spoiled brat

Chapter 87, Section 86: The Lost Boat (Part Six)

Yi Xing thought that it was all because he had done so many evil deeds that God hated him, which was why the two of them were in such an embarrassing situation.

"I'll accept whatever you ask me to do to repay you," he laughed, then said in despair, "but if you want things to go smoothly, that's absolutely impossible."

Xiu Ning looked at him calmly, no longer even showing any disgust. She wrote the last line on the ground with the blade of her sword, then tossed the sword to Yi Xing and gestured to the cavalry behind her.

One column went straight into the city and took over the city gates; another column dismounted and searched the ground for people who were still breathing; and yet another column went to the gathered refugees, helped the seriously injured elderly, weak, women and children onto horses, and carried them into the city for treatment.

Under the night sky, Zhao Zhao, covered in wounds, stood in the noisy crowd, like a stubborn rock lying in a river, her gaze piercing through the crowd to look at Xiu Ning.

She saw He Bi, his face bruised and swollen, leading a horse to Xiu Ning's side, with an unconscious person lying on the horse's back.

He covered his swollen lips and bowed to Yi Xing, whose face was pale: "Your Highness." He glanced at He Wang, who was unconscious on horseback, "My senior brother is too stupid. He can tell what he's thinking just by looking at his face. If there's anything like drugging someone again, don't send my senior brother."

No wonder, no wonder Xiu Ning came.

Yi Xing bent down to pick up the sword from the ground. He didn't think that Yi Xing was going to take his anger out on someone else, and immediately stepped in front of the horse to protect him: "Your Highness, my senior brother is loyal to you, but he is simply not up to the task! He is not guilty of such a crime!"

Yi Xing glanced at him indifferently and sheathed his sword: "He Wang wants to ask you, did you kill the dog he gave you before?"

He was stunned and said blankly, "...I didn't take good care of it a couple of years ago. It was ridden by a male dog in the army, gave birth to puppies in the dead of winter, and froze to death."

“Then I won’t tell him.” Yi Xing glanced at Xiu Ning meaningfully. “We have a long time ahead of us.”

With the matter settled, Yi Xing mounted his horse and rode away, surrounded by the Imperial Guards.

They left, leaving behind a pile of severed limbs. Why look at the blood-stained earth beneath your feet and curse, "These heartless bastards killed people like animals. What kind of skill is it to bully ordinary people?"

He kicked at the dirt and realized there seemed to be writing on the ground. He hadn't heard what Xiu Ning and Yi Xing said while he was in the formation, but what could they possibly say to make someone so ruthless stop?
He cautiously raised his eyes, looking at Xiu Ning's face, which appeared even paler in the firelight, and asked softly, "Princess, just now..."

Xiu Ning looked silent, his eyes lowered.

On the hill outside the city, Yixing looked back.

The imperial guard beside him said, "Your Highness, these people cannot be allowed to live. If Xu Feng's dirty deeds are exposed, they will eventually implicate the capital."

Yi Xing said calmly, "It's too late to kill it."

Despite all our calculations, we never expected Xiu Ning to bring his troops.

Yi Xing looked at everyone: "Who dares to utter a single word about what just happened..."

Before he could finish speaking, everyone lowered their heads in unison, promising not to say another word.

Only the imperial guards spurred their horses, angrily saying, "Your Highness, what good are the princess's many soldiers if we want to capture her? You should have fought for her, not..."

"You shouldn't let lust cloud your judgment, right?"

Looking at the dim stars in the sky, Yi Xing said to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "I'll never amount to anything in this life."

The main hall of the largest medical clinic in Yunzhou City was densely packed with bamboo beds, each with a groaning patient lying on it. Doctors and apprentices were busy coming and going, their heads spinning with worry.

Screams filled my ears, and the stench of blood filled my nostrils.

Before me was an oil lamp, and a small knife was roasting over the fire.

The blade was a deep, almost white red when it was picked up by a skilled, chubby hand.

"Why would a perfectly good young lady like you have to go out and fight?"

Having lost too much blood, Zhao Zhao's mind was foggy. By the firelight, she could vaguely make out that the doctor in front of her was a plump woman with a round face like a dumpling, making one feel homesick. Through her teary eyes, she said, "Mother..."

The plump woman paused for a moment, then pulled out a piece of candy from her pocket to coax her daughter, unwrapped the oil paper, and stuffed it into Zhao Zhao's mouth: "Little girl, bear with it."

