Chapter 9 Lost and gently hugged her
After hearing the shopkeeper Ding Er's words, the scoundrels became even more agitated and shouted, "So they're from the Dingbei Palace! No wonder they're so arrogant!"
A beggar pushed through the crowd and pointed at Lin Meizhu, cursing, "That's her! This bitch's husband beat my cousin to death! Murder must be punished with death!"
"Kill the dead! Kill the dead!"
Ding Er originally thought that Lin Meiju was of humble origin and had never seen such a big scene, so she would be frightened by this commotion. However, he did not expect that such scenes, although not commonplace for her, were familiar to her.
In the early years, Lingnan suffered from floods. After the floods, epidemics raged. Many mad men and women begged on the roadside, or left small things on the road, which could easily drive people crazy.
During that time, Chen Huisheng went to the countryside alone to treat people and did not allow Chuqi to follow her.
Chuqi and she had looked through the medical notes compiled by Chen Huisheng, which stated, "Madness is a form of leprosy. Although it is caused by dampness and heat, it is also contagious. Therefore, whenever a madman develops, his family will place him in a small boat, provide him with plenty of food and clothing, and let him float on the sea, or let him live in an open place, away from people."
People with leprosy initially had a reddish complexion, then developed sores and ringworms. In severe cases, their skin ulcerated, their limbs deformed, and they walked with limp legs, a truly horrific sight. However, Lin Meizhu's sympathy for these people far outweighed her fear. She had personally witnessed rural neighbors carrying their sick relatives onto small boats.
Accompanied by illness and paddled by despair, the tears of their relatives and friends gathered into a river, pushing them towards death.
That year, the water was vast and the small boat fell into the sea like stars, drifting towards the boundless sky.
But some people also used it as a way to make money. Creditors would hire lunatics to collect debts, thieves would hire lunatics as spies. There was a time when lunatics were so rampant that they would come in groups to celebrate funerals, beating, cursing, and shouting. The hosts, fearing infection, could only watch as they swept through the banquet and property like whirlwinds.
Later, a local squire bought some land and built a house to house all the insane men and women, and the leprosy problem was finally eliminated.
Lin Meiju had also seen leprosy patients before. Although the beggars in front of her had disheveled hair and different cheeks from ordinary people, a closer look revealed that it was the tension and flushed color from too much sun exposure. They spoke clearly and their eyes were bright and sharp. How could they look like patients at all?
Rather than being afraid, she was more puzzled. What on earth were these people trying to achieve? She looked at the shopkeeper, who was smiling sweetly, and quickly came up with an idea.
She leaned over to the window and took a look, pretending to be anxious: "What should we do? There are so many of them, how are we going to get back home later?"
"I don't know who I've offended. Why are these people so bold as to storm the palace?"
Ding Er was embarrassed when he heard this: "This..."
Lin Meizhu said earnestly, "Boss, if you have anything to say, please speak frankly. What on earth is going on?"
Ding Er sighed and made up his mind, "You don't know, Princess! These people are notorious hooligans. As the saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of the shod. They often do petty thefts and even if they are caught by the government, they just treat it as a way to kill time and eat. Over time, even the government can't do anything to them."
"Yesterday... I heard that the Crown Prince was strolling around Yijing Garden and was neglected by a few wicked servants. The Crown Prince was so angry that he punished them a little. The leader of that group of beggars happened to have some connection with one of these servants, so he deliberately caused trouble."
Lin Meizhu was slightly startled. It turned out to be related to Shen Changfeng? She asked, "What do you mean by a minor punishment?"
Ding Er replied: "Oh, three people were killed and one is unconscious."
Lin Meiju knew that slaves were just objects in the eyes of their masters, and that the power of life and death was in their masters' hands. But when she heard that several lives were being decided so arbitrarily, she couldn't help but shudder.
Ding Er continued, "These people are stubborn and unrepentant. The Crown Princess got away with it this time, but she might not be so lucky next time. Furthermore, they've become so numerous and powerful that they've even thought of reporting us to the authorities! It'll be troublesome if the matter reaches the government! The Emperor is no different from the common people if he breaks the law. The Emperor hates arrogant and domineering people the most. This is still several lives at stake. This, eh..."
