Ink Burns

Chapter 94: Red and White Master and Servant

Wen Qingwan was like a weight entering her stomach, she was determined and signed many documents at an extremely fast speed. At the last, eloquent confession, Wen Qingwan paused for a moment, then immediately lowered her head and pressed the vermilion thumb print.

Wen Qingwan raised her head, her watery eyes seemed to be burning with blazing fire.

Her face was blood red - the little maid's blood, like a blade breaking through the air, across her nose and between her eyes.

Her fingers were also blood red - the ink from selling her body and the blood stained on the handle of the knife merged into one. Using other people's lives as a stepping stone, she embarked on the journey she longed for.

Shanyue sighed softly in his heart.

Mrs. Zhu was very satisfied with Wen Qingwan's reaction. She reached out and touched Wen's earlobe again. She turned her head and said to He Wuma with a smile, "The ear is whiter than the face, with a pointed tip on top and a hanging bead on the bottom. According to the old people, it is a 'golden ear', which is a sign of great wealth and honor."

He Wuma agreed with Madam Zhu and said, "She is already very rich and powerful for being able to come before you."

Mrs. Zhu also loves flattery. She purses her lips reservedly, and her lip beads are full and vivid.

She also breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had accomplished something important. She leaned back and waved her hand casually at Wen: "It's getting dark. The Jiaxing Prefecture's carriage is waiting for you in front of the fort. You didn't bring anything up the mountain, so you might as well go back empty-handed. From now on, your family's food, clothing, housing and transportation will all be provided by the Jiaxing Prefecture. You won't need those rags anymore."

He Wuma immediately bowed and agreed: "Our wife is the most kind-hearted and generous person. You will know it after you come to Beijing - our wife is well-known for her virtue even in the capital!"

Wen's throat choked with sobs, and she nodded her head with hidden glory.

Wen was taken out.

The maid on the ground was lying in a pool of blood.

Mrs. Zhu frowned slightly.

He Wuma immediately scolded, "You stupid fool! This thing is so annoying when it's here! - Hurry up and drag it to the back hill to feed the wolves!"

The old woman responded hurriedly and pulled the maid's shoulders on the left and right, violently and casually, dragging her out like a piece of cotton. The maid's drooping head hit the door sill hard.

Qiu Tao suddenly had tears in her eyes.

"Crying—sobbing—sobbing—" The sound of Shan Yue's convulsing sobs rang out in a muffled voice.

Only then did Mrs. Zhu remember that there was someone else in the main room.

"Kick that girl out too." Mrs. Zhu pointed at Qiu Tao and waved her hand with a little impatience.

Shanyue suddenly raised his face, and his fair, small oval face was full of fear and panic.

"No, please, don't kill her." Shan Yue cried, stretching out her hand in the air, but not daring to grab the hem of the lady's skirt: "She did nothing wrong, please. I, I, I."

Shanyue covered his chest tightly, anxious and afraid, and almost fainted from out of breath.

Madam Zhu glanced at her, and He Wuma immediately understood what she had said. She reached out and grasped Shanyue's right hand, which was raised high and then dropped, and said with a hint of rebuke, "Look at you like this - if you don't know, you would think our Madam is a man-eating monster!"

He Wumao gently helped Shanyue up and sat him down. She smiled but said respectfully, "Our wife is not the kind of person who wants to kill people. She is the most reasonable person - you will know later."

Shan Yue looked up in confusion and asked tentatively, "What about Qiu Tao?"

"I will continue to serve you."

He Wuma smiled and said, "You are her savior after all. She has to repay you with her whole life. You were born in poverty and you don't have a caring maid by your side. Madam decided to assign her to you. First, it is a gift for you to meet her, and second, it is also to give you a trustworthy person in the backyard."

Gave a huge grace.

Shanyue suddenly fell into ecstasy and looked at Qiutou as if sharing his joy.

He then turned to Madam Zhu with a look of admiration and gratitude.

Mrs. Zhu lowered her head and drank tea, avoiding eye contact with Shan Yue.

When this person wants to conceal his emotions, he will subconsciously avoid eye contact with others - Shanyue memorized this in his heart, and would write it down in the wordless book when he returned to Songjiang Prefecture.

He Wuma waved her hand and told Qiutou to go back first: "Go change your clothes, drink some tea and calm your mind. Your master still has a long way to go, so you have to cheer up." Qiutou hurried out.

After Qiu Tao left, He Wuma became more friendly. She took out a fine silk handkerchief and gently wiped the blood off Shan Yue's face. She said gently, "Whether it's Qiu Tao, Hong Tao or Bai Tao, it's just a small matter. It's just a small favor from Madam. As long as you remember Madam's kindness and that you and Madam are a family, your path will become smoother and smoother."

