The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 184 Meng Yulou Enters the Mansion, Concluding the Story [Two Chapters Released Simultaneously!]
[I'm posting the daytime chapter together with the nighttime chapter, otherwise I'll get yelled at by the guys and have to stop here again.]

Meng Yulou felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing to his head, his limbs and bones were as if they were immersed in an ice cave, and his fingertips were icy cold to the bone.

The drop of vermilion that had seeped into the paper was so bright red and glaring that it looked like a piece of flesh torn from her heart, still dripping blood onto the paper.

She suddenly raised her head, her face deathly pale, devoid of any color, but her two almond-shaped eyes seemed to spit fire, fixed intently on Yang Shouli's face.

His voice was trembling uncontrollably.

"You...who exactly are you? Master Li? Your surname is clearly Yang! Why are you lying to me that your surname is Li?"

The hall fell into a deathly silence for a moment; you could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, a suppressed sneer burst out from some corner, like a drop of water splashing into a hot oil pan, sizzling and causing an immediate uproar!

The room erupted in laughter.

The old men of the Yang family, stroking their goatees, shook their heads and swayed their bodies, their eyes gleaming with undisguised mockery and smugness, as if watching a monkey show.

The group of young men behind them laughed so hard they nearly fell over, pounding their chests and stamping their feet, unable to speak coherently.

"Oh my god... my goodness! Master Li... Master Li? Hahahaha... what kind of Master Li is this?!"

"Good sister-in-law! Your eyes... tsk tsk tsk, are you perhaps blinded by lard?"

"Oh my! I've been holding back for so long! This play... it's absolutely amazing! It's even more wonderful than the operas performed in theaters!"

The feigned honesty and humility on Yang Shouli's face had long been stripped away by the laughter, revealing his true, slick, mercenary, and frivolous nature.

He slowly straightened the silk robe he had torn open in the heat of the moment, ran his fingers over the smooth satin surface, and then a smirk appeared on his lips, a smile that was both playful and ruthless.

His eyelids brushed against Meng Yulou's deathly pale face, his tone slow and lazy, carrying a deliberate flirtatious air:
"Madam Meng asked me who I am? What a question... You might as well ask the uncles and brothers present here?"

The laughter gradually subsided, and pairs of eyes, filled with mockery, turned to Uncle Yang, who sat at the head of the table, holding a teacup and looking completely composed.

Uncle Yang cleared his throat, a smile laced with feigned pity and blatant scheming spreading across his face. He took a step forward, facing Meng Yulou, and spoke in a loud voice, each word like a poisoned needle piercing straight to the heart:

“My dear niece-in-law, now that things have come to this, your fourth uncle is really at a loss... sigh, I really can’t bear to keep it from you any longer!”

He stroked his goatee, looking like he was "thinking of you." "This Master Yang Shouli is no outsider! He is a distant relative of our Yang family in the capital. In fact, he is your late husband Zongxi's cousin! Moreover... hehe, he is also a respectable relative of Lord Yang Jian of the current dynasty!"

He paused deliberately, savoring the utter despair in Meng Yulou's eyes as the last glimmer of hope was extinguished, before slowly and deliberately revealing the bloody truth:
“Zongxi’s nephew passed away early, leaving you, a beautiful widow, to guard such a large family business. It must have been so difficult for you, a widow with children. We, as elders, see it all and it pains us to see it!”

"This vast fortune, you're just a woman, you can't possibly keep it all. It'll inevitably attract covetous eyes and bring trouble upon yourself! Besides," he suddenly turned cold, stroking his goatee with a fierce intensity:

"Now that Zongxi is dead, all these gold and silver items, shops and houses, are fundamentally the property of my Yang clan! How can we allow you to take your dowry and let those scoundrels outside benefit from it?!"

Uncle Yang sneered repeatedly, using phrases like "ancestral rules" and "clan dignity" to completely conceal his filthy thoughts: "We went through all this trouble, setting up this whole scheme, all for your sake, you widow! To let you 'marry' smoothly and gloriously! To cut off those inappropriate thoughts! As for those things under your name..."

His cloudy old eyes suddenly gleamed with a predatory light, like an old dog that hadn't eaten for three days seeing a bone: "These properties and money, in the end, belong to the Yang family! Naturally, they should stay in the hands of our Yang family branch. This is only right and proper! It's the rule passed down from our ancestors!"
He turned to Yang Shouli, his face plastered with a fawning yet knowing smile: "Nephew Shouli, we had an agreement! You helped put on this show and tricked her into signing the marriage certificate and pressing her fingerprint on it."

"Once it's done, her most valuable cloth shop will be yours! The rest of the yarn shop, all the gold and silver valuables in her house, and this house will all remain in the hands of our Yang family branch! You can't go back on your word!"

Yang Shouli flicked his sleeves with a flourish, his face revealing undisguised smugness and contempt:
"Don't worry, Fourth Uncle! Although I come from the capital, I value integrity above all else! A mere cloth shop is enough for me to cultivate relationships in the capital and get in touch with Lord Yang."

“This yarn shop, the silver, and the house all belong to your Yang family. How could I, Yang Shouli, covet them?”

He glanced sideways at the swaying Meng Yulou, his tone flippant, "Yulou... oh no, now you should call me 'wife'!"

"My lady, look at this arrangement. It's all the result of the painstaking efforts of the entire Yang family, all for your sake! Although you're being 'married' into the Yang family as a second wife, you're still the legal wife. You'll come with me to the capital and enjoy endless wealth and honor. Isn't that better than being stuck with this dead thing and being a widow who's always on people's minds?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yulou understood.

She felt dizzy, and the faces in front of her were distorted and deformed in the dim candlelight, emitting a greedy green light.

He bit his lower lip hard, tasting the metallic sweetness of rust, barely managing to stay upright.

His face was as pale as paper, his lips trembled, and he squeezed out broken sounds from between his teeth, filled with utter despair and hatred:

"Painstaking efforts?...Thinking of me?...Ha...Heh..." She let out a series of shrill, empty laughs, her eyes devoid of tears, only filled with the ashes of a lifeless body consumed by the flames.

"What a Yang family! What a bunch of relatives! What a bunch of... distant cousins! You... you're eating up the bones of an extinct family! Gnawing on my husband's remains! Drinking my blood!"

