nycdaug Chapter 94 Shame
Chapter 94 Shame
Haitang glared fiercely at Dingxiang, her tone full of disgust: "You ingrate! The girl used to treat you so well. If we weren't like sisters, at least she treated you and all of us like family. Now that the girl's family is in such dire straits, you actually want to abandon her at this critical moment!"
Cherry looked at Dingxiang with disdain: "If you want to leave, then get out of here! You're no longer my sister!" With that, she took a fruit knife and cut off the hem of her skirt: "I'm severing all ties with you. From now on, I don't know you, and you don't know me! We go our separate ways!"
Dingxiang burst into tears, sobbing, "I'm not an ungrateful wretch, and I don't want this to happen, but I can't abandon my parents."
Cherry was about to curse again when Fragrant Pear tugged at her sleeve: "Forget it, a young lady has no shortage of disloyal people around her. If she wants to leave, let her go!"
After a pause, Xiangli stared at Dingxiang and said, word by word, "However, your family is in a very bad situation right now. Of the two hundred taels of silver I gave you, I hope you can keep one hundred and fifty taels. Your home is only a few dozen miles from here. If you are frugal, fifty taels of silver will be enough for you and your parents to live on for ten years or so!"
Haitang also said, "In the past, you were very generous, giving each person a reward of ten or so taels of silver during the New Year. Before that, I knew that your parents had already used the money you gave them to buy more than ten acres of good farmland. Your eldest brother and sister-in-law have long since separated their households, and besides your parents, there is only an eight-year-old brother in the family. With those ten acres of good farmland and fifty taels of silver, you should be able to live a very good life."
Dingxiang muttered resentfully, "But this money was given to me by Lord Yu, and it was also at the young lady's request."
Xiangli couldn't take it anymore and immediately retorted angrily, "But, Miss is currently in prison, her future uncertain. That two hundred taels of silver originally belonged to Miss. It was because Miss is kind-hearted and cares about us that she offered to give each of us two hundred. Otherwise, what master, when facing misfortune, would unconditionally return the indentures and even give two hundred taels as severance pay when dismissing his maids?!"
Dingxiang blushed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and anger, and a terrible feeling in her heart. However, Xiangli was right; a severance payment of twenty taels was already quite high. Most families, when dismissing a maid and unconditionally returning her indenture, would only give her a maximum of ten taels of silver as a severance payment.
Aunt Li couldn't help but interject: "Giving everyone two hundred taels of silver, although it was the young lady's wish, you were disloyal to her and don't deserve so much money from her. You should carefully consider what I'm saying. This one hundred and fifty taels of silver is yours to decide whether to take it or leave it, whether to use it to rescue the young lady, or whether you should embezzle it for yourself! It's up to you, and we won't force you!"
Her tone was very flat, but it carried an icy chill, as if a cold wind were blowing in your face.
Dingxiang was frightened, and also felt ashamed. She quickly took out three fifty-tael silver notes from her bosom and handed them to Shen Laihui: "I don't want these silver notes. Please tell the young lady that Dingxiang has to go back to take care of her parents and is sorry for her! But please tell her to rest assured that Dingxiang will never do anything that would harm her family!"
Watching Dingxiang's departing figure, Xiangli felt a pang of sadness and a pang of sorrow in her heart.
She and Dingxiang had been working in the Marquis's mansion since they were five years old, and had been best friends for over ten years. Now, however, they had to part ways. It was understandable that Dingxiang wanted to be filial to her parents, but she shouldn't have been in such a hurry. She should have waited until things were looking up for the young lady before leaving her!
If everyone goes home and only thinks of themselves, wouldn't the girl's family be left isolated and helpless? People shouldn't act like that; where is their conscience?
Still furious, Shen Laihui coldly asked everyone, "Is there anyone else among you who also wants to leave? If so, I won't stop you, and you'll leave behind one hundred and fifty taels of silver!"
No one spoke; everyone looked at Shen Laihui quietly and resolutely, expressing their will in a silent language.
Shen Laihui: "Alright, since everyone is willing to continue following our master, then there must be no betrayal in the future. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Xiangli: "In this lifetime, I will be loyal to Madam, Miss, and Young Master!"
The others then chimed in, "Me too! We will also be loyal to the Madam, Miss, and Young Master!"
Shen Laihui: "Very good. Luo Jianming and Pan Kang, you two go home immediately. I will take Li Mao with me to the capital. Aunt Li and Uncle Li, you take Xiangli and the others to the prefectural city to rent a house temporarily. We will meet up again after the matter of the girl is settled!"
The prefectural city is only two hours away from the capital, which is much more convenient than staying in Wuliping, and it doesn't attract as much attention as going to the capital.
Aunt Li nodded: "Don't worry, I will keep them in check and patiently wait for your news!"
The group bid farewell to the old clan chief and quickly set off.
The old clan chief chased after them, saying, "If a conclusion is reached, please write to me as soon as possible!"
Shen Laihui: "Don't worry, sir, I definitely will!"
Even so, the old clan chief was still worried, so he handed his eldest son, Shangguan Qin, a purse: "Here are two thousand taels of silver notes. Zisu entrusted them to me for safekeeping. Take these notes with you and go to the prefectural city with Aunt Li and the others. Once things are settled, find a way to see Zisu and give her these notes!"
Shangguan Qin asked in surprise, "Father, if that's the case, why didn't you give it all to Shen Laihui just now?"
The old clan chief said, "I'm just taking precautions. What if Shen Laihui gets greedy and runs away with the silver? How can one not leave some room for maneuver? One should not have the heart to harm others, but one must be wary of others!"
Shangguan Qin suddenly realized: "Oh, is that so? Father has considered everything very thoroughly."
