Yu Si Yu had experienced living in the countryside for more than half a year, and the strengths in her hands were not like those ordinary well-bred young ladies. Her strangling made Yu Miao Qi’s neck bones rattle with <ka da=""> sounds. If she (YSY) was to continue doing so for a few more breaths, it would have killed her (YMQ) on the spot. </ka>
Yu Miao Qi’s face turned purple, and her desperate attempt to breathe caused the veins on her forehead to protrude, making her appear hideous and wretched. She felt her consciousness slowly drifting away, chest rapidly expanding, as if her ribs would split open within the next second. She was dying and could only scratch the ground helplessly. Her broken nails mixed with blood fell into the pile of straw.
“What are you doing? Murderer! Someone is killing someone here!” A shout of alarm caused Yu Si Yu’s grip to loosen slightly.
Yu Miao Qi drew a long breath, and she hurriedly pulled away the belt to gulp for breath.
“Mother, save me! They are trying to kill me!” She turned her head towards Lin Shi, who had a horrified expression outside the cell door.
Lin Shi lunged forward and loudly berated Yu Si Yu. But right after, she begged her to be merciful. The Old Madam shut her eyes and didn’t budge, but only when she heard the footsteps of the officials running towards then did she speak, “Let her go. No matter who ordered her, without the Marquis Yongle manor she is no longer of use, and will one day be discarded and die in a miserable death. I will wait to see how her fate would turn out.”
Only then did Yu Si Yu relented and quickly refastened her belt. Yu Miao Qi hastily crawled over to Lin Shi’s side, covering her neck and wrapping her arms tightly around her frail body. These women in the Marquis Yongle manor were all like wolves and tigers, and they would even dared to kill people when they were angry. No wonder they could raise a ‘King of Hell’ like Yu Pin Yan.
Shen Yuan Qi arrived with an official following behind him. He was wearing an official robe, but his official hat had been taken off and held in his hand. He appeared completely exhausted.
In the imperial court, official hats should never be taken off at will. Such a move by Shen Yuan Qi could only mean two things: firstly, he had been deposed; secondly, he wanted to retire to his hometown. In any event, Shen Yuan Qi was only in his early twenties this year, so it was impossible for him to return to his hometown. Thus, there was only one possibility ‒ he had been implicated by the Marquis Yongle manor.
The Old Madam was overcome with grief, and quickly walked to the cell door. She asked urgently, “Lord Shen, you are…?”
“There is no need for Old Madam to blame yourself. This humble self[1] is only temporarily suspended, not dismissed. This humble self has asked the emperor for a decree, so this humble self will let you out. Please … ” Shen Yuan Qi beckoned towards the magistrate and the man immediately opened the cell door and respectfully invited the Old Madam out. As the saying goes, ‘a centipede dies but never falls down.’[2] Although the Marquis manor was in imminent danger, the Emperor was still mindful of his old affections. Just for this reason alone, no one would dare to carelessly touch the Old Madam and the others.
The fact that the Crown Prince was now imprisoned had sent shockwaves through the court and beyond. In this morning’s court meeting, many officials pleaded for mercy for the Crown Prince, and the military generals also expressed their loyalty to Commander Yu. However, Emperor Chengkang did not listen to any of the evidence, and all those who pleaded for mercy were severely reprimanded by him. On the other hand, several officials who had been close to the Crown Prince and Yu Pin Yan were suspended and investigated. Shen Yuan Qi was one of them.
The Old Madam was ashamed of herself and looked behind him hopefully.
Shen Yuan Qi glanced at Yu Miao Qi, who was huddling with Lin Shi, and said gently, “Old Madam can leave with me first, and we will talk about other matters when you are well settled. This place is inauspicious and should not be stayed for long.”
The Old Madam nodded and slowly walked out with Yu Si Yu’s help. She never expected that Shen Yuan Qi would come to their aid in such a time of crisis. It could clearly be seen the Shen family were all people of compassion and justice. She had indeed committed a grave mistake and she should not have hindered Xiang’er for the sake of so-called moral integrity. Nothing was more important as long as everyone was well, safe and happy together.
Thinking of her granddaughter, who had distanced herself away from her, and her grandson, whose life and death were unknown, the Old Madam wept bitterly as she boarded the carriage.
Naturally, Yu Miao Qi did not dare to be near the Old Madam and boarded another carriage with Lin Shi. ‘Shen Yuan Qi has been suspended and investigated? Good, what a great way to kill two birds with one stone.’ She smiled sinisterly with her eyes downcast. As she passed by the seal of the Marquis Yongle manor, she lifted the curtain and fixed her unblinking gaze at it.
[1] 沈某(Shěn mǒu)- I (humble, by itself)/This humble self. It could also be used in place of a person’s given name, for anonymity purposes. E.g. a person with the surname of Shen.
[2] 百足之虫死而不僵(bǎizúzhīchóngsǐ’érbùjiāng)- A centipede continues to wriggle when it’s already dead. It means that when a centipede is cut off, it could still crawl and would not die rigidly. It is a metaphor for a powerful family, although it is declining, it will not completely die out. Or the influence of a person with power lingers after his downfall.