spoiled brat

Chapter 89, Section 88: The Lost Boat (Part 8)

There was silence between them, a silence so profound it was almost unbearable.

He Bi's voice rang out from behind: "Master!"

He had just finished applying medicine in the backyard, his clothes still damp with the smell of rain and herbs. He walked over, patting his clothes, and said, "The medicinal herbs that came from our household are expensive. The manager was quite taken aback, asking if we were really going to give those medicines to the people in the hall. I said yes, but don't even think about leaking some to sell. If I—"

He Bi's voice gradually faded, and the two people in front of him seemed like two balls of mercury, one black and one white, about to dissolve. He touched his nose and said, "Master, shouldn't we go back?"

The matter was settled, and Xiu Yi stood up. Why bother draping a wind-blown robe over him?

As her clothes rustled, the familiar cool and sandalwood fragrance wafted over. In the shadow cast by Xiu Yi, Zhao Zhao looked up at him, about to ask when the promise would be fulfilled, when she heard him say calmly, "Come back to the palace with me."

Zhao Zhao was somewhat flustered, and Xiu Yi continued, "Xiu Ning has been ill and confined to his home for many years, so he lacks a playmate."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Zhao shook her head.

I always wanted to see Xiu Ning, but what good would it do? I've received help time and time again, but I haven't made any progress. It's better not to see him at all.

Her cowardice was real, and so was her longing. Zhao Zhao asked a very childish question: "That night at the birthday banquet, I was knocked unconscious and taken away. Xu Feng replaced me with someone else. Did the princess recognize that she was an imposter?"

Xiu Yi nodded and said calmly, "Xiu Ning likes you very much."

Zhao Zhao laughed, proudly wagging her tail: "That's enough."

“I met her three times, and each time she saved me, but I never made any progress. No matter how much I expressed my gratitude, I couldn’t do anything to benefit her.”

"I don't want to be her maid, much less a burden to her... When I'm no longer so weak, I will walk up to her with dignity."

He touched his nose. "How arrogant of a little girl to say such things." Xiu Yi stared at Zhao Zhao for a long time before finally saying, "I don't like to force people. So, do as you wish."

"Take good care of your injuries. Two days from now, at this very moment, I will take you to the Yunzhou prison."

The summer night was sweltering, and the air in the prison reeked of a foul stench. You Ming lay on the rough straw mat, letting rats and mantises crawl over his feet. He smelled the rotting odor of his severed arm and reminisced about his most glorious years.

Suddenly, the cell door was pushed open, and the jailer, Gao, pulled on the wooden door and said, "You Ming, someone outside wants to see you."

A glimmer of hope appeared on You Ming's ashen face, and he hurriedly asked, "...Which lord is it?"

The tall jailer didn't answer, but called the short jailer to come into the cell with him, and they dragged You Ming off the stone bed and out.

The iron chains and balls scraped against the ground with a hissing sound, startling the prisoners in the cells on either side of the corridor. Their mournful cries sounded like those of wronged ghosts.

You Ming swallowed hard, feeling a little intimidated: "May I ask where you two are taking me?"

The short jailer chuckled: "You'll see when you get there."

You Ming was dragged to an iron gate. He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly tried to break free of the chains and run away. But the jailer only tugged at the chains lightly, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

The jailer kicked open the door, grabbed the iron chains, and dragged him into the torture chamber. In a few quick movements, he tied him tightly to the wooden frame.

Knowing what he was about to face, You Ming cried out in anguish, "I am an official! I am an official! The law does not apply to officials!"

The short jailer scoffed, "Save your energy. You think you're some kind of high-ranking official?" He walked to the corner of the torture chamber, fanned the charcoal in the small stove to make it burn brightly, and the water in the kettle gurgled.

The short jailer smiled and said to the tall jailer, "That's about enough. Go get a stool and invite our esteemed guest."

The short jailer left the torture chamber, and after a short while, he returned carrying a stool, followed by a person in a black cloak.

