Zhang Gu was jostled back and forth, nearly dropping the bundle he carried.
“Chief, what important person is passing by?” a curious newcomer asked, standing on tiptoes to look ahead. “Is it the Imperial Uncle? Back in my village, I heard that when Imperial Uncles pass through the streets, flowers are laid on their path—”
Zhang Gu spat: “If you don’t want to return to the countryside, keep your mouth shut. This is the capital. Watch your reckless talk if you value your dog’s life. What nonsense—Imperial Uncles—”
The newcomer stuck out his tongue. He had made his way with great effort from the countryside post station to the capital. Though it was still hard work, perhaps even less comfortable than in the countryside, being young, he preferred adventure and was reluctant to go back—
Unable to push forward anymore, he was squeezed to the back of the crowd. However, he could still hear many discussions.
“It’s a young master from the Xie family.”
“The Dongyang Xie family, the Crown Princess’s Xie family.”
The newcomer was delighted. The Xie family—the Xie family was Imperial Uncles too! There were indeed many Imperial Uncles nowadays. And Officer Zhang had accused him of talking nonsense.
“Is it Third Young Master Xie?”
“Of course not. It’s Third Young Master Xie’s brother. He’s caused great trouble—many people have died.”
Hearing this, the newcomer was startled again. Forgetting about seeing the Imperial Uncles, he squeezed in front of these people to listen intently.
“A young master of the Xie family was escorting goods from their shop when they passed through Han Prefecture. He caused a great fire while drinking, burning down an entire village. Everyone in the village, people and dogs alike, perished.”
“Heavens! This—this is murder!”
“So what if it’s murder? Would a young master of the Xie family have to pay with his life?”
The newcomer listened with a racing heart. But it was just as the rumors in the countryside said—Imperial Uncles could kill and set fires without consequences. He couldn’t help but push forward, wanting to see what an Imperial Uncle who could kill and set fires without punishment looked like—
Zhang Gu couldn’t hold him back and stomped his foot in anger: “You little rascal! You’re from the countryside, yet you’re as disobedient as A-Jiu.”
To prevent this ignorant and fearless country boy from causing trouble, he had no choice but to follow.
A wave of agitation rippled through the crowd.
“He’s coming! He’s coming!”
The newcomer had squeezed to the very front and could see without standing on tiptoes. A procession was approaching. There was no magnificent carriage as he had imagined, but a group of people on foot, with a young man walking at the front.
The young man held his chin high, his expression arrogant and disdainful. He wore no magnificent clothing but was bare-chested, with rattan bindings around his body.
What was happening?
“Xie’s son, Xie Yanlai—”
Behind the young man, a middle-aged man announced loudly.
“Improper conduct, moral deficiency, causing loss of life!”
He raised the whip in his hand and lashed out. With a crack, accompanied by gasps from the surrounding crowd, it fell on the young man’s bare back.
The whip struck the thorny bindings, making them dig into his skin. Blood immediately seeped out, glistening like dewdrops in the sunlight.
The newcomer clutched his chest, too tense to breathe.
So even Imperial Uncles could be whipped!
…
…
“That’s Xie Yanlai.”
In a street-side tavern, a group of young men stood by the window, led by Liang Qiang. Holding a wine cup, he looked down at the lash marks on the young man’s back, his expression both satisfied and resentful.
“He’s the one who said my sister was ugly and unworthy of him.”
The young men around him looked down at the street. Though they could barely make out the young man’s features from a distance, they thought—what he said wasn’t wrong.
Liang Qiang frowned and sneered: “Even if what he said wasn’t wrong, what kind of gentleman humiliates a woman’s appearance?”
A companion beside him nodded: “Exactly, he’s certainly no gentleman. Look at what he’s done.”
“After he humiliated Miss Liang, Third Young Master Xie was very angry and punished him by sending him away from the capital to escort goods. And what happened?” Another companion sneered. “This time he’s not just humiliating people; he’s taking lives.”
