Chapter 123 Chun Tao

"Lord Pei," Liu Yueli looked straight into Pei Ji's eyes, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from her heart.

"You are high and mighty, holding the power of life and death, and you can turn the tide. And I am a concubine of the Liu family, whose name is almost forgotten. My biological mother died young, my stepmother despises me, and my father treats me like nothing. I live in this corner of the house, barely better than a servant's quarters, taking inferior medicine that even the servants despise, and wearing a face that would make even a ghost frown."

She raised her hand and gently brushed her fingertips across the scar on her right cheek. The dark red scar moved in the candlelight, a shocking sight.

"What I need is never pity." Her voice suddenly sank, and her eyes met Pei Ji's gaze with burning intent. "That thing is worthless in this deep courtyard. It will only make people die faster and more quietly."

Pei Ji did not interrupt her, but just listened quietly, with an indiscernible emotion in his deep eyes.

Liu Yueli took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly, as if she was gathering her last bit of strength.

"I bumped into you to gamble for a chance to survive! A chance to make me, Liu Yueli, no longer an ant in the corner of the Liu Mansion, being trampled on by everyone!"

"A chance to survive?" Pei Ji repeated, his tone flat, making it impossible to tell whether it was a question or a statement. "Yes," Liu Yueli answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation. "What Lord Pei saw today is just the tip of the iceberg. The wound on my face was no accident."

"Two months ago, my stepmother Zhang's youngest brother was mischievous and spilled scalding tea, threatening to scald Zhang's beloved Persian cat. Being close by, I instinctively pushed the cat away. The result? A whole cup of scalding tea spilled all over my face. Zhang retaliated, accusing me of frightening him first and then rudely offending the mistress. My father didn't even bother to ask any questions before convicting me. This scar is proof of my guilt!"

Pei Ji's eyes finally moved slightly, and there seemed to be something extremely cold surging in the depths of his deep eyes.

He was not completely unaware of the filthiness in the Liu Mansion's backyard.

"This is just the beginning. Zhang won't tolerate me. If my reputation is ruined, she'll have an excuse. It could be a bowl of sweet soup from a drowning accident, or a strong medicine for a cold that won't go away... I won't survive this winter. Lord Pei, tell me, if an ant wants to survive, what other options do I have other than taking a gamble and running into the only person in this mansion who can outsmart Zhang and my father?"

"I'm betting on you! I'm betting that Pei Ji, the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, can't tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes! I'm also betting that you hate being manipulated like a pawn. Zhang wants to use this ugly girl like me to disgust you and make you dislike the Liu Mansion, so that my father's job at the Ministry of Works will be even more difficult. I'm determined to let her know that this useless chess piece she threw out might turn into a thorn that pierces her heart!"

As soon as the words fell, the small room fell into dead silence.

Only the flame of the oil lamp was dancing restlessly, stretching the shadows of the two people on the mottled wall, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter.

Pei Ji was silent.

There was no expression on his face, and his bottomless eyes were like the moon reflected in a cold pond.

Liu Yueli's heart suddenly rose to her throat, and her fingertips instantly dug into her palm. Lost the bet? Would he just walk away?

Or will he... just strangle the neck of this ignorant ant?

However, Pei Ji's bony hand did not reach for her neck. Instead, it reached into the sleeve pocket of his dark-colored uniform and, after a moment, pulled out something.

Not a weapon, not a token.

It was a jade pendant.

The jade is a brilliant white, radiating a gentle, restrained luster under the dim light of the oil lamp. It is of exceptional quality, warm to the touch, and one can tell at a glance that it is a truly extraordinary piece.

The patterns carved on the jade pendant are simple and unsophisticated, resembling some kind of entangled beast or entangled clouds and thunder.

The most eye-catching thing is the seal script in the middle of the jade pendant:

"lonely".

The jade pendant with the private seal of Pei Ji, Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.

Pei Ji's fingers casually twisted the silk ribbon of the jade pendant, but his eyes were still on Liu Yueli's face.

He didn't say anything, just shook his wrist very casually.

The jade pendant that was enough to attract countless powerful people in the capital was thrown away like an insignificant little gadget. It drew a short arc and landed lightly on the polished dressing table in front of Liu Yueli with a "click".

"Take it." Pei Ji's voice finally rang out again, low and flat, without any emotional ups and downs. "If someone really wants to give you a hard time, show it to them and tell them that I will keep your life for now."

