Chapter 44 I owe her too much
If Yunxi can't swim
No one would have saved her then.
When Xiao Shenjing looked again, all he saw was a wisp of clothing fluttering by the door.
Yunxi had already been forcibly taken away by Dao Yi.
"Brother Yin'an," Cen Yuwei suddenly called out.
Xiao Shenjing slowly came back to his senses.
Cen Yuwei coughed as she said, "Brother Yin'an, please let the imperial physician bandage you up. You've lost too much blood."
At this moment, she could no longer care about Yunxi; looking at Xiao Shenjing's injuries, her eyes were filled with uncontrollable worry and distress.
"Miss Yunxi, I'm sorry." Dao Yi led Yunxi to the front courtyard of Anle Hall, preventing anyone from carrying out the execution, and even dismissed everyone else.
This left Yunxi with enough dignity.
The elm wood torture bench was worn smooth and shiny. The moment the elbow pressed down, the coldness penetrated through the thin clothing and pierced to the bone. Yunxi looked at the dark bloodstains in the cracks of the blue bricks on the ground, closed her eyes, and forced herself to relax.
It's not that she didn't want to escape.
The palace is full of imperial guards and secret agents; she can't escape.
These people would risk their lives to capture her, even if it meant risking their lives, because of Xiao Shenjing's orders.
At that time, swords were drawn, and she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't get hurt.
If she suffers further injuries, it will only hinder her escape.
When the first blow landed on her, she knew the knife had been held back, because she didn't feel much pain; she felt more anger and humiliation.
She's past the age of being naive, yet she's forced to lie here and be beaten.
Absolutely no dignity.
All of this was brought to her by Xiao Shenjing.
As the paddles fell on me more and more, the pain intensified.
Yunxi simply clenched her hands tightly, not allowing herself to make a sound.
It seemed as if every bit of it was a plea for mercy.
They are all insulting themselves.
After ten strokes, the burning pain became increasingly clear, shooting up from the tailbone to the back of the neck, and Yunxi felt as if her own fingernails were about to pierce her palms and draw blood.
The fifteenth stroke; his undergarment, soaked with cold sweat, clung to his back.
After enduring twenty battles, even though Yunxi thought he was tough and resilient, he still couldn't quite take it anymore.
She lay on the torture bench, her eyes glazed over in pain, her forehead soaked with sweat that had already dampened her hair.
"Miss Yunxi, I'm sorry." Dao Yi lowered his head and apologized again.
"It's nothing, thank you for your trouble." Yunxi said weakly after a long pause.
Even with Dao Yi having exhausted her strength, she was already struggling to bear it. If those palace maids were to actually receive twenty strokes of the cane, who knows what would happen to them?
Outside the "Commander Dao" house, the eunuch from the Censorate finished counting the twenty strokes of the cane and called out.
Dao Yi draped the prepared outer garment over Yun Xi's body and said, "Come in."
Three eunuchs entered one after another. Behind the head eunuch, one carried a celadon plate, and the other held a tray with the "list of criminals."
"Commander Dao, according to palace rules, this servant must collect the blood from the fingertips of the palace maids being tortured and imprint it on the 'Criminal Records' to leave a mark." After the head eunuch finished speaking, he pointed to the little eunuch on the right and said, "This criminal record should also have the time of torture written on it and be hung around the neck of the criminal slave."
Moreover, the slaves subjected to caning would be chained together, with two eunuchs each holding one end, forcing them to bend over and drag them along.
In severe cases, when passing through the main roads of the East and West Six Palaces, the head maid would strike the "startling gong," forcing the palace servants along the way to stop and watch.
Even the most emaciated slaves, unable to walk with their legs together, were forced to shuffle around with their toes pointed outwards, resembling a duck's waddling gait, to provide amusement for the high-ranking concubines.
A eunuch on duty in the Imperial Garden once wrote a satirical poem: "Having strolled through the Imperial Prison, I swayed and staggered across the Golden Bridge. The Empress smiled and asked, 'Where do you come from?' It turns out I'm just this lowly maid imitating a myna bird."