Shan Yue sat down.

He Wuma bent down and wiped Shan Yue's hair with pity: "Alas, it's a pity that such a beautiful woman like you is paired with our Sky-breaking Killing God."

"Fifth Mother—" Mrs. Zhu said disapprovingly.

He Wuma hurriedly bowed and said, "It's my fault for talking too much, but..."

He Wuma looked at Shanyue in embarrassment, then at Madam Zhu: "I really shouldn't have talked about the censor behind his back, but I saw that Miss Liu had a kind and elegant face, so I said a few idle words."

Shan Yue looked up in confusion.

Madam Zhu seemed to be in a state of conflict, and after a long pause, she finally spoke: "Nothing else is wrong. It's just that my stepson has always been violent and has a reputation in the Imperial Censorate. I heard that anyone who enters his Imperial Censorate will be skinned alive before they can get out, no matter if you are a distant relative of the royal family or an official or a noble."

Shan Yue's hands trembled in response: "He, he dares to punish the scholar-officials?"

He Wuma smiled and held Shanyue's hand with her backhand, and passed the message to Madam Zhu respectfully and intimately: "She is really an obedient and honest girl. Just hearing the word "torture" makes the tips of her fingers cold with fear!"

Mrs. Zhu smiled back.

He Wuma's face was full of joy: "In the future, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in our family will get along harmoniously. You have always regretted not having a daughter. Look, today the master has shown mercy and personally sent a good daughter to you."

Madam Zhu's lips were curled up, and her lips were bright red, like a red bead hidden in a clam. She brought the topic back to the previous paragraph: "Punishment? What's the point of punishment? Last December, at this time, an old man from the third-rank provincial government entered the gate of the Censorate and never came out alive. I heard that his body was bloated and smelly, and the grievances were so strong that it stuck to the mouth of the coffin and refused to rest in peace. Several people had to force the body down."

Shan Yue's body was shaking like a sieve. He opened his mouth slightly and cried, "He, he dared to kill someone?"

"Waterboarding."

Shan Yue trembled unconsciously: "Such a harsh punishment can be used on scholars and officials? Saint, saint, don't you care?"

"Of course, why not?" Madam Zhu said with some contempt, "The Saint held Xue Xiao accountable, and Xue Xiao took out the account book of the old man's corruption, which was full of ten thousand taels of silver. The old man should have been put to death, so Xue Xiao was spared the death penalty. The death penalty can be spared, but the living crime cannot be escaped. The Saint punished Xue Xiao with thirty lashes from the old man's eldest son, and pardoned the old man's entire family for the crime of implicated, and only then the matter was suppressed."

Madam Zhu sighed and said, "Xue Xiao lost all face and had to stay in the capital like a dog with his tail between his legs for several months. It was not until Prince Kangning begged for mercy that the emperor finally relented and asked him to work again."

Shan Yue said in fear: "Even the scholars dare to torture me, how can a woman like me stand up to his torture?"

Mrs. Zhu and He Wuma looked at each other.

He Wuma sighed and said, "Who said it wasn't true? Madam saw that he was old but had no one to serve him, so she gave him a pair of beautiful and gentle sisters. But he broke the elder sister's leg and scalded the younger sister's hand that day, and threw them into Madam's main hall the next day."

Shan Yue's face suddenly turned pale.

He Wuma finally wiped the blood off Shanyue's face, held Shanyue's delicate jaw, and couldn't help but praise: "Even if you put her in the capital, she is one of the best in appearance."

Then he said with pity: "If he wasn't violent, given his family background and official title, how could he not be married at this age? No one in the capital dares to marry him, for fear of losing their lives and bringing disaster to their families. Our lady doesn't want to harm a girl who doesn't know the truth, so she asked for help from Qingfeng."

Shanyue looked at He Wuma in horror, his lips trembling, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't say it.

He Wuma patted the back of Shanyue's hand in a soothing manner: "But don't be afraid. Since the Madam has chosen you, no matter what happens, the Madam will make the decision for you. You must be considerate, considerate of the Madam, the Xue family, and our Jiangnan."

Shan Yue lowered her head anxiously, and raised it after a while. After a long silence, she spoke with tears in her eyes: "Xue Xiao? Is that the same as "Xiao in arrogant?"

He Wuma wanted to answer, but Mrs. Zhu spoke first.

"Xue Xiao, Niaomu Xiao."

"It means, unfilial bird."

[OK, replacement completed]

(End of this chapter)