Liang Qiang’s servant quickly said loudly: “He burned dozens of people to death. The dozen or so survivors were burned beyond recognition. An entire village was destroyed. Not only did he not help the people, but he also tried to sue the village for compensation for the goods.”
How terrible.
What a heartless beast.
Inhuman!
“How could Han Prefecture let him go! He should have been beaten to death on the spot!” the young gentlemen all declared.
“He was indeed almost beaten to death,” the servant said animatedly. “But fortunately, the local noble family’s Young Master Wei intervened. Young Master Wei spent a lot of money to bury the dead and treat the injured, which allowed Xie Yanlai to leave Han Prefecture smoothly.”
The Wei family of Han Prefecture—the young gentlemen all nodded: “Long heard of their reputation.” “That’s the bearing of a true noble young master.”
Liang Qiang sneered: “But they also fear the Xie family, playing the good guy.”
This was too harsh. Others smiled and said, “Don’t say that. Young Master Wei had no choice.” “After all, Xie Yanlai is a member of the Xie family. If something happened to him in Han Prefecture, it wouldn’t look good.” “Isn’t it better to hand him over to the Xie family for punishment?”
Of course, Liang Qiang wasn’t truly resentful toward the Wei family—he wasn’t insane. He didn’t even blame Third Young Master Xie.
“Third Young Master Xie is still a worthy scion of a noble family,” he said. “He knows what should be done!”
With that, he threw his wine cup onto the street below and shouted.
“Well struck!”
The cup fell to the street and shattered with a crash.
The middle-aged man behind Xie Yanlai raised his whip again and lashed it fiercely across Xie Yanlai’s back.
“Xie’s son, Xie Yanlai, improper conduct, moral deficiency, causing loss of life!”
This lash made the bare-chested, thorn-bound young man stagger, but he quickly steadied himself. Stepping on the shattered teacup on the road, he strode forward, leaving drops of blood behind.
At the same time, the people on the street began to shout, their voices growing louder and louder.
“Well struck!”
“Well struck!”
…
…
The clamorous shouts rose from the street like a whirlwind, swirling around the windows of the roadside buildings.
At this moment, the girls weren’t paying attention to the scene outside, but were listening to the maids’ account.
“That’s right. Young Master Wei from Han Prefecture appeased the villagers, which allowed this Xie—Xie whatever—to leave safely.”
Young Master Wei from Han Prefecture couldn’t compare to Third Young Master Xie, and the young ladies didn’t care about him. They only asked about Third Young Master Xie: “What will Third Young Master Xie do?” “Won’t Third Young Master Xie be implicated?” “Third Young Master Xie must be anxious!”
The maids naturally knew whom the young ladies cared about and had found out everything.
“Don’t worry, young ladies,” they said. “Third Young Master Xie has done no less than Young Master Wei.”
Third Young Master Xie learned of this incident as quickly as possible and immediately sent a lot of money to the villagers, entrusting Young Master Wei to buy new homes for the surviving villagers.
With the understanding of the surviving villagers and Young Master Wei’s thorough handling, this matter would disappear within Han Prefecture, not spread outside, and the Xie family’s reputation would not be affected at all.
But—
“Third Young Master Xie didn’t do that. He said that with so many lives lost, it couldn’t be ignored. He had the man bound and brought back, paraded through the streets as both self-punishment and a warning to other Xie family members.”
Hearing this, the girls were full of sympathy: “Third Young Master Xie is truly strict with himself.” “Ah, how distressing for him!” “There was no need. He’s already done more than enough.”
Qi Leyun turned to look at Chu Zhao, who had been silent throughout.
“Chu Zhao, what do you think?” she asked.
Everyone now wanted to hear her opinion, and all the girls looked her way.
Chu Zhao thought for a moment and said: “This is indeed what Third Young Master Xie would do.”
