spoiled brat

Chapter 166, Section 165: Useless (Part 5)

That day, Xiu Yi Zhao Zhao Xie Xiao Qing took Li Qing Wen to the Jiang residence and summoned Wu Xiang for questioning.

Wu Xiang had been accepting bribes for many years, and he was as slippery as an eel that could not be grasped. There was not a single handle to be found, and he shifted all the blame onto Li Qingwen with just a few words.

With Zhao Zhao adding fuel to the fire, there was no room for Li Qingwen to argue.

Minister Jiang was extremely disappointed and remained silent for a long time.

Given that the case involved the inner court and was also a family matter of the Jiang family, Xiu Yi could not say much, and the group took their leave.

After everyone left, only Jiang and Li remained in the hall.

Li Qingwen feared being severely punished, but Minister Jiang only said, "I will discuss the annulment with Aying. You may leave now."

Once he left, he would never return. How could Li Qingwen accept this? He knelt and begged all night in the rain, only to end up in an even more wretched state.

Wu Xiang was still kowtowing repeatedly, with bloodstains on the jade brick in front of him.

Yi Xing remained unmoved and casually said, "Don't beg me, beg Lord Li."

Wu Xiang was stunned. A mere sixth-rank official was not even qualified to carry his shoes. How could he possibly lower himself to ask him for help?
He froze, then suddenly felt a heavy kick to his back. He cried out and fell to the ground. Before he could recover, the cold, hard sole of a boot stepped on his face.

He Wang pressed down with unusual force: "Disobeying Your Highness's orders?"

Wu Xiang's face was stepped on, and his teeth were clenched and aching.

After he became a high-ranking eunuch, he had never been humiliated; everyone fawned over him. But now, fallen to the ground, he sobbed and wept.

"This servant...this servant is wronged! Those gifts were not what this servant wanted. Lord Li himself delivered them to my door, begging this servant not to hold a grudge because of the horse farm matter, and if it's convenient, to put in a good word for me with the Grand Ancestor...This servant is guilty of being tempted, but how can one accept bribes in officialdom? The crime lies with the instigator!"

Yi Xing disliked noise, and his expression revealed a hint of impatience. He Wang, observing his expression, increased the pressure of his foot, forcing Wu Xiang's mouth to shut, and he could no longer utter a single word.

"He said the same thing to Minister Jiang?" Yi Xing glanced at Li Qingwen.

“…Yes.” Li Qingwen rose from his seat and knelt down beside Wu Xiang. “I was also at fault in this matter.”

Ultimately, he was a nobody with little influence, and even his calm demeanor betrayed his cautiousness and restraint.

Yi Xing observed Li Qingwen's submissive demeanor and chuckled inexplicably.
"A mere eunuch, is he worth your flattery? He's someone who's already crossed the Dragon Gate, why do you still have the habits from your impoverished days?"

"To be smooth in everything, always afraid of offending anyone. Lord Li, what can a knife without a blade accomplish?"

He Wang touched his nose, thinking to himself, "When you came out of the Cold Palace, weren't you just as timid?"
Acting, flattering, ingratiating...

In just a few years, she managed to win over Consort Wu and Minister Wu, enabling them to kill the former Crown Prince, eliminate his brothers, and force the Emperor to turn his attention to you, whom he despised the most.

Li Qingwen vaguely knew about these past events and understood that Yi Xing was not speaking to him, so he lowered his head even further:
"That's what His Highness taught you."

The three people in the inner hall each had their own thoughts, but Wu Xiang knelt on the ground, covered in cold sweat.

The eunuch had a foul odor, which was worse after he sweated. Feeling disgusted, he ordered He Wang, "Bring me those beads."

He Wang went around behind the screen, took out a silver plate, and a dozen or so grape-sized jade beads rolled with his steps, tinkling as they fell into the spring and stopped at Yi Xing's hand.

"Wu Xiang." Yi Xing smiled, took out a jade bead and played with it: "Come here."

He was extremely handsome, with a pair of almond-shaped eyes that resembled the shimmering surface of a lake under the bright sun, carrying a subtle allure.

Anyone who gazes into those eyes will willingly succumb, even unto death—

Wu Xiang recalled what the palace maids often said, and as if possessed, his hands and feet carried him to Yi Xing's feet.

"Your Highness..."

"Look up," Yi Xing said gently.

