, and it’s all gone. But even after I gave them the money, those people still won't let it go. They're shouting... they're shouting for your life as compensation...”
“Brother Fugui, listen to me, I’m innocent! How could there be poison in that batch of wine? Someone must have framed me!”
Through the prison bars, Wanniang took off her jewelry and handed it out along with the blood letter in her hand.
“I still have some valuables here. Go find out who the presiding judge is, and find the lawyer who used to be familiar with our family. Tell him—”
“Finding a lawyer won't help. That wine contained life-taking mineral poison; anyone who drank it died. You brewed that wine with your own hands, and no one else touched it. How can you explain that?”
Wang Fugui didn't listen to her. He opened the bundle of jewelry and searched through it carefully. After a long while, he frowned and said hesitantly,
“Wanniang, a great disaster is upon us, and it’s beyond human power to save you. I know you have a treasure bestowed by an immortal. Why don't you take it out now and send it up as a gift? Perhaps there might still be a glimmer of hope.”
Wanniang was distraught and about to argue, but she suddenly remembered something and stared intently at Wang Fugui.
“How do you know what kind of poison was in it? That batch of wine was indeed brewed by my own hands, but the mud seal... passed through your hands...”
Thinking of a possibility, she began to tremble. She let out an involuntary scream and lunged forward, grabbing his collar.
“It was you! It was you! The wine was not poisonous, but the yellow mud was! You were trying to kill me!! Why?! Why?! My Qu family did not treat you poorly!”
“You really are as stupid as a pig. Even at a time like this, you're still asking me why?”
The smile on Wang Fugui's face made Wanniang feel as if she were looking at a stranger.
“Man dies for wealth, just as birds die for food.
My family originally had some modest property and land, but after the disaster, my parents died, and I had no choice but to compromise and become a matrilocal son-in-law in your house, despised by everyone. In your Qu family, I was nothing more than a dog you raised. Everyone could look down on me and say I had to be supported by a woman.”
He pried Wanniang's fingers away one by one, threw the blood letter onto the ground, and ground it under his foot with a ruthless expression.
“Now, the Qu family property is all in my hands. Once I get that treasure, I will make the distillery even better than when you were here.
Don't worry. During the holidays, Qingming, and the Ghost Festival, I will have people burn paper and incense for you to show my gratitude for the Qu family's kindness. Your parents, relatives, uncles, and nephews have already started their journey; only you are left.
I have already bribed the jailer. If you don't want to suffer, then honestly tell me where you hid that treasure. Perhaps I can even leave you with an intact corpse.”
Wanniang felt as if her tears had run dry, and what flowed out instead was blood.
She didn't look at Wang Fugui again.
Seeing that he was getting nowhere, Wang Fugui left in a fit of rage.
The next day, Wanniang used her belt to hang herself in the prison cell.
She would rather die than be humiliated by that beast.
And she would never let the immortal's treasure fall into the hands of such a person.
The prison cell was narrow and cramped. Wanniang tried several times before she finally managed to end her own life.
But all that physical pain could not compare to the hatred in her heart.
Wanniang had harbored this hatred for decades. It never faded; instead, it grew more intense with each passing day.
...
“It must have been very painful for you back then.”
Nan Zhi stared at the strangulation marks on Wanniang's neck and took a deep breath.
The cell was narrow, and there was nothing to use as leverage. Wanniang's suicide must have been an extremely painful struggle.
It was a testament to her fierce spirit.
“So, did Wang Fugui eventually get the recipe for ‘Immortal Brew’?”
Nan Zhi spoke cautiously. “Then the current Qu family daughter is your...”
Wanniang raised her chin and said gloomily,
“After that year, only women and children were left in the Qu family. My aunt had no sons, her own family was gone, and she had nowhere else to go. A few years later, to save the Qu family's remaining wine shop, she adopted a baby girl from a local prominent clan. So, the current Qu family daughter is effectively my sister.
Back then, to win over the old employees of the distillery, Wang Fugui even arranged a marriage between his unborn son and this sister of mine.”
Nan Zhi suddenly understood.
Everything was now clear.
Back then, Wang Fugui framed the Qu family for the “immortal's treasure.”
Afterward, he bribed the officials, seized the Qu family's property, and used that huge sum of money to start anew.
A dozen years ago, to cover his tracks and provide a legitimate origin for the “Immortal Brew” recipe in his hands, Wang Fugui took the initiative to form an alliance with the Qu family through marriage.
Then, the “Immortal Brew” reappeared in the world, and the Wang family gradually became wealthy, turning into local gentry.
Next, as Young Master Wang grew up and became a scholar, the sequence of breaking the engagement and marrying someone else followed.
Looking at Wang Fugui's entire life, he was like a blood-sucking leech.
He crouched upon the bones of the Qu family, sucking them until he was bloated and his business path was smooth.
And the Qu family, simply because they trusted the wrong person, met with a disaster that wiped them out, never knowing who had harmed them even in death.
“In his early years, Wang Fugui traveled far and wide and gained some knowledge. He was afraid I would become a ghost and seek revenge after death, so he filled his house with statues of the Kitchen God and plastered door gods on his gates.
On ordinary days, he even pretends to be a devout Buddhist, performing charitable acts, donating money to temples to repay Yin debts, and bringing many talismans home.”
Wanniang let out a cold laugh.
“A beast in human skin acting like a benevolent man. Truly laughable.”
【Long-term Mission: Wanniang Has a Grievance (II)】
【Mission Content: Wanniang met the wrong person. Thirty-seven lives of the Qu family died unjustly due to the poisoned wine case, and thirteen innocent people met violent deaths, all because Wang Fugui was consumed by greed and coveted the recipe for ‘Immortal Brew’.】
【The cultivator has learned the truth of the past. Your choice is (choices cannot be reloaded, please choose carefully):】
【A. As an arrest officer of the Demon Suppression Division, how can you sit idly by while a ghost takes a life? Even if Wanniang has a grievance, it should be reported to the Demon Suppression Division for superiors to decide. Scold Wanniang loudly to make her come to her senses. Persuade her that meeting violence with violence is not the right path, and that Wang Fugui should be kept alive to atone for his sins and clear the Qu family's name. (Wanniang Favorability -5, Reputation +20)】
【B. As a cultivator, how can you remain indifferent after seeing fifty innocent lives lost? Wang Fugui is insane and bestial; he deserves retribution. Moreover, once a person dies, they are gone like a snuffed lamp. Even if the truth comes out later, the dead cannot return. Today, I will uphold justice for heaven and let Wang Fugui die! (Wanniang Favorability +5, Reputation -50)】
Nan Zhi chose neither option.
She looked at Wanniang, leaving the power of choice in her hands.
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