"Say it again!" Yunxi exploded upon hearing this. Despite being so weak that her face was pale and she was covered in sweat as if she was about to faint, she still glared at the eunuch in front of her with all her might.
If he dared to do that, she would immediately lash out.
The eunuch was taken aback to find that the man was still so energetic after being flogged.
"Get out, get out." Dao Yi hurriedly waved his hand. "Go and have the Imperial Guards bring the frame in for me."
If someone were to actually hang a list of crimes around Yunxi's neck, this person would probably burn down the entire palace.
After she was tortured, he didn't even dare to let her walk, so he had already ordered someone to bring a carrying pole with two bamboo poles wrapped with strips of cloth in the middle, and carefully had the palace maid put her on it, and then carried her to the laundry department.
This display of power left the eunuchs of the Imperial Prison speechless. They had seen countless people come to be tortured, but none of them had ever seen anyone carried back by the Imperial Guards after being tortured.
"Who is this concubine, and why is she receiving such treatment?"
"She's not a concubine at all, she's just a palace maid."
"A palace maid? Why would Commander Dao treat her like this?"
"Haven't you heard of Yunxi?"
"What?! She's Yunxi!"
The laundry department, as a place where criminal slaves in the palace were punished, had extremely harsh conditions.
However, since Dao Yi delivered it personally, Aunt Xu, the head of the household, naturally dared not neglect it.
Yunxi was assigned to a spot against the wall in the dormitory.
Dao Yi brought over the medicine again and ordered the palace maid to apply it to her.
Despite the pain, Yunxi didn't utter a sound, gritting her teeth and enduring it.
"If Miss Yunxi needs anything, come find me," Dao Yi told Aunt Xu before leaving, still worried.
Aunt Xu nodded quickly. Naturally, she dared not disobey such an order from His Majesty's favorite.
Hearing the words of advice from outside, Yunxi thought that she would definitely repay Daoyi when she had the chance.
Then, unable to hold on any longer, I closed my eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
Aunt Xu visited Yunxi twice more in between.
It was still early, and the palace maids in the laundry department were still working.
Sweat kept dripping from Yunxi's forehead, and Aunt Xu carefully wiped it away with a handkerchief.
He placed another glass of warm water within Yunxi's reach before leaving.
The palace changed in an instant.
Most of the palace maids and eunuchs in Chengqian Palace were executed, and even some of the imperial guards were exiled to the frontier.
Outsiders couldn't get any information from them.
I only vaguely know that Princess Yong'an seems to have been injured.
Zhu Ju knew that she had seen everything from a short distance away, but there was nothing she could do in that situation.
Sister Yunxi encountered this incident because she was fetching water for her, which is why she came to see Yunxi crying.
She was terrified all morning, and her eyes were swollen from crying.
Seeing Yunxi lying lifeless and pale on the bed, she couldn't help but cry again.
"Sister Yunxi, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. If you hadn't helped me fetch water, how would you have met the princess?" She was so guilty and remorseful that she almost cried herself to death. "I'm so sorry."
"When I saw you fighting, I was really scared. I'm sorry, Sister Yunxi, I can't swim, I didn't dare to go down and save you."
She sobbed, "I'm so useless. If I could swim, I could have jumped in and saved the princess. Would you have been spared His Majesty's punishment?"
Outside the door, Aunt Xu heard these words clearly.
After Zhu Ju left, Aunt Xu emerged from the shadows.
When the palace maids brought her food that evening, Yunxi had already woken up groggily.
She endured the pain, lay on the communal bed, and silently finished the porridge and ate a whole steamed bun.
Then, after saying "thank you" to Aunt Xu, she closed her eyes again.
I can't sleep well at all.
The places where she was hit throbbed with pain, and she was always in a state between sleep and wakefulness.
Sometimes I am awakened by excruciating pain, my forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat.
At this moment, Yunxi had only one thought in her mind: she had to escape.
In another room, Aunt Xu thought of Fan Zishi's instructions before he left.
