Episode 9 recap: Lu Zhi was insulted and expelled from the Lu family by Lu Yuan Bao.
Another person died, and the note left by the killer stated that they were not appeasing their ghost but offering a sacrifice. Qu San Geng believed that if they were appeasing, there should be a body to offer to the ghost. He thought that the killer was using the body to communicate with them. Lu Yuan Bao asked Lu Zhi with a smirk why the servants called him "Young Master." Lu Zhi explained that they were just being disrespectful. At that moment, Lu Yuan Bao kicked Lu Zhi and berated him, asking if this was how he wanted his father. Lu Zhi was then punished to kneel in the pouring rain. Lu Yuan Bao said that this vile slave had lost his mind and claimed to be the son of the Lu family, not realizing what kind of person he was to have such audacious thoughts.
The servants remained silent at this time, but harbored resentment in their hearts. Leng Gui Er disguised herself as a man and went to the Cuihu Tower to find Lin Si Niang. She directly handed her a handkerchief to wipe off her beard. Leng Gui Er had a cold and indifferent appearance, while her younger brother resembled a girl. Leng Gui Er said that she and her mother knew of Lin Si Niang's existence and inquired about Cold Wujie.
Lin Si Niang's family died from an epidemic, and at the age of eleven, she was sold to a brothel. At the age of fourteen, she was forced to serve clients. Taking advantage of an opportunity to escape, she was coincidentally rescued by Cold Wujie, who mistook her for an ordinary girl from a respectable family and wanted to send her home. With nowhere to go, she cried and said she had run away.
Cold Wujie guessed that she was from the Cuihua Tower and expressed his willingness to help her. He falsely claimed that she had been kidnapped, and he happened to rescue her, dispersing the villains and saving her. However, Lin Si Niang didn't want to go back. Cold Wujie gave her some money and bought her food. She ate the steamed buns voraciously, fearing that once she finished eating, she would be sent back. Cold Wujie told her that the decision was up to her.
After eating, she decided to return to the Cuihua Tower. Later, she became popular with clients, and Cold Wujie came to find her but was turned away by her mother, who saw that he had no money. Fortunately, Lin Si Niang saw him and persuaded her mother to meet him out of gratitude for his help and for the sake of repaying the Cuihua Tower. Later, the two agreed to meet in the Rouge Lane behind the Cuihua Tower, day after day, year after year. Eventually, Cold Wujie redeemed her from the brothel and did many things he shouldn't have done, but she couldn't redeem herself from the Cuihua Tower anymore. Such a woman rarely lived to a young age. The most common thing was to die from abortion, and because she couldn't bear children herself, she didn't marry Cold Wujie.
Their conversation was overheard by Sui Lao San. Lin Si Niang knew he was eavesdropping and deliberately let him in to fetch a batch of Su brocade to give to the gentleman and asked him to open it. When Sui Lao San left, she quietly told Leng Gui Er to call Qu San Geng and tell him the details, advising Leng Gui Er not to get involved and to have no connection with Xue Ju Ren.
Qu San Geng and Leng Gui Er went to the back mountain to pay respects at Lin Si Niang's grave. Leng Gui Er thought about the love between Lin Si Niang and her father and specifically requested that they be reunited in the afterlife. Since she didn't know how to address Lin Si Niang, they didn't carve her name on the tombstone.
The killer left a note on Lin Si Niang's body that said: "When young, be cautious of indulging in desires." Leng Gui Er explained that it meant to be cautious and guard against indulging in romantic relationships while young. However, Qu San Geng felt that something was amiss. Another body was found in the abandoned mansion, belonging to Zhao You Ren, who came from a noble family but had fallen from grace. He loved raising pigeons and was killed by having his throat slit. The note left behind read: "Not appeasing their ghost but offering a sacrifice." It felt like the killer was using the body to send a message, different from the message on Lin Si Niang's note. Qu San Geng speculated that the killer was using Zhao You Ren's death to convey that Lin Si Niang was not killed by them.
Lu Yuan Bao's illness worsened, and he would scream loudly in his nightmares at night. Lu Zhi was startled when he saw the dagger in Lu Yuan Bao's hand. Lu Yuan Bao told Lu Zhong that he dreamt of Tao Laowu. Lu Zhong reassured him that Tao Laowu had been killed thirteen years ago, and Lu Yuan Bao could rest easy knowing that. However, Lu Zhi felt a bit frightened.
The next day, Lu Zhi began examining the account books and reconciling them with the various accountants. Lu Yuan Bao was in a good mood and wanted Lu Zhi to drink with him, but Lu Zhi remembered the family rules and dared not do so. Lu Yuan Bao assured him that he could drink and made the account books their drinking game. They had fun playing, and it was evident that when Lu Yuan Bao was sober, he saw Lu Zhi as his son and also as a friend.
Lu Zhi changed the rules and started asking questions, but he was still guessed correctly by Lu Yuan Bao. It turned out that Lu Yuan Bao had already reconciled the accounts with the accountants and had the results on hand. In his drunken state, Lu Zhi said a lot of things, expressing that he had always regarded Lu Yuan Bao as his father and had loved and respected him. However, this address angered Lu Yuan Bao. Drunk and unaware of Lu Yuan Bao's anger, Lu Zhi continued talking and even performed a bow.
Afterward, Lu Yuan Bao punished Lu Zhi to kneel in the courtyard under the pouring rain. He berated him, saying that this vile slave shouldn't consider himself his godson. Lu Yuan Bao humiliated him and slapped him, leaving Lu Zhi's face bloody. Chen Wang, unable to bear witnessing this, stepped in and punished Lu Zhi on his behalf.
Lu Zhi later prostrated himself and asked if Lu Yuan Bao was willing to be his father. However, the servants didn't dare offend Lu Yuan Bao and expressed their unwillingness. Finally, Lu Zhi was sent to a rural estate to work as a laborer. Many days later, Lu Yuan Bao called out Lu Zhi's name and regretted that he had gone too far. According to the usual rules, he should have killed him. Lu Yuan Bao said that Lu Zhi posed no threat and that it was his own past indulgence that had caused the situation. He instructed Lu Zhong to kill Lu Zhi if he showed any unusual behavior.
Lu Zhong went to the countryside to see Lu Zhi and took him to an isolated place. He then revealed that he was ordered to kill him. Lu Zhi was surprised that Lu Zhong could speak.
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