Chapter 40 Torture "Please, go and protect her."...
[21 days until the female lead appears and the original plot officially begins]
The fact that the original plot had started ahead of schedule caught Xue Rongyue completely off guard. Every day when she woke up, a scarlet reminder from the system would appear before her eyes, relentlessly pushing her one step closer to an unfathomable abyss. The tragic ending of her past life was like a tolling death knell, forcing her to confront the malice of fate head-on.
Standing frozen in place in silence for a long time, Xue Rongyue finally decided not to move back to the Xue family mansion for the time being. Whether it was to escape or to take a break, she did not want to set foot in the Xue family mansion again. And from the moment the female lead stepped into Chang'an with her father, she would no longer be able to act as she pleased.
Jingnu stepped forward to do Xue Rongyue's hair, who looked depressed and listless. Seeing that the calming incense in the burner was still wafting, she knew that her mistress had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
She suppressed the urge to sigh.
The wife and General Xue had a long-standing feud. Whenever General Xue returned to Chang'an, there would inevitably be arguments and quarrels between the father and daughter. Every few days, General Xue would order the wife to kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment, and she would kneel for several hours at a time.
Now, there is another adopted daughter whose name is unknown among them. It seems that this adopted daughter is highly valued by General Xue. At least in the past, General Xue has never recognized an adopted daughter and brought her back to his residence.
It wasn't that Jingnu wanted to make malicious assumptions, but as her mistress's servant, she shared her mistress's honor and disgrace, and she couldn't help but worry about it.
If the adopted daughter harbors evil intentions, the wife's future days will be very difficult.
"My lady, where shall we go today?"
It wasn't until she was seated in the carriage that Jingnu came to her senses.
Luo Zhen acted as the driver, driving westward until they stopped in a dilapidated courtyard in a deep alley. Xue Rongyue said, "Let's interrogate Bu Hui."
They smashed open a secret room under the main hall. Bu Hui was shackled and chained to an iron frame. Luo Zhen had tortured him; his body was covered in bloodstains, and his head hung limply.
Luo Zhen said in a deep voice, "He is a tough nut to crack. No matter the torture or coercion, we can never get him to talk."
Jingnu couldn't help but worry, saying, "Madam, he's a wicked man. It's best if you stay away from him. Leave the interrogation to Luo Zhen."
Xue Rongyue said calmly, "Then we should come even more."
Seeing that Xue Rongyue was determined to do so, Luo Zhen stepped forward and unlocked the door. With a loud, jarring clang of chains, Bu Hui slowly raised his head.
The dazzling sunlight flashed by, and Bu Hui subconsciously squinted. Through the blurred vision caused by the rising dust, he saw a wealthy and arrogant figure step in.
He sensed something in his heart, and before he could even see the woman's face clearly, his hoarse, deep voice rang out: "Madam Xue, I have finally waited for you."
Jingnu brought over a clean chair, and Xue Rongyue sat down: "You knew I would come?"
Bu Hui smiled weakly: "You will definitely come."
Xue Rongyue looked him up and down: "Then you should know what I'm here for."
If it weren't for the system, she would have already lost her life at his hands.
He was indeed as Zhong Yuan described: small in stature, plain-looking, and unremarkable in a crowd.
After a moment of silence, Xue Rongyue suddenly said, "I've seen you before."
Bu Hui was taken aback, and even Jing Nu and Luo Zhen looked at each other in confusion.
"You used to be a servant in the Xue household."
When Xue Rongyue first received the portrait, she didn't notice anything amiss. But as time went by, she suddenly found the portrait increasingly familiar. And when the doll carrying memories of two lifetimes was pulled out from the bottom of the box, Xue Rongyue began to have recurring dreams that night.
The dreams were bizarre and fantastical. Some dreams she couldn't remember in detail after waking up, while others made her so uneasy that she struggled to sit up, staring at the deep night outside the window, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Xue Rongyue said calmly, "You are Li Mama's youngest son."
With his jaw clenched, Bu Hui's expression changed drastically, and his cold, hateful gaze was fixed on Xue Rongyue's face.
Luo Zhen looked at Jingnu with confusion. Jingnu did not react when she first heard the name Li Mama. She looked at Bu Hui suspiciously until a certain moment when he overlapped with a blurry and hateful face in her memory.
Shocked and enraged, Jingnu stepped forward, gritting her teeth: "So it was you!"
She roared in fury: "I should have killed you back then!"
Jingnu will never forget why she was assigned to serve by her mistress's side.
It was a spring day, and the peach blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom. A gentle breeze carried their fragrance into the main room.
She knelt on the ground, not daring to look at the imposing old man behind the screen, her ears filled with the woman's low, suppressed sobs.
The old man sighed heavily: "Don't cry anymore. Once a decision is made, there's no going back. Since you've made up your mind to divorce, then grit your teeth and see it through to the end."
The young man also advised, "Sister, don't be afraid. So what if he has great achievements? My Cui family is not a fish to be slaughtered. Even if we have to take this to the emperor, we will argue with him!"
The woman sobbed uncontrollably for a moment, then choked out, "I'm not worried about myself, but about Xiaoyue... she's so young... that man already dislikes that she's a girl and has a lot of dislike for her. If I leave, he'll take his anger out on her even more. Who in this huge mansion can protect her?"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent. Even the young man, who had just been so confident and assertive, stopped speaking, shaking his head and sighing with deep sorrow.
The swallows perched on the branches, their chirping a constant, annoying noise. She knelt until her knees were numb, yet she dared not even breathe too loudly, lest she disturb the masters behind the screen.