"Shut up!" A young man from the Yang family jumped out like a monkey, his finger almost poking Meng Yulou's nose, his face full of contempt and filth. "You shameless woman, you don't know what's good for you! Your fourth uncle and elder brother Shouli went to great lengths to find you a new husband, so you wouldn't be left to drift like a lonely ghost, and you turn around and bite the hand that feeds you?"

"What do you mean by 'eating the heir'? That business was originally made from the bones of the Yang family's ancestors! You, a widow from another family, still want to monopolize it all? You're truly insatiable!"

“That’s exactly right!” someone chimed in, spitting as they spoke. “Brother Shouli is already doing you a huge favor by taking in a down-on-his-luck ‘returnee’ like you as his second wife! And you still dare to be picky? Don’t you take a good look at yourself in the mirror? Do you really think you’re still a fresh-faced virgin?”

"You should be secretly happy that someone is willing to take on your 'old, worn-out shoe'; you'll be kowtowing and thanking them with three sticks of incense in gratitude sooner or later!"

"Going to the capital is like jumping into a paradise! Even a scrap of bread from Lord Yang's relatives would be enough for you to live a life of luxury! Who are you putting on this mournful face for? You're just bringing bad luck to your ancestors!"

"Once you've pressed your handprint, you're a beast of burden for the Yang family! You're a mule or horse in life, and a dog in death! You have no choice but to obey! If you dare to talk nonsense again, watch out, I'll give you a good beating until your skin is torn and bleeding!"

Each word, each sound, was like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, or a steel needle piercing the heart, striking that already riddled-with-holes heart in turn.

Meng Yulou stood alone in the center of the hall, like a fragile reed in a raging storm, about to be broken.

Looking around, every face was etched with greed, scheming, indifference, and cruel pleasure.

The ancestral hall houses ancestral tablets, but kneeling beneath them are jackals gnawing on corpses!
What kinship? What affection? It's all poison coated in honey! They're like ravenous wolves, their eyes bloodshot, ready to devour her!
She felt cold all over, even her fingertips were numb.

She, Meng Yulou, along with everything she had, had become fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.

Before my eyes, all that remained was an endless, thick, suffocating darkness!

However, a desperate, all-or-nothing rage suddenly exploded from the depths of her heart! She abruptly straightened her swaying spine and screamed with all her might, her voice so shrill it almost pierced the roof:
"I won't marry him! I'm backing out of this marriage! This marriage certificate is invalid!"

This desperate cry, like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly ignited an even more intense and unrestrained wave of laughter in the hall!
"Hahahaha... Go back on your word? You think you can just go back on your word like that?"

Yang Shouli laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, tears welling up in his eyes. He exaggeratedly slapped his thigh:

"My dear wife! Are you out of your mind with anger? From beginning to end, who negotiated this marriage? Who nodded in agreement? Who personally wrote their name on the marriage certificate stroke by stroke? And who, in front of all these relatives, personally pressed that vermilion fingerprint? Huh?"

He abruptly stopped smiling, his face now displaying only naked mockery and coldness. His voice suddenly rose, carrying a cruel, triumphant satisfaction in the control of life and death.

"It's you! Meng Yulou! You yourself are the officiant of this marriage! According to the law, anyone who breaks off a marriage arranged by the bride's family will receive sixty strokes of the cane! Sixty strokes of the cane, my wife!"

He took a step closer, his greasy face displaying a cat-and-mouse malice.

"Fine! Go ahead and complain to the yamen! Go ahead! As long as you can withstand sixty lashes as a warning, and don't die at the yamen gate, but crawl back, this marriage... will be considered annulled! How about that?"

He glanced around at the laughing clansmen and asked sarcastically, "Uncles and brothers, tell me, can this delicate-skinned fellow withstand sixty strokes of the cane and still have a few breaths left?"

The members of the Yang clan all chimed in with their opinions:
"I'm afraid one swipe of the stick and those delicate little bottoms will be all bruised and battered!"

"Sixty strokes of the cane? Tsk tsk, just beat him into a pile of mud and throw him into a mass grave to feed the wild dogs!"

"Hahaha! Even if the King of Hell opens his eyes and spares her half-dead life to crawl back... she'll still be a cripple with broken bones and a rotten bottom! From now on, she won't even be considered something to warm the bed for some wild man!"

Uncle Yang squinted his cloudy old eyes, taking in Meng Yulou's pale face and swaying miserable appearance. He felt quite pleased with himself, and then slowly stroked his thinning beard before delivering the most insidious and deadly blow:

“Niece-in-law, you’d better lay your heart and soul bare and think this through carefully! Even if you risk half your worthless life to break off this engagement, what good will it do?”

He chuckled softly, "You're lying there on that broken bed, barely clinging to life. Do you think you can stop the Yang family from taking back the property left by our ancestors?"

"What can a half-dead cripple do against us? Rely on the upright officials of the yamen?"

"You...you've set this up and cheated me! This is a damned marriage fraud!" Meng Yulou trembled violently, her voice hoarse and strained, "A fraudulent marriage? I can annul the engagement! I can sue you wolves!"

"A fraudulent marriage?!" Yang Shouli exclaimed as if he had heard a joke from the underworld. He spread his hands exaggeratedly and winked at the assembled clansmen. "Dear neighbors! Uncles and brothers! Did you all hear that? When did I, Yang Shouli, ever deceive her? Did those three bullshit words, 'Master Li,' even come out of my mouth?"

“From the very first time I showed my face, I made it clear to you that my surname is Yang! I am a distant relative of your Yang family, not even remotely related! It is you, Meng Yulou, who are blinded and deluded, mistaking this ‘Master Yang’ for some ‘Master Li’!”

Uncle Yang immediately chimed in, his old face plastered with feigned innocence, like a clay figure in a temple: "That's right, my good niece-in-law! From beginning to end, it was you who flirted with this 'Master Yang' and discussed marriage! When have we, as elders, ever introduced you to a wealthy man surnamed Li?"

"No, right? We were just being kind to you because you were all alone, and we arranged this important life event for you! Where did you get the word 'fraud'? Where did you get the word 'fraud' from?" He shook his head, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

“That’s exactly right!” another weasel-faced tribesman chimed in with a slick, greasy voice. “You seduced her yourself, you whispered sweet nothings into her ears yourself, you wrote her name on the marriage certificate stroke by stroke yourself, and you willingly pressed your red fingerprints onto it with cinnabar!”