The sugar was cool and refreshing, and Zhao Zhao had just begun to taste its sweetness when a burning pain shot through her shoulder.

Cleaning a wound with a hot knife is the most painful thing. Zhao Zhao was in so much pain, like a shrimp in a hot oil pan, trembling and trying to curl up. The fat woman held her down, not letting her move, and said with great concern, "Your cut is deep, I'm afraid applying medicine won't stop the bleeding."

Large beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead, mingling with her tears and stinging her eyes. She couldn't see anything clearly; her vision flickered, and her mouth tasted metallic.

Once the sweet taste in Zhao Zhao's mouth had dissipated and the deep wounds had been cleaned, the plump woman put down her knife and gently rubbed Zhao Zhao's head: "Alright, alright."

Her hands were thick and rough, like thick cotton wool in winter. Zhao Zhao felt very secure resting on her head. Her pale lips trembled, but she didn't make a sound.

The plump woman comforted her, saying, "It's all superficial wounds; nothing serious has been done to your bones or muscles."

That's good, that's good.

The old folks all say that a lowly life is easy to raise, and Zhao Zhao deeply agrees. So many knives came at her, but none of them hit her vital organs or cut off her hands and feet, allowing her to survive until Xiu Ning arrived.

Having escaped death, Zhao Zhao is content.

The plump woman applied medicine to the wound, noticed the brand on Zhao Zhao's shoulder, and sighed, "You have a scar on your body, which may affect your business."

Mother Yu often said that a prostitute's appearance must not be damaged. Zhao Zhao had just counted seven or eight wounds, big and small; she was practically ruined. Zhao Zhao had no time to care about that, and asked weakly, "...Excuse me, has the yamen released the female assassin who was captured a few days ago for interrogation?"

The government has a habit of making an example of someone to deter others. Whenever a serious criminal is to be executed, the news will be released in advance so that the people can go to the execution ground to watch the execution.

"She's been released." The hall was filled with doctors and apprentices. The plump woman cautiously surveyed her surroundings, then whispered in Zhao Zhao's ear, "Those damned bastards, they should have torn that girl to pieces!"

The applied medicine stung and pierced her bones, making Zhao Zhao's face grow even paler: "Lingchi?"

“Five days later.” The plump woman lowered her voice even further, still seething with indignation: “The original sentence was beheading. But those farmers outside the city stopped the magistrate’s sedan chair, saying that the culprit who stabbed Xu Qingtian must be severely punished… Xu Qingtian? Bah! That hypocritical act only fools the peasants outside the city. We honest businessmen, who hasn’t been ripped off and exploited by his followers?”

She cut open the sash and bandaged Zhao Zhao's wound, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, "That girl failed to make a clean getaway, allowing the man surnamed Xu to escape with his life. But heaven has eyes, and a nameless fire suddenly broke out in the Xu mansion, burning everyone inside to death. Not even a cat or dog escaped..."

Where in the world is there such a nameless fire that could burn one or two hundred people in the Xu family to death?
Zhao Zhao was horrified. She remembered the conversation she had overheard earlier: Xu Feng had ordered his spies to return to the capital to report back, and told Minister Wu to rest assured that he would not cause any trouble for the emperor... Then she thought of the robbery at the North Gate tonight... Someone was trying to cover her mouth!
"Auntie," Zhao Zhao grasped the plump woman's hand, her voice very soft, so the plump woman had to strain her ears to listen carefully, "Are the soldiers who brought us outside?"

“They’re gone,” the plump woman said, shaking her head. “It’s raining heavily outside. Our clinic is small and the eaves are narrow. The manager was worried that those soldiers would get wet, so he paid for them to go out for drinks late at night.”

"...Where should we have a late-night drink?"

"The alley to the west after you go out."

"I need your help, Auntie." Zhao Zhao reached into the hidden pocket of her inner shirt, where she had sewn emergency money. But when she checked, she found that the pocket was empty.

She wanted to trouble the plump woman to invite a soldier back, but she didn't have the money to hire someone else. Just as she was thinking about how to ask, the thin shopkeeper in the hall called out, "Wife!" pointing to the old man lying on the bamboo bed beside him, barely alive, "Come and lend a hand!"

"Coming!" The clinic was short-staffed, so the plump woman had to hurry over. Before leaving, she patted Zhao Zhao's head and said, "If there's anything wrong, take a nap and tell your auntie."

