spoiled brat

Chapter 81, Section 80: Flying White (Part 10)

Zhao Zhao did not back down. Instead, she became even more ferocious like a trapped beast, with a resolute flame burning in her eyes, as if she wanted to turn all her despair and unwillingness into a final blow.

The clashing blades sparked a fleeting burst of light in the rain, and the silvery blade light bloomed like rolling snow in the night, exuding a chilling killing intent.

Zhao Zhao was not afraid of death and had long been prepared to die. She believed her heart was as firm as a rock, but when the cold blade sliced ​​across her slender arm, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone, she was still stunned by the pain.

Two bloodstained knives were pointed at her, closing in step by step. The two soldiers exchanged a glance: "Cut off her hands!"

Rainwater seeped into her wound, and the cold pain made Zhao Zhao feel terrible. She began to lose control of her body, instinctively shrinking back and trembling.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. The foot that had kicked her felt like a hammer, and her frail body slammed against the wall, her bones cracking and splintering.

A metallic taste filled her mouth, and Zhao Zhao coughed up blood. She was powerless to resist anymore, just like her life, all her struggles were in vain.

With her last strength, she reached out, trying to grab the dagger that was within reach, to choose her own path to the underworld. But when her fingertips hooked onto the hilt, she was firmly pinned down.

The soldier above grinned maliciously: "Trying to fight back!" He looked down and saw that the fair and slender arm looked even more delicate at his feet, and could be cut off with ease.

He raised his knife, and Zhao Zhao closed her eyes. The sharp blade cut through the wind, and the sword pierced through flesh and blood, but she did not feel the pain of losing limbs.

That moment was as long and deathly silent as ten thousand years. Zhao Zhao slowly opened her eyes, and before her were still the soldiers who were about to kill her.

One had already fallen, while the other was inches away from her, still holding a knife ready to strike.

He didn't have a chance to kill Zhao Zhao. A cold blade had already pierced his heart, and his strength and consciousness rapidly withered away. He couldn't even turn around to see who was behind him.

Tap, tap, tap... Blood from the knife tip mixed with rain fell on her face, warm and sweet, staining half of Zhao Zhao's face red.

The officer pulled the knife from his chest, and with a thud, the body fell to the ground, splashing water. The knife's owner stood tall and thin in the night and wind, looking at Zhao Zhao without saying a word or smiling.

It is about cultivating tranquility.

Having escaped death, Zhao Zhao felt a lump in her throat and wanted to express her gratitude, but Xiu Yi's cold indifference silenced her.

"Shi Gang wanted me to live..."

"Why bother going?" Xiu Yi sheathed his sword and kicked aside the corpse at his feet. "Come with me."

He turned and left the lifeless alley. After taking a few steps, he didn't hear Zhao Zhao following him. He frowned and turned back, only to see Zhao Zhao in so much pain that she couldn't stand steadily, let alone walk.

Get in the way.

If it were an injured man, he would have carried him away without hesitation, but this was a prostitute, a prostitute clinging to him and saying that he had forced her.

"If you can't walk, then just wait to die," Xiu Yi said coldly.

Zhao Zhao gritted her teeth and got up, pulled the knife and hilt from the dead man's hand, and, leaning against the wall, followed with difficulty.

She followed behind Xiu Yi, looking both stubborn and pitiful. The two walked like this for a while before Zhao Zhao noticed that the alley outside was full of corpses, with blood mixed with rainwater flowing into the ditches, and the white misty rain stirring up waves of bloody smell.

Xiu Yi killed all of these people.

"You arrived a long time ago, but you just stood by and watched the show."

Xiu Yi kicked away the corpse at his feet, too lazy to explain.

Zhao Zhao coughed, leaning against the wall. The kick she received was extremely hard, seemingly injuring her lungs. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth: "You wanted to see me die."

Xiu Yi turned around, the red mole between his eyebrows resembling a bodhisattva sitting high on a Buddhist altar, saving people from suffering. His eyes, as clear as glass, showed no trace of pity, let alone remorse: "Those who abandon themselves are abandoned by heaven. I do not save those who want to die."

What a beautiful face, yet so heartless. Zhao Zhao looked at him and suddenly laughed, a self-deprecating laugh.

She was truly bewitched, actually hoping that the nobles, born into a high and mighty family, would pity the helpless escape and weakness of ants.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached. He Bi arrived with his men. He pulled off his black veil and reported, "Master, the person has been rescued!"

The horse carrying the man slowly moved forward. Zhao Zhao recognized the blood-soaked man on the horse's back as Shi Gang. She rushed over and checked Shi Gang's breath. He was breathing, but extremely weakly.