The old patriarch sighed: "In my opinion, there's a high chance that the Zisu family and the Yu family will be exiled. If they are exiled, don't give the silver notes to Zisu so quickly. Wait until you leave the capital, and on the way to exile, find a better opportunity to secretly give the silver notes to Zisu!"
After a slight hesitation, Shangguan Qin agreed: "Okay, I'll go and catch up with Aunt Li and the others right away!" Upon hearing this, Xiaoshan's mother hurriedly packed a few changes of clothes for her husband, along with some flatbreads and a gourd of cold boiled water.
Fortunately, the family had bought a carriage last year. Shangguan Qin hitched up the carriage and quickly chased after Aunt Li and the others.
Xiaoshan watched his father's departing figure and asked worriedly, "Will Sister Zisu come back? Will Father be in danger chasing after Aunt Li and the others?"
The old clan chief said, "I don't know if your sister Zisu will be able to come back, but your father will be safe. Grandpa told him to go and stay at an inn by himself." As long as he doesn't stay with Aunt Li and the others, even if the officials come to arrest Aunt Li and the others, Xiaoshan's father will not be implicated.
Sigh, forgive his cowardice! To fulfill Zisu's request, he had no choice but to be cautious. Otherwise, if they were all caught, their silver notes would certainly be confiscated. If Zisu and the others were exiled, who would give them silver notes to bribe the escorting officials? Besides, what kind of place was exile? Heard it was incredibly harsh, with heavy labor every day, and no leave even for the sick. Without money, how unbearable would life be?
Upon arriving in the county town, Shen Laihui helped Aunt Li rent a house and settle everyone in before heading to the capital alone. Shangguan Qin watched as Aunt Li and the others entered the secluded alley and stopped at a single-courtyard house. He noted the location, then stayed at a nearby inn, finding a room with a view of the alley.
He stayed at the inn, and without leaving the room, he could observe everything happening in that alley. He watched as Aunt Li went out to buy groceries, coming and going.
On the third day, there was finally some movement!
Aunt Li, Uncle Li, along with Cherry, Crabapple, and Pear, hurriedly left the alley carrying their bundles. Shangguan Qin quickly grabbed his own bundle, rushed downstairs, and went to catch up with Aunt Li and her group.
Aunt Li and her group unexpectedly headed towards the outskirts of the city. Shangguan Qin was puzzled, but he still quickly followed them. Aunt Li stopped when they reached Shili Pavilion in the southern suburbs.
In the distance, several officials were seen escorting a group of people toward them.
Xiangli, with her sharp eyes, couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss!"
Is that ragged girl my mistress, Zisu?!
Everyone who saw it was utterly astonished.
It seems the girl has been tortured!
Xiangli cried out and rushed over, "Girl, what happened to you? That damned Shangguan Chengfeng! I curse his whole family to die a horrible death!"
Upon hearing this, Zisu raised her eyes, looked at Xiangli with gentle eyes, and forced a smile, saying, "Don't cry, it's just a little torture, only superficial injuries, nothing serious!"
Fortunately, out of so many people, only she and the eldest princess were injured. The rest of the people were not tortured. In particular, her younger brother and cousin were only frightened for a while and then spanked a few times, but they were not seriously injured.
Shen Laihui, Luo Jianming, and Pan Kang also came. Shen Laihui quickly stuffed a ten-tael silver ingot into the lead officer's hand: "Brother, please be kind. We're already far from the capital. Can I apply some medicine to my young lady's wounds now?"
The leading officer took the silver ingot and smiled, "Hmm, that's fine. Rest here for a quarter of an hour."
Shen Laihui quickly handed the medicine to Xiangli and instructed, "Everyone, turn your backs to the girl and form a circle. Xiangli, apply the medicine to the girl. There's not much time, so don't just cry. The medicine is the most important thing!"
Upon hearing this, whether it was the Shangguan family, the Yu family, or the Jiang family, they all quickly followed Shen Laihui's instructions and came to the nearby woods. The men formed an outer circle, and the women formed an inner circle, surrounding Zisu.
"Yes." Xiangli held back her tears, vigorously wiping her blurry eyes, and quickly and carefully applied the medicine to Zisu's wounds. There were many wounds on her back, calves, and arms. Her clothes were stained with blood.
Xiangli couldn't help but want to burst into tears. She quickly rummaged through her bundle and pulled out a large piece of royal blue coarse cloth. She said to everyone, "Quickly use the cloth to create a small space so I can apply medicine to the girl's back and change her clothes!"
Fortunately, the place where the medicine was applied was in the woods, which would keep out the prying eyes. Separating it with a cloth created a secluded little hut, so there was no need to worry about the girl being seen.
The piece of cloth, about three zhang long, quickly created a small, enclosed space. Xiangli applied medicine to Zisu and then deftly changed Zisu into a soft cotton dress.
With so many wounds on her body, wearing coarse cloth would only cause them to chafe and hurt terribly. Xiangli felt a pang of pain just looking at those wounds, and her heart ached terribly. The girl was only thirteen years old, yet she had suffered so much. Before, just thinking about her daughter being taken to prison had broken her heart. Now, seeing so many wounds on her daughter's body, her heart was breaking.
Those damned bastards, how could they be so cruel to a girl? Shangguan Chengfeng, one day I'll make you wish you were dead, and make you regret being so cruel to her!
The eldest princess was also injured, though not as severely as Zisu. Zisu's wound was entirely inflicted by Shangguan Chengfeng's family for personal revenge.
After applying medicine to Zisu's wounds, at her insistence, the eldest princess was also confined to a space separated by a cloth, and Jiang Shihua personally applied medicine to the eldest princess.