In that life, the Xie family could rally supporters with a single call, all due to accumulated prestige. When a Xie family member did evil, Third Young Master Xie didn’t cover it up. It seemed to bring shame to the Xie family, but it also earned them a good reputation.
Qi Leyun was displeased: “Who asked you about that? You don’t care about Third Young Master Xie at all!”
Chu Zhao immediately pressed her hand to her heart: “I do care! I care very much. I wish I could see him in person to express my concern.”
The girls burst into laughter: “Who doesn’t want that!”
“But no matter how good Third Young Master Xie is, if his relatives aren’t good, it’s unfortunate,” one girl sighed, turning to look down at the window. “What this Xie Yanlai did was truly against heaven and reason.”
“This Xie Yanlai!” Another girl finally thought of someone other than Third Young Master Xie. “He’s the one who said Liang Qin was ugly and unworthy of him.”
The girls were even more surprised: “It’s him?” “So it’s him!” “That’s right, I heard about it too. It was he, which is why Third Young Master Xie punished him by sending him out to work, not letting him enjoy himself at home.” “Who would have thought that this person harmed people at home and harmed even more people when he went out!”
“He’s truly despicable,” Qi Leyun said with hatred.
Chu Zhao nodded. Someone who did such things was indeed despicable.
The Xie family members were indeed not good people. After the rebellion in that life, they were all like wolves and tigers.
Even now, the gentle and modest Third Young Master Xie had become Yan the Wolf.
Unlike these girls, she had seen another side of the Xie family, so she wasn’t particularly moved.
The commotion on the street below grew louder as the Xie family member being paraded and punished approached this area.
“Well struck!”
“Beat him!”
The shouts of the crowd grew one after another. The girls by the window looked out again, with several of them joining in the shouting: Beat him!
Vent the anger for Third Young Master Xie!
Chu Zhao also looked out and saw the approaching man—the street was crowded, but where he walked, people created distance as if avoiding a plague.
He stood out like a solitary island in a river.
He was bare-chested, his shoulders and back covered in blood. Besides the clamor, vegetables were being thrown from the side of the street—
He neither avoided nor resisted the whipping from behind, but when these vegetables were thrown, he dodged and looked up.
Just one glance, and the person was frightened and dared not move again.
The young man’s face was expressionless, but his eyes were fierce, like a predatory beast. Although he wasn’t looking at him, the newcomer was still frightened and stepped back, almost colliding with someone and falling, but Zhang Gu caught him just in time.
“Don’t move around,” Zhang Gu scolded.
The newcomer murmured: “This person is so fierce.”
Having done evil and being punished, yet still so fierce, without the slightest shame or remorse.
“Of course he’s fierce, this kind of person—” Zhang Gu was saying from behind, but the next moment his words ceased, as if suddenly suffocated.
What happened? The newcomer turned back and saw Zhang Gu looking past him, staring blankly at the passing young man, his expression fearful and incredulous, as if seeing a ghost—
“A-Jiu—” he murmured.
…
…
By the window, Chu Zhao suddenly gripped the railing tightly, looking at the young man on the street in disbelief.
He shook off the vegetables and fiercely drove back the onlookers, then raised his head to look at the people around him and upward.
Above there were countless jeers and countless gazes.
When they saw his face, the gazes and jeers froze for a moment. From their high vantage point, they couldn’t see the young man’s features before.
So this young man was so handsome.
His face was like jade or snow, his phoenix eyes like stars. Now, bare-chested, with thorny bindings and fresh blood reflecting light, his whole person glowed with a strange beauty.
Men and women, young and old, all wore dazed expressions—surprised, regretful, contemptuous—
What a waste of such a fine appearance.
Xie Yanlai also saw the people watching from the high buildings along the street, saw their expressions, not much different from those on the street.
However, one among them stood out particularly.
That girl’s eyes were wide open, as if seeing a ghost—
He saw her lips murmur a word.
A-Jiu.