You Ming was both angry and terrified, his body trembling uncontrollably as he was bound to the wooden frame: "Who are you?!"

The man sat down on the stool, took the tea from the jailer, and took a small sip.

"Who sent you!" You Ming gritted his teeth. "If you want to kill me or torture me, don't you dare show your true face!"

The person put down the tea, used a pair of delicate hands to lift the cloak, revealing a youthful face: "Long time no see."

You Ming's face turned ashen: "How could it be you..."

"It can't be me?" Zhao Zhao laughed.

You Ming's face darkened. The short jailer, fearing he would curse, gagged him with a rag and respectfully asked Zhao Zhao, "Miss, the order from above has been given for eighteen severe tortures. Which one would you like to see first?"

Seeing that Zhaozhao seemed not to understand, the jailer said, as if reciting a menu, "There's embroidered ball, eggplant with vinegar, and Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea..."

Zhao Zhao quickly waved her hand to stop him from talking: "Don't rush, I have a few questions for him."

The short jailer said fiercely to You Ming, "If you dare to insult this girl, I'll cut off your tongue first!" Only after You Ming nodded did he take the rag away.

The rag was filthy. You Ming hung his head and began to dry heave. Zhao Zhao's calm voice rang out above him: "I want to hear you tell me about what happened between you and my mother back then."

You Mingming was clearly terrified, yet he managed an ugly laugh, answering a completely irrelevant question: "...Daughter, it was my fault before. I didn't recognize who you were. I was blind... You must have met someone important to be here. Help me out, and I'll let you return to your family after I get out... I'll take good care of you all and never be like before..." His fawning manner was like a dog's, lacking only a tail.

Zhao Zhao, annoyed, glanced sideways at the two jailers. They immediately understood and picked up the red-hot branding iron to burn You Ming's body. The sizzling sound of the burning flesh filled the air, and You Ming screamed in pain. The two jailers threatened, "Answer whatever you're asked!"

The branding iron was removed from his body, and You Ming had just caught his breath when a red-hot iron was poked near his mouth. Two jailers respectfully said to Zhao Zhao, "Miss, you can ask him questions now. If this bastard answers nonsense again, he'll never have to speak again!"

Zhao Zhao stared at You Ming's lowered head: "I'm not curious about how you tricked her into your hands, I just want to ask why you abandoned her after starting her up and didn't cherish her?"

Knowing he had no way out, You Ming gave up struggling and sneered, "Why should I cherish her? She's a prostitute. Those gentlemen who fawn over her are ultimately just treating her as a plaything, not a person. If I really treated her as a wife, wouldn't I become a laughingstock?"

"She sold herself to save money for your bribes, and you just accepted it without a care in the world. Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughing stock?"

"Why can't I accept it peacefully?" You Ming showed no remorse. "She didn't want to be the master's concubine; she wanted to be his legal wife, so she gambled on me. Don't make your mother sound so pitiful. Behind every fool who suffers a loss or is deceived lies a heart that wants to win big with a small investment!"

"Fool?" Zhao Zhao laughed, a soft laugh. "I'm so glad you're so unrepentant." She clapped her hands, signaling the two jailers to carry out the execution.

The short jailer continued boiling the water in the iron kettle and said to the tall jailer, "Wash your feet first. Go get some ice."

The jailer took ice from the icebox, quickly mixed it into a basin of ice water, placed it at You Ming's feet, and stuffed his bare feet into it.

Although the weather was hot, the feet are connected to the heart, and You Ming's feet soon turned bluish-purple from the cold, shivering as if he were in an ice cellar.

Is this the severe punishment?
Zhao Zhao didn't understand, and her expression remained indifferent.

Fearing she might be bored, the tall jailer said respectfully, "Miss, please wait a moment, the best is yet to come." He then turned to the short jailer and said, "Is the water ready? Time for the main event!"

After shouting that, he immediately covered You Ming's mouth and said with a smile, "Lord You, let's wash our feet."