Zhao Zhao lay on the bamboo couch, staring at the lantern on the roof beam for a while, then mustered up some strength and endured the pain to get up.

There was a short stick with a lantern hanging in the corner. Zhao Zhao leaned on the stick and held onto the wall, passing through screams and the smell of blood, dodging the busy doctors, pharmacists, and shop assistants, and shakily made her way outside.

She hadn't gone far when a sharp-eyed apprentice spotted her, caught up with her, and blocked her path, saying urgently, "You've just been given a second chance at life, why are you rushing to send yourself to the underworld? Go back and lie down!"

"Excuse me, please make way." Zhao Zhao didn't have the strength to speak loudly. "I have urgent business with the military officer outside."

"What's so important that you have to do it now?"

He wouldn't move aside, so Zhao Zhao had to go around him. The medicine boy got angry and was about to follow and block him, but Zhao Zhao said, "My friend's life is at stake."

These words, though soft and powerless, drowned out the screams echoing throughout the hall, freezing the young apprentice in place.

He stopped stopping her. Zhao Zhao felt weak all over, her feet felt like they were walking on clouds, and she walked unsteadily to the front door.

At that moment, the carriages stopped and horses neighed outside the door. A series of powerful footsteps, accompanied by the clanging of armor against scabbards, came to a neat halt outside.

Zhao Zhao's gaze pierced through the narrow crack in the door, and she could vaguely see two rows of soldiers standing outside, as tall and imposing as a forest, with a figure of frost-white skin standing gracefully... Could it be Xiu Ning?

Knock, knock, knock. The old wooden door was knocked on. It was He Bi knocking. Zhao Zhao recognized his voice: "Open the door."

The hall, which had been filled with cries of pain and voices, suddenly fell silent for a moment. A very important person had arrived!

Knock, knock, knock, the door was knocked on again.

Just as Zhao Zhao was about to open the door, a withered hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. The thin shopkeeper, flustered, mistook Zhao Zhao for the young apprentice in the clinic and shoved her aside, shouting, "Don't block the way!" He hurriedly bolted the door shut.

The door opened, and the thin shopkeeper, expecting a military leader, was instead greeted by a handsome and refined young man with a cold and weary expression, exuding an imposing aura that commanded respect. He quickly curtsied and said, "Greetings, sir, greetings, sir..."

Xiu Yi's gaze passed over the thin shopkeeper and landed on the wounded lying on bamboo beds in the hall. Some had broken limbs, others were on the verge of death. His thoughts returned to the moment before his consciousness dissipated: the Imperial Guards wielding swords, the helpless refugees, and an angry question echoing from below the city walls…

"Close the door," someone said weakly from behind.

When Xiu Yi turned around and saw Zhao Zhao, a brief ripple appeared in his usually calm eyes, but it was hard to call it the relief of having something lost and then found again.

"You are not dead."

“A cheap life is easy to live.” Zhao Zhao had just been pushed to the ground, and her wounds had reopened. She said hoarsely, “They can’t stand the wind, close the door.”

The attendants closed the door. Xiu Yi shifted his gaze from Zhao Zhao to the thin shopkeeper: "Get up and speak."

"Thank you, sir, thank you, sir..." The thin shopkeeper straightened his knees, but when he inadvertently glanced at the python pattern on the jade pendant at Xiu Yi's waist, his legs went weak and he almost knelt down again.

Why bother supporting him? Instead, ask, "Shopkeeper, how many of the people who were brought here were injured or killed?"

The thin shopkeeper wiped the cold sweat from his brow, slowly regained his balance, and said in a trembling voice, "Reporting to the general, a total of sixty-seven people were brought in. Fifteen have succumbed to their injuries and died, while the remaining twenty are bleeding uncontrollably and may be in grave danger..."

Upon hearing this, Xiu Yi's weary expression gradually darkened, and he said to He Bi, "The medicinal herbs sent from the manor are probably not enough. Send someone to the North Camp to get some medicinal herbs from the army."

"Yes." He Bi replied, opened the door a crack, and quickly slipped out to the side.

Xiu Yi said to the thin shopkeeper, "If you need to use your esteemed establishment for treatment, please let me know if you have any shortages."

The skinny shopkeeper gave an awkward smile, about to say a few insincere words of flattery, when Zhao Zhao beside him sneered, "You stood by and watched when we were being slaughtered like animals, and now you're all acting all compassionate and righteous?"