Chapter 73 Kindly Allowing Your Whole Family to Travel Together
Guess who it is?
Mr. Qu had originally intended to keep things in suspense, but after Qin Ye gave him a casual glance, he quickly said, "Di Lung!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Ye showed little surprise, as it was clearly within his expectations.
Like Shen Qian, Di Long was outwardly a man of the Prince of Jin, but in reality, his master was someone else entirely.
However, it is not entirely certain whether they share the same master as Shen Qian.
It seems that this assassination attempt involved a wide range of forces.
"Where's the evidence?"
Mr. Qu handed over a confession and a list: "This list is not very useful. Everyone on it is dead, and the names are all code names. But at least it has the address of the hideout. If we check it, we can find some clues."
"Then why don't you go and investigate?"
Qin Ye took the confession and list, glanced at them, and said calmly, "Without solid evidence, it will be difficult to convict Di Long based solely on this confession."
"I was just about to go."
Mr. Qu complained, “Your Highness, you should hurry up and recruit another person to help me manage the shops outside. Our Xiao Prince’s Mansion is so big and powerful. If we keep going like this, I’ll be exhausted sooner or later… You know, I’m almost thirty years old and I don’t even have time to find a wife. Sigh!”
“…I’ll assign Mu Lan to you.”
"Fine, I asked you to find someone to help me, not to cause me trouble. Mu Lan is a brute, and a very destructive one at that. Please spare me."
"Then who do you want?"
Qin Ye raised an eyebrow at him and said generously, "You can choose any person from the Prince's mansion."
“Our palace is full of warriors.”
Mr. Qu said with disdain, "I suggest that Your Highness search among the students taking the autumn examination this year. You're sure to find someone who has had the same experience as us back then. At that time, you might as well pick a few back and train them."
"Um."
Qin Ye nodded in agreement: "You know, that's a good idea. Then I'll leave this matter to you, Mr. Qu. I trust your judgment."
After saying that, without giving Mr. Qu time to refuse, she turned around and strode out of the water dungeon.
Mr. Qu: "..."
Qiwu Garden.
When Yun Si opened her eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.
She got up, rubbing her aching back, having been tormented by that man for three consecutive nights.
The suffering was indescribable.
He had previously said he would make up for the losses of the past year, and she thought he was joking, but it turned out he was serious!
Tonight, I absolutely cannot let him touch her again.
In fact, he had always restrained himself because of her body, and never went too far.
The reason they tormented her so much these past three days was because she knew the problem stemmed from that one sentence she uttered that day.
She hadn't expected him to care so much.
Even if it's just a hypothesis, a hypothesis that he broke his vow first.
I won't say it again.
She can't afford the consequences!
Yun Si slowly got out of bed, washed up, and then forced herself to go for a run to exercise, making sure she didn't miss a single day.
She has to go out again in the afternoon.
Shen Qian has been dead for three days, and the rest cannot be kept waiting too long.
Yun Si only learned after going to the slave market that Shen's father and those illegitimate sons had already received their due "retribution".
Those three days at the slave market were the beginning of their nightmare.
Shen's father was originally the eldest son of Old Master Shen. Although he did not achieve much, he lived a life of luxury for most of his life.
When Grandpa Shen was alive, he could often protect him. After Grandpa Shen passed away, Shen Qian grew up and was able to take care of him in everything.
So, in most of his life, he did very few good or righteous things, but committed a lot of dirty and evil deeds.
Selling prostitutes and slaves was one of the Shen family's shady businesses.
He probably never imagined that one day he would be bound hand and foot with thick hemp rope and thrown into the dirtiest corner like an animal.
Those brokers who used to fawn over him now looked at him with disgust, and the whip lashed down indiscriminately, simply because he had coughed twice and disturbed their peace.
"You have some nerve!"
Even now, Shen's father still can't see reality and makes harsh remarks to those brokers.
"My Shen family is only temporarily in trouble. Do you know who is behind the Shen family? It's the eldest prince, Prince Jin. Prince Jin will definitely not abandon us. When I return to the Shen manor, I will definitely kill you bastards who kicked me when I was down!"
"Go ahead and curse."
The brokers rolled up their sleeves and taught him a lesson.
Having offended a powerful figure, he's about to die but still wants to act like a big shot?
Let's see if he's just being stubborn, or if their fists are stronger.
After being beaten all day, Shen's father finally calmed down.
Those illegitimate sons have lost their former arrogance.
They were deliberately assigned the most strenuous work, carrying heavy goods, and any slight delay would result in a severe beating.
At night, I was crammed into a cage full of people, where it was difficult to even turn over. I was covered in mosquito bites, and my wounds became inflamed and oozing pus from soaking in the mud.
As the father watched his sons fall one by one before his eyes, the first one who tried to resist had his leg broken and was dragged out and thrown away somewhere unknown.
Then there was the one who usually tried to please him the most, who, because she was starving, tried to steal a steamed bun and was kicked to death on the spot.
These thugs are so arrogant!
Are the lives of slaves not lives?
