Jinyi Spring

"Xia Achan, there are some methods in the imperial prison that can make people wish they were dead. You haven't seen them, but I'll show you today."

Ming Shanyue's voice was very soft, even somewhat polite, but to Xia Shi's ears it sounded even more terrifying.

She looked at the King of Hell before her and pleaded, "Shanyue, I am your Aunt Xia. When you were little, your mother was in poor health, and your aunt took care of you a lot..."

Ming Shanyue ignored her, grabbed her wrist, and quickly inserted the silver needle into the Hegu acupoint between her thumb and forefinger.

A sharp pain shot through me like an electric current, from my fingers all the way to the top of my head.

Xia screamed in agony, her whole body collapsing to the ground as if her bones had been removed, her body convulsing uncontrollably. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. She wanted to cry, but no sound came out; only tears and saliva flowed uncontrollably down her face.

Ming Shanyue waited a moment, then pulled out the silver needle. "This is just the beginning. The next needle will be here."

He pointed to her neck and said, "If you stab her, she'll feel like she's being strangled to death, but she just won't die. Xia Achan, we have all the evidence we need. I advise you to talk it out so you can suffer less."

Xia seemed unable to even cry, gasping for breath like a fish thrown ashore.

"I'll talk... I'll talk..." She lay on the ground, her voice hoarse like a rag.

Ming Shanyue said slowly and deliberately, "Tell me, what bad things have you done, one by one. If you omit even one, I will not be polite."

Xia spoke slowly, like a walking corpse, wooden and dull, without dignity or respect, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs.

Which people did she have Xu Hu kill? What letters did she send to the Xue family? How did she alter Master Yu Hui's pronouncements? How did she learn about the Kong family's affairs? How did she write an anonymous letter to denounce the Kong family? How did she plot for Kong Xiyan to become the Princess Consort of Zhao?

One thing after another, like beans being poured out, rolled out of her mouth.

The Ming family already knew most of the things, but there were two things she did to the servants of the Ming household that they had never heard of before.

Ming Shanyue then asked, "Anything else?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was like a knife hanging over her neck.

Xia raised her head, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

Ming Shanyue didn't speak, but took out another silver needle from her sleeve and slowly twirled it in front of her.

Xia trembled, her voice trembling with sobs, "And, and the mandarin duck pendant..."

"Speak." Ming Shanyue's tone was flat, as if he already knew about this.

Xia lay prostrate on the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably. "That year, not long after Xiao entered the palace, Madam Xue asked me to meet her at Defuquan Restaurant and gave me the other half of the Mandarin Duck Pendant. She asked me... to find a way to let my second brother Ming wear it on his waist when he went to the front lines with my father and mother."

The Ming brothers, Ming Shanyue and Ming Changli, did not know when it was, but the old couple and the Duke and Duchess of Ming remembered it clearly.

Not long after Lady Xiao married the Emperor, the northern Tartars launched a massive invasion, with 200,000 elite troops pressing in. The old Duke led the army to the front lines, accompanied by Princess Changning and his eldest and second sons.

On the day of her departure, the young emperor personally saw her off at the city gate, holding his aunt's hand with utmost respect. All the officials were present, but no one noticed what ornament was hanging from Ming Changqing's waist.

The Emperor must have seen it.

Needless to say, the other half of the matching mandarin duck pendant naturally ended up with the Xiao family.

Ming Shanyue said coldly, "She told you to do it, so you did it?"

Xia's face was almost touching the ground, her voice growing weaker and weaker, "Madam Xue said it was Consort Xue's idea, and that with Princess Changning there, Second Brother Ming would be safe. I did this so that when Father returned to the capital, he could ask the Empress Dowager to grant Second Brother Ming and me a marriage. I was bewitched... and that's how I did it..."

The old Duke and his wife exchanged a glance, and then they both remembered.

When they returned to the capital in triumph, the emperor was overjoyed. He first held a royal banquet to reward the meritorious generals and soldiers, and then held a family banquet to entertain the imperial relatives and nobles.

Empress Xiao was the only one absent from that family banquet, as she was said to be unwell.

As the drinking progressed, Empress Dowager Xue suddenly spoke, "Changqing is someone I've watched grow up, and I adore her. A man should marry when he's of age, and a woman should marry when she's of age. Today, I wish to act as matchmaker and bestow a marriage upon Changqing to—"

Before he could even finish asking "who," Ming Changqing knelt down with a thud. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I have no intention of getting married right now." The hall fell eerily quiet.

