Chapter 21 I Don’t Dare (Update 1) “I don’t dare.”…
"Come back to the Marquis' Mansion with me, we'll talk about other things later." After a long time, Yang Yan finally spoke. His eyes were heavy, and there was a hint of emotion in them that she couldn't understand.
Go back to the Marquis' Mansion and continue to suffer such abuse?
"Yang Yan, do I look like a despicable person?" Chai Heng raised his slightly heavy eyelids and spoke weakly.
Her weak and feeble words hit Yang Yan's heart like a heavy hammer. Yang Yan frowned slightly: "I never thought of it this way."
He never thought about it this way, but he always did it.
Chai Heng no longer had any expectations of him. After all, he had attacked her for Xue Ruyue and made her suffer more than once or twice. She was used to it, but every time she still couldn't help but feel a little pathetic.
After more than ten years of relationship, she wouldn't treat a dog like this. She only regretted that she didn't know how to judge people and had foolishly liked such a person for so many years. So these bullying and grievances were originally her own fault.
"If you don't need me to be punished anymore, please move aside and don't block the road." Chai Heng said and continued to move forward, not wanting to stay in this place any longer.
"You are being irrational right now. Come back to the Marquis' Mansion with me first." Yang Yan lowered his voice. When she was about to pass by him, he reached out and held her wrist tightly.
Although he was a civil official, he was still a man, stronger than she. Chai Heng couldn't break free from him, and the wound on her back was aggravated. She wanted to leave but couldn't. Her patience was exhausted, and she finally couldn't help but raise her hand and slap him hard.
She didn't hold back at all when she slapped him.
There was a very loud "pop" sound.
Yang Yan's left cheek suddenly felt a burning pain, followed by a slight ringing sound in his ear and head. He tilted his head, and blood immediately oozed from his lip. She had never hit him so hard before, and when he realized what was happening, he almost thought she wanted to kill him.
"Can I go now?"
After the beating, Chai Heng's entire hand was numb. She had never thought of hitting him in the face before, because she always thought that hitting someone in the face was a very hurtful thing, let alone someone she liked.
But at this moment, she didn't care about anything else. Only at the moment after the fight, she felt a little scared. If he wanted to retaliate against her, she would be powerless to fight back in her current situation.
Her hands were shaking.
She didn't even notice the fear that was revealed inadvertently, but Yang Yan keenly caught it.
She was afraid of him, and this was a more serious matter than if she had slapped him.
He subconsciously let go of his hand.
*
The road out of the Ministry of Justice was long, and Chai Heng felt like she had been walking for an eternity. Her vision was completely dark, and she forced herself to stop thinking about what had just happened. Her mind was filled with a single thought: hold on a little longer, and once she got home and got some sleep, the pain and discomfort would subside.
She walked all the way to the busy entrance of West Street, where Xiangqiao happened to be buying cakes. When she met Chai Heng, she was completely stunned.
"girl!"
She hurried forward and called out.
Chai Heng couldn't hold on any longer and fell on Xiang Qiao, sliding down. Just when Xiang Qiao's face turned pale and she didn't know what to do, Zhou Jiu appeared at the right time with his carriage.
After Chai Heng left the Ministry of Justice, Yang Yan sent someone back to the Marquis' Mansion and ordered Zhou Jiu to look after her and bring her back. Zhou Jiu, always reliable and careful, dared not make any mistakes. He followed Chai Heng all the way here. At this moment, he gently comforted Xiang Qiao, who was already panicking:
"The Marquis's Mansion has already invited doctors, all retired imperial physicians from the palace, and they are all waiting there. Miss Xiangqiao, you don't have to worry. The master will take care of the lady."
He squatted down and tried to pick up Chai Heng, but he felt that it was not appropriate for him to do it himself. After thinking for a while, he discussed with Xiang Qiao: "Give me a hand, and we will help the lady get into the carriage together."
Xiang Qiao, who had been in a state of panic, finally came back to her senses: "Okay."
She carefully followed Zhou Jiu to help Chai Heng onto the carriage, and only then discovered that there were five bloody whip marks on Chai Heng's back.