As Shen's father thought with grief and indignation, a memory suddenly flashed through his mind: last year, he had personally told these slaves that slaves were just slaves, worthless and cheap lives, and that there was no need to be polite to them; those who disobeyed should be beaten to death.
Anyway, the world has no shortage of slaves.
One batch dies, and he just sends another batch.
Who would have thought that the Shen family would end up as slaves...
By the third day, even Shen's father couldn't hold on any longer.
He lay on the cold ground, looking at the gray clouds in the sky. As he breathed his last, he mumbled curses at Shen Qian, cursing him for dragging his whole family down with him.
On the other side, in the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district).
Compared to the slave market, this place may seem elegant, but it is actually much dirtier.
In the ornately decorated front hall, singing and dancing filled the air.
But then, bursts of wailing came from the backyard.
Shen Yu and her concubines and illegitimate daughters were stripped of their fine clothes and put on revealing thin gauze skirts. They huddled in a corner, trembling with fear.
Li Mama from the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) held a thin bamboo whip in her hand and lashed it against a nearby pillar with a loud crack, startling everyone.
"Don't try to act all high and mighty like you used to!"
She said with a cold and ruthless expression, "No matter what your status was before, whether you were a young lady or a madam, once you come here, you all have only one identity: servants."
"My daily task is to serve every noble person who steps into this music and entertainment venue well!"
One of the concubines, unable to bear such humiliation, cried out that she was a respectable woman. Madam Li sneered and slapped her across the face.
He then ordered the pimp behind him, "Drag her to the woodshed and starve her for three days. Let her think carefully about what she is now!"
The concubine's cries faded into the distance, eventually turning into sobs.
Shen Yu was "assigned" to serve a wealthy merchant with a greasy face. She kept her mouth tightly shut and refused to respond. Li Mama's whip immediately fell on her back, causing a burning pain.
"Stubborn? Let's see how long you can keep being stubborn!"
She was pushed to the ground, and the wealthy businessman's hand reached out restlessly. Shen Yu pushed him away abruptly, but was kicked hard.
She curled up on the ground, listening to the women crying and the men laughing lewdly around her, feeling as if her insides were churning.
Why is this happening?
How exactly did the Shen family end up in this predicament?
Shen Yu couldn't understand why she had only gone to the Xiao Prince's Mansion to find Yun Si once, first entering the Jingzhao Prefecture, and then being directly transferred here.
In the past two days, she had also heard some rumors that the Shen family had been found guilty of embezzlement and treason, and that the entire clan had been dealt with, with some killed and others exiled.
But she didn't believe it!
How could someone as capable as my brother possibly be caught red-handed?
Moreover, behind them...
She waited patiently; he would surely come to save her!
Shen Yu endured the humiliation and believed that the man would not leave her in such a place until she was violated by several men, at which point she began to realize the seriousness of the situation.
Her innocence was ruined... In an instant, she felt utterly hopeless.
In just three days.
She saw someone beaten half to death and left in a corner.
I saw people locked in dark rooms for days and nights, their eyes vacant when they came out. I also saw people who, unable to bear the humiliation, slashed their necks with hairpins in the middle of the night.
She wanted to do that several times, but a sliver of hope always lingered in her heart.
That person might just be unable to come for now; they'll definitely come to rescue her in time...
This afternoon, Li's mother came in with a woman wearing a cloak.
Shen Yu looked up and when she saw the face under the cloak, her blood froze instantly.
"Yun Si!"
She stared at Yun Si through gritted teeth, her lifeless eyes instantly turning cold and vicious: "Was it you? You're the one who ruined my Shen family like this?"
"Isn't it obvious enough?"
Yun Si removed her cloak, gesturing for Li Mama to leave so they could speak alone.
Ah Wu was left outside the door as well.
Tell Li Mama to prepare some good food for Awu, and also, don't let her see those filthy things in the brothel.
Mrs. Li respectfully agreed to everything.
"I heard you started taking customers a couple of days ago?"
After Li's mother closed the door, Yun Si casually walked to a chair and sat down, glancing at Shen Yu, who was filled with resentment, and gave a faint smile.
"When you and your mother tried to drug me and hired several men to ruin my reputation at the Shen family's villa, did you ever think that this day would come?"
Shen Yu's eyes widened.
"What, are you surprised? Surprised that I saw through the true colors of the Shen family so early on?"
"So, you really did all of this?!"
Shen Yu's eyes were bloodshot, and she wished she could immediately go forward and tear Yun Si's face off.
"What did you do to my father and brother?"
"What are you saying?"
Yun Si smiled and said, "Your Shen family brought this upon yourselves, how can you blame me? I was just kindly seeing you off, so that your whole family could go on your way together. Shouldn't you thank me?"
"You bitch!"
Shen Yu could no longer control herself. Cursing, she lunged at Yun Si, yelling, "You bitch, you'll die a horrible death! I'll kill you!"
She grabbed a cup from the tea table, smashed it, and used the shards to slash Yun Si's face.
"Even if I die today, I'll drag you down with me!"
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