"Hey, how did you know?"
The old man looked a little surprised that I had said it outright. "You know, you're right. My older cousin-aunt really did rise from humble beginnings. The master of that household took a fancy to her."
"Of course, the family was overjoyed. Back then, catching a wealthy master's eye was like entering the imperial palace. Not only would her immediate family benefit, but the entire clan could hold their heads high in the village."
At this point, the old man sighed. "Everyone at home thought my older cousin-aunt had found a good life. But it didn't last. Within a few years, she lost her life in the Luo Residence."
I quickly asked, "How did she die?"
The old man said, "The master of the Luo Residence was named Luo Baichuan. He was no good. Besides my older cousin-aunt, he already had six women before her. She was the seventh."
"With that many women, problems were bound to arise. It was just like an emperor's harem, full of scheming. Back then, the Luo Residence sent word to my older cousin-aunt's family, saying she'd accidentally fallen into a well and died."
"But who would believe that? A child from a poor family wasn't that foolish. How could she just fall into a well like that? The family suspected the other women had murdered her, and that Master Luo, Luo Baichuan, was shielding the real killer! He refused to tell the truth!"
It seemed the Seventh Concubine's family had initially suspected the same thing as Seventh Master and me.
But the truth was that Master Luo had personally pushed the Seventh Concubine into the well. She hadn't been killed by the other concubines.
"Then there was my younger cousin-aunt, the one lying in the mourning hall. Her name