"Who forced you? Who lied to you? Show us some witnesses and evidence! You think you can just frame innocent people and smear the Yang family with your bare words? You're a heartless and wicked woman!" He spat.

"You may not have evidence, but I do!" Yang Shouli said smugly. "The physical evidence is right here! This marriage certificate, with its written words and cinnabar handprint, is the law in ironclad! As for witnesses..."

He smugly surveyed the room full of Yang family members, who were grinning maliciously as if watching a show: "Every single one of these Yang family members here is a living witness to how you, Meng Yulou, happily and willingly signed and sealed the document! We can all swear to the heavens that it was you—Meng Yulou—who voluntarily officiated at the wedding and married into our Yang family! How can there be any fraud? It's utterly ridiculous and absurd!"

"Hahahaha! Absolutely right! Absolutely right! We are all witnesses! We saw it clearly!"

"Absolutely true! I'm completely willing! I can't wait to consummate our marriage!"

"Trying to turn the tables? Keep dreaming!"

The hall was instantly filled with a deafening roar of malice.

Inside the hall, the Yang family members laughed and made a ruckus, clearly enjoying themselves.

The red candles burned brightly, their wax dripping like blood-red tombstones.

Meng Yulou collapsed to the ground, like a peony utterly destroyed by a storm, lying broken and withered in the cold dust.

All she could see was a blood-red, swirling darkness, and her ears were ringing so loudly that she could barely hear what the jackals were saying next.

Uncle Yang stroked his beard smugly, his cloudy old eyes sweeping over the lifeless body on the ground as if it were a piece of junk waiting to be disposed of. His voice was filled with the impatience and utter indifference of someone who had accomplished their goal.

"Alright! Nephew Shouli, this woman is now your wife. She's yours! Take her away now! Whether you sell her to a slave trader for a few taels of silver, or keep her in your house to 'care for' and 'enjoy' her yourself, it's all up to you! It's better than leaving her here crying and causing trouble!"

These words were like a cold verdict, completely stripping Meng Yulou of the last shred of humanity, reducing her to a piece of private property that could be disposed of and bought and sold at will.

Upon hearing this, Yang Shouli's face immediately plastered with a shrewd and lewd smile. He strode over to Meng Yulou, looking down at her with a gaze no longer that of a person, but rather like that of someone assessing a commodity awaiting sale, his expression blatantly lustful and lewd, accompanied by audible clicking of his tongue.

"Don't worry, Fourth Uncle! How could I possibly waste such a fine piece of 'goods'?"

"These legs...this figure...tsk tsk, in the capital, she'd be the top-tier courtesan in any brothel! As for me, I'll naturally 'check out the goods' first, and 'play with' them for a while, until I get tired of them..." He deliberately dragged out his words, with a cruel smugness in his voice.
"Then find a discerning matchmaker and sell her to the lowest-class brothel! Just by hanging those legs on the railing of the brothel, I guarantee that princes, nobles, and wealthy merchants will compete to buy her! I, your nephew, can make a fortune! Hahaha!"

These shameless remarks, which treated Meng Yulou as a plaything and a commodity, not only failed to elicit any condemnation, but instead ignited a fire, instantly sparking even more vulgar and obscene laughter in the hall!
"Hahaha! Brother Shouli has a good eye! And great skills!"

"Exactly! Those legs, tsk tsk, I... cough, we've been waiting for..."

"Yes, yes, yes! Where are you selling it? Brother Shouli, please remember to let us know! We brothers can go and 'patronize' you, and support you!"

"Hehehe, to be honest, brother, I've been wanting to try what it feels like to have legs wrapped around your waist for a long time! Just thinking about it is so ecstatic!"

Filthy words, like filth churning in a cesspool, rained down on Meng Yulou.

Those filthy scoundrels who call themselves "relatives" have now torn away the last shred of cloth covering their shame, revealing their naked, filthy, and long-suppressed beastly hearts and lungs!
Meng Yulou felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a fishy smell rushed up, as if his internal organs had been twisted into a lump of mud by these filthy words!
She trembled violently, but had no strength left; only the bone-chilling cold and overwhelming malice pinned her to the cold brick floor.

Amidst a chorus of lewd laughter, Yang Shouli said with smug satisfaction:

"My darling! The opera is over. This ground is chilly; be careful not to freeze your delicate skin..." His lewd gaze swept over her body, as if assessing a piece of merchandise waiting to be sold, "...If your hands and feet freeze, you won't look good, and you won't be worth a high price!"

"Good girl, just go with your man."

He took a step forward, reeking of greasy sweat, his voice low but carrying a naked threat, "Don't force me to... have someone find a rope to tie your hands and feet, and then drag you out like a dead dog. Would that look good? Hmm?"

Meng Yulou's lips moved, but no sound came out.

In the last vestiges of clarity, only one thought remains:
I, Meng Yulou, would rather die than obey!

Meng Yulou, seemingly possessed by some unknown force, staggered and slowly struggled to his feet!

She stood very unsteadily, her body swaying like a candle flickering in the wind, about to go out.

His face was completely bloodless, as white as newly pasted window paper. His lower lip had been bitten open, and beads of bright red blood seeped out, hanging on his pale lips, adding to his eerie and ghostly appearance.

Her eyes were fixed, looking at no one but staring intently ahead, her gaze empty yet frighteningly stubborn. Step by step, she moved extremely slowly, yet with a reckless determination, heading straight for the door.

The description was more like that of a condemned prisoner being led to the execution ground, exuding a resigned calm that sent chills down one's spine.

"Hmph! Now that's a smart girl!" Yang Shouli thought she was finally scared and subdued, so he snorted coldly, rubbed his hands together, and followed behind her.

When the Yang family members saw this, they all breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the young widow was ultimately just a woman and her spine had softened. Their faces once again showed that lewd look of waiting to watch the show.

Unexpectedly, just as Meng Yulou's steps faltered as she brushed past the low table with a sewing basket on the side of the hall—a sudden change occurred!
Her hand, which had seemed weak and powerless just moments before, suddenly reached for the basket with ghostly speed!