He looked at the pale face of the young woman in front of him, and thought he had frightened her, but he really heard her ask, "Can't we report it to the authorities? Her Royal Highness the Princess has just asked me to take charge of the household affairs, and something like this has happened in the mansion. What should I do?"
Lin Meizhu burst into tears, and Ding Er couldn't bear it. "Don't worry, Princess. Let me think of a solution."
Seeing the beauty's tearful eyes, Ding Er's voice softened unconsciously. "These people are all pests, but there are ways to get rid of them! As the saying goes, losing money can prevent disaster. I have some friendship with the owner of Yijing Garden. If the Crown Princess trusts me, I am willing to act as a go-between and mediate this matter."
Lin Meiju understood the intentions of these people. They were just angry with Shen Changfeng and came to her to vent their anger and extort money from her.
Lin Meizhu chuckled. If she hadn't happened to have seen such a scene in Lingnan, if she hadn't studied medicine with Chen Huisheng and could identify real lepers, if she didn't know that Shen Changfeng was not a pushover who would easily cause trouble... she would most likely be frightened and then do what others said.
But there was one thing these guys were right about, which was that they wouldn't care even if something happened to her.
She comforted herself, how could there be no one? If no one came to help her, then she could help herself. If no one cared, then she could love herself a little more. Many people couldn't do this.
"How could I not trust you, shopkeeper? If you hadn't saved me from danger, I'd be in grave danger now." Lin Meizhu looked a little uneasy as she asked, "It's just that I've never encountered anything like this before, and I don't know how much..."
Ding Er held up a finger. Lin Meizhu was a little surprised, but finally nodded obediently: "Can I borrow the pen and ink? I'll ask the servant to bring it over."
Ding Er was overjoyed, thinking that this woman was really stupid. She just gave him one thousand taels of silver without any hesitation!
The steward of Yijing Garden was severely injured, and Ding Er wanted to recommend his son to fill the vacant position. To vent Ding Er's anger, he thought of threatening Lin Meizhu. Lin Meizhu was not close to her parents-in-law, was unloved by her husband, and her younger brother even revealed her whereabouts for a few ounces of rice wine. Most importantly, she had a generous dowry and was timid. Even if she was deceived, no one would question her! She might even feel smug about having settled the lawsuit for her husband!
Lin Meiju got the paper and ink, pondered for a moment, and finally started writing.
Ding Er on the side took a quick glance and saw a few stacked gold ingots drawn on the paper. Lin Meiju smiled embarrassedly. Ding Er laughed and stepped back. Lin Meiju quickly added a few small words where he couldn't see.
Ding Er felt a little contempt in his heart. Which woman who could marry into a prominent family was not proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting? This woman couldn't read a single word, even her letters were scribbled. No wonder Shen Changfeng hated her so much.
After Lin Meizhu finished writing the letter, Ding Er said attentively, "The Crown Prince's wife is frightened. You may rest here for a while."
Lin Meizhu looked at the rising incense and indeed felt her eyelids were a little heavy. She yawned and said, "In that case, I'll trouble you, shopkeeper."
At dusk, Shen Changfeng appeared near the palace.
He went back to his house to catch up on some sleep, but halfway through he remembered that he was already married and would have to share a bed with someone else. He felt unhappy and was about to change direction when he was stopped by the guards.
The guards knew that if Shen Changfeng refused, they would be unable to stop him, but Shen Zhongda's order was as firm as a mountain, so they had no choice but to bite the bullet and stop him. After the two sides competed, Shen Changfeng hurried over. Seeing that Shen Changfeng looked okay, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sir, the prince invites you to the ancestral hall."
Steward Shen was a servant of the Shen family. Although they were master and servant, he had watched Shen Changfeng grow up and was one of the few normal people in the mansion that Shen Changfeng considered. He gave Steward Shen some face and walked in.
Shen Zhongda was pacing the ancestral hall with his hands behind his back. Seeing his son strolling leisurely, he became furious and scolded, "How dare you come back!"
Shen Changfeng paused: "Then I'll leave?"
Shen Zhongda was furious: "Kneel down! Beat him!"
Several guards stepped forward and whispered, "Prince, I'm sorry!"
