Forced to kneel and beaten to death
The winter sunset is magnificent but fleeting; the sun sets in the blink of an eye, and lights illuminate the palace, their reflections shimmering on the pond's surface.
Several servants, off duty, lingered in front of the main courtyard gate, looking worriedly at the thinly dressed boy kneeling in the courtyard.
They were all servants in the main courtyard, and their relationship with Ah Chou was not particularly close. In terms of status, Ah Chou could manage them. Looking at the entire Prince's Mansion, Ah Chou's status was only second to Aunt Pan and Uncle Ban.
But Ah Chou never treated them arrogantly. He was kind to anyone who spoke to him and tried his best to help them solve their problems.
People have very different personalities. Some people envy, are jealous and hateful, some look down on him because of his good temper, and naturally there are people who like Ah Chou's good personality.
I overheard some news that Ah Chou had stolen Dou Yu's things and was punished by Uncle Ban to kneel in the courtyard to reflect on his actions, without even being given a decent warm coat.
Fortunately, the temperature wasn't as cold as it had been a few days ago, otherwise Ah Chou would have really frozen to death outside.
Looking at Ah Chou, who was kneeling on the ground shivering from the cold, the group exchanged glances, feeling helpless and worried.
Disobeying Uncle Ban's orders would be tantamount to disobeying Jiang Yanhui, and they dared not do so.
Inside the room was a stranger, a servant serving Jiang Yan Hui her nightly medicinal bath. Or rather, apart from Ah Chou, who was surprisingly to her liking, any insignificant servant in the palace could break their leg in front of Jiang Yan Hui and still not get a second glance.
The servant was being watched closely by Uncle Ban, who was standing to the side. His fingertips trembled with nervousness, fearing that if he made any mistake, he would be dragged out and punished.
After putting socks on Jiang Yanhui and carrying the basin away, a gust of wind blew in from outside the door, and she was surprised to find that her clothes were soaked through inside and out.
Uncle Ban withdrew his gaze. Now that there were no more people in the room, he said in a low voice, "A letter arrived from the capital yesterday at noon. I have already placed it in your study. Would you like to bring it over?"
Jiang Yan didn't reply, but abruptly asked, "How long have you been kneeling?"
Uncle Ban readily agreed, saying, "It's been almost an hour."
Jiang Yan glanced at the light snow falling outside the window, tapped the lacquered low table with her fingertip, and said, "Bring the letter here, and call someone in while you're at it."
Uncle Ban's eyes flickered, and he stepped back.
The snowy night was moonless, and the lanterns hanging under the eaves were not enough to illuminate the entire courtyard. Ah Chou, kneeling in the courtyard, was swallowed by the darkness. A thin layer of snowflakes fell on his hair and shoulders, and his occasional shivering showed that he was still breathing.
A beam of light shone directly onto Ah Chou's pale face. He struggled to lift his frozen eyelashes and look in the direction from which the light came.
Uncle Ban, standing on the steps with his back to the light and a sorrowful expression, steadily walked down the steps to Ah Chou and said, "The King summons you in for questioning."
Ah Chou blinked hard, moved his stiff hands and feet, and slowly and unsteadily got up from the ground, snowflakes shaking off his body.
As they passed each other, Uncle Ban stopped and looked at Ah Chou, who was shivering from the cold, with a pitying gaze. He went beyond his duty and whispered, "If you don't want to be punished any longer, answer whatever Wang Zun asks truthfully."
After being exposed to the cold wind for a long time, the warmth of the indoor heating turned the chill on my body into dampness, and my head throbbed with pain, as if some kind of awl was pounding on my fragile nerves.
Once his body warmed up a bit, Ah Chou felt a sharp pain in his knee, probably from being bruised by the hard stone slab.
Under the candlelight, Jiang Yanhui remained as serene and beautiful as ever. She sat cross-legged on the couch, watching Ah Chou limp in, looking down at the unsteady man kneeling before her.
Like an immortal sitting high in the clouds, calmly and serenely looking down upon suffering.
Jiang Yan leaned down and took Ah Chou's curled-up hand on her knee. The black outer robe draped over her shoulders fell to Ah Chou's legs, and she said in a light tone, "Your hands are so cold."
When Ah Chou knelt outside in the cold wind and snow, he didn't feel wronged. Everything he did was voluntary, and he achieved the result he hoped for.
Save Xiao Le's life and return the things to Dou Yu.