The short jailer brought up a wooden basin and a still-bubbling iron kettle. The tall jailer pulled You Ming's feet out of the ice water and put them in the empty basin, saying to Zhao Zhao, "Girl, watch closely, this will surely calm you down."

Their coordinated actions were so skillful that they turned torture into an art form. Countless powerless people in prison have been tortured in this way.

Zhao Zhao had a bad feeling, but she was unwilling to call it a day.

The short jailer tilted the iron kettle slightly, and a stream of boiling water, like a white thread, poured onto You Ming's frozen feet. How could mortal flesh withstand such torment? In an instant, bone and flesh separated!
You Ming let out a muffled wail, his eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out, and the veins on his forehead standing out.

Fearing that Zhao Zhao wouldn't be satisfied with the sight, the jailer pulled his feet out of the boiling water and then threw them into the ice water.

You Ming was in excruciating pain, his eyes widened in agony, and he rolled his eyes and fainted completely.

Seeing that they were about to continue, Zhao Zhao spoke up: "Stop it."

The two men were puzzled and asked with some concern, "Is the young lady not satisfied with what she's seen?"

Zhao Zhao smiled sadly: "What comes after this punishment?"

The short jailer chuckled and said, "Lord You has practiced martial arts and is quite robust. How about we start by serving the young lady a dish of eggplant with vinegar?"

"Eggplant with vinegar?"

"First, use an iron brush to scrub his skin and flesh raw, then hang him on an iron pot to steam him with salt and vinegar in the water," the jailer Gao said excitedly. "This method won't kill him, but it will inflict excruciating pain, guaranteed to be a treat for the ladies!"

The short jailer flattered, "This is a big job. We wouldn't even bother with it if the lords paid us... but since you've brought Deputy Commander Yu's nameplate, we'll do our best."

Zhao Zhao's expression remained unchanged, but her heart had grown colder with each passing moment. She stood up from her stool and glanced at You Ming, who was tied to the wooden frame like a dead dog: "There's no need to continue."

You Ming still had a sliver of consciousness in his hazy state. He thought he had escaped a calamity, but then he heard Zhao Zhao say, "He will be subjected to slow slicing in three days. If he dies now, it will be too good for him."

When Zhao Zhao came out of the torture chamber, Xiu Yi was talking to Deputy Commander Yu. This man had a square face and a beard, and possessed a rare uprightness among officials. He nodded to Xiu Yi and said, "Young Master, everything has been arranged over there, but the young lady you requested is really..."

It's utterly unrecognizable as human.

Zhao Zhao happened to hear this, and her heart ached. Seeing Zhao Zhao's pale face, Xiu Yi gestured to Deputy Commander Yu to be quiet: "Take us there."

Serious criminals like Wang Liuer were originally imprisoned in the dungeon. Because Xiu Yi had requested her, Deputy Commander Yu specially led her to the hall. Although she had been cleaned and fed beforehand, Wang Liuer was still on the verge of death, and her body reeked of blood.

"Sister Liu'er..." Zhao Zhao saw her bloodshot eyes covered by a white cloth and the countless wounds on her body, and fell to the ground with a thud.

Wang Liuer has probably endured all the tortures those two jailers mentioned, yet she stubbornly refuses to die. Why is that?
"Xu Feng is dead..." Zhao Zhao hugged Wang Liuer and kept whispering in her ear, "Xu Feng is dead!"

No matter how loudly Zhao Zhao repeated the sentence, Wang Liuer seemed not to hear it. Deputy Commander Yu couldn't help but remind her, "This girl's ears have been deafened by the smoke."

Zhao Zhao didn't dare to look at how badly Wang Liuer was injured. Warm tears fell little by little on Wang Liuer's face. She thought of the few people in the world who might shed tears for her, and spoke weakly, "...Is it Zhao Zhao?"

Despite having experienced so much filth and unbearable suffering, Wang Liuer's voice remained gentle and serene, as if Zhao Zhao could see her as she did when they first met the moment she closed her eyes.

"It's me! It's me."