The eerie silence lasted for an unknown amount of time before the old man spoke again. In just a few moments, his straight back hunched slightly, revealing his advanced age: "Enough, enough. If you want to succeed, you must always make sacrifices. Jingnu, come closer."
She rose respectfully and went behind the screen. The woman rushed over and grasped her hand. As she was filled with fear, tears streamed down her face, burning her heart.
The woman pleaded tearfully, "Please, go and protect her."
At that time, Jingnu did not understand the profound meaning of these words. She was only ten years old that year. Even if she was skilled in martial arts, what could she do in this deep mansion?
She was even more puzzled. Did this pampered young lady really need her protection?
It wasn't until she entered the Xue mansion and met her new master in the secluded and dark ancestral hall that she finally understood.
She was in a sorry state, so sorry that she couldn't believe it. The masters she had always seen were high and mighty, dressed in fine clothes. How could the child in front of her, who was swaying and kneeling on the ground with visible bruises on his body, be her master?
She later learned that after their divorce, General Xue had become addicted to alcohol, and his already irritable and domineering temperament had become even more uncontrollable.
The servants are opportunistic; even the lady's biological father despises her, so what else do they care about?
The days the lady spent at the mansion were very difficult.
Granny Li was once Madam Xue's personal attendant, and General Xue trusted her greatly, which further enhanced her prestige in the household. Her words carried more weight than those of her master.
It couldn't be easier for her to torment a child who was disliked by his father.
He frequently beats and scolds his wife, indulges his children and grandchildren in bullying her, and ruthlessly plunders her jewelry and clothes. If his wife disobeys in the slightest, he cuts off her food.
She finally understood her mission.
Seeing her young wife silently enduring humiliation she shouldn't have to suffer, she was filled with resentment and resolved to lead her wife in rebellion.
But too many grand ambitions ultimately cannot overcome the weakness of being outnumbered and outgunned.
She had considered going to General Xue to complain, and she waited and waited. Finally, when the day came for General Xue to return to the mansion, she secretly waited in front of the mansion gate without telling her wife. The moment she saw General Xue, she shouted and knelt down.
She recounted in detail Li Mama's crimes, and tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke. But when she secretly glanced at General Xue, her heart turned cold.
General Xue frowned, his dignified face showing no pity or anger, only undisguised impatience.
In his opinion, this was not a major matter worth his time, so he summoned Butler Li to handle the matter.
Steward Li is Granny Li's nephew.
The consequences were predictable. If her wife hadn't rushed over and thrown herself on top of her, risking her life to save her, she would have long since become an inconspicuous female corpse in a mass grave.
She awoke from her coma, and her wife stood by the bedside, facing her overwhelming guilt and anger, and asked, "Don't you understand?"
The woman's voice was cold and calm: "It was never Granny Li who wanted me dead; they were just dogs kept by their masters, adept at understanding their superiors' wishes."
"How could they possibly pounce on people and bite without their owner letting go of the rope?"
She was stunned by those words and her face turned deathly pale.
After this incident, Granny Li and the other servants became even more unruly. However, she never expected that one day, after she was sent away, Granny Li would actually dare to indulge her youngest son...
......
"Kill me? You should indeed kill me, otherwise, even if I live another day, I will not let you off easy! My whole family died at your hands. If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up like this? Xue, I'll wait and see the day you die!"
Bu Hui roared hoarsely, veins bulging on his forehead, his body causing the chains to echo for a long time in the secret room.
Jingnu was furious and stepped forward with his knife, but he was stopped by Xue Rongyue after taking only two steps.
Looking calmly at Bu Hui, Xue Rongyue met his hateful gaze and curled her lips into a smile: "Do you know how Granny Li died?"
Amid Bu Hui's sudden, rapid breathing, Xue Rongyue whispered, "She wasn't beaten to death, nor was she burned to death; I tore her to pieces."
Bu Hui was in unbearable pain: "I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!!"
When Jingnu saw Li Mama's youngest son throwing mud at her mistress amidst the laughter and even trying to push her off the koi pond, she completely lost her temper. All her previous restraint vanished, and she rushed forward like a madwoman, wishing she could tear apart all those who had humiliated her mistress.
However, someone beat her to it.
She is Princess Yu'an.
"presumptuous!"
Princess Yu'an roared, and the female officials and guards rushed forward and pinned Li Mama and her entourage to the ground.
Following closely behind, General Xue's face turned ashen, as if he were learning for the first time that a servant had bullied his master. He kicked Granny Li hard in the chest.
Seeing her wife still lying on the ground, she quickly went over and helped her up. When she saw the bruises on her wife's face, she felt heartbroken and tears welled up in her eyes. Just as she was about to say something to comfort her, she saw her wife suddenly smile.
While he was still in a daze, he heard his wife say casually, "What's the use of just beating the dog? You need to scare the dog's master so that it can have a chance to survive."
She followed her wife's gaze and saw the furious Princess Yu'an reprimanding General Xue, who was kneeling and kowtowing, repeatedly begging for forgiveness.
Not long after, the lady was summoned to the palace, met the emperor, and was given the title of Princess of Yong'an County.
Jingnu then learned where the letter her mistress had ordered her to secretly take out of the mansion, along with those land deeds, had been sent.
Princess Yu'an originally intended to kill Granny Li with a whip, but her wife stopped her.
Taking advantage of the quiet of the night, she took a knife from her wife and went with her to the woodshed where Granny Li was being held.
Then came a huge fire that burned the woodshed to the ground.
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Author's note: I stayed up all night again and couldn't get up this morning. Tears welling up in my eyes. [crying emoji]
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