Shi Gang's face was covered in wounds, blood mingling with raindrops. He struggled to open his eyes, finally seeing Zhao Zhao before him. A look of relief appeared in his dejected eyes: "You survived, so don't cry..."

She raised her hand, wanting to wipe away Zhao Zhao's tears, but the injury was too severe; her hand, covered in knife scars, hovered for a moment before falling straight down.

Zhao Zhao took Shi Gang's hand, buried her pale face in his rough palm, and choked out, "...It wasn't tears, it was rain, just rain..."

Shi Gang smiled with difficulty; he had kept his promise to Wang Liuer.

With his last glance, he looked at Xiu Yi and said, each word stained with blood and tears, "Please, you must, you absolutely must seek justice for those who died unjustly."

Shi Gang had already told He Bi where the group of Shi Hu and Lin Hu who had testified were. Xiu Yi said, "Don't worry."

Shi Gang's lips trembled, but he could no longer utter a sound. His last bit of strength disappeared, and his body gradually grew cold, lifeless, like a frozen lake.

A chill ran from his palm to Zhao Zhao's cheek. She held her breath, her heart pounding cautiously, as if doing so would freeze time, bringing Shi Gang back to life. But even after praying to every god in the heavens, the man who had given his life for hers closed his eyes and breathed no more.

Tears blurred her vision, and the tears that could no longer be held back slid down Zhao Zhao's face, splashing out a mournful cry like countless raindrops under the gloomy sky.

-

Case File 1
Secret

(May 5th, the 22nd year of Jingyi)
Q: Wang, you have endured all kinds of torture, yet you still refuse to confess?
A: There is no crime to confess to.

Q: You conspired with You Ming to assassinate officials, yet you show no remorse whatsoever?
A: Repentance? I only regret that my planning wasn't thorough enough, and that I didn't tear that Xu guy to pieces.

Question: How dare you! Lord Xu is a fourth-rank official. You have dared to harbor murderous intent. According to the law, your entire family could be executed!

A: It's probably impossible to punish my family members by association.

Q: Oh?
A: A year ago, my mother died violently in the yamen, and my father's remains are still buried under the river embankment, taken by that beast to be used as a stake.

Q: That's nonsense! You say your parents were oppressed by the government, what evidence do you have?

A: I'm just an ordinary citizen, I can't even protect my own life, how could I possibly protect evidence?
Q: First you plotted an assassination, then you slandered a high-ranking official with baseless accusations. It is clear that you have ulterior motives. You must be a spy sent from the north to uproot our Great Zhou Dynasty!
A: Corrupt officials break the law and disturb the people. If I repay evil with evil, will I be seen as a traitor who harms the country?
Q: Even if what you said is true, repairing the river is a good thing for the country and the people. Even if a few of your families die, it will not affect the peace and happiness of the people on both sides of the river. Lord Xu is a rare good official in the world. Why do you have to kill him for your own selfish desires?
A: Selfish desires? Ha! So, if the people no longer accept being killed or tortured, they're considered to be disregarding the greater good? The court is so dilapidated and corrupt, why bother with this elaborate trial?
Q: Since you show such contempt for the imperial court, there is indeed no need for further investigation. The case is closed!

-

The jailer grabbed Wang Liuer's hand, its bones broken, and forced her to sign her name on the document. Wang Liuer's eyes had been gouged out, and a cold smile appeared on her terrifying face. The interrogator, seeing this, cursed, "Though I can't exterminate your entire family, cutting you into hundreds of pieces is still easy!"

This is not an exaggeration. It is a serious crime for a commoner to assassinate an official, and the punishment of death by a thousand cuts is a foregone conclusion.

The interrogator stroked his beard and ordered the jailer, "Put her tongue out first, so she doesn't talk nonsense on the execution ground and the people hear it."

The jailer, upon hearing this, picked out a small, curved knife from among the dense array of torture instruments, heated it over a fire until the blade turned a deep red-white, and then approached the barely recognizable Wang Liuer.

But then several hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and someone shouted, "A distinguished guest has arrived! He wishes to conduct the trial personally!"

Very few people could be called "noble people," so the interrogators and jailers dared not neglect them and hurriedly knelt outside the door to wait.

The cell fell silent, save for the crackling of the torches on the walls. Wang Liuer, blind and immersed in numb darkness, vaguely heard the sound of orderly, powerful footsteps echoing down the prison corridor. The footsteps stopped steadily at the door, paused for a moment, and then a very light, slow footstep entered the cell, carrying the languid air characteristic of a nobleman.

This person is not an official.

He sat down at the desk, the ambergris on his body standing out brightly in the stench of the prison cell.

He seemed to glance at the confession on the table: "Wang Liuer?"

The sound was extremely pleasant, with the melodious sound of the xiao and the clear sound of the zheng, carrying a lazy smile.

