Jiang Xingyan hired someone to haphazardly wrap Jinzhu’s corpse in a straw mat, bought a flatbed cart, and had it pulled back to the General’s estate.
The servant at the gate took one glance and was so frightened he fell right on his backside. He collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.
“Carry it to the main courtyard.”
Though the servants were afraid of the corpse, they were even more terrified of the General.
After all, the General could turn them into corpses too.
Gritting their teeth, the two servants lifted the straw mat. Shaking with every step, they followed Jiang Xingyan into the main courtyard.
Old Madame Huo didn’t know why “Huo Ci” had returned and hurried out to meet him. Her eyes immediately fell on the disheveled hair poking out from the straw mat.
The servant carrying the feet, seeing Old Madame Huo’s face turn deathly pale, grew even more terrified. He lost his footing, his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees with a thud. The servant carrying the head, losing the support, stumbled to the side. Forgetting to let go, they pulled in opposite directions, tearing the straw mat open. A human head rolled out first, thumping onto the ground.
“Mother of heaven!”
One servant sat on the ground, scrambling backward frantically with his hands and feet.
The other was petrified with fear; a foul smell rose from between his legs as he completely lost control of his bladder.
Old Madame Huo quickly turned her face away, but it was too late.
The image of Jinzhu’s face, obscured by messy hair, seemingly dead with everlasting grievance was already deeply etched into her mind, becoming one of the nightmares that would haunt her midnight dreams.
“Ci’er, what is the meaning of this?” Old Madame Huo asked, her lips trembling. She clutched her dragon-headed cane tightly, relying heavily on Yuzhu’s support to remain standing.
Jiang Xingyan looked as if it were the most natural thing in the world: “Jinzhu was Mother’s trusted matron. She was also an old servant selected by Grandfather from the house-born servants after you married Father. Naturally, she should be brought back for you to handle.”
Riiip.
The straw mat tore wider, finally splitting into two pieces completely.
Jinzhu’s torso rolled out, along with the severed arm, displayed blatantly before Old Madame Huo’s eyes.
She raised a hand to her forehead, feigning a faint.
But then her son’s icy voice reached her ears: “Your son believes a house-born servant who attempted to kill her master deserves severe punishment. How about we chop her up and feed her to the dogs? What does Mother think?”
“No! Please, Old Madame, Young General, absolutely not!” Yinzhu’s urgent voice came from afar. Clutching the shoulder Jiang Xingyan had kicked broken, she rushed over, all etiquette and decorum forgotten.
Thump.
She heavily knelt on the blue brick steps below and began kowtowing frantically.
“Old Madame, my sister and I have served you our entire lives. If we have no merit, at least we have toil. I ask for nothing else, only that my sister can be buried in peace.”
Jiang Xingyan didn’t speak, just watched Old Madame Huo coldly.
Sensing her son’s scrutinizing gaze, Old Madame Huo swallowed her pleas for mercy. She wasn’t unaware of the rumors outside. As long as Ci’er believed she had nothing to do with this, she feared nothing.
“How dare you! You know you are a servant, yet you dare pressure your master?” Old Madame Huo snapped, growing anxious.
Jinzhu was already dead. What did it matter if she had a whole corpse or not?
Once Ci’er had vented his anger, she could just compensate her family generously with silver, right?
Yinzhu was being foolish, unable to see this clearly!
How could Yinzhu not know the Old Madame’s plan?
But in their hometown, the utmost importance was placed on keeping the body whole after death and being buried peacefully. Only then could one be reborn into a good life in the next incarnation. Otherwise, they would be reborn into the animal realm, doomed for generations to be dismembered.
Even though her sister was decapitated and had her arm cut off by the General, she had recently learned of a coroner who secretly took on work stitching bodies back together. As long as her sister was sewn back exactly as she was, it would still count.