In a flash, a pair of large, cold, heavy tailor's scissors, specifically designed for cutting thick fabric, was firmly gripped in her slender, delicate hands!
She twisted her body abruptly, pressing her back against the cold wall, and gripped the scissors upside down with both hands. Without the slightest hesitation, she pressed the chillingly sharp tip against her own delicate, pink throat!
"Oh dear—!" "What is this slut doing?!" "She's gone mad! This whore has gone mad!"

The hall erupted in chaos! The Yang family members, who had been so smug just moments before, were now like chickens with their necks being choked, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets in shock!

The smug, lewd smile on Yang Shouli's face instantly froze, turning ashen like frozen lard! He instinctively shrank back!
Uncle Yang was so shocked that his three strands of goatee stood up straight, and his cloudy old eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, filled with disbelief and panic from being caught off guard!

I never would have imagined this!
This young widow, who was just moments ago limp and delicate, letting herself be groped, actually harbored such fierce and ruthless strength in her very bones!
Meng Yulou's back was pressed firmly against the cold pink wall, but her hands holding the large scissors were as steady as if they were rooted to the spot! Her ten fingers were so hard that the knuckles turned a pale blue-white!
She stared intently at the jackals before her, who were now momentarily panicked. Her voice was hoarse yet resolute, each word seeming to be squeezed from the depths of her throat, mixed with blood and froth:
"I! Call off! the! engagement!"

"I'd rather be beaten to death by the yamen's rod than go with this beast! I, Meng Yulou, will not accept this marriage contract!"

The roar, like that of a dying beast, carried the tragic intensity of mutual destruction, shocking everyone in the room!

"He's completely lost his mind! He's completely lost his mind!"

"Good heavens! Quick! Put down that damn thing! Let's... let's talk this over!"

"You crazy woman! Why are you doing this! The disciplinary rod at the yamen gate, sixty strokes of it, and even an iron-clad Arhat would be turned into mincemeat! You... do you think you'll survive!"

Uncle Yang was so anxious that he stamped his feet, and his voice changed tone.

He wasn't afraid Meng Yulou would commit suicide; he was genuinely afraid that this little slut would die right there in the hall! If the infamy of driving a widow to her death and seizing her family's property were to spread, especially since it involved that distant relative of "Lord Yang," he would be in immense trouble!

More importantly, if someone dies, given Magistrate Li's reputation for "scraping the land"—how many coins would the Meng family's vast fortune possibly leave for their clansmen?
"That's right! Put it down! Is it worth risking your life for a moment of pride?" Someone chimed in, but their voice was weak, their throats were filled with fierceness, and they dared not move an inch.

Yang Shouli's face turned ashen with rage, a mixture of shock, fury, and the bitter resentment of having his prey slip away: "Meng Yulou! You wretched, despicable servant! Put her down right now!"

Meng Yulou treated it as if a foul breeze had just blown past her ear.

She gripped the large, chilling scissors tightly with both hands, her eyes fixed on the pack of jackals. Her feet seemed rooted to the spot, and she moved incredibly slowly, inch by inch, along the cold wall towards the door.

The entire Yang family in the hall was truly terrified by her reckless and desperate attitude!
No one dared to step forward and snatch it, fearing that if they pressed too hard, the scissors would immediately pierce that delicate throat!

The group of people could only hunch over, jostling and pushing each other, moving step by step around her, inch by inch, howling out a bunch of threatening and persuasive nonsense, just like a pack of hyenas circling their dying prey but not daring to bite!

"Let her go! Let her go to the yamen!" In the crowd, Uncle Yang, enraged and humiliated, his goatee twitching, growled in a low voice, "That shameless, shameless slut who won't shed a tear until she sees the coffin!"

"Do you really think that bone-sucking beating at the yamen gate is just a tickle? Let her take it! Look at her delicate flesh, how many blows can she withstand! After she's beaten into a pile of minced meat, let's see how tough she still is!"

"Fourth Uncle is absolutely right! Let her go! It's just as well to beat this harlot to death at the yamen! It will save our clean place from being tainted! Even if she dies, won't all the furniture, shops, gold, silver and valuables just fall into our pockets?!" Someone immediately chimed in, their voice revealing an impatient malice.

Meng Yulou ignored these venomous curses that were like scraping the bone and tearing out the heart.

All her energy and spirit were fixed on one thought: to annul the engagement!
Even if I die, I want to die on the way to annul the engagement!

Finally, she made her way inch by inch to the side gate leading to the backyard.

In the courtyard, the servants who had been serving had long been driven away by the Yang family members like wolves.

Only Lanxiang, a young maid who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing a faded blue vest and with her hair in two buns, was left, huddled alone in a corner, shivering.

This is the only devoted maid that Meng Yulou brought from her maternal home.

At this moment, Lanxiang was already so frightened that her face turned pale, tears streamed down her face like a broken string, and her body trembled like the last withered leaf in the autumn wind.

Seeing the gleaming scissors pressed tightly against his young mistress's throat, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart!
But being stared at by that group of fierce-looking Yang family members, she dared not go forward, much less cry out. She could only bite her lip tightly, suppressing her sobs, until her little face contorted in pain.

Just as Meng Yulou took a step and barely passed by Lanxiang, their figures crossed in a flash!
Meng Yulou's body seemed to stagger suddenly due to the intense pain or dizziness!
With utmost naturalness, as if she were holding onto something to steady herself, her elbow, which was holding the large scissors, touched Lanxiang's slender arm with utmost subtlety and speed!
At the same time, a faint, ghostly aura, carrying a deep despair and a last, almost imperceptible glimmer of hope, burrowed into Lanxiang's ears: "Please...Master Ximen Qing...the county government...save me!"

Lanxiang trembled violently! Through her teary eyes, she bit her lower lip so hard it felt like she was about to tear off a piece of flesh, forcing herself not to make a sound. With all her might, she managed to tilt her head down slightly! The movement was so light it was almost invisible!
Upon receiving this extremely subtle response, the resolute, deadly fire in Meng Yulou's eyes seemed to flicker very faintly before sinking into an even deeper icy abyss.

Without further hesitation, she gripped the deadly pair of scissors tightly with both hands, pressed it against her throat, and trudged step by step toward the gate leading to the county government office.