After saying this, he didn't even look at the expression on Liu Yueli's face, nor did he wait for any reaction from her.

The figure turned suddenly, the corner of the robe brought a cool breeze in the air, and the man had already rushed to the window like a ghost.

The wooden window opened and closed silently.

Liu Yueli was the only one left in the room, looking at the jade pendant that suddenly appeared on the dressing table and the flickering dim candlelight.

The night wind outside seemed to be stronger, making the window paper rustle.

Liu Yueli stood there stiffly, like a petrified statue.

After a long time, she lowered her head very slowly.

His eyes were fixed on the jade pendant.

When she finally grasped the cold jade tightly in her palm, a huge sour feeling suddenly rushed to the tip of her nose and went straight to her eyes.

It worked...I actually...the bet was successful?

Hot tears burst out without warning, blurring my vision in an instant.

She bit her lower lip hard, tasting the bloody rust, and then she blocked back the sob that was about to burst out of her throat.

The night outside the window is as thick as insoluble ink.

…

The next day.

Pei Ji sat upright on the high seat in the main hall of the Dali Temple, his back straight, like a sharp blade deeply inserted into its sheath.

In the hall, Liu Yueli's slender figure knelt on the bluestone slabs, like a willow branch broken by a sudden rain, so thin and pitiful.

Her shoulders shook slightly, and suppressed sobs were as thin as a thread, floating intermittently in the lobby.

"Your Excellency, please understand..." The voice was nasal, and every word seemed soaked in tears, heavy and heavy. "I really can't live anymore..."

She bent down, her forehead almost touching the ground, and a few strands of scattered black hair hung down, covering most of her face.

The eyes of several young yamen runners standing in the hall could no longer be controlled and drifted towards the hall below.

The fingers that were tightly gripping the water and fire sticks loosened a little, and the tense muscle lines on their faces softened, leaving only pity.

This scene, this sound, this posture, all of them accuse a weak woman of the inhuman torture she suffered in her husband's family.

Who can not be soft-hearted?

Pei Ji's gaze was as cold as an icy pond, fixed on Liu Yueli without moving.

The first time I saw her in court was when her ex-husband beat her.

At that time, she was curled up in the corner, her hair was disheveled, blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth, and the purple scars on her pale face were shocking.

Those tearful eyes looked over, filled with the most helpless plea in the world.

He believed her and without hesitation sentenced her to divorce, personally breaking the shackles on her.

However, when that faint sneer suddenly pierced his eyes, he felt like he was stung by something.

That is no illusion!

Liu Yueli seemed to notice that the gaze from above lingered for a long time.

Her body, which was lying on the ground, trembled. She raised her face and tears rolled down her cheeks like beads that had broken off the string.

"My lord... I only ask for a way out..."

Pei Ji curled his fingers as they rested on the hardwood armrest.

"Liu, rest assured. I preside over the Dali Temple, handling human injustices and redressing grievances. Since you have already sounded the drum to protest and presented your suffering to the court, I will act on your behalf and get to the bottom of this matter."

He paused deliberately, his eyes casting a gentle light on her. "If your husband's family is truly as brutal and cruel as you say, treating human life as worthless, I will punish them severely according to the law and bring you justice. I will never let you suffer even the slightest injustice again."

When the words fell, you could hear a pin drop in the hall.

The tense faces of the yamen runners seemed to relax, and there was a bit more respect in their eyes when they looked at Pei Ji.

Lord Shaoqing is indeed a man of great vision and compassion for the weak.

Pei Ji's gaze was like the most precise ruler, closely measuring every subtle change on Liu Yueli's face.

She seemed stunned for a moment, and a trace of surprise flashed across her eyes, which were especially clear after being washed by tears.

Immediately afterwards, a blush quickly spread across the pale face.

Tears welled up in his eyes again, and this time, the tears seemed to be really hot.

"My Lord! My Lord!" She suddenly touched the ground with her forehead, making a dull thud. "Even if I were to work like a slave in my next life, it would still be hard for me to repay your kindness in giving me a new life!"

The sobbing was so sincere and heartfelt that it almost brought tears to people's eyes.

However, at this moment, Liu Yueli's voice sounded again, with a timid and tentative tone:

"Sir... I dare..." She raised her body slightly and looked up at Pei Ji with tearful eyes, "Can... can I see... my poor maid Chuntao?"

Pei Ji's eyebrows moved slightly, as if a tiny stone was thrown into the calm lake, causing tiny ripples.