Her family had once received favors from the Marquis of Jiangyuan's mansion, and after entering the palace, they used a lot of money from the Marquis of Jiangyuan's mansion to cultivate relationships, which enabled them to gradually rise to their current position.
In recent years, after Fan Zishi took over the Jiangyuan Marquis's residence, her relationship with the residence became increasingly close.
So when Fan Zishi came to her before leaving and asked her to secretly take care of Yunxi, she did not refuse at all, and in her heart she felt that Fan Zishi had no worries.
She had seen Yunxi before; how could such a beautiful woman be reduced to needing her care?
Since Yunxi entered the palace, she had naturally sent people to keep an eye on her. However, the relationships in the palace were complicated, and before she could find someone to take good care of her, Yunxi was frequently transferred to other palaces, unable to keep up with her pace of palace changes.
Hearing that she served His Majesty every day, he thought she would gain power overnight, but he never expected that she would be directly sent to the laundry department.
“Once Yunxi sets her mind on something, she’ll do it even if it’s like a moth drawn to a flame. In this palace, anyone with even the slightest edge will be forcibly smoothed out, let alone someone as sharp-tongued as her. I’m very worried about her. I’d appreciate it if you could look after her for me, Aunt. Also, please write to me about anything concerning her.” As he spoke, he bowed deeply.
That was the first time that the heir of a noble family bowed and begged her for a favor.
She writes down everything that happens here and entrusts her trusted confidants to take it out. She doesn't know what Lord Fan will do then.
Whether it was due to qi and blood attacking the heart, Yunxi developed a high fever that night.
Everyone in the room was subtly warned by Aunt Xu that Yunxi was personally delivered by Commander Dao, so no one dared to provoke her.
Knowing that she had just been whipped but didn't even have a criminal record sign around her neck, they dared not provoke her.
So even when they slept, they stayed far away from her, and naturally no one noticed that she was burning up.
It was Aunt Xu who noticed something was wrong with her when she came to check on her in the early morning.
She quickly ordered someone to fetch water, and the palace maid who was washing her exclaimed, "Auntie, this Miss Yunxi has an injury on her neck."
Aunt Xu finally decided to go find Dao Yi.
Although she could privately summon imperial physicians, doing so would be too ostentatious.
"Miss Yunxi has a high fever?" Dao Yi was taken aback when he heard this.
Everyone subconsciously felt that Yunxi was not only tough but also physically resilient. Although he had been given twenty strokes of the cane, he personally carried out the punishment and naturally knew how much of it was diluted.
He followed up with, "When did the fever start?"
"I see she's delirious from the fever, so it must have started last night," Aunt Xu quickly replied.
"Why didn't you report this sooner!" Dao Yi immediately scolded. "Come with me to fetch the imperial physician."
"I will be more careful next time," Aunt Xu said immediately.
When summoning the imperial physician, Aunt Xu reminded her, "Miss Yunxi not only has a fever, but also several injuries on her neck. One wound is rather deep, and there are several deep scratches. If they are not treated, they may leave marks."
"Scratch marks?" Dao frowned and asked, "What scratch marks?"
"This servant does not know." Aunt Xu shook her head. "Those five scratches were quite deep. Miss Yunxi's neck was scratched in several places, and it was bleeding profusely."
"When Dao recalled what happened yesterday, he couldn't help but ask with a grim face, "The wound from yesterday hasn't been treated yet?"
Aunt Xu reminded her, "You know that those sent to the laundry department are all convicts; how many of them can actually get out?"
Dao Yi paused for a moment.
The laundry department was a den of iniquity; aside from the eunuchs and maids in charge, all those sent in were maids who had made mistakes.
Those subjected to caning were forced to kneel and rub against "iron caltrop washboards," resulting in ulcerated knee injuries that required filling with hot salt.
The drying yard was made of wooden frames covered with barbed wire. Palace maids who made mistakes had to climb and walk on it barefoot, and those with festering feet had their bleeding stopped with hot charcoal ash.
That's not a place for a normal person, much less a place for Yunxi.
She can't stand being wronged, and once she comes to her senses, who knows what earth-shattering thing she'll do next.