Xiangqiao burst into tears: "Who did this? Doesn't the uncle care? If someone else hurt the uncle like this, our girl would have come to the door with a knife."
Zhou Jiu: “…”
What should he say about this? Should he say that it was his master who allowed it?
A qualified butler cannot say anything bad about his master, even if he thinks his master has some problems.
Zhou Jiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "This is a long story. My Lord is sometimes too conceited. He always thinks he can control many things, which has caused harm to Madam invisibly." His words were quite obscure, but Xiang Qiao also understood some of his meaning.
When Chai Heng and Yang Yan divorced, Xiang Qiao felt it was sudden. A few days after receiving the indenture, Xiang Qiao gradually came to understand that a long, icy ice doesn't form overnight. Chai Heng wasn't an impulsive person, and she must have had her reasons for insisting on a divorce. Going back now would certainly be against her own wishes.
"Did my daughter say she wanted to go back?" Xiang Qiao looked at Zhou Jiu with tears in her eyes.
"That's not true."
"Then I'll take the girl to my place." Xiangqiao said, and was about to get up and move.
Zhou Jiu said, "You absolutely cannot do that. Madam is injured. You can move her to your place, but if you can't find a better doctor, you will end up hurting Madam."
Xiangqiao gritted her teeth, wiped away her tears, cursed a few times "Damn it", and then stayed in the carriage with Chai Heng.
"Aren't you leaving, Miss Xiangqiao?" Zhou Jiu asked tentatively. After all, the indenture had been given to her, and she had long been a free person.
Xiang Qiao shook her head, and a few more tears fell like beads: "I won't leave. My girl treats me sincerely, so I must treat her sincerely. She doesn't want to go back to the Marquis' Mansion. I'm afraid that others will hurt her when applying medicine to her. With me here, I can take better care of her."
After she said that, Zhou Jiu had no choice but to close the curtain of the sedan chair and hurriedly told the coachman to go to the marquis' mansion quickly.
It was already late, and two elderly doctors with extensive experience in trauma treatment had gathered at the Marquis's residence. They examined the wound, discussed it, and prescribed medicine. They then had Xiangqiao treat the wound on Chai Heng's back, sprinkle some medicine powder on it, and change him into clean clothes. After two hours of work, they finally finished the job.
There was a floor heater in the room, so it was very warm.
Before leaving, the doctor reminded Yang Yan, "Sir, the madam's wound needs to be treated with medicine at least twice a day. The decoction should be taken three times a day. It's very bitter, but you must drink it. If she doesn't have a fever after tonight, then she's fine. But if she does, please send someone to the clinic to call me over."
Yang Yan nodded in agreement and stood up to see the two doctors off. "Thank you very much. I'll need your help in the future."
"Your Excellency is too polite. This is what we should do."
The figures dispersed, and for a moment, only Yang Yan and Chai Heng were left in the huge bedroom. Xiang Qiao originally wanted to stay a little longer to accompany Chai Heng, but was forcibly dragged away by Zhou Jiu.
The candlelight was dim, illuminating the faces of the people in the room.
Chai Heng's eyes were tightly shut. Her skin was very white, and her eyelashes were very long. Although she was unconscious, she seemed to have had a nightmare. Yang Yan raised his hand and gently touched her forehead, and her whole body trembled slightly. Just when he applied the medicine to her, she refused to let him touch her, but Xiang Qiao came over, and everything was fine again.
She was mumbling in her dream, sometimes calling her master and mistress, saying that she wanted to go home.
Sometimes I cry out in pain.
Yang Yan looked at her quietly.
Suddenly, she recalled the days in her past life when she had set a trap for herself. Back then, the Sage was still alive. Years of nightmares from the previous dynasty had haunted this emperor, once a master of civil and military affairs, and turned him into a suspicious, envious, and ultimately insane emperor. A letter of rebellion, emanating from Furong Mountain, undoubtedly became a thorn in the Sage's heart.
This thorn has actually been in the saint's heart for several years, but it was suppressed by Prince Jing in the early years.