The Emperor's face darkened, his voice laced with suppressed anger, "Minister Ming, do you know the consequences of disobeying an imperial edict?"

Ming Changqing kowtowed again, his back ramrod straight. "Your subject knows his crime. Please punish me, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager."

The Emperor flew into a rage, slamming his hand on the table. "Since you're courting death, don't blame me for being ruthless! Guards, take him out and execute him!"

Old Madam Ming was terrified and rushed to the center of the hall, kneeling down. "Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please calm down! Please allow me to persuade him; the child was just confused for a moment..."

The old Duke, the Duke and his wife, and Ming Changli all knelt on the ground. Only young Ming Shanyue was frightened by the scene and cried loudly, and was hugged into the arms of Princess Yanghe.

The entire Ming family took turns trying to persuade him, but Ming Changqing remained stubborn, preferring execution to acquiescence. The stalemate in the main hall lasted for an unknown amount of time before finally Empress Dowager Xue spoke up.

"Never mind," she sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness. "It was my oversight that I didn't ask Princess Changning and Princess Changqing's opinion beforehand. Your Majesty and Princess Changqing have been friends since childhood and have a deep bond, so please don't be angry. For my sake, forgive him this time."

He was spared the death penalty, but he couldn't escape twenty strokes of the cane. Ming Changqing was beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding. After his injuries healed, he requested to leave the capital and went to serve in the garrison in the northwest, where he stayed for more than ten years...

After a long pause, the old lady sighed and said, "Back then, I was grateful to the Empress Dowager, thinking that she had saved Changqing's life. I didn't care so much about what happened between her and the Emperor when they fought over Xiaowan'er. But it turns out that all of this was orchestrated by the Xue family. I don't believe that Empress Dowager Xue was completely unaware of it."

As soon as she finished speaking, the old lady stood up abruptly, walked up to Xia Shi, and looked down at her, "And you, you wicked woman, you traitorous bastard!"

Xia collapsed to the ground, bursting into loud sobs, her cries as shrill as a pig being slaughtered.

"Mother, I love Brother Ming too much, but I can't have him, and it breaks my heart! Please, for the sake of my father, spare me."

The old woman bent down, grabbed her chin, and forcefully lifted her face. Xia's tears and snot streamed down her face, mingling with her makeup, making her look hideous with a wide grin.

The old lady spat, "You're in love with my second son? Bah, you're not worthy of him!"

She tightened her grip, her voice filled with barely suppressed hatred, "You still have the nerve to mention your own father! Xia Qianzong is such a generous and righteous man, how could he have given birth to such a shameless and wicked child like you!"

Before she could finish speaking, her hand had already slapped down—"Slap! Slap! Slap!" Three clean and crisp slaps, and Xia's face immediately turned red.

"This is what I did on behalf of your own father! I ruined his lifelong reputation by beating you!"

The old lady didn't stop, and slapped Xia's face three more times, causing Xia's face to swell up visibly.

"This is for the old man and me! We raised you for over twenty years, and you've caused my son to be unable to go home and remain unmarried for half his life!"

The old lady was about to hit her again when Ming Shanyue stepped forward to support her, saying, "Grandmother, be careful not to hurt your hand. Your grandson will teach her a lesson for you."

The old lady then stopped and sat back down, panting heavily.

Ming Shanyue's gaze was as cold as a knife. He grabbed Xia's hair with one hand and yanked her face up hard. Two slaps landed, clean and crisp, and blood immediately seeped from the corner of Xia's mouth.

"These two slaps were for Qingxin Fagu. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have entered the palace, and none of this would have happened."

Two more slaps, each one landing squarely on flesh, the sound echoing in the room.

"This was fought on behalf of my entire Ming family. You betrayed us and almost caused our family to be destroyed."

Two more slaps, and Xia's face swelled up, tears mixed with blood streaming down her face.

"This was made for my mother. You almost caused her and her unborn child to die."

Two more slaps followed, and Xia coughed up a mouthful of blood, mixed with a few teeth, which she spat onto the ground.

"This was made for Chu Chen. You almost caused her to never see the light of day again, and caused her to live as a wanderer for more than ten years."

After the last two slaps, Xia's face was swollen like a pig's head, her eyes were narrowed to slits, her lips were split open, and blood smeared all over her face.

"This was done for the dead; your hands are stained with blood." (End of Chapter)