But His Majesty was in a fit of anger. Not only did he attend court today despite his injury, but he was also impeached by the censors all morning, who demanded that he execute Yunxi immediately.
Now, no one knows what will happen to Yunxi.
Even if Dao Yi had ten heads, he wouldn't dare ask.
We can only take it one step at a time.
Yunxi's high fever came on fiercely, and she was clenching her teeth and trembling all over in her dreams.
After taking the pulse, the imperial physician said, "This is an acute illness, extremely dangerous."
"Why?" Dao Yi's heart skipped a beat.
"This young woman's eyes were bloodshot, her temples were bulging with veins, and her fingernails were cyanotic, indicating that she was suffering from a violent and resentful state. 'Although the sores are on the skin, the poison has entered the marrow. Her heat is like burning, and her pulse is like boiling.' This kind of acute illness should be caused by being publicly humiliated and having nowhere to vent her grief and anger, which leads to the liver qi going into rebellion and liver qi stagnation turning into fire, and the heart fire becoming excessive, resulting in a critical condition of 'heat entering the blood'."
"You think you can cure her?" Dao Yi's eyes widened. "You must cure her. If you can't, then get me a more skilled imperial physician."
"We can give it a try," the imperial physician immediately said.
At noon, Yunxi's high fever had not subsided, and her body was even burning like charcoal, with mottled patterns appearing under her skin, indicating an extremely dangerous situation.
Dao Yi was still worried and went back and forth several times.
But he dared not let Xiao Shenjing know about this, since he was also lying in bed at the moment, and the imperial physician had asked him to rest quietly.
Although Yunxi's stab wasn't deep, it was still close to the heart and lungs. If anything went wrong, it would endanger His Majesty's life. If something were to happen to the ruler of a country, Jing Kingdom would once again fall into various wars and struggles, causing countless lives to be lost.
Fortunately, Yunxi was a martial artist with a good foundation, and the timely medical consultation helped her regain full consciousness by the morning of the third day.
The first thing she did after waking up was to eat.
The laundry department fed the slaves leftover food from various palaces mixed with well water to make stale porridge.
Aunt Xu specially ordered someone to make meat porridge, and Yunxi lay on the bed, silently eating heartily.
Suzhou.
The news of cutting down mulberry trees and restoring rice paddies spread like wildfire, and even though Fan Zishi was disguised, word still got out.
"The government dogs are here to cut down the mulberry trees!" Just as they entered the city, a roar suddenly erupted, and dozens of men rushed out and surrounded Fan Zishi and his group.
They wielded carrying poles and attacked the group. Although the guards protected Fan Zishi behind them, some fierce mobs threw stones at him.
The sound of the stone whistling through the air was sharper than an arrow. The instant Fan Zishi turned his head, a sharp, icy pain exploded in his forehead.
After Zhou Tao sent the signal to summon people from outside the city, he immediately said, "Lord Fan, I'll have someone escort you away first."
Fan Zishi pressed his forehead wound and ordered, "Remember to arrest all the ringleaders."
Not long after he returned to the inn and treated the wound on his forehead, Zhou Tao also returned after calming the commotion.
"Have the ringleaders been arrested?" Fan Zishi asked without turning his head, standing by the window with his hands behind his back.
“They have all been brought back.” Zhou Tao asked, “Do we need to interrogate them now?”
Fan Zishi raised his hand, touched the bandaged wound on his forehead, and then chuckled, "If I interrogate him now, then this injury will have been for nothing."
The pageboy Chen Da asked, "Young master, why is that? Clearly, by interrogating those rioters, we can find out who the mastermind is, and then report it to His Majesty for punishment."
"Who else could it be?" Fan Zishi glanced at Chen Da indifferently. "All the powerful families, local gentry and officials, and the powerful figures extending from the capital behind them—these intricate connections are impossible to eradicate completely."
His Majesty's actions in Kyoto have already given these people a warning, and now they at least dare not make a big show of it, which gives him a chance to stand firm.
"Within two hours, verify the identities of all the leading rioters. If they are law-abiding citizens, imprison them; if they are heinous criminals, use them as sacrifices tonight."
