A flicker of bewilderment crossed Ruan Jiaojiao’s expression.
Pei Huaiyu brushed off his sleeve with an air of disgust, as if merely offended that Ruan Jiaojiao had brushed against him. His servants, seeing this, hurriedly brought out a jade chair to serve him.
He sat looking down at her, while Ruan Jiaojiao remained in a state of utter humility. Yet, every word she spoke was the truth; the treatment she received from Chunxing grew more excessive each time. Next time, it would surely cost her her life.
"Besides, it was Chunxing who provoked me at every turn. Lord Chancellor, you are such a high-ranking official, surely you must be a man of reason. She tripped me on purpose just now. Had I not been careful, I would have fallen onto that sharp rock just as she intended, and I would surely be a mangled mess of flesh and blood by now—"
Her words were cut short. "Ruan Jiaojiao, do you really think I have the patience to listen to your nonsense?"
*Bang!*
A hulking man behind her kicked Ruan Jiaojiao’s knee with great force. She let out a cry of pain and collapsed to the ground, the agony so intense she could barely straighten her legs. She found herself nearly prone on the floor.
Nanny Hu and Chunxing watched the spectacle like it was a show, their faces full of the triumphant sneers of petty people who had gotten their way.
Nanny Hu added, "My Lord, Chunxing has been sweet-natured since she was a child. Everyone in the household says she is a clever girl. How could she possibly be the one to provoke Ruan Jiaojiao? It must be that Ruan Jiaojiao is full of lies, trying to frame Chunxing!"
Pei Huaiyu raised his eyes. "According to your words, how should she be punished?"
Nanny Hu gritted her teeth viciously. "According to the household rules, those who attempt murder should be beaten to death on the spot!"
Pei Huaiyu took a cup of tea from a servant and gently brushed away the floating leaves, his pitch-black eyes bottomless. No one knew what he was thinking.
"Ruan Jiaojiao, do you acknowledge your wrong?"
"I do not," Ruan Jiaojiao said, straightening her back. Her gaze was unflinching, even as she knelt there in such a wretched state.
Pei Huaiyu had no desire to hear her explanation. Ruan Jiaojiao knew that no matter how much she said, it would be useless. The scene was filled with noise.
Pei Huaiyu narrowed his eyes slightly. He suddenly reached out and clamped his hand around her chin, his fingers icy and his grip alarmingly strong. He spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: "You don't actually think you can leave this place just by acting like this, do you? What kind of thing do you take yourself for?"
"I said I did nothing wrong, and I meant it," Ruan Jiaojiao replied. Even though she was so weak that she nearly coughed up blood after just a few words, seeing Pei Huaiyu’s increasingly cold face only stoked her stubbornness. "Pei Huaiyu, if you have the ability, then beat me to death. That would be perfect. A life for a life, and we would have nothing left to entangle us."
The more determined Ruan Jiaojiao’s voice became, the more the nameless fire in Pei Huaiyu’s heart raged.
"Fine. I want to see just how tough you really are. Every wrong has a cause, every debt has a debtor. You kneel to whoever you need to."
Pei Huaiyu pointed at Chunxing, who was kneeling nearby. "You, whatever your name is, stand up and go stand in front of her. Ruan Jiaojiao, you stay there and kneel properly for me!"
Ruan Jiaojiao refused. The man pressing down on her shoulders increased his force, forcefully pushing her head toward the ground. Mud clung to her hair, making her look utterly disheveled.
Seeing this, Chunxing was overjoyed. "My Lord, my Lord, why would you trouble yourself to stand up for such a small matter for this servant?"
Ruan Jiaojiao let out a mocking laugh. Changing her attitude, she used all her remaining strength to push away the two large hands behind her. "It’s just kneeling, isn't it? I know how to kneel; there is no need for you to force me."
Her knees burned with pain, but it was nothing compared to the bitterness in her heart.