Chun Tao? The personal maid who was said to be the only one who witnessed her husband being beaten and ran out to report to the police?

He remembered the name recorded in the file, which seemed to be Chuntao.

"Oh?" Pei Ji's voice remained steady, without a trace of emotion. "Why do you want to see her?"

"My Lord, you are wise," Liu Yueli's tears welled up again, her voice filled with endless pity, "Chun Tao, that girl, suffered many beatings in order to protect me. I feel sorry for her and want to see if she is okay..."

She lowered her head slightly, revealing a neck so fragile it seemed as if it would break at the slightest bend. "Besides... she is the one who knows best how much I've suffered, and I want to thank her in person..."

The reason is reasonable, full of deep love between master and servant, and impeccable.

Pei Ji looked at her deeply.

The woman kneeling in the hall was still trembling slightly.

He was silent for a moment, and this brief silence seemed to make the air in the hall seem a little more stagnant.

The bailiffs held their breath, their eyes moving back and forth between the Shaoqing and the kneeling woman.

"Yeah." Finally, Pei Ji responded solemnly, "It makes sense. Someone come."

He raised his hand and instructed the chief clerk standing beside him, "Go and call the witness Chun Tao to come to the court immediately."

"Yes!" The chief clerk bowed and accepted the order, then turned around and walked out of the hall quickly.

Liu Yueli was still kneeling with her head lowered, her shoulders shaking slightly with each sob, maintaining her fragile posture.

Pei Ji's gaze fell on her slightly curled fingertips. Her nails were trimmed smooth and clean, with a faint pink tint, completely different from the stains in the crevices of her nails when he first saw her.

The sound of footsteps coming from far away broke the stagnant air.

The chief clerk came in with a little maid dressed in the same coarse cloth.

The maid looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, with a thin figure and a sallow complexion. She walked with her head lowered and her shoulders slightly hunched, looking like a frightened quail.

"Sir, the witness Chuntao has been brought here." The chief clerk reported.

Pei Ji nodded slightly, his eyes falling on the little maid: "Chun Tao?"

The little maidservant's body trembled violently. She quickly raised her head to glance at Pei Ji who was sitting on the high seat. Then she lowered her head quickly as if she had been burned. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito: "Yes... yes, this servant."

"Raise your head." Pei Ji's voice was majestic.

Chuntao's shoulders shrank even tighter, but she still did as she was told and slowly raised her head.

A malnourished little face was exposed under the bright candlelight in the hall, with an unhealthy bluish-gray color amidst the waxy yellow, sunken eye sockets and chapped lips.

The most striking thing was the dark purple bruises on her forehead and cheekbones that had not yet completely faded. They formed a stark contrast with her sallow complexion.

"Sir!" Liu Yueli's tearful voice suddenly rang out, carrying with it an uncontrollable heartache, "Chun Tao! My dear Chun Tao!"

She struggled, as if she wanted to stand up and rush over, but stumbled again and could only stretch out her trembling hands in Chuntao's direction, tears pouring out, "You've suffered... It's all because of me... I've implicated you..."

Her voice was filled with sincere sorrow, and every word sounded like tears of blood squeezed from the tip of her heart.

When Chuntao saw Liu Yueli, her big eyes, which were originally filled with fear, were instantly filled with tears. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to call her "Miss", but she did not dare to speak out because she was afraid of the majesty in the hall.

She just bit her lower lip tightly, tears rolling down her face.

Pei Ji's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, fixed firmly on Chun Tao's face.

That bruise... the color is unusually dark.

New injury? Old injury? Or...

He glanced at Liu Yueli calmly.

"Chun Tao, I want to ask you, is your young lady's story about her husband's family beating and abusing her true? You must tell the truth, without a single lie!"

Chun Tao's body trembled violently, like a leaf falling in the cold wind. She looked at Pei Ji in fear, then quickly glanced at Liu Yueli, who was a few steps away. Her lips trembled, and a slight gurgling sound came from her throat, but she could not utter a complete word.

"Chun Tao!" Liu Yueli's voice suddenly rose a few notches. "Don't be afraid! The Lord is here, just tell the truth! Tell him everything you saw and heard!"

Chuntao's pupils suddenly contracted, as if pierced by that gaze.

Under the bright candlelight in the hall, her sallow face seemed even darker in blue-gray, as if covered with a layer of lifeless gray.

"Slave...slave..." Her voice was hoarse like sandpaper.