Behind her, Yang Shouli, Uncle Yang, and that large group of filthy members of the Yang clan, all with ashen faces and eyes so venomous they seemed to ooze poison, yet also concealing a barely suppressed panic, followed her closely, never missing a step.

They dared not push too hard, fearing that this fiery young widow might actually bleed five steps away; yet they absolutely dared not let her out of their sight, and were determined to personally "send" her "voluntarily" into the county government gate to "receive" the sixty lashes that would be enough to turn her fine body into mincemeat!

The cobblestone street leading to the county government office now seemed exceptionally long and filthy.

A stunningly beautiful woman, her hands gripping a gleaming pair of scissors tightly against her throat, was followed closely by a group of men with menacing expressions and menacing eyes. This bizarre and filthy group attracted the attention of passersby, who huddled against the wall, whispering and pointing, their faces filled with shock and suspicion, yet none dared to approach and ask what was going on.

The maid Lanxiang, watching her mistress's pitiful figure disappear around the street corner, immediately turned around like an arrow released from a bow and ran towards the direction of Master Ximen's mansion with all her might, running like the wind!

A fierce strength burst forth from her small body. She took off running, tears and snot streaming down her face, but she didn't care. Only one thought burned in her mind: Faster! Faster!
Miss's life hangs in the hands of Master Ximen! If she hesitates even a moment longer, she will be beaten to death by those damned thugs right outside the yamen!
She ran, her hair ornaments disheveled, her hair bun askew, panting and heartbroken, until she reached the imposing, tightly closed black-lacquered gates of the Ximen mansion.

Forget about decorum, he screamed in a voice hoarse with sobs and the stench of blood: "I beg to see Master Ximen! Help! Save my wife's life—!"

The two gatekeepers were taken aback, but before they could speak, the young woman called out again.

"Please, gentlemen! Please have mercy! I am Lanxiang, the personal maid of Lady Meng Yulou on Lion Street! My mistress... my mistress has met with a terrible calamity! Her life hangs in the balance! Please, sirs, have mercy and save my mistress!"

Lanxiang's knees slammed onto the cold, hard stone steps with a thud, and her forehead slammed down hard with a dull thud!
"Meng Yulou?" Another servant glanced sideways, seemingly remembering her. "Oh, that pretty widow who lost her husband? What does her misfortune have to do with our master? Go away! Stop wailing and inviting bad luck!"

Lanxiang was so anxious that she felt like her soul was leaving her body; she had no time to explain.

In a flash, Lanxiang suddenly raised her head and shouted with all her might, her voice hoarse:

"The master himself promised to promote my wife! If you dare to stop him and delay his good deed, and something happens to my wife, I'll skin you two dogs alive!"

These words were like a bolt from the blue! The two servants froze instantly, like wooden statues! They looked at each other, their beady eyes revealing surprise, uncertainty, and lingering fear!
Meng Yulou was a stunningly beautiful widow with a wealthy family, so it was perfectly normal for her to be taken a liking to her philandering husband!

Besides, this little vixen shouted so resolutely, even using words of "condescension"... What if she really is the master's darling, and they stop them from reporting it, ruining the master's "good deed"? What would the consequences be...?

One of the servants rolled his eyes, tugged at his companion's sleeve, and lowered his voice: "...Better safe than sorry? You're faster, why don't you make the trip? You'll have to deliver the message anyway."

Another servant swallowed hard: "You little slut! If you utter a single lie, you'll be in for a world of hurt! Just you wait!" With that, he turned and lifted the corner of his robe, running towards the inner courtyard as if his backside was on fire.

Lanxiang remained kneeling on the cold, icy stone steps, her heart pounding in her throat, making it hard to breathe. She trembled violently, desperately praying to all the gods and Buddhas: Please, Master Ximen, stay in the manor!
The main hall of the county government office was filled with a somber and gloomy atmosphere.

Meng Yulou was escorted here by the pack of jackals. Her face was as white as paper used to cover a window, her lips were bloodless, and she was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

Only when her feet touched the cold, hard bluestone floor of the government office did her heartstrings, which had been stretched to the limit and were about to break, seem to relax slightly.

"Clang-!"

The large pair of scissors, stained with her bright red blood, finally slipped from her limp hand and slammed heavily onto the cold floor tiles with a piercing, chilling sound!

After all, Meng Yulou was quite well-known in Qinghe County. He was never stingy with his money when dealing with these yamen runners and gatekeepers, and he was quite popular.

“Madam Meng! You…you…” A familiar constable gasped when he saw the congealed bloodstains on her neck and her deathly pale face.

Seeing this, Yang Shouli and Uncle Yang cursed "bastard" in their hearts, but they were also relieved—this crazy woman who didn't care about her life finally dropped the weapon!

They immediately rushed forward like flies drawn to blood, chattering and spitting as they "reported" the story, embellishing and twisting the truth, every word pointing to Meng Yulou's betrayal and unreasonable behavior.

Before long, the three shifts of yamen runners shouted in unison, "County Magistrate Li, ascend the throne!"

He sat upright beneath the bright mirror, his gloomy gaze sweeping over the emaciated and swaying Meng Yulou below, then glancing at the marriage certificate with its clear terms and conditions, the black and white characters on white paper, and the bright red fingerprints. His brows furrowed into a knot.

He naturally recognized Meng Yulou and knew that this woman was usually quite well-mannered and not the kind of shrewish and unruly person he expected. But the marriage certificate before him was irrefutable evidence, and the witness testimonies were irrefutable…

“Meng,” Magistrate Li’s voice carried the solemnity of official authority, “is there any falsehood in what the Yang clan has said? Did you personally sign this marriage certificate? Did you personally press this fingerprint on it?”

Meng Yulou said in a low voice, "Reporting to Your Honor... the marriage certificate... was indeed signed by this humble woman, and the fingerprint... was also pressed by this humble woman..."

The Yang family members immediately revealed a sinister smile of relief!

"...However!" Meng Yulou gasped, "This was a fraud orchestrated by Yang Shouli impersonating someone else and the entire Yang family! I was forced into signing this deed of selling myself into servitude, a contract that would leave me childless!"

County Magistrate Li slightly raised his eyelids: "Oh? Do you have any proof?"

Meng Yulou shook his head in despair; the movement was tiny, yet it carried immense weight.

Magistrate Li understood perfectly well that the widow had been set up and tricked.