Prince Jing was a loyal and righteous man. Though a prince of a different surname, he possessed no ambition. He had known the Saint since their youth. Over a decade earlier, when the Saint was still a prince, he had rebelled against his brother in Linyang City, storming the palace and forcing his closest brother to death. After forcing his brother to death, he also intended to exterminate all the ministers and their families who had once followed his brother. It was Prince Jing and his wife who protected them and kept them at Furong Mountain.
Many years later, Prince Jing and his wife died.
Furong Mountain naturally became precarious. Xue Huaiyuan killed so many people in Furong Mountain back then, which was more or less due to the saint's indulgence.
Chai Heng's thoughtless and reckless behavior of breaking into the Xue family and killing so many people did cause him a lot of trouble.
Especially since the Saint had originally intended to punish her according to the law, but in the end he was willing to spare her life. Firstly, he was willing to take the punishment for her, being beaten with a stick for three consecutive days in the side hall of Wenhua Palace, which almost broke her bottom. Secondly, he promised the Saint that he would take good care of her.
As a result, she still ran out every few days. When he was most angry, he really didn't want to care about her, so Ji Gang made her suffer more and more.
Only occasionally, on nights when he secretly visited her and lifted her clothes to apply medicated oil on her, he heard her do the same in her dreams, murmuring that she wanted to go home. Only then did he realize that she could also be sad and that she hated the capital so much.
And in this life, he really wants to live a good life with her.
But from the moment they met again, she wanted to leave at all costs, and he really had no choice.
*
Chai Heng slept for two days before waking up. During these two days, as the imperial physician had predicted, she had developed a high fever and was completely confused and unconscious.
When he opened his eyes, he found that he was no longer in the villa outside the capital, but back in the marquis' mansion.
Xiangqiao was busy boiling water when she saw Chai Heng wake up. She was surprised and happy: "Miss, you are finally awake. It has been two days."
She was originally still worried. For two whole days, she couldn't get any medicine in, and she couldn't eat. It was okay for a short time, but how could she hold on for a long time? Unexpectedly, just as she was worrying, her daughter suddenly woke up.
She was overjoyed and quickly put down the basin in her hand and reached for the cakes on the table. "You must be hungry. Eat something first. I'll go to the kitchen later and tell the staff that you're awake. They'll prepare something hot for you. People are made of iron and food is made of steel. You've slept for two days, so you need to eat more."
Chai Heng lay on the couch. The wound on her back had healed and was in the process of healing. It was much better than when she was whipped. However, her throat was extremely dry and hoarse, and it felt like it was on fire. In this state, she couldn't eat any cakes, so she subconsciously pushed away the cakes that Xiangqiao handed her.
"Xiangqiao, I'm a little thirsty, can you give me a glass of water?"
Xiangqiao realized later that her daughter was more thirsty than hungry, so she quickly turned around to pour water, "Girl, the water is here."
Chai Heng drank two cups of tea with Xiangqiao's hand, and the pain in her throat was slightly relieved. Then, she began to recall everything that happened before she fell asleep.
First, Yang Yan, as usual, taught Xue Ruyue a lesson in order to protect her. Then, she came out of the Ministry of Justice prison and fainted at the busy entrance of West Street.
"Why am I here, and Xiangqiao, why are you here too?" Chai Heng asked.
Xiang Qiao recounted everything that had happened in the past few days. In short, Yang Yan asked Zhou Jiu to take her back, and then he pretended to be sympathetic, giving her a slap in the face and then giving her a sweet treat by asking a doctor to check her injuries.
Chai Heng lowered his eyes and nodded.
After realizing all this, her first reaction was to leave, but the wound on her back that had just healed would split open if she moved.
Xiang Qiao saw what she was thinking and said, "Miss, the coat you were wearing was stained with blood. My husband had it taken away, and he didn't bring a new one. You really can't go out in this state. Wait a few days, when I can go out again, and I'll buy you a new one."
Chai Heng raised his head: "Why can't you go out?"
"My son-in-law has sealed the door of Fuyuan, and there are servants guarding outside, so I can't get out. What we use in our yard now are all sent by housekeeper Zhou. The only place I can go is the small kitchen." Xiangqiao said helplessly.
