Chapter 153 Do you dare to take revenge?
The early spring morning carried a lingering chill from winter. Before dawn, Zhao Yin was already waiting outside the courtyard where the Dowager Consort resided.
After the Empress Dowager got up and washed and dressed, he stood outside for a full hour.
This kind of waiting has become a habit ingrained in his bones. He has known since childhood that the meaning of his existence is to protect the Dowager Consort, even at the cost of his own life.
After dressing up, the Dowager Princess of the Northern Wilderness, surrounded by her maids, went to her father's courtyard to pay her respects.
Zhao Yin followed quietly behind, his presence barely noticeable.
Upon reaching the courtyard, the maids who were serving were dismissed, and Zhao Yin stepped forward to support the Dowager Consort's hand as they entered the courtyard together.
The only difference from yesterday was that there were more women in the house today. In addition to the two sisters-in-law of the Dowager Consort, Zhao Xun's wife and his daughter-in-law were also present.
The family sat there waiting for nearly half an hour, but not one of them showed the slightest impatience.
The room was quiet until the Dowager entered.
Zhao Qi, who was always particular about etiquette, didn't mind his daughter's lateness at all. He asked with a smile, "Did you sleep well last night? Are you settling in well at home?"
With Zhao Yin's help, the Dowager Consort sat down beside her father and replied, "My courtyard is exactly the same as before I got married, how could I not be used to it?"
"You'll get used to it." Zhao Qi nodded, then instructed, "Now that the whole family is here, let's set out the meal."
Just as the Dowager Princess reached out to help Zhao Qi to his feet, the steward who had served Zhao Qi for many years entered. He first bowed to Zhao Qi before speaking, "Master, we have already checked everyone, and the servants in the courtyard did not steal anything."
Zhao Qi's gentle expression immediately turned cold: "So, the incense burner flew away on its own?"
"What incense burner?" A bad feeling suddenly rose in the Dowager's heart.
Zhao Qi hadn't intended to hide it from his daughter, so he told her the truth: "Yesterday I had someone take inventory of the items in the courtyard, and we found that an incense burner was missing."
The Dowager looked sharply at the steward, her voice icy: "Since no one admits it, then tell them that if the thief cannot be found, all of them, including their entire families, will die."
The butler shivered and lowered his head deeply: "Yes."
While the Dowager Consort was talking to the steward, most of the Zhao family's eyes were on the two of them, but Zhao Yin looked at Zhao Zeqian, who was sitting at the very end.
He kept his head down, and fine beads of sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.
Zhao Yin's gaze sharpened slightly, a clear sign of guilt. Was this matter related to him?
The thought flashed through his mind, but he did not expose it in public.
It wasn't until the Dowager Consort finished her breakfast and returned to her courtyard that her face immediately darkened as soon as the door closed.
Those things could have been stolen any earlier or later, but of all times, they were stolen at this particular moment.
And then there's my father; as he's gotten older, he's lost the vigilance he once had.
She was already quite unhappy with her father, but considering the main purpose of her return, she held back.
She was still pondering when the lost incense burner would be found when she saw Zhao Yin kneel on one knee: "Your Highness."
The Dowager was irritated, and her tone was somewhat impatient: "What do you want to say?"
"When the steward came to report, I noticed that Zhao Zeqian's expression was not quite right."
The Empress Dowager looked at Zhao Yin with a hint of fierceness: "Do you have any evidence?"
Zhao Yin lowered his head: "This subordinate has no evidence, I just feel that he..."
Suddenly, a teacup fell to the ground, and shards of porcelain flew everywhere, cutting Zhao Yin's cheek.
"Without evidence, you dare to make baseless accusations?" The Dowager's voice grew colder. "Or are you jealous of him?"
"Your subordinate dares not." Zhao Yin knelt on both knees, his left knee landing on a shard of broken porcelain. Soon, a bloodstain appeared on the ground.
"Hmph, you'd better remember your place. If I find out you've had any improper thoughts or tried to frame him, I'll deal with you personally."
"It was my fault. I shouldn't have suspected others without any evidence." Zhao Yin banged his head on the ground.
The Dowager Consort watched this scene without any change in expression: "Since you know you're wrong, then go and accept your punishment. Don't appear before me for the next two days."
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's last words, Zhao Yin turned pale, as if this was a punishment even more cruel than physical punishment.
"yes."
"Get out!"
Zhao Yin stood up and limped out.
That afternoon, the younger members of the Zhao family who were passing by the Empress Dowager's courtyard saw Zhao Yin kneeling outside the courtyard, covered in wounds.
Most of them didn't know Zhao Yin's identity, but some knew some inside information and passed the news on to Zhao Zeqian.
In the past, if his father's bastard sons had suffered, Zhao Zeqian would have gone to watch the spectacle, but now he had no interest in doing so at all.
He was only thinking about how to keep his theft of the incense burner a secret.
