Zhou Gongzi turned his head to look, and then remembered he hadn't read the content above. Since he was idle anyway, he took the note from her hand, waved her away, and got into bed alone to open it. He had only read the beginning before he sat bolt upright with a gasp.
As he continued to read, the more he read, the more distressed he became. He lay in bed all night, too troubled to sleep, tossing and turning. The next day, he went to the academy with dark circles under his eyes.
During a break, he took the opportunity to go to the restroom and sneak out the back door. He carefully avoided the guards and headed in the direction agreed upon on the note.
Xu Yijie was waiting not far from the agreed meeting spot. He watched Zhou Gongzi enter with his own eyes, and after waiting for a while, seeing that no one was following him, he hobbled closer.
Entering the dilapidated temple, Zhou Gongzi searched inside and out but couldn't find anyone. He thought he had misremembered the location, so he quickly took out the note and checked it. Discovering it was indeed the right place, he decided to wait a little longer. If the other party still didn't show up, he would leave, otherwise, the guards would surely be looking for him everywhere.
With this thought, he curiously looked around the surroundings. As he turned, he was startled. Xu Yijie was standing at the entrance with a malicious glint in his eyes. Looking at his frightening gaze, Zhou Gongzi suddenly regretted his rash decision to come alone.
He stammered, "Who... who are you? What... what do you want with me?"
Xu Yijie said with a half-smile, "Didn't the letter say? I asked you here to discuss which part of your mother's body has a mole, and which part has a birthmark. What do you think people on the streets will think of her if I were to reveal all this?"
Zhou Gongzi was still young, and his heart raced upon hearing this. He forced himself to stay calm, "There are already plenty of rumors about my mother on the streets. She won't care about these things. Besides, I can just say you made it up."
"Yes, but these things often cause more harm to a woman. Also, the letter told you that my legs and arms were broken by your mother. If I disregarded everything, risked my life, and sued her at the county yamen, combined with our past love-hate entanglement, wouldn't people be interested?"
Zhou Gongzi looked at his confident demeanor, feeling angry but unsure of what to do. This was why, after receiving the letter, he hadn't dared to tell anyone and had come alone. Although he had never met Xu Yijie, he had heard a lot about the rumors between his mother and him, and vaguely knew they had been involved. He just hadn't expected his mother to have injured him so badly.
"What do you want? You didn't call me here today just to talk about these things, did you?" After a while, Zhou Gongzi finally found his voice. In fact, he had thought about it all night yesterday. Since the other party wanted to speak to him secretly, it meant he had some ulterior motive. As long as he had a request, it would be manageable. He was only afraid of someone who had no desires and acted recklessly.
"Of course not. My legs are not convenient, and I can't walk. Come closer, and I'll tell you properly." Xu Yijie looked at him with deep eyes, thinking of something.
Zhou Gongzi hesitated for a moment, then slowly stepped forward. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he suddenly felt a sense of dread, a desire to escape. Yet, he was afraid that if he left, the other party would really cause trouble at the court, and it would still affect his mother's reputation.
Xu Yijie watched him calmly as he took step after step closer. He extended an arm and said, "Help me to sit over there for a while. I can't stand for so long anymore."
Without thinking, Zhou Gongzi reached out his hand and looked in the direction he pointed. At that moment, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Disbelievingly, he looked down and saw a kitchen knife plunged into his abdomen.
Xu Yijie mercilessly pulled the knife out, then thrust it in again. Zhou Gongzi tremblingly pointed at him with his fingers and weakly said, "How dare you? How dare you..."
Xu Yijie said sinisterly, "Blame your mother for being too ruthless. I have no way out, abandoned by everyone, and I'm tired of this world. Before I die, I must drag someone down with me. I want to make that woman taste the pain of a broken heart."
He watched coldly as Zhou Gongzi collapsed. Seeing that he was still breathing, he pulled out the knife and plunged it fiercely into his heart. After cleaning up the bloodstains, he leaned on his cane, picked up a broken bowl, and walked madly towards the outskirts of the city.
To avoid disturbing Zhou Gongzi's studies, his guards dutifully stood watch in the adjacent courtyard. When the time came, other young masters had already left, but their young master was nowhere to be found.
The guards quickly went to ask the teacher. The teacher looked at them with some surprise, "Didn't your young master leave long ago? I haven't seen him since the break. I was teaching them the whole time and thought he left with you."
Upon hearing this, the guards panicked. If their young master had encountered some trouble outside after such a long absence, they would be in serious trouble.
Without a word, they split up and searched the streets. When they couldn't find him, they didn't dare to conceal it and quickly returned to the Zhou mansion to seek help. Although Madam Zhou was furious with them for not being able to keep an eye on him, the most important thing at this moment was to find her son. She planned to settle accounts with them properly after he was found.
They searched the entire city, inside and out, but found no trace of him. It wasn't until dusk that someone reported finding a corpse in a dilapidated temple.
It turned out that a small beggar lived in that dilapidated temple. He went out to beg during the day and returned to rest at night. He had good luck today and met a kind person who gave him a few extra steamed buns, so he happily returned to his little nest.
As he approached the dilapidated temple, he saw a person lying on the ground, a kitchen knife stuck in them, with blood all over the ground. He was so terrified that he let out a scream. The scream attracted nearby people. Upon seeing the scene, everyone immediately rushed to the county yamen to report the crime.
The magistrate immediately sent people to investigate the scene. Soon, the body was carried back. As soon as Prefect Qian saw the body, he exclaimed, his face turning pale, "My lord, if I'm not mistaken, this should be the young master of the Zhou family. My son is his classmate and has met him once."
The magistrate became serious upon hearing this. He knew very well how the previous magistrate had disappeared. He was the one chosen by Ouyang Chen, and after reporting to the Emperor, the Emperor, too lazy to manage such matters, directly ordered him to take over officially. This was like a leap to the heavens for him, and he was extremely grateful to Ouyang Chen. He knew that Madam Zhou's identity was extraordinary and that even the Emperor protected her. If something happened to Young Master Zhou within his jurisdiction, it would likely not end well.
Despite the magistrate's apprehension, he dutifully sent people to notify Madam Zhou.