Shen Zhongda listened to the sound of whips and scolded: "It's only been a few days? You've turned the palace upside down! Do you know how many people are impeaching you now? I haven't even counted the wedding ceremony, and you didn't accompany your wife when she returned home three days ago. Instead, you went to Yijing Garden to visit prostitutes and cruise the lake..."
The long whip is as thick as a baby's forearm and is covered with barbs, so every whip will draw blood.
Shen Changfeng opened his upper body, revealing his strong back, without even a twitch of his eyelids. Only when the thorns pierced his flesh did the tendons on his back twitch unconsciously.
For him, being punished by family discipline was like a daily routine, and the guards who carried out the punishment were also very smart. They had long learned how to make the wounds look serious without actually causing any damage to the inside.
"Hit me! Don't stop! You've embarrassed me!"
"Do you know that because of the evil things you did in that garden, your wife was murdered?"
Shen Changfeng was stunned. What? What happened to Lin Meizhu?!
Seeing that his son had no reaction after being beaten, Shen Zhongda was so angry that he pushed away the guards who were executing the execution, snatched the whip and swung it hard. With a hissing sound, blood and flesh flew off Shen Changfeng's back, and blood spots dripped down along the whip.
After being whipped, Shen Changfeng's temperament changed completely. He slowly stood up, and his whole body was shrouded in the half-bright and half-dark sunset. The afterglow lengthened his shadow, making it tall and twisted, scarred and bloodstained, like a monster trying to break free from its shackles and cage.
Seeing him turning to leave, Shen Zhongda became even more angry: "Leave? I'll teach you a lesson today!"
After saying that, he chased forward and swung the whip again. Shen Changfeng seemed to have eyes on his back. He slightly turned sideways, and the snake-like tail of the whip went straight towards the person who suddenly appeared at the corner, causing a burst of exclamations.
Lin Meizhu was preparing to have dinner when she learned that Shen Changfeng was being punished by the family rules.
At that time, she had just returned from Tianxiang Pavilion. She was exhausted and hungry after a day of acting, but she felt that she was great. Not only had she not been cheated, she had also thought of a way to severely punish those people. However, when she came back and saw the empty bridal chamber, the joy in her heart gradually faded away, and even her favorite Dongpo pork tasted like chewing wax.
It’s like, you almost died today, but luckily fate favored you and you escaped, only to find that no one cares whether you are dead or alive.
At this moment, an anxious voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, something bad has happened! Big brother is going to be punished by Dad!"
The person who came was Shen Chali.
"What!?" Lin Meizhu put down her chopsticks and walked out. Qing'er hurriedly followed behind her, shouting, "Young Madam! Hair! Hair!"
Lin Meizhu touched it and found it was there! She had just come back from the shower and hadn't put her hair up yet!
"Hurry up, just keep it simple. I wonder why the prince wanted to beat him? It's because of Yijing Garden..." Lin Meizhu hurriedly combed her hair and took two steps before suddenly stopping, shaking her head and slowly sitting down. "I think I'm not going over there."
Shen Chali felt strange. Why did his sister-in-law look so anxious just now, but now she said she couldn't go?
Lin Meizhu smiled bitterly. He definitely didn't want to be seen by her at this moment. If she went over now, he'd think she was seizing the opportunity to show her affection. After all, he hated her so much, but she couldn't show it, so she could only delay, "Do you know why?"
Shen Chali replied honestly: "I don't know either."
Lin Meizhu had no choice but to ask again: "Who asked you to come here?"
Shen Chali said: "Dad asked me to come."
Lin Meiju knew that this was Shen Zhongda's intention, and there was no way to avoid it, so she could only stand up again.
When she reached the ancestral hall, Shen Zhongda had already started beating her. She heard the whistling sound of the long whip from a distance, and just as she was imagining how horrible it would be to be hit by the whip, she looked up and saw the long whip rushing towards her.
Lin Meizhu smelled blood, but her first thought wasn't fear, but a faint anticipation. If this face was destroyed, would it no longer be like merchandise, remembered when needed and discarded when not? Would there no longer be men who would gaze at her with such disgusting eyes, either overtly or covertly? If so, then let it be destroyed.
She closed her eyes resignedly, but felt no pain.
This was because Shen Changfeng, who had already moved aside, instantly moved closer and hugged her gently.
Lin Meiju's heart skipped a beat.
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