He stroked his beard, his voice growing deeper: "Since there is no proof... I can only act according to the law and treat this as an annulment of the engagement."

He paused, his gaze carrying a subtle, complex emotion, before settling on Meng Yulou's pale face: "Meng, have you truly thought this through? A woman who breaks off a marriage proposal is punishable by sixty strokes of the cane, not a single stroke less! With your physique... I'm afraid you won't last ten strokes before collapsing! I'll ask you one more time, do you... truly intend to back out?"

Meng Yulou slowly closed her eyes, and two streams of cold, clear tears finally rolled down her lifeless cheeks. Her voice carried a calmness as if everything had settled, a calmness that sent chills down one's spine:
"This humble woman... understands everything clearly. I beg you, Your Honor... to carry out the execution."

The cruel and smug smiles on Yang Shouli and his fourth uncle's faces could no longer be concealed, like hyenas eyeing their dying prey. Good riddance! Thoroughly dead is the only clean break!

Magistrate Li sighed helplessly, as if he were merely handling a routine official matter, and reached out to grab the gavel:
"If that's the case... Guards, come here..."

“Wait a minute—!”

A powerful shout, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, carrying an undeniable domineering aura, suddenly roared from the entrance of the government office!

All the members of the Yang clan felt an invisible, malevolent aura pressing down on them!

In an instant, it shattered the deathly silence that had settled in the hall!
Everyone in the hall, from the county magistrate to the lowest-ranking official, along with the gloating Yang family members, all turned their heads sharply as if ducks had been choked!
Amidst the shifting light and shadow at the entrance of the yamen, the powerful Ximen official, clad in a black fox fur cloak lined with luxurious brocade and a jade belt around his waist, strode into the solemn hall with an air of authority, seemingly oblivious to everyone else!
Its imposing power was like a tiger descending the mountain and stepping into a dog's den!

That was truly a case of: Yama, the King of Hell, smashing open the Hall of the Underworld, and all the little devils and judges falling silent!

The Yang family members, who had been so arrogant just moments before, now wished they could shrink their heads into their chests. They all made way for each other, bowing their backs like shrimps, holding their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly, let alone try to establish a relationship or call out "Master!"

Everyone was filled with shock and disbelief: Why was this living devil of Qinghe County personally appearing in this small county government office? Could it be... could it be that this widow Meng Yulou and Master Ximen... have something going on?!
The Yang clan members in the hall were in an uproar, their hearts pounding like boiling oil! Countless eyes, like rats stealing fish, furtively darted back and forth between Ximen Qing and Meng Yulou, speculating about what kind of shady dealings were going on between this god of death and the widow!
The official Ximen had his usual suave smile on his face.

His gaze first swept over Meng Yulou, who was kneeling on the ground like a tattered silk puppet—at that moment, Meng Yulou suddenly raised her head, and in her withered and desperate eyes, a hope like that of a drowning person grasping at a piece of driftwood suddenly burst forth as she looked at him!
Hearing Ximen's "Wait a minute" was like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, or a ray of light suddenly shining through the deepest hell!

Her body went limp, and the last breath she had been holding on for "poof" dissipated, her kneecap already half-broken.

In their eye contact, he saw in his own pupils the imposing presence of the high-ranking official, exuding an indescribable aura of power! He was like a Vajra descending from a temple, or a Heavenly King lifting a pagoda from the clouds! The county magistrate, standing before him, hunched over, his hands clasped, looking like a lackey or servant!

Meng Yulou felt a sudden, intense sensation in his heart, like boiling oil being poured into a snowdrift, causing it to explode in a scalding heat!
That figure, that imposing presence, pierced through her blurred, tearful eyes, through her bottomless despair, and was imprinted squarely into the deepest recesses of her pupils!

It was more like a red-hot pair of iron pliers, which, with a "sizzle," forcefully wedged itself into her already frozen heart!

Her throat tightened, and she couldn't utter a single word. She pressed her beautiful face against the cold floor tiles and banged her head down again.

The official didn't even blink twice, but slowly turned his gaze to Magistrate Li, who was sitting upright in the hall.

How could Magistrate Li dare to be presumptuous? He quickly lifted the corner of his robe and stood up, his face plastered with an extremely polite smile.

This Ximen official is not someone that a mere seventh-rank county magistrate like him can easily control or even offend!

He holds the honorary title of Academician of the Imperial Academy, is related to Wang Zhaoxuan, a third-rank official, through marriage, and has close ties with Lin, the Imperial Censor of the Lianghuai Salt Circuit. Who knows when he might rise to prominence!
Magistrate Li cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "What brings you to the yamen, esteemed Master Ximen?"

The official returned the greeting with a flourish and got straight to the point: "To be honest, Your Excellency, I have come here precisely for this woman!"

He paused deliberately, and, meeting the knowing look in the county magistrate's eyes and the sudden surge of surprise and panic on the faces of the Yang family, slowly and methodically pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from his wide brocade robe.

With calm and graceful movements, he gently unfolded the paper—it was a perfectly formatted indenture with a bright red fingerprint clearly visible!
"This woman, Meng Yulou," the official said calmly, "has long been sold into servitude to my Ximen household! She is a maidservant in my Ximen Qing household who has signed a death contract! This contract of sale, with its black and white words and bright red fingerprints, is here. It is irrefutable evidence!"

His gaze shifted to Meng Yulou, with a condescending scrutiny, yet within that scrutiny lay a subtle, almost imperceptible, amusement, as if watching a play.

A meaningful smile curved his lips as he raised his voice and asked:
"Meng Yulou! Raise your head! Tell me yourself, is it true or not?! Did you willingly sign and bind yourself, selling yourself into the Ximen household as a maid?!"

These words were truly earth-shattering! They terrified everyone in the room!

Uncle Yang and the others felt as if an invisible giant hand had gripped their throats, their eyes bulging out as if they were about to pop out of their sockets!

The color drained from their faces, leaving only disbelief, horror, and a heart-wrenching, soul-crushing rage at being outmaneuvered!
Magistrate Li's fingers, stroking his beard, paused slightly before he understood—this Master Ximen, what a brilliant move to undermine the family's foundation! What ruthless methods! He had so easily intercepted this plan to exploit an innocent family!
In an instant, all eyes, like countless red-hot steel needles, were fixed on Meng Yulou's frail and swaying body!

