spoiled brat

Chapter 69, Section 68: Xiu Ning (Part 8)

"Those forest dwellers and stone dwellers who sued the government were all turned away, and many people died in the process. Later, a forest dweller surnamed Wang gathered about a hundred people with grievances and stopped Xu Feng's sedan chair."

"Xu Feng outwardly claimed he would punish his subordinates and seek justice for the people, but in reality, he arranged for You Ming to arrest this group of people. Not only did he arrest them, but he also believed the words of a sorcerer who said that these people were full of resentment. He put them in an altar, performed a ritual, and buried it under the dike to create a soul dike to resist floods and prevent collapse!"

Zhan Ruoshui looked at the rusty iron plaque in her hand, and could vaguely make out that its owner was a forester named Wang Qing.

"Your Highness," He Bi forced himself to sit up and knelt down, "Xu Feng has sent a large number of troops to guard the river embankment. Please allow me to lead troops to surround them and then breach the embankment! Once this is exposed, Xu Feng can be escorted to the capital!"

Twenty years ago, the hot-blooded young Zhan Ruoshui would have angrily drawn his sword, cutting off all the dirty, unjust, wrong, and despicable things, and shouting that justice and morality still exist in the world.

But now he was the weathered Prince Ning, not the carefree Second Prince who indulged in poetry and wine. He handed back the iron plaque with an indifferent expression: "Now that the river embankment has been completed, the summer floods are approaching. Wouldn't digging it up be playing with the lives and property of the people?"

Why exchange a glance with Xiu Yi? Zhan Ruoshui wasn't truly avoiding him; she was simply waiting for an opportunity. Xiu Yi then spoke up: "There's another solution."

"Speak." Zhan Ruoshui saw that his feet were covered in blood dripping from his back, and she felt a pang of pity.

The father and son were at odds. Xiu Yi was disgusted by his subtle concern and said coldly, "Not all of those who went to seek justice were caught by You Ming. You Ming's men betrayed him and hid in the deep mountains and forests with them. We don't know where they are now. As long as we find them, we will support them and let them speak. We will stir up public resentment and we will have no trouble bringing down Xu Feng."

"If Xu Feng falls, the Wu family will inevitably be implicated. Minister Jiang in the capital has already been secretly investigating the waterway issue. We can work together with him from the inside."

Zhan Ruoshui rubbed the calluses on her hands and, after much deliberation, said, "Go ahead and do this. If anything goes wrong, your family will back you up."

Having said all that needed to be said, Xiu Yi and Xiu Ning, along with their attendants, took their leave.

Zhan Ruoshui rarely saw them and wanted to say a few more words, but there was not a single warm and affectionate word to say among family members. He looked at Xiu Yi's white clothes soaked in blood and ordered the guards around him, "Go and get the wound medicine."

Xiu Yi didn't even turn his head: "No need."

Zhan Ruoshui watched his retreating figure and said in the tone of an old man scolding his son, "You are not allowed to indulge in books and wine anymore!"

This time, Xiu Yi not only didn't turn around, but also didn't say a word.

Once outside Fengling Courtyard, the shadows of the trees were deep and the night was even darker. Why walk with a limp and cry out in pain? Xiu Yi, however, straightened his back even more than usual.

Xiu Ning didn't ask him if he was in pain, just as he didn't ask her if she was lonely at home while sick. She gestured and said: Brother, that girl isn't her.

Seeing that Xiu Yi did not answer, Xiu Ning said again: I want her.

Xiu Yi realized that she truly liked that young prostitute. He stopped, stared into Xiu Ning's eyes, and said, word by word, "She is You Ming's woman."

-

It hurts. It hurts so much.

"Girl, you're so light-boned. Soaking you in vinegar makes you soft, so wrapping you up is really easy and effortless."

The old woman with a face full of yellow spots held Zhao Zhao tightly, wrapped her feet with thick strips of cloth, and said with a smile, "You suffer a little now, but if you take good care of the adults in the future, you will have a bright future."

Zhao Zhao couldn't reply or move. Her hands and feet were tied to the bed, and her mouth was gagged with a white cloth, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. She felt like her legs were about to be broken, and the pain made her whole body tremble. But more than that, she was afraid that the old woman who was pinching her feet would discover the scratches on her thighs and expose the fact that she had faked her menstrual blood.

Fortunately, the old woman didn't touch her inappropriately. She bound Zhao Zhao's feet, forced them into a pair of small, stiff shoes, and then untied Zhao Zhao's hands and feet and the gag from her mouth. She laughed and said, "Get down and walk around."

Zhao Zhao had no choice but to obey. She got out of bed, and the moment her feet touched the ground, she felt excruciating pain, swaying like a straw that couldn't stand firm. She was in pain, but the old woman in charge of binding her feet was very happy: "With this figure and appearance, she is truly a fine material."

The shoes were so hard they felt like they were made of wood. Zhao Zhao was in so much pain she couldn't walk. She froze, holding onto a chair. The old woman behind her immediately changed her expression: "Keep walking! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get it done. The master is waiting for you to serve him!"

Driven forward, Zhao Zhao wondered if she wasn't human, but a donkey pulling a millstone. As she was being pulled along, a thin maidservant entered and said, "Miss, the master wants you to come and play a tune."

Several people followed behind her, carrying beautiful clothes, exquisite jewelry, and a pair of small, narrow shoes.

Zhao Zhao steadied herself by holding onto the table and said, "Put it down, you all go out first."

People usually don't treat her like a human being, but once she gets involved with Xu Feng, she becomes respectful and obedient, and obediently goes out.

Zhao Zhao kicked off her bound shoes, looking at her bound feet, and felt a surge of murderous hatred. But the thought of Yao Niang and A Heng stopped her.

The act had to go on, so she took out the broken wooden hairpin she had hidden under the bed and cut open the scabbed wound on her thigh. The blood that flowed out was nothing compared to the pain in her foot.

Before the thin maid outside could urge her, Zhao Zhao had already pushed open the door, holding her pipa.

Having just had her feet bound, Zhao Zhao was unsteady on her feet. The thin maid supported her, reminding her as they walked, "Miss, don't embarrass yourself later. Last night, the master had a bad experience here and went to another girl's place, where he slept quite well..."

He rambled on and on, but it was all just the same old saga of otaku fighting for favor.

Zhao Zhao nodded perfunctorily, hoping that Xu Feng would be as happy as possible sleeping with someone else. Unexpectedly, the thin maid changed the subject and warned, "Don't be so careless. I can tell that you have no intention of pleasing the master. How could the master not see it? There was a younger sister who was about your age before. She was cold to the master twice. Guess what happened in the end?"

"……What's wrong?"

The thin maid looked around to make sure no one was watching, and whispered, "The master just asked her with a smile if she was unhappy. She didn't answer that she was unhappy, she just pursed her lips and didn't say anything... The master stopped smiling and threw her to the servants in the mansion, who bullied her to death!"

Zhao Zhao shivered, fear and hatred surging up at once. Looking up, the two of them had arrived at the dining hall, a spacious and simple room, but decorated in a very vulgar way. The eight-immortal table was piled with all kinds of greasy and meaty dishes, and a young prostitute with bound feet was sitting on a carved chair, humming a tune with her legs crossed.

Seeing Zhaozhao come in, Jinlian glanced at the shoes under her skirt and chuckled, "How old are you? You're only wrapping them now, it's too late."