Wu Xiang trembled as he looked up, gazing fearfully at the jade bead in Yi Xing's hand:
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

Yi Xing stopped playing with the jade bead, dabbed at the cold sweat on Wu Xiang's forehead, and slowly moved it down his nose:
"You listen to my maternal grandfather very well?" Wu Xiang's eyes were filled with fear: "This servant...this servant is a servant born into the Wu family. The Minister and the Empress both praised this servant for his diligence."

“In that case, I’ll reward you with a little something.” Yi Xing smiled. “Come on, open your mouth.”

The cold jade bead in his hand was already close to his lips. Wu Xiang was terrified and instinctively tried to back away. But as soon as he leaned back, He Wang kicked him, subdued him in a few blows, and dislocated his jaw.

The person's mouth was wide open, like a dark hole.

Yi Xing threw the jade bead and hit it on the first try, without even hitting Wu Xiang's teeth.

He Wang praised, "Good aim!" Then he forcefully pressed down on Wu Xiang, whose eyes were bulging with anger, and held his jaw down to prevent him from spitting out.

Wu Xiang choked with sobs, his face flushed and swollen.

Yi Xing watched his every pain with interest, her beautiful peach blossom eyes showing interest, and she threw a few more coins.

How can a person withstand such abuse?
Wu Xiang was unable to struggle or beg for mercy. The pain gradually turned into numbness, and he only wished he could die immediately.

Yi Xing got bored and beckoned to Li Qingwen, who was kneeling beside him.

Li Qingwen was not afraid of him, but he did not dare to get up. He crawled forward on his knees and asked, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"There are still a dozen or so left." Yi Xing handed him a silver plate full of jade beads. "Take them and play with them."

Li Qingwen glanced at Wu Xiang, who was half-dead on the ground, and nodded, "Yes."

“Lord Li,” Yi Xing said casually, “if this dog servant dies, will you be able to return to the Jiang residence?”

Li Qingwen raised his eyes, his gaze fixed: "This humble official is seventy percent confident."

If Wu Xiang were to die, he could simply say that he was forced to do so because Wu Xiang threatened and demanded bribes.

Whether Minister Jiang believes it or not is not important; he still has a piece of chess, a piece that can be used to call for a checkmate and deliver a decisive blow.

"Very good." Yi Xing patted Li Qingwen on the shoulder and chuckled, "Then I wish you regain Minister Jiang's trust, marry a beautiful daughter, and become a good son-in-law."

-

Little Duo held up the hay, staring intently at the horse chewing it, oblivious even when his finger was bitten.

The old groom next to him woke him up and asked curiously, "Brother Guo, what's wrong with you? Ever since you went out the night before last and came back with your face full of mosquito bites, you've been acting strangely... Could it be that you're possessed by a ghost?"

Xiao Duo shook his head and said it was nothing, then carried the wooden basket to another stable.

He lifted a handful of hay and brought it to the horse's mouth; the roots were chewed shorter and shorter...

Xiao Duo wanted to pull her hand back, but she felt empty inside and couldn't muster any strength. With the slightest effort, all her thoughts turned into Zhao Zhao, who was riding alongside Xiu Yi, appearing in her mind with such pride and nobility.

A startled voice came from behind: "What are you doing?!"

Xiao Duo belatedly realized what was happening and withdrew his hand, turning back in a daze.

The person who arrived was Xie Xiaoqing. He hurriedly dismounted, tore a strip of cloth from his inner shirt, and used it to stop the bleeding from Xiao Duo's hand. At the same time, he asked with concern:

"Why do you look so lost and distraught after just a few days?"

Xiao Duo didn't speak, staring blankly at Xie Xiaoqing's new robe. Remembering that he called Zhao Zhao "elder brother," he thought to himself that the clothes and horse were probably bought with Zhao Zhao's money.

Once upon a time, Zhao Zhao'er only had a place for him by her side, but now her family is destroyed, her family is scattered, and even her only hope in the world has been taken away by outsiders.

Seeing that he remained silent, Xie Xiaoqing asked again, "Why did you run away without saying a word that night?"

"...I'm scared."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Xie Xiaoqing said dismissively. "My eldest brother and the young master are very good people. If you were here at the time, you would definitely have been rewarded with a lot of money. Wouldn't it be better to go back to your hometown with a full purse? You always talk about your sister, and you're finally going to see her soon."

"Yes," Xiao Duo said softly, "we met."