She slowly and with great difficulty raised her head, as if bearing an immense burden.

Little did I expect that the price for saving me would be to become a maidservant in the Ximen household with a death contract!
On that deathly pale face, streaks of tears and glaring bloodstains were visible.

Now, it's time for her to make her final decision!

She refused last time
The air seemed to have solidified into lead, so heavy it was suffocating.

The lobby was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop!

Meng Yulou's chapped lips moved slightly, and his throat bobbed with difficulty.

Instead of answering Ximen Qing, she slowly swept her icy gaze, as cold as a poisoned dagger, over the group of Yang family members who looked as if struck by lightning. A chilling, yet unsatisfying, sneer curled at the corner of her lips, her voice hoarse yet each word like a knife:

"Ha... No matter how much you scheme and plot, how much you exploit... what can you do? My two shops, those chests full of gold, silver and valuables... you jackals, you won't get a single penny of them!"

These hurtful words were like a poisoned whip, lashing the Yang family members and shattering their hearts and minds! Before they could even recover from this curse-like rebuke...

As if using the last ounce of strength he had left, Meng Yulou abruptly turned to the county magistrate and shouted hoarsely:
"Yes—! Your Honor, you are wise! I am indeed a maid in the household of Master Ximen! This contract of servitude is absolutely true! I... signed it voluntarily! I willingly became a maid in the household of Master Ximen, and I will never betray you in this life!"

His words were like a death knell! The entire Yang clan, their faces ashen, were filled with utter despair!

Upon hearing this, the playful smile on Ximen's lips deepened. He stepped forward and addressed the magistrate loudly, "Your Excellency is extremely discerning! However..."

He abruptly changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Meng Yulou, who was kneeling on the ground, with a deliberate hint of contempt. His voice suddenly turned cold:
"I, this unruly servant girl! How dare I betray my mistress and elope, signing a marriage contract without permission, attempting to marry someone! I must have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard! This is outrageous!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced the hearts of the Yang family—the marriage they had painstakingly planned was described by Ximen Qing as a maid's "betrayal and elopement"!
“Your Excellency,” Ximen Qing turned to Magistrate Li, his tone regaining its unquestionable authority:
"Such a treacherous and ungrateful servant should be severely punished according to the law! However... she is ultimately a servant of the Ximen household who has signed a death contract, and her life and death are entirely at the disposal of my household. Today, I will take her back to the manor and properly 'serve' and discipline her!"

Magistrate Li was as shrewd as he was; he had already seen through everything.

This Mr. Ximen didn't come here to seek "justice" at all; he clearly had his eye on the widow's body and her property, and wanted to take advantage of the situation to completely crush the Yang family's delusions!
Since the widow is willing, I'll just go along with it.

He stroked his beard thoughtfully, his face displaying just the right amount of "difficulty" and "the seriousness of acting in accordance with the law":

"Hmm... What you say makes sense, sir. Since Meng Yulou is a servant of your household who betrayed her master and married out of wedlock, she should indeed be severely punished by the Ximen family according to the law. However, the country has its laws, and this punishment of caning cannot be abolished!"

He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over the pale-faced members of the Yang family, then turning to Ximen Qing, his tone subtly shifting:
"However... considering that she has confessed her crime and accepted punishment, and that the Yang family's involvement in this marriage is... well, quite complicated... I will make a compromise: this maid's crime of betraying her master will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane as a warning to others! This is stipulated by law and cannot be completely exempted."

At this point in his speech, his tone suddenly became extremely "considerate," and he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Ximen Qing:
"However! Your Excellency is a distinguished scholar, of noble status, and your reputation is of utmost importance. If any servants in your household commit offenses, they will be subject to the family rules."

"These thirty strokes of the cane... let's make a note of them. Your Excellency can take this maid back to your residence and discipline her strictly according to family rules. Once her injuries have healed somewhat, she can come back another day to receive the thirty strokes of the cane! In this way, it will not violate the law of the land, and it will also preserve the dignity of the scholar of Xianmo Pavilion. What does Ximen Xianmo think?"

These words were perfectly worded, giving Ximen Qing a great deal of face while maintaining the superficial dignity of the law with the empty promise of "choosing a date for execution," and handing Ximen Qing the indefinite pretext of "the injury has slightly healed."

The family discipline had not yet been fully enforced—those thirty strokes of the cane would naturally never need to be done again.

Ximen Qing understood immediately, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He then gracefully cupped his hands in greeting to Magistrate Li.

"Your Excellency is wise in your judgment! This decision upholds the authority of the law while also considering human sentiment; it is truly a win-win situation! Ximen Qing thanks Your Excellency for your magnanimity!"

He spoke of the four words "the virtue of thoroughness" with profound meaning. A catastrophic disaster that could have killed Meng Yulou was effortlessly and effortlessly resolved between these two important figures through a few words and tacit understanding.

Only the Yang clan members below the hall, their faces ashen and their hearts heavy with despair, watched helplessly as the "fat meat" they had painstakingly plotted to seize was snatched away in one gulp by Ximen Qing, this fierce tiger!
Seeing his prize about to slip away, Uncle Yang, his eyes bloodshot with desperation, like a gambler who had lost all his money, suddenly leaped out from the crowd, knelt down on the bluestone slab in front of the hall with a thud, and howled at the top of his lungs:

"Your Honor! I'm innocent! This vile woman, Meng, was already betrothed to my own nephew, Yang Shouli! The marriage certificate is here, with all the necessary witnesses and intermediaries! She was born a member of the Yang family, and she will die a member of the Yang family! That indenture from the Ximen family must have been forged by this wretched woman when she was desperate! I beg Your Honor to see the truth!"

As he howled, he stiffened his neck as if grasping at the last straw, his voice suddenly rising in pitch, carrying a hint of desperate ruthlessness:

"Furthermore! My nephew Shouli is a distant cousin of Yang Jian, the current Commissioner of State Affairs!"

The five characters “Xuanzheng Envoy Yang Jian” struck Li Xianzun’s head like a thunderbolt!
Magistrate Li was so shocked that he sprang halfway up his armchair, his face turning deathly pale! How could a lowly seventh-rank official like him possibly afford to offend such a powerful figure?!