It was just an incense burner, yet his great-grandfather made such a fuss about it, and his great-aunt was the same, constantly talking about taking the lives of other people's entire families. He hadn't thought it was a big deal before, but now he felt uneasy.
Zhao Yin knelt outside the courtyard gate for a whole day, until it got dark, before returning to the residence arranged for him by the Zhao family.
After he took off his clothes, his body was covered in bloody marks and many old scars. He had injured himself in these ways; back in the Northern Wilderness, he would punish himself this way when he did something wrong.
He had been very careful all these years because he had been punished and the Dowager Consort did not want to see him for several days, which made him feel very frightened, so he could only continue to punish himself.
Zhao Yin did not use any medicine to treat his wounds. He simply found a cloth and casually wiped away the blood that had seeped out before lying down on the wooden bed.
He was quite ruthless when he attacked, and he had many injuries on his back. It hurt a lot to lie in bed, but he still forced himself to lie down.
Just as the Dowager Consort said, one must be punished for doing or saying the wrong thing. Only when he has been punished enough will the Dowager Consort forgive him sooner.
Because of the pain, Zhao Yin finally managed to get some sleep in the middle of the night.
When he woke up, it was already daylight. He was first startled, then annoyed, knowing he couldn't appear before the Empress Dowager today.
He sat in his room all morning, and neither the Zhao family nor anyone brought him food.
Having angered the Empress Dowager, he hadn't eaten for a day and a night, and was now quite hungry. Zhao Yin hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to go outside the mansion to find something to eat.
Zhao Yin had no hobbies and little time for himself, but he had one habit: he would occasionally go out for a drink.
After leaving the Zhao residence, he walked along the street for a while and saw a restaurant, so he turned around and went inside.
Just as he entered the restaurant, a figure quietly left in the distance.
These past two days, Achan has taken a liking to incense. When Lin Sui came to find her, she was still burning incense in the room.
As soon as Lin Sui entered A Chan's room, he sneezed. Although the scent of incense wasn't unpleasant, it was just too strong.
"Achan, are you testing the fragrance?"
Hearing Lin Sui's voice, A Chan sat up from the recliner: "Why did you come over? Don't you have homework today?"
"I've finished my homework. The person you asked me to have someone keep an eye on left the manor today. I came to find you as soon as I received the news."
Upon hearing this, Achan quickly stood up, put a cloth bag from the table into her bosom, and hurriedly said, "Come on, take me to find him."
Lin Sui did not hesitate and followed A Chan outside.
As they reached the shop ahead, Chen Hui called out to A Chan, asking with some concern, "A Chan, is there any danger?"
Achan shook her head: "Don't worry, there's no danger. I'll be back soon."
Chen Hui knew that A Chan valued her life very much, so if she said that, there shouldn't be any problems. Therefore, she didn't ask any further questions and watched the two leave.
Lin Sui arrived on horseback, and soon she brought A Chan to the restaurant where Zhao Yin was. The people who stayed outside to keep watch told her that Zhao Yin had not come out since he went in, and it had been about half an hour now.
Lin Sui had originally wanted to accompany A Chan into the restaurant, but A Chan refused. So she had no choice but to find a stall across the street and sit down, looking in the direction of the restaurant.
Ah Chan lifted her skirt and stepped into the restaurant. It was already noon, and the restaurant was not doing well. Most of the seats downstairs were empty. She looked around but did not see Zhao Yin.
At this moment, the waiter came up and asked, "Are you here for a meal, sir?"
"Okay, let's go to the private room on the second floor."
The waiter immediately led Achan upstairs. Achan ignored the waiter's recommendation and walked through the private rooms separated by screens until she finally saw a black figure.
She pointed to the private room next door and said to the waiter, "I'll just sit there."
The waiter naturally wouldn't refuse and quickly led her to a seat.
As Achan passed by Zhao Yin, the strong sweet fragrance made Zhao Yin frown, glance at her, and then look away.
After Ah Chan sat down, she ordered three of the restaurant's signature dishes based on the waiter's recommendation before letting the other person leave.
Just as the waiter was writing down the names of the dishes and was about to go downstairs to the kitchen, Zhao Yin called him back.
Zhao Yin ordered a jar of pear blossom liquor. The waiter looked at the two empty jars on the customer's table and saw that the customer's expression was clear. He couldn't help but admire the customer's good drinking capacity.
A short while later, the pear blossom shochu was served first.
Even from Achan's perspective, she could hear Zhao Yin gulping down wine. She rested her chin on one hand, looking at the private room next door, which was hidden by a screen, and gently tapped the table with the other.
One, two, three...
I don't know when, but the sounds of drinking next door stopped.
Just then, the waiter carried two dishes upstairs to Achan's table and said, "Miss, your dishes are here."
"Thank you for your trouble." Ah Chan smiled at the waiter, took out two pairs of chopsticks from the chopstick holder next to her, kept one pair in her hand, and placed the other pair in the empty seat opposite her.
The waiter assumed she was waiting for someone and went downstairs without giving it much thought.