After hearing this, Chai Heng felt sick in his heart.
In her past life, every time she provoked Xue Ruyue, he punished her according to the number of times she provoked him. Every time she provoked Xue Ruyue, he made her suffer. In this life, she had already been whipped once, and he wanted to lock her up again.
He even said that he didn't think of her as a cheap person.
Seeing Chai Heng's face gradually turn pale, Xiang Qiao felt very sorry for her, but she still comforted her, "It's okay, young lady. You have to take care of yourself first. Once you are well, it will be easy for you to leave." After a pause, she seemed to remember something and said, "The medicine in the small kitchen is boiled every day. I have been waiting for you to wake up. I will let you drink it whenever you wake up. I will go get it now."
Xiangqiao said this and turned around and walked out the door.
Chai Heng was left alone in the bedroom and began to ponder what Yang Yan was thinking. Did he want to continue to torment her, or was he simply used to her liking him for more than ten years and wanted her to continue to be as open-hearted as before, even risking her life for him?
She couldn't figure it out, and as she thought about it, her head started to hurt, and her entire chest was shaking, and she couldn't help but start coughing. The coughing made her pretty face even more bleak and weak.
The bedroom door was pushed open again. Chai Heng heard the voice and thought it was Xiang Qiao: "I don't want to take that medicine yet. Put it down and go to rest."
"How can I get better without taking the medicine? Drink it now."
A familiar low voice sounded in Chai Heng's ears, giving him a start.
Yang Yan walked in, holding a medicine bowl. There was nothing to do at court this morning, so he left early and returned early. He had just changed into his official uniform when a servant reported that Chai Heng had woken up. He had stayed by her side for two nights, barely sleeping, and now, returning from court, his eyes were dark blue.
In addition to the bruises under his eyes, there was also a purple bruise at the corner of his lips.
Thanks to Chai Heng's slap, many of his colleagues who had previously looked down on him now looked at him with concern during court sessions. His disfigured face had become a source of laughter and gossip outside the court.
"Did you enjoy the fight the past two days?"
"Would you like another slap?"
Yang Yan didn't feel awkward at all despite having such a disfigured face.
Chai Heng naturally wouldn't attack again. Her mind was now filled with thoughts of how he wanted to retaliate against her. After all, before Liang Yuanjing and Xue Ruyue had made things difficult for her and bullied her, he had already warned her that she would bear the consequences herself.
At this moment, her intuition told her that there would be more to come besides the beating.
Chai Heng didn't respond, which was within Yang Yan's expectations. She was now paranoid and must have mistaken him for the culprit who hurt her.
"I didn't ask Liang Yuanjing to make things difficult for you. I didn't know that Xue Ruyue brought him to the Jingwei Division to look for you."
"Later, when Liang Yuanjing and I were chatting at the Ministry of Justice, we talked about this matter, and I realized that I also wanted you to suffer so that you would come back to me. But if you had come to me earlier and told me that Liang Yuanjing had gone to the Jingwei Division, this would not have happened."
Yang Yan sat down beside her and placed the medicine bowl on a small table beside him. In the Ministry of Justice, when Liang Yuanjing told him about this, he was indeed angry with her.
First of all, he thought she had a mental problem. She had actually walked over on her own when someone asked her to go and be punished.
Secondly, he found it ridiculous. She clearly knew about his relationship with Liang Yuanjing, clearly knew that Xue Ruyue was making things difficult for her, and clearly knew that as long as she came to him, everything would be fine, but she never mentioned a word to him.
That's why I finally made up my mind to ignore her.
But this does not mean that he deliberately asked Liang Yuanjing to do this.
Thinking of this, he looked at the several whip wounds on her back and pondered, "If you are so afraid of pain, why don't you come to me?"
Chai Heng looked at him expressionlessly. How could she possibly ask for help from someone who had helped others bully her in her previous life, helped others bully her in this life, and had already warned her not to provoke Xue Ruyue?
But since he asked.
She suddenly felt that she could reply to him with the three words he had given her earlier.
So she said calmly, "I dare not."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