"Pass down the word that tonight I will host a banquet at Baiyun Tower for the officials and wealthy families of Suzhou to interrogate the rioters in court." He paused, then flicked his sleeve and said, "Anyone who does not attend the banquet tonight will be considered an obstacle to the restoration of mulberry and rice cultivation."
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
In the chamber of commerce, the prefect secretly convened a number of wealthy and powerful figures to discuss matters.
"Fan Zishi just arrived, and he dares to target us tonight? How dare he?"
"They came prepared. Should we go to this banquet or not? If we go, and he really reveals his true intentions, we'll be captured on the spot."
"If we don't go, we'll be labeled as disobeying imperial orders, and who can bear that responsibility?"
"Let's go. What's there to be afraid of in a newly appointed official like him? If he dares to invite us, we'll go. I don't believe he'll actually take action once he arrives."
That night, Baiyun Tower was extremely lively, gathering gentry and officials from all over Suzhou.
Some people naturally wanted to give Fan Zishi a hard time, so they deliberately arrived half an hour late.
Fan Zishi, dressed in a light blue Taoist robe with a white cloth wrapped around his forehead, stood in the middle of the hall with a smile throughout, warmly welcoming everyone who arrived.
Tonight, he hosted a banquet for dozens of local gentry and officials, and he could even call out their names one by one and inquire about their recent situation in a friendly manner.
"How are you, Mr. Li? I heard that your granary caught fire last month. It just so happens that the fire burned the northern granary, which is used to store silkworm eggs?" He lightly patted the rice merchant's shoulder, his fingertips tracing the scorch marks on the merchant's jade thumb ring. "This thumb ring looks brand new, as if... it was tempered in a fire?"
Li Deren's hand trembled, and Fan Zishi turned to the grain official: "Registration Officer Zhang, I remember that your brother-in-law has opened three new rice shops in the south of the city."
“Master Zhao’s gold and jade belt is quite exquisite.” He bent down to examine the jade ornament on the wealthy man’s waist closely, and said in a low voice, “When the land was surveyed last year, how come mulberry seedlings suddenly appeared on the eight hundred acres of wasteland behind your manor this spring? It is even more surprising than the ten thousand acres of fertile land mentioned in your son’s examination essay.” Zhao Shouli’s face turned pale immediately.
"Wang Dianshi's complexion is rosy; he must have taken some top-quality donkey-hide gelatin?" The candlelight flickered, and Fan Zishi's smile grew even brighter. He stared at Wang Dianshi and suddenly lowered his voice, "I heard you have a gilded silkworm god statue in your study? In my newly acquired 'Silkworm Prison Painting,' there is indeed a golden silkworm choking to death on a grain of rice."
Wang Dianshi was so frightened that his knees went weak.
But Fan Zishi had already walked past him.
"Boss Sun's abacus beads are getting shinier and shinier." He paused to gaze at the nine-curved silver chain around the money shop owner's waist. "The interest on the eighteen 'mulberry redemption loans' last month was calculated faster than the silk reeling machines in the weaving bureau." He smiled gently. "After dreaming last night of ten thousand hungry silkworms devouring mulberry contracts, I wanted to ask Boss Sun if he knew the meaning of 'interest compounding' in Buddhist scriptures?"
Mr. Sun's legs trembled, and he couldn't help but wipe the fine sweat from his forehead.
“Instructor Zhou’s wolf-hair brush should be replaced.” Fan Zishi smiled like a spring breeze and said, “Your academy has seventeen students entering the school this year, which is even more successful than the conversion of mulberry fields to rice fields.”
The details of the secrets are so meticulous that they are chilling.
In an instant, everyone in the lobby was drenched in sweat.
Looking at that gentle and refined man who spoke with such ease and grace was like seeing the King of Hell, or a silkworm on a chopping board meeting the executioner.
Even a brief encounter was enough to deter these people from harboring any further contempt.
The candlelight cast ripples on Fan Zishi's light blue robe, like a net woven from the silk of a thousand silkworms.
"Now that everyone is here, let's serve the first dish of the night." Fan Zishi clapped his hands as everyone finally sat down.
