NFBE Chapter 504 Wanting to Replace Her
Chapter 504 Wanting to Replace Her
It took Yu Wan a long time to recover from her shock.
She was utterly shocked to see these girls, and the girls in the room were also stunned the moment they saw her.
Two girls stared blankly at Yu Wan, seemingly realizing why they had suffered this undeserved misfortune, and began to weep bitterly, covering their faces.
Yu Wan opened her mouth, her voice barely audible, "What...what's going on with them?"
Luckily, she has a strong mentality; otherwise, she would have fainted on the spot upon seeing such a horrifying scene.
Yun Shang took out a yellowed booklet from his sleeve: "Zuiyue Tower keeps a master of disguise who specializes in creating playthings for the powerful and wealthy."
Yu Wan's heart skipped a beat as she took the booklet from Yun Shang's hand.
The book details the "transformation" process of each woman, including bone shaving, eyebrow drawing, mole removal, and before-and-after portraits.
The process is similar to that of cosmetic surgery.
Yu Wan managed to calm herself down and glanced at the women. "Who ordered them to be made to look like this?"
She's still alive, so Yun Shang wouldn't resort to using a stand-in, would he?
Thinking of something, a cold glint flashed in Yun Shang's eyes. He said, "Last night I interrogated the madam and the staff of Zuiyue Tower. They are very stubborn and have not yet revealed who is behind it."
Indeed, it hasn't been said yet, but Yun Shang already has a guess in his mind.
During this period, as the new emperor increasingly valued him, some dissenting voices frequently emerged in the court.
At first, they only discussed it privately, but later they brought it out into the open and directly advised the new emperor.
Unfortunately, the new emperor trusted him too much and was not swayed by these remonstrances. Instead, he demoted several officials who had spoken out against him and sent them out of the capital.
Those people were naturally unwilling to accept this, and secretly plotted countless underhanded schemes.
Yun Shang never expected that they would set their sights on Yu Wan.
They created so many women who resembled Yu Wan, most likely intending to send them into his household...
Yu Wan gently traced the edge of the booklet with her fingertips and whispered, "So... these women were 'custom-made' based on my appearance?"
Yun Shang nodded, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
Yu Wan quickly realized the key point.
She wanted to swear.
The person behind this is truly despicable. They saw that she and Yunshang had a good relationship, so they planted a mistress, a fourth mistress, and a fifth mistress between them.
Perhaps those people were planning to kill her first, and then send these women to Yunshang.
The room fell silent for a moment, except for the low sobs of the girls.
Yu Wan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging anger in her heart, and looked up at Yun Shang: "Can they... be restored to their original state?"
If these women have a face that doesn't belong to them, do they still have the courage to live?
Moreover, the change in their appearance was secondary; being locked in a dark room and forced to "change their appearance" was the greatest harm done to these women.
Upon hearing Yu Wan's words, a glimmer of expectation appeared in the women's terrified and numb eyes.
Yu Wan saw it and felt very uncomfortable.
Before Yun Shang could speak, she pulled him outside. Yun Shang understood her meaning, and once they were out of the room and he was sure the women couldn't hear him, he said in a deep voice:
“It’s very difficult.” Yun Shang’s voice was cold. “The bones that are removed and the flesh that is cut off can never grow back.”
Yu Wan's breath hitched. "Then... what will happen to them in the future?"
Yun Shang was silent for a moment, then said, "If they are willing, they can stay on the estate and do some light work, or we can give them some money and send them to a place where no one knows them to start a new life."
Yu Wan shook her head: "That's not enough."
She looked up. "Where is that master of disguise?"
“They escaped.” Yun Shang’s eyes darkened slightly. “The person who disguised them wasn’t at Zuiyue Tower that night. I got his address from the madam and went to look for him, but he was already gone.”
Yu Wan frowned. "Send someone to look for him. I think that since he can change the appearance of these women, he must also have a way to restore them to some extent."
"If they want to, let them try."
Yu Wan didn't even dare to imagine how excruciating the pain of having her bones ripped off and her skin peeled off could be. She wasn't the victim, so she couldn't make decisions for those women. She could only bring them back, and how to do it was up to them.
Yun Shang stared at her intently for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "Okay."
He reached out and stroked her hair, his voice low: "You don't need to worry too much. It's already a blessing for them that their lives are not in danger."
Yu Wan thought to herself, "It can only be described as a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."
As the two were talking, a few rhythmic knocks suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
Yun Shang looked towards the doorway. "Come in."
A guard pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully before saying, "Sir, we have just received news that the madam of Zuiyue Tower has died in prison."
Yu Wan was surprised, "Dead?"
Did he die from unbearable torture?
The thought flashed through her mind, but Yu Wan quickly dismissed it.
Yun Shang will investigate further down the madam's trail, and will definitely spare her life.
Yun Shang's eyes suddenly turned cold. "How did you die?"
The guard lowered his voice: "He committed suicide in prison, but... the manner of his death is suspicious, as if he was silenced."
Yu Wan looked up and met Yun Shang's gaze; both of them saw a chill in each other's eyes.
It seems the people behind this can't sit still anymore.
"As expected, they were guilty of something they shouldn't have done." Yu Wan cursed angrily, "With the madam dead, the trail went cold."
Yun Shang's eyes flashed with cold light. "Investigate, from the jailers to the servants who deliver meals, don't let a single one escape."
Last night he ordered his men to keep an eye on the Dali Temple. If the people behind this can still cause trouble in the Dali Temple prison, then there are probably more than just one or two people involved.
The guards were ordered to retreat.
Yu Wan tugged at Yun Shang's sleeve: "These girls need to be protected, otherwise I'm worried that the people behind them will kill them."
Yun Shang grasped her slightly cool fingertips in return. "Don't worry, I have ordered the shadow guards to secretly watch over this courtyard. They will not let these women leave the protected area until the person behind it is caught."
Yu Wan was relieved.
After leaving the courtyard, Yun Shang escorted Yu Wan home, then rode off on horseback again.
Yu Wan stood in front of the mansion gate, watching Yun Shang's departing figure, feeling a vague unease in her heart.
After such a short period of peace, trouble has started again.
She turned and went back to the mansion. As soon as she stepped into the inner courtyard, Xizhu hurriedly came to greet her: "Master, someone from the workshop has come to deliver a message, saying that someone is causing trouble in the workshop."
Yu Wan's brow twitched: "What's going on?"
She had originally planned to go to the workshop later, but something happened there, so she had to go immediately.
She told a servant to inform Madam Shen, and then took Xizhu and headed straight outside.
As Xizhu walked, she said, "The messenger said that someone added something to the dye vat at the dye shop, and the batch of fabrics dyed a couple of days ago has all turned out badly."
Yu Wan paused, her expression changing drastically: "Is it the batch of shimmering brocade to be sent to the palace?"
Xizhu nodded with a bitter face, "That's right. Master, I'm afraid we won't be able to deliver another batch of shimmering brocade on time..."
Yu Wan's heart sank.
The new emperor has already chosen his empress, and the investiture ceremony will be held soon.
This batch of shimmering brocade was specially prepared for the Emperor and Empress's wedding. If anything goes wrong, even with Yun Shang's protection, Yu Wan and the workshop will be punished.