Chapter 968 Suffering
Inside the room, the sound of whips cracking could be clearly heard, and the girl's screams rose and fell, then gradually subsided.
Tianqing drank a large bowl of vegetable porridge. The hot porridge warmed her stomach, and her complexion was no longer so pale, but had a bit more color.
"Snap!" The sound of a whip cracking rang out again. Tianqing huddled nervously in the corner, covering her ears with her hands, but only for a moment before letting go.
A rustling sound came from the main courtyard, as if something was rubbing against the ground, and gradually became indistinct.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Tianqing came to his senses and said with a dejected expression, "The person is gone."
That sound accompanied her night after night, and Tianqing was most familiar with it.
Even when she was asleep, she would wake up at this time every day and then fall into a long period of fear. The sisters who came with her from the village left in this way and never came back.
Lin Yuesha walked quickly to the door and saw only half a straw mat. The guard picked it up, crossed the threshold, and then disappeared into the night.
"Sister, I'm so scared."
Tianqing grabbed Hongchou's hand. She didn't want to apply the medicine. If the healing was slower, the intervals between the beatings would also be longer.
"Your wound has become infected. Luckily it's winter, otherwise..."
Lin Yuesha stuffed a handkerchief into Tianqing's mouth, picked at the pus and blood in the wound, disinfected and applied medicine. She was very grateful that she had learned bandaging skills from Doctor Yan.
"Tianqing, take good care of your injuries. Remember, you are not alone now. Your sisters are gone, and they are waiting for you to return to the village and tell the villagers their last words."
They couldn't stay long in the main courtyard, and the steward stood at the door urging them on. Before leaving, Lin Yuesha held Tianqing's hand and gave him another word of advice.
Lin Yuesha, carrying a food box, and Hongchou had just stepped out of the courtyard when they were bumped into by someone running towards them, causing them to stumble back several steps.
"Ouch, that hurts!"
Lin Yuesha had just stepped across the threshold when the other person darted out from the corner. There was a blind spot in her vision, and the person bumped into her, making her fall flat on her backside. She couldn't get up for a moment and was quite embarrassed.
The newcomer paid no attention and kept rushing forward, crying out, "Your Highness, please spare my elder brother!"
I hadn't noticed it before, but when the red silk pulled Lin Yuesha up, she realized that the voice sounded familiar.
"It's Sister Hongliu."
Hongchou pulled Lin Yuesha aside. The two of them had not yet persuaded Hongliu, and if Hongliu recognized Lin Yuesha, things would be difficult.
"Please, I beg you, it was all my own doing, it has nothing to do with my elder brother!"
Hongliu knelt in the main courtyard, crying and pleading.
In truth, it was all her fault.
In the afternoon, when Hongliu went to deliver the meal, she learned from Hongchou that today was a rare auspicious day, suitable for offering sacrifices. Hongliu had an idea: she wanted to burn paper money for her good friend Hongtao and send her off on her final journey.
She carried a small basket to the riverbank, but was chased back by the guards at the gate, who told her that it was a critical time and servants were forbidden from leaving the house.
Left with no other option, Hongliu found a secluded courtyard where no one lived and carried out her plan.
It just so happened that her older brother was on night duty, and Hongliu was burning paper money, so she asked her older brother to help keep watch.
Unexpectedly, a group of men in black appeared from the side courtyard and seized the brother and sister without explanation. Her older brother took the blame and was imprisoned.
Prince Zhenbei, Xiao Su, utterly detested sacrificial rites. Hong Liu's act of burning paper money in the villa crossed a line.
If it weren't for her elder brother taking the blame, Hongliu wouldn't have escaped unscathed; she would have been beaten or even killed.
The whole thing started because of her. Hongliu couldn't bear to let her elder brother be punished in her place, so she came to the main courtyard to plead for mercy.
"On such an auspicious day, you ran to the Prince's residence in the middle of the night to wail and cry for a funeral. Your intentions are malicious! Guards, lock this wretched girl in the dungeon and wait for the Prince to deal with her tomorrow!"
The Prince of Zhenbei has been in a bad mood these past few days. If Hongliu were to recklessly barge in, everyone in the courtyard would be implicated.
The manager wiped his sweat, deeply disgusted by Hongliu's behavior.
"Manager, Sister Hongliu has a high fever and is completely confused right now."
Seeing this, Hongchou and Lin Yuesha exchanged a glance, and with a single look, they understood each other's meaning.
Hongliu must not be arrested, otherwise, if someone else takes over the cellar key, it will be even more difficult for our side to make a move.
Hongchou rushed into the courtyard and shrewdly handed the steward a silver hairpin. Taking advantage of the steward's momentary lapse in attention, Hongchou grabbed Hongliu's sleeve and forcefully dragged him out.
"Red Silk, I want to go in."
Hongliu was determined to take responsibility for her actions. She had to get her older brother out of the mess, otherwise she wouldn't be able to explain herself to her family.
"Do you think the prince and the steward will listen to you?"
Hongchou remained silent. She noticed that Hongliu, who was usually quite clear-headed, was now confused and started to act recklessly, making no sense to her.
The area outside the main courtyard was not a place for conversation, so Hongchou forcibly dragged Hongliu away and headed straight for their residence.
The two walked ahead, with Lin Yuesha following closely behind.
Once inside the room, Hongliu saw Lin Yuesha and then remembered who she was, asking, "Who are you?"
The beautiful girl looked somewhat familiar, but Hongliu couldn't quite place where she had seen her before.
Hongchou lowered her eyes for a moment, then took the initiative to admit her mistake, saying, "Sister Hongliu, this is my fault. If I hadn't urged you to burn paper money for Hongtao, your elder brother wouldn't have been arrested."
Hongliu sighed; she was a reasonable person.
Burning paper money for Hongtao was her way of showing her affection, but she couldn't leave the Wangfu villa tonight. For some reason, Hongliu had a sudden lapse in judgment and, hoping for the best, chose a secluded courtyard to burn the paper money.
Not only that, Hongliu also asked her older brother to keep watch, making things worse.
“I must beg the Prince, Hongchou. You know the Prince hates sacrifices the most. There's no funeral being held at the manor. If he misunderstands that I'm burning paper money for those young girls, my elder brother will be in grave danger!”
It's not like the manor hasn't had its share of mishaps. Before, some servants couldn't stand Xiao Su abusing a young girl, so they deliberately made up a few ghost stories, spreading rumors that the manor was haunted.
It was just a rumor, but Xiao Su brought it up, and the servant was beaten to death on the spot.
Burning paper money at the residence is a major taboo for the Prince of Zhenbei, and Hongliu is now filled with regret.
"But if you beg the prince, will he release your elder brother?"
Hongchou poured Hongliu a glass of water to calm her down, because if she did, the two siblings would likely suffer the consequences.
"But my older brother took the blame for me, I can't just sit idly by and do nothing!"
At this point, Hongliu felt a surge of resentment. People like the Prince of Zhenbei, who had committed so many evil deeds, should have gone to hell long ago.
The bearded man came to deliver a letter, recounting the suffering Hongtao endured before her death, and Hongliu couldn't help but burst into tears.
But what could she do? She was an insignificant servant and couldn't save Red Peach.
The first time, with the help of Granny Xiao, they pulled Hongtao out of the straw mat and took her to Granny Xiao's courtyard to recover from her injuries. But this second time, she was truly powerless to help.
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