After the waiter left, Achan suddenly spoke up: "Drinking is bad for your health. Would you like to have a meal together, Shangyin?"
After a moment of silence, Zhao Yin, who had been sitting next door drinking, stood up, turned around, and sat down opposite A Chan.
If a member of the Zhao family were to appear here at this moment, they would certainly be very surprised.
The Zhao Yin they had met looked exactly like the person in front of them, but their overall demeanor was completely different.
If Zhao Yin was a puppet cultivated according to the Empress Dowager's preferences, then the person before us has a more vibrant and lively quality, like a living person.
"Who are you?"
Ah Chan picked up a piece of Four Happiness Tofu and stuffed it into her mouth. After chewing it, she found the taste to be really mediocre, no wonder the business was so bad.
"Speak, who are you?" The person on the other end was already showing signs of impatience.
"It's been over a year, and your temper is still as bad as ever." Achan put down her chopsticks and looked up at the person opposite her.
"...Achan?" The person opposite him looked at Achan with disbelief. He looked her up and down for a while before saying, "You're still alive."
"Thanks to your reminder, I had a chance to escape." Recalling what happened a year ago, A-Chan narrowed her eyes, her mood not very good.
“However…” she looked at the person opposite her, “Shang Yin, it looks like you’re about to disappear.”
Shang Yin didn't react much to A Chan's words: "Didn't you already know that?"
He and Achan met at the Northern Wilderness King's Mansion.
At that time, Achan was a guest of honor of the Northern Wilderness King, and he was... an uncontrollable consciousness within Zhao Yin's body.
It's somewhat ironic that this body, originally named Zhao Yin, should have belonged to him. But at some point, he changed from Shang Yin to Zhao Yin and became trapped in this body.
At first, he could secretly control this body, but later, as Zhao Yin's cultivation improved, he could only appear when Zhao Yin was drinking.
On the day he met Achan, Zhao Yin had just been punished and had drunk some wine. He had only come out for some fresh air, but Achan saw through his deception at a glance.
He was terrified that his secret would be discovered, so he had a stupid idea: to kill him to cover it up. Then, Ah Chan slapped him into the ground.
It was then that he learned that this distinguished guest, who could command the prince's complete obedience, was a fox demon from the fourth realm.
She didn't kill him; instead, she squatted down beside him and forced him to reveal the contents of his family history.
He thought Achan would tell the Northern Wilderness King, but she didn't. The matter passed quietly and became a secret between the two of them.
Achan lived in the Northern Wilderness King's Mansion for three years. Although they had only met a few times, they were quite familiar with each other.
The last time they met was when he learned that the prince had ordered the execution of Achan, and he went to inform him.
Back then, Achan was a powerful and beautiful fox demon. Now, she has no trace of demonic aura, and her blood and energy are no different from those of an ordinary person.
After Zhao Yin advanced to the third realm, he could no longer control this body, and his consciousness was so weak that it was about to disappear.
If it weren't for that fragrance, he probably wouldn't have been able to appear until the moment he disappeared.
"Are you already giving up?" A-Chan looked at him with her watery eyes, and Shang Yin couldn't tell whether she was asking a question or mocking him.
"What else can we do?" Shang Yin said dejectedly. The Northern Wilderness Royal Palace was such a behemoth that there was nothing he could do.
Achan looked at him and said in a very soft voice, "I remember you told me that when your mother died, she was hung from the roof by her collarbone, just like half a pig hanging in a butcher shop."
Seeing Shang Yin's expression gradually turn ferocious, she seemed completely oblivious and continued, "I went to the butcher shop to check, and the meat there was still quite fresh. But back then, your mother probably didn't have a single intact piece of flesh left on her body, right?"
You even told me that they used you to threaten her and make you hurt her in order to obtain the Shang family's ghost-controlling techniques. She must have suffered terribly before she died, right?
The dark past that he had almost buried deep in his heart became clearer as Achan recounted it. Shang Yin clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot: "Shut up!"
Achan didn't stop talking. She said quietly, "It's normal that you don't want to avenge her. After all, you created Zhao Yin to escape hatred. He successfully replaced you and gained the favor of the Empress Dowager, becoming a qualified dog. Once you disappear, he can better serve the Empress Dowager until his death."
"I said shut up!" Shang Yin stood up, the chair beneath him already shattered into dust.
Even though he couldn't control this body, he had seen everything Zhao Yin had gone through.
The Dowager Princess of the Northern Wilderness never treated Zhao Yin as a human being; in their eyes, he was less than livestock.
Achan remained seated, smiling as she watched him, as if he were a joke.
"Shang Yin, do you dare to take revenge?"
"Of course I dare!"
"Even if it means giving my own life to save theirs?"
"I'm just a worthless life anyway! Trading it for another is a win." Shang Yin braced his hands on the table, his bloodshot eyes fixed on A Chan. "Can you help me?"
Ah Chan smiled: "Yes, I can help you."
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