One kowtow, two, three. Each one was a formal act of obeisance. Her legs were already numb, but she refused to let up. Her forehead was nearly bleeding. Sweat blurred her vision, yet Ruan Jiaojiao kept her eyes wide and stubborn, staring fixedly ahead.
"Punishment is due. Twenty lashes, and not a single one less. Nanny Hu, teach her what it means to be a servant."
As soon as these words were spoken, the servants present drew a sharp intake of breath. Though it was technically better than being beaten to death, twenty lashes were enough to break a grown man; how could a girl like Ruan Jiaojiao survive them? There was a story of a palace maid who had been beaten to death for a mere affair after receiving twenty lashes. Given Ruan Jiaojiao’s frail frame, it was doubtful she could survive the ordeal.
Even the servants understood this, yet the man who issued the order spoke with a voice that didn't waver—low, steady, and calm, as if he were discussing something completely unrelated to her.
Ruan Jiaojiao raised her head with difficulty. Her attempts to prove her innocence felt so futile, yet the man’s humiliation hurt more than the physical pain, leaving her with nowhere to turn.
Pei Huaiyu leaned down slightly, purely to humiliate her. "I won't let you die, but I will make your life worse than death. Ruan Jiaojiao, you will just have to endure it for me. All the pain you feel now is nothing compared to your cruelty back then."
Having said his piece, Pei Huaiyu walked away without looking back, showing no sign of softening.
She watched him quietly...
That man really did just walk away. Did he enjoy humiliating her that much?
*Smack!*
The bamboo rod came down with a whistling sound, landing heavily on Ruan Jiaojiao’s hips. Her body shuddered violently, but she bit her lower lip and didn't make a sound.
Nanny Hu sat comfortably in her chair, while Chunxing, who looked as pleased as if she had won a battle, crouched down to pound the nanny's legs. The mother and daughter laughed happily. "I told you, didn't I? Lord Pei has feelings for you; he can't bear to see you get bullied."
Chunxing looked bashful. "I know, Mother."
Nanny Hu looked at the silent Ruan Jiaojiao, spat a melon seed shell toward her in disgust, and barked at the servant wielding the rod, "Harder! Didn't you eat today?!"
The blows became even heavier. One, two, three...
The bamboo rod fell again and again, leaving a red, swollen mark with every strike. Her clothes split open, blood beginning to seep through. How could mortal flesh withstand such abuse?
Ruan Jiaojiao soon fainted from the pain. When she woke up, it was already dark. She quickly realized she had been locked in a dilapidated woodshed. When she tried to move, the pain made her break into a cold sweat.
"How pathetic. After the beating, they just left me here to rot."
A wave of pain, more intense than any human should have to bear, washed over her back. She didn't need to look to know how gruesome it was. A gust of cold wind blew through, and Ruan Jiaojiao realized the roof of the shed was leaking. As the wind howled, debris from the roof nearly added new injuries to her old ones.
She had been in this world for twenty years. Her relatives were either dead or gone. The only ones she had cared for were Pei Huaiyu and their child, An'an. Now, it seemed everything was fine, and there was nothing left for her to cling to in life. Yet, as the twenty lashes fell, there was a moment when she truly felt she couldn't go on.
*Whoosh—*
The north wind howled through the broken shed in such a lonely way. Forget medicine for her wounds—there wasn't even a drop of clean water. She was accompanied only by a few mice scurrying past.
The pain was so great she could only talk to herself, mocking her own situation. "I actually thought this would be like a storybook, where Pei Huaiyu would secretly order them to go easy on me, to make it look like a punishment but leave me unharmed..."
But in truth, his shadow hadn't appeared from beginning to end. And why would it? Pei Huaiyu hated her so much; why would he show up?
Let him hate her. It didn't matter.
But why... why did her heart hurt so much?
As the back of her hand brushed her cheek, she felt a dampness. Tears had silently fallen before she even realized it. Her grief took root and sprouted, crying out in the silence.