Soon, the guards brought eight people up.
Upon seeing the faces of those people, some people's expressions changed drastically.
Fan Zishi sat firmly on the high platform, calmly observing everyone's performance.
"I am new here and quite flustered. I haven't even had time to thoroughly interrogate the mastermind behind these rioters who attempted to assassinate me." He raised his wine cup and smiled. "But the evidence against the assassination of an official of the court is conclusive and unforgivable. To prevent these rioters from making baseless accusations against you all, I will have you all witness this today."
He glanced around casually, then uttered a single word.
"cut."
The eight prisoners were led into the hall one by one.
The executioner raised his broadsword and chopped off heads one by one.
A head rolled off, and blood splattered everywhere.
For a moment, the entire hall was completely silent; those with a weak heart were already trembling with fear.
Fan Zishi stood on the high platform, the flickering candlelight illuminating his entire body, making him appear as handsome as a young nobleman.
But behind him seemed to be a wild beast crawling around, ready to open its bloody maw at any moment.
Everyone present was drenched in sweat.
First, there was the mental pressure, showing that I knew everything about you.
Then came the physical intimidation, demonstrating that I, by the Emperor's order, could take your life at any time.
The two-pronged approach was undeniably swift and effective.
No wonder he is so highly regarded by the current emperor, daring to venture into this dangerous place.
Finally, Fan Zishi smiled and raised his cup. "Gentlemen, I will be staying at the county office for the next few days. If any of you have anything you would like to discuss with me, I will be happy to serve you." He paused. "Of course, as you all know, I am very busy and cannot stay here for long. I would be very sorry if I missed any of you here."
Suzhou is a land of fertile mulberry and silkworm breeding, and a place with developed maritime trade. The people present all held Suzhou's land, silkworms, and silk in their hands, and were also connected to high-ranking officials in the capital.
To cut down mulberry trees and restore rice, you must use the sharpest sword to pierce the enemy directly.
Similarly, his actions will inevitably provoke people to take drastic measures against him.
It's like putting yourself on the edge of a knife.
After a treacherous banquet, Fan Zishi was about to bathe, change clothes, and stay up all night writing a memorial when someone knocked on the door.
He lowered his voice and said, "My lord, an urgent report from the palace."
Fan Zishi's heart tightened upon hearing this.
In the palace, it is related to Yunxi.
When he opened the letter coated with sealing wax, he glanced at it eagerly and immediately saw the words "twenty strokes of the cane" and "sent to the laundry department."
His expression hardened, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around the letter.
Upon seeing that Yunxi had developed a high fever and was in critical condition, he almost crumpled the letter.
He had only been gone for less than half a month, and Yunxi had already suffered so much.
Everyone knows what a filthy place the laundry department is.
How could Yunxi stay there any longer?
How can we let Yunxi stay?
He pursed his lips and tossed the letter to Chen Da.
Chen Da quickly finished reading and his expression changed. "I'm afraid Princess Yong'an won't be able to tolerate the young lady."
Fan Zishi gripped the edge of the table, and after a long while, he nodded with a furrowed brow.
"You're right, the Emperor and Empress's wedding is in twenty-five days."
Chen Da understood his unspoken meaning and said, "Even if Princess Yong'an doesn't make a move against you now, after the wedding you will have no foundation in the palace. How can you escape the methods of the head of the six palaces?"
Fan Zishi closed his eyes briefly. "The wedding is the best time."
Chen Da cautioned, "If we rush things and expose ourselves, half of the pieces we've been hiding for years will be destroyed."
“Before, I thought I could wait a little longer, until the mulberry and rice restoration project was completed, and then use my achievements to persuade His Majesty to let Yunxi leave the palace. But now it seems that I can’t wait that long.” Fan Zishi clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the table. “Everything Yunxi is suffering now is partly my fault. If His Majesty hadn’t wanted to use her to control the court, she wouldn’t have suffered this undeserved disaster! I already owe her too much, and this time I must help her escape.”
He said it with absolute certainty: "No matter the cost."
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