Once you enter the "Imperial Prison" privately set up by the Commander-in-Chief, it's like entering hell. The punishments inside can only be described in two words—brutal. Even the most ruthless bandits would turn pale at the mention of it.
Cuiwei seemed unfazed by his threats, boldly meeting his fierce gaze with a cold laugh. Just from her reckless audacity, it was clear she was the type to defy reason.
Seeing this, Huo Jingsha also sneered in return, and then stretched out a hand to the side. The guard immediately presented him with a short dagger. He held the knife in his palm, stepped forward and moved in front of Cuiwei. The blade gleamed with a cold light under the sunlight.
Cuiwei was lifted up by two guards. In the blink of an eye, Huo Jingsha raised his knife and pressed it against her body. With a slant of the blade, he slowly cut off a piece of flesh from her shoulder.
Yes, slowly! It was like slicing a piece of pork, not a living human being. He calmly opened his mouth and said, "I'll give you one more chance. Will you confess or not?"
Cuiwei's jaw was dislocated, preventing her from screaming. As the knife pierced her body and cut back and forth, she could only whimper in pain. Her face was contorted in a horrifying way, and large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, showing that she was enduring immense pain.
Apart from the guards who remained calm, all the servants in the Huo household were trembling with fear at the sight before them.
Cuiwei was so weak that she could barely stand, and she could only stand by the support of two people on her left and right. Now she was powerless to fight back and could only be slaughtered at their mercy.
Huo Jingsha's knife didn't stop; she continued to slowly slice off piece after piece of meat, asking each time she threw a piece on the ground, "Will you confess?"
A beautiful woman, once as lovely as a flower, had been ravaged beyond recognition, her body covered in blood that soaked through her clothes.
Huo Jingsha cut off ten pieces of her flesh before stopping.
"Send him to the Zhaoyu Prison and first punish him with salt water whipping," he coldly ordered.
"Damn it! They've already been slashed to the point of being bleeding, and they're still going to whip them with a whip soaked in salt water! It's utterly inhuman!" All the servants who heard this gasped in horror.
As soon as she finished speaking, several guards stepped forward and dragged the blood-soaked Cuiwei away, leaving a trail of blood along the way. It was a truly gruesome sight.
The remaining people were all deathly pale, and several middle-aged women had already staggered aside to vomit.
You Shuyao knew that Huo Jingsha deliberately carried out the execution in front of everyone to make an example of him, so that anyone who still had ulterior motives would know that if they dared to plot against him or attempt another assassination, he would make them suffer a fate worse than death.
Huo Jingsha tossed the knife back to the guard and strode away. The others clutched their chests and quickly dispersed, afraid of offending Master Huo if they were too slow to get back.
Like everyone else, You Shuyao silently returned to the kitchen. She had held her breath after witnessing the scene. In one of her past lives, she had been tortured to death by Cuiwei, slice by slice, and sent to the Zhao Prison. Her ten fingers were cut off, and she eventually died from blood loss.
Cuiwei's fate was just as tragic as her experience in that previous life.
But it wasn't until this rebirth that You Shuyao learned that Cuiwei was also an assassin. In her previous life, she probably died before Cuiwei, which is why she didn't know what happened afterward. This time, she feigned illness and let Cuiwei take her place, which caused today's events to occur sooner.
Thinking of this, a bold idea popped into her mind: if she changed her actions each time she was reborn, would it also affect the direction of subsequent events? This made You Shuyao even more convinced that as long as she stopped contacting Huo Jingsha and stopped opposing him, she could definitely change her fate of being killed by him.
With this discovery, You Shuyao saw hope, which greatly reduced the sadness and loneliness caused by the painful memories, and made her feel much lighter, so she continued to work hard.
Cuiwei's matter left everyone speechless, afraid to even breathe, and no one dared to gossip. Although the assassin had been caught, the adults would definitely conduct a thorough investigation of the matter within the manor. At this time, saying anything more would only bring more risk, and trouble would come from the mouth, so it was best to remain silent. Everyone just kept their heads down and worked hard, trying to keep quiet as much as possible.
You Shuyao thought she was safe and sound, but an hour later, a guard came to the kitchen and asked loudly, "Where is the maid Shuyao?"
You Shuyao froze, her heart pounding. After a moment of silence, she immediately felt everyone's gaze fixed on her.
It seemed there was no way to avoid it. She took a deep breath and slowly stepped out from the corner, while the guards' eyes shot towards her.
"Are you Shu Yao?" the guard asked.
"It is a servant."
"The master wants to see you. Come with me."
You Shuyao responded softly, lowered her head even further, and followed the guard towards the main courtyard.
She was filled with anxiety and uncertainty, wondering why Huo Jingsha suddenly wanted to see her. Had he discovered something? Or did he know that Cuiwei often associated with her and had become suspicious of her as well?
Her whole body was tense. Along the short distance, dozens of thoughts flashed through You Shuyao's mind. Finally, she was certain that she hadn't given herself away, and Huo Jingsha had no reason to suspect her. Now was the time to avoid panicking; haste makes waste. It was better to proceed cautiously, taking it one step at a time and reacting to each situation as it arose.
But if he really believed someone's slander and wanted to frame her... Thinking of the terrible way she died in her previous life, her face darkened, and she made up her mind that rather than be tormented by him, she would rather end her own life and get it over with.
She followed the guards into Huo Jingsha's private study, bowed her head and entered the room, but as soon as she entered, she saw Steward Sun kneeling on the ground.
When Manager Sun saw her come in, he actually looked up and stared at her fiercely. The hatred in his eyes made her realize that something was wrong!
"My lord, Shuyao has arrived." After the guard finished reporting, You Shuyao immediately felt Huo Jingsha's sharp gaze fall on her, and at the same time... a suffocating sense of oppression followed.
"Look up." The man's calm voice was clear and cold, but it was incredibly powerful!
In front of him, You Shuyao would do her best to suppress her aura, adopting the timid appearance unique to young women. She would raise her head tremblingly, adopting a careful and ingratiating posture, with three parts fear and seven parts tenderness, making her look pitiful.
Huo Jingsha stared at her, his sharp eyes as unfathomable as ever, carefully examining her alluring face.
In his memory, this maid named Shu Yao had served him for half a year. She was meticulous, gentle and considerate, and very good at reading people. She only needed to give him a look to know what he needed and served him very comfortably. She was the most satisfactory person he had ever served.
Half a month ago, Shu Yao took sick leave, and Steward Sun had Cuiwei take her place to serve him. He didn't take it seriously at all. As long as she could serve him well, he didn't care who the maid was. However, the fact that the maid serving him was actually an assassin completely enraged him. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been beheaded long ago. This also made him determined to investigate the matter thoroughly and find out who arranged for Cuiwei to be by his side.
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