Hearing this in normal circumstances might stir one's emotions. But to continue in this tone in a prison cell feels utterly inhuman.

Wang Liuer remained silent.

He said casually, "You look like you're ready to die, so why don't you even answer when I call your name?"

"Because this is not my real name. I've fallen into prostitution, my body and heart are tainted, but I can't let the name my parents gave me be tainted."

What is your real name?

"Wang Xu".

"Alright, Wang Xu." He picked up the pen on the table and wrote another statement: "If you have any grievances, tell me."

File 2

Secret

(May 5th, the 22nd year of Jingyi)
The previous events have been fully recounted.

Q: So, it's understandable that you assassinated Xu Feng. But all the evidence is lost. Where are those Lin and Shi households who escaped this calamity, as you mentioned? If you're willing to tell me, I will guarantee their safety and seek justice for you.

A: May I ask who you are?

Q: I am but a lowly official with clumsy writing skills, unworthy of the title of "respect".

A: One more question, what is your relationship with the Prince Ning's Mansion?

Q: I once served as a servant to Princess Xiuning.

A: Thank you for listening to my long explanation. You have recorded everything I could say, and there is nothing more to add.

Q: Alright then. Now that we've finished discussing the case, let's chat for a bit more. I found the previous petition quite interesting... When you said the court was dilapidated and corrupt, were you really being honest?
A: Yes. Xu Feng unjustly killed hundreds of people. I assassinated him to rid the people of a scourge, yet I met a terrible end. Is such a court not rotten and corrupt, or upright and just?

Q: So, according to you, how can one truly live up to the words "upright and honorable"?
A: Digging the dikes will allow countless buried corpses to see the light of day, and all the injustices in the river repair project will be cleared up, so that those who died unjustly can be redressed.

Q: If the river embankment has already been built, wouldn't digging it up be like destroying the Great Wall ourselves?

A: Destroying our own Great Wall? Hahahaha—

Q: What's so funny?

A: Your Excellency speaks with such eloquence that you must be well-versed in the classics. Yet you seem unaware that the riverbank is on land, while the Great Wall resides in the hearts of the people.

Q: I'd love to hear your insights.

A: A dike can be rebuilt after it's destroyed, and the farmland that the people on both sides of the river have stopped cultivating can be compensated, but the lost hearts of the people cannot be restored! Officials oppress the people, grinding everyone down to such indifference, snobbishness, and cunning, only knowing how to be self-serving and satisfy their appetites. What's the difference between such people and beasts? As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, and as the tide rises, so too can the high-ranking officials ride on the heads of us kneeling lackeys.
ask:……

A: If there were no external enemies, they could still act arrogantly and domineeringly; but when external enemies come, how can such a bunch of ants be expected to defend the country for high-ranking officials and nobles? Isn't that absurd? The northern war has been a complete rout. Is it because the men of the Central Plains are inferior to the northern barbarians, or is it because people are unwilling to die for those who oppress them?

ask:……

A: You don't need to tell me; I can already guess you're a noble person from heaven, otherwise, how could you afford such precious spices? You say it's self-destruction, which I find laughable. Is it corrupt officials or insignificant ants like me who are destroying the country?

ask:……

A: Today, I, Wang Xu, may suffer a terrible death, and the court may label me a "troublemaker who assassinated a good official," but the common people are merely cowardly, not blind! What will the future hold? Please have compassion!
-

Soft applause rang out in the cell. Yi Xing looked at the barely recognizable girl before him and said quietly, "Such insight, what a pity."

If she were a man, she might have achieved great things in her official career, but she is a woman, and she has to resort to such absurd methods to seek justice for her family.

“Young lady, I appreciate your insight.” Yi Xing stood up and looked at the confession on the table: “But there is one thing you said that is incorrect.”

"Which point?"

Yi Xing memorized all the words on the confession, then threw it into the brazier. The thin piece of paper turned to ashes in an instant: "You died not because of the corruption in officialdom, but because you offended the court's reputation."

As Yi Xing walked out of the prison cell, a dozen plainclothes Imperial Guards followed behind him.

The leader, named He Wang, had been with Yi Xing the longest. He asked in bewilderment, "Your Highness, why did you burn such a long confession?"

"Besides me, who else would take her words seriously?"

He Wang had misspoke and was about to slap himself when Yi Xing suddenly stopped and looked at the moon outside the narrow window: "Have the goods been transported into the city?"

He Wang respectfully said, "It was brought in without any fanfare, and no one knew you were here... However, there was some trouble when it entered the city, and some of the things you prepared for the princess were damaged."

"What trouble?"

"...A group of masked bandits suddenly appeared in the city, slaughtered the government troops, and managed to rescue the captured assassin."

"Bandits?" Yi Xing chuckled and shook his head.