But when Jiang Yanhui held her frozen and swollen hand, A Chou couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat. An indescribable sense of grievance welled up in her heart, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Jiang Yanhui has long eyelashes that look like a thick little fan when they hang down, leaving a small shadow under her eyes and making her nose appear even higher and more beautiful.
The moment their eyes met, Jiang Yanhui's breathtaking and aggressive beauty left Ah Chou speechless and stunned, even forgetting the pain in her body.
She asked enticingly, "Who took Dou Yu's things?"
In an instant, Ah Chou snapped back to reality. He understood what Uncle Ban was warning him, but he couldn't say it.
Unable to face Jiang Yanhui's gaze any longer, A Chou endured the sharp pain in her heart and turned her face away, biting her lower lip tightly to remain silent, determined to protect the other party to the end.
The woman tightened her grip on his hand, her lowered eyes filled with coldness. Even the orange candlelight was powerless against the chill emanating from her, and people instinctively gave way.
Jiang Yanhui didn't care what important thing that person had stolen from Dou Yu, nor did she want to know who A Chou was protecting and was willing to be punished herself.
The only thing she understood was that Ah Chou had disobeyed her orders.
"It's too cold outside. Don't ruin the fur that we've worked so hard to heal." Jiang Yan got up and stepped onto the soft, thick carpet. Her previous gentleness vanished, and she said lightly, "You can kneel in the outer room. Get up when you've figured things out."
The charcoal fire burning brightly inside the main house contrasted sharply with the falling snow outside.
The cold was certainly unbearable for Ah Chou, but when her frostbitten skin returned to the warm indoors, it felt like countless tiny needles were pricking it, causing a burning, numb, swollen, and excruciating discomfort.
When Uncle Ban returned with the letter, he saw Ah Chou kneeling there in a daze and sighed silently. His regret and disappointment vanished in an instant and were hidden without a trace. When he walked to Jiang Yan Hui's side, he was already in a normal state.
"Your Majesty, a letter."
Jiang Yanhui put it aside and said, "Go back and rest."
Uncle Ban responded, took two steps back without looking at Ah Chou again, and turned to leave.
Jiang Yanhui seemed to have forgotten that there was still someone kneeling inside the room, and went to bed on her own.
The bed was already covered by curtains, and there was a screen to block the view, so even if Ah Chou lazily lay down all night, no one would know, but he didn't do that.
He knelt obediently, still immersed in what had just happened. His expression was blank, but his heart was churning with complex emotions that threatened to shatter Ah Chou.
According to Xiao Le, the rules of the Prince's Mansion state that servants who steal will be beaten to death. A Chou felt that he had taken the blame for the theft, but being punished by kneeling in the Snowy Courtyard was already a great mercy.
But for some reason, kneeling in a warm place made him even more upset.
Ah Chou lowered his head, and crystal tears fell unexpectedly onto the back of his hand. He didn't have the strength to raise his hand to wipe them away, since crying indoors wouldn't cause annoying frostbite anyway.
Time passed, so long that Ah Chou was surprised to find that the fabric of his pants at the knees had been stained light pink, yet he felt no pain whatsoever.
Like a rusty joint shifting in a malfunctioning gear, Ah Chou's eyes lost their former brilliance, becoming shrouded in a lifeless gray.
As light appeared on the horizon, dispelling the endless darkness, he heard the whispers of the servants on duty in the courtyard.
Ah Chou swallowed hard, feeling a sharp pain as the knife scraped his throat, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're quite loyal."
Jiang Yanhui's voice rang out from behind. Exhausted, A Chou didn't even have the strength to be startled, and sluggishly turned around to look at her.
Jiang Yanhui, with her black hair cascading down to her waist, leaned lightly against the side of the screen, her delicate features filled with displeasure at A Chou's lack of tact.
Ah Chou strained to lift her eyes, but could only see the auspicious clouds embroidered with silver thread on her moon-white nightgown, which shimmered like the surface of a lake in the light.
The naive young man, just beginning to experience love, hadn't even fully grasped the meaning of love when he first realized the vast gap between himself and the other person. He thought he could reach out and touch her clothes, but it was only because she had bent down in pity.
Jiang Yanhui frowned even more deeply and clicked her tongue lightly, "You plan to kneel and die in my house?"
Ah Chou slowly shook his head.