Yang Jian was the emperor's most trusted eunuch, responsible for taking care of all the rare flowers, stones, birds, and beasts in the world!
Even a grain of sand leaking between his fingers could crush this lowly county magistrate! Not to mention Yang Jian's notorious reputation for ruthlessness...

County Magistrate Li felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

He subconsciously turned his head and looked at Master Ximen with a bewildered and uneasy expression, his eyes filled with fear of "What should we do?"

When Ximen Qing first heard the name "Yang Jian", he was also startled!
This eunuch wielded immense power and was indeed a tough nut to crack.

His eyes flashed like knives as he swept them across the crowd at Yang Shouli, who had been pushed forward by Uncle Yang and was trying to straighten his chest.

Yang Shouli, though arrogant in appearance, had eyes like a frightened mouse, looking timid and hesitant. He exuded the cowardice of a commoner pretending to be a big shot, and had no trace of the domineering confidence of a high-born playboy.
The high-ranking official immediately understood, a cold, mocking smile curling at the corner of his lips. Far from being afraid, he stepped forward and loudly questioned Yang Shouli:

"Oh? So this gentleman is Lord Yang Jian's nephew? My apologies for my rudeness!"

He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over Yang Shouli's face like a steel knife scraping bone. "It's quite a coincidence," he said. "A few days ago, the Emperor bestowed upon me the honorary title of Academician of the Imperial Academy. Eunuch Yang Jian... hehe, he was serving in front of the Emperor and exchanged a few pleasantries with me. He was very friendly."

"I wonder which branch of Eunuch Yang's family this young man is related to? What is his name? When I see Eunuch Yang tomorrow, I must pay my respects to him on his behalf, and perhaps we can establish some kinship and renew our 'family ties'!"

These words struck Yang Shouli like a bolt from the blue!

Where had he ever seen any Yang Jian? He was just a destitute man from who-knows-how-many generations ago, someone who was just using the surname Yang to swindle and cheat people in the village!
Now that Ximen Qing, this wicked star who has actually seen Yang Jian, has exposed him to his face, and he still wants to "pay his respects and claim kinship," isn't that just asking for trouble?!

Yang Shouli was terrified, his heart pounding with fear! His feigned arrogance crumbled instantly, his face turning from red to white, then from white to green, and finally ashen and lifeless as a corpse!
He began to tremble violently, like a mangy dog ​​whose tendons had been pulled out, frantically waving his hands and shaking his head, his voice distorted, screaming with a sob:
"No! No way! Your Honor! I... I don't know any Eunuch Yang at all! It's all... it's all Uncle Yang's nonsense! He... he forced me to impersonate him in order to seize Widow Meng's wealth! I'm innocent!"

That shout was like the last straw that broke the camel's back!
"You cunning, treacherous, and audacious Yang Si!" Magistrate Li's initial fear instantly transformed into boundless rage!

He felt like he was being made a fool of, especially in front of Master Ximen!
If word got out, would he still be able to keep his official position?! He was so angry that his beard trembled, and he grabbed the gavel and slammed it down on the desk with all his might!

"Snapped--!"

A loud bang shook the entire hall!

"What a bunch of ignorant fools who dare to falsely accuse their superiors and disrupt the court! They even dare to impersonate Eunuch Yang's relatives and deceive this official! They truly deserve to die! Guards!"

County Magistrate Li, his hair bristling and beard bristling, pointed at Uncle Yang, who was ashen-faced and slumped on the ground, and a group of Yang clan members, and roared hoarsely:
"Throw these lawless scoundrels of the Yang family out! Give them twenty strokes of the cane! Display them in the yamen for three days as a warning to others! Anyone who dares to shout in court or falsely accuse superiors again will be beaten without mercy! Court adjourned—!"

The Yang clansmen were so frightened that their three souls left their bodies and their seven spirits ascended to heaven!
How many people would dare to pat their chests and say they could withstand twenty strokes of the cane, let alone be paraded in the yamen for three days in the dead of winter! How could they possibly survive?
"Please spare my life, Your Honor!"

Uncle Yang was the first to be hit. The fierce spirit he had shown earlier, which had been used to intimidate others, had been completely drained. Now he looked like a mangy dog ​​with its neck being stepped on. He crawled forward two steps on his hands and feet, his forehead hitting the cold bluestone slab with a "thump, thump, thump," leaving a bloody stain in the blink of an eye.

His howl was like a dam bursting, causing an uproar among the Yang family members behind him—men and women, young and old! Their faces, which had been like wolves eager to get a share of the spoils, now turned into the fear of stray dogs.

"Master, spare my life! It's not my fault!" A skinny young man, terrified, had his crotch soaked with sweat and a foul stench filled the air. He collapsed to the ground, only able to kowtow repeatedly.

"It was all Yang Si's doing! He forced us to come!"

"Your Honor, please understand! We were just following along to watch the fun! We didn't know anything!"

The wails, pleas for mercy, cries, and mutual accusations and curses mingled together, like a boiling swill vat, stinking and turning the solemn county government hall into a livestock pen in front of a slaughterhouse!

But Meng Yulou, kneeling in the eye of the storm, was like a cold stone statue.

She remained kneeling on the ground, her wounds covered in dust, but amidst the chaotic wails, her back slowly and laboriously straightened up little by little!
She slowly raised her head.

Tears streamed down her deathly pale face, and her lower lip was bitten until it bled. But those eyes! Those eyes that had once been filled with despair, like stagnant water, now seemed to hold an almost manic pleasure!
She stared intently at the group of Yang clansmen who were rolling on the ground, crying and making a complete spectacle of themselves.

And then there was Yang Shouli—he was already limp as mud, his face was ashen, his crotch was a mess, his eyes were unfocused, and he was only unconsciously muttering, "Don't hit me...don't hit me...", he was a complete mess!
Watching these wolves, who had schemed to drain her of her life force and drive her to the brink of despair, now writhe and howl like maggots in the dust...

A surge of hot, bloody pleasure suddenly exploded from the deepest part of Meng Yulou's heart!

She suddenly opened her mouth and sneered incessantly, wanting to shout insults, but she only spat out two words in a nonchalant manner:

"retribution-!!"

Tears streamed down her fair and beautiful face, splashing onto the cold ground.

(End of this chapter)