Yinzhu wouldn’t listen to reason, only kowtowed: “I beg for your mercy, Old Madame! I beg for your grace, Young General! This old slave wants nothing else, only my sister’s body! Old Madame, didn’t Sister please you the most before? Everything you arranged, she did very well—”
Old Madame Huo panicked, rushed forward, and slapped Yinzhu, gritting her teeth to make her shut up.
Some things weighed little off the scales.
But on the scales, they could weigh thousands of pounds.
“Enough!
We will do as Ci’er says.
My General’s estate has produced such a wicked servant; we must punish her severely to serve as a warning to others!”
“No! Don’t!” Yinzhu lunged forward, trying to cling to the Old Madame’s legs, but Yuzhu kicked her away.
“Yinzhu, have you gone mad? How dare you assault the Old Madame?!
Someone, gag Yinzhu and take her to the backyard for disciplinary punishment!”
The servants ran faster than ever.
Dragging away a living person was far better than carrying a dead one.
Yinzhu was gagged and dragged to the backyard.
Watching that struggling figure being hauled away, a sense of familiarity washed over Jiang Xingyan.
Wasn’t that her, every time after she resisted, being dragged away just like that?
Now the tables had turned.
It was time for them to taste the flavor of crying out to heaven with no response, and crying out to earth with no relief.
“Since Mother agrees, your son will summon an executioner this afternoon to carry out the sentence in the backyard.”
Old Madame Huo had sufferings she couldn’t voice and could only nod. Using dizziness as an excuse, she said she needed to rest and was helped inside by Yuzhu.
With one glance from Jiang Xingyan, the waiting servants immediately suppressed their fear, rewrapped the corpse, carried it to the backyard, and placed it in a shady spot.
Jiang Xingyan glanced at these men, their faces ashen and looking utterly wretched, and sneered inwardly.
Clearly cowardly as mice, yet relying on the Old Madame’s influence to bully those weaker than themselves, throwing their weight around.
They all deserved to die!
“Go to the side courtyard and fetch the Young Madame. This General has matters to discuss with her.”
The servant felt as if granted amnesty and scrambled away.
A short while later, the servant returned, head bowed, followed by a woman wearing a mili (a veil hat covering the head and shoulders).
Jiang Xingyan could tell at a glance it wasn’t her body.
Who was under that veil was obvious.
Already irritated, she now had zero patience left to play along with Li Yishu’s act.
She reached out an arm and flipped up the mili, its white纱 (gauze) hanging down to the waist.
Li Yishu let out a delicate cry of surprise. Seeing “Huo Ci” staring coldly at her, her heart fluttered with panic. She quickly changed her tone, layering on the coquettish sweetness: “Cousin, you should take me out for a stroll too. You and cousin-in-law are an old married couple, yet you still stick together all day long. People will start saying cousin-in-law is a vixen who knows best how to seduce men.”
Jiang Xingyan snorted coldly, turned, and kicked the servant who had brought her to the ground.
“I told you to fetch the Young Madame. Is this her?”
The servant kowtowed like pounding garlic, incessantly crying out: “Spare me, Young General! The young mistress said inviting her was the same as inviting the Young Madame! This lowly one couldn’t stop her!”
Li Yishu was scared silly.
When did Cousin become so terrifying?
Suppressing her fear, she explained in soft, gentle tones: “Don’t be angry, Cousin. Yishu was just joking with you. Cousin-in-law wasn’t feeling well today, so she asked me to come in her place.”
Jiang Xingyan narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Huo Ci was probably being controlled by his mother.
Seeing her cousin didn’t refuse further, Li Yishu pressed her advantage and moved closer.
Her eyes seductive, she pushed her proud, high chest forward slightly, her voice dripping with allure: “Anything cousin-in-law can do for you, Cousin, Yishu can do too.”
Shiiing!
Jiang Xingyan drew her sword and placed it directly on Li Yishu’s shoulder. Half an inch closer, and it would pierce her slender neck.
“Where is she?”