The atmosphere froze for a moment, as if the air had been sucked out. Jiang Yanhui's powerful aura caused Ah Chou, who was already feeling unwell, to experience waves of stomach cramps. Unable to hold on any longer, she collapsed to the ground, and in the blink of an eye, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Knock—knock knock—
The knocking sounded again.
If Ah Chou were clear-headed at this moment, he would have noticed that the person looking down at him actually breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Yan closed her sore eyes and said, "Speak."
Uncle Ban said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, we have found the thief."
Weak and exhausted, Ah Chou stared wide-eyed in disbelief as she gasped for air. Her whole body ached and she could only crawl forward by supporting herself on her arms. Her swollen fingers gripped Jiang Yan Hui's clothes, and she looked at her with pleading eyes.
Jiang Yanhui let Ah Chou stain the expensive fabric, squatted down, pinched his chin, and said to the outsider, "Continue."
Then came Xiao Le's trembling voice.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty. Ah Chou was actually taking the blame for me."
Xiao Le knelt on the cold ground, trembling like a leaf, clenching his back teeth and tensing his jaw muscles, the words almost squeezed out from between his teeth.
"But this servant absolutely did not steal anything from Master Dou! It was my roommate Lai Bao who stole something and secretly put it in my clothes while I was sleeping! Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare to steal anything from Master!"
Xiao Le's voice came through perfectly, clearly audible even through the door.
Jiang Yan stared intently at A Chou's face, not missing a single change in his expression, and continued to ask, "Oh? Why would he frame you?"
Xiao Le's voice came in again, tinged with sobs, "Master Dou's personal servant, Lang Fuzi, froze to death. Everyone wanted to serve the master. Master Dou had praised me a couple of times for being clever, and Lai Bao held a grudge against me, trying to frame me and cause my death..."
Uncle Ban immediately interrupted Xiao Le, who was so frightened that he was about to blurt out whatever he wanted, and said, "Your Majesty, Xiao Le came to me last night and told me what happened. I thought that the improper behavior among my servants should not be tolerated, so I interrogated Lai Bao overnight. He's a loose tongue and confessed everything."
Jiang Yan wiped away the hot tears that Ah Chou had shed with her thumb. When Uncle Ban asked how to deal with Lai Bao, she said lightly, "Kill him with a beating."
The shocking words contrasted sharply with the gentle and tender actions of his subordinates, sending a chill down Ah Chou's spine. He looked at Jiang Yan Hui with a mixture of unfamiliarity and fear.
This was another side of him he had never seen before.
Jiang Yanhui's mood seemed to have changed from gloomy to sunny, but the subtle difference was not obvious on her.
He brushed Ah Chou's messy hair behind her ear and whispered like a lover, "If we don't find the thief today, you'll be the one beaten to death with sticks."
Jiang Yan Hui did not intend to tell Ah Chou that she was still reluctant to let someone who was so agreeable die, but she would not tolerate the other party's disobedience while still being kind and gentle.
She felt that the little mute servant was too stubborn, and that a stubborn person was not suitable to be kept by her side to serve. So she had to take this opportunity to temper his temper and make him know fear.
Ah Chou took a deep look at Jiang Yan Hui, and the huge weight in her heart was lifted. She had no strength left to support her body and fell straight forward.
He only felt the faint fragrance emanating from Jiang Yan Hui, and then his strong arms caught him steadily before he lost consciousness.
When Uncle Ban entered, he saw Ah Chou, who was dirty and haggard, being held in Jiang Yan Hui's arms. Her clean, moon-colored nightgown was stained with blood. The usually fastidious Uncle Ban showed no disgust whatsoever. He was momentarily stunned.
Jiang Yan glanced at him indifferently, and Uncle Ban immediately regained his composure, standing aside quietly awaiting his master's orders, while also understanding that he had to keep his mouth shut.
Jiang Yanhui lowered her eyes and noticed the red stain on Ah Chou's trouser knees, and said, "Have Physician Zhang treat him, and make sure there are no marks left."
Physician Zhang was originally a physician in the palace, and his family had practiced medicine for three generations, so he was highly skilled. The Emperor, moved by the deep bond between brothers, appointed Physician Zhang to accompany Jiang Yanhui when he left the capital to guard Lingzhou.
He can be considered Jiang Yanhui's personal physician.
Uncle Ban responded, but couldn't help glancing a few more times at the unconscious Ah Chou.
A note from the author:
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