Chapter Eighty-Nine: How Should Sinners Be Dealt With?

Xiao Yi ignored the terror and struggle in He Dalang’s eyes. What was the use of being afraid now? Wasn’t it quite satisfying when he was bullying a woman? Did he ever consider the woman’s fear? Scum like this deserved to be castrated the moment they were caught.

With a sharp tug at He Dalang’s trousers, Xiao Yi raised his blade and struck. Swish...

………………

Xue Fanzhi returned to her room immediately after leaving Old Madam Xue’s quarters. Though back, she could not fall asleep; she wanted to know if Xiao Yi had managed to get any answers, and more importantly, how he intended to handle the matter.

It was clear that the Third Branch was the mastermind behind this. If Grandmother were to conduct the interrogation, even with results, it would be difficult to punish the Third Branch. But in Xiao Yi’s hands, it was a different story; he did not need to spare anyone’s feelings.

The question was, how would Xiao Yi deal with it?

Lying on her couch, Xue Fanzhi stared at the window. The first two times, she had no expectations, yet he had intruded into her life so unexpectedly. Now that she was actually hoping for his arrival, he did not show.

Xue Fanzhi sighed. She had thought Xiao Yi was omnipotent, but it seemed he was just average after all. He couldn’t be the tapeworm in her stomach, nor could he come when called or leave when dismissed—he was quite useless.

At this thought, she let out a soft giggle. Since when had she become so thick-skinned as to expect Xiao Yi to be on call and intuitively understand her every thought? In her past life, she would never have dared to think such things; she would have felt that such thoughts were a crime, not the behavior of a virtuous woman.

It seemed that being a "bad" woman was addictive, but it felt truly comfortable. No wonder there were so many women in the palace who wanted to be "bad"—it was blissful!

Perhaps because her mood had improved and her Sixth Sister was unharmed, Xue Fanzhi suddenly felt extremely sleepy. Yet, she still wanted to know how Xiao Yi would punish He Dalang, so she called for her night-duty maid, Honglian: "I am going to sleep now. If anyone comes, remember to wake me up!"

Honglian looked at her mistress’s drowsy eyes and assumed she wasn't joking, but thought to herself that she must be sleepwalking and talking nonsense. What time was it? Who could possibly come?

………………

Xiao Yi stood on the perimeter wall of the Xue family’s inner courtyard, thinking, Why is this wall so high? It requires a running start and isn't easy to climb; it’s always exhausting.

He hesitated, wondering whether to jump down and scale a few more roofs to see that little person. After all, she must have heard about the incident at the Fourth Branch, and since she cared so much for Xue Liuniang, she must be worried, right?

He should have told her in advance that no matter what, he would punish Xue Wuniang this time. For her sake—though he couldn't say "for her sake," not just because she was dim-witted and might misunderstand his intentions, but because he himself... was thin-skinned!

He looked at the vast, mysterious night sky and decided, Forget it, let her have a good night's sleep. He wasn't truly a lecher, after all.

…………

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one, especially for those in the Third Branch, for whom it was pure torment.

The Third Old Madam had not brought He Dalang back, and the news had naturally reached Xue Wuniang’s ears.

Everyone was waiting for news from Xiao Yi’s side, but the silence was as heavy and profound as the night sky.

Xue Wuniang could no longer lie still; she wrapped a cloak around herself in the middle of the night and went to the Third Branch to discuss countermeasures with the Third Old Madam.

At the time when the plan to ruin Xue Liuniang was proposed, the Third Old Madam had agreed and provided convenience for Wuniang; for instance, it was the Third Old Madam who had selected He Dalang for the task.

Now that the incident had occurred, Xue Wuniang naturally sought the Third Old Madam to take charge.

She wept anxiously before the Third Old Madam: "Grandmother, will the Ninth Prince find out the truth? Will he?"

The Third Old Madam desperately wanted to comfort her granddaughter and herself, to say, "No, absolutely not."

But was that possible? Was He Dalang not a coward, or did the Ninth Prince lack capable men? Neither was true. It would certainly be discovered. And looking at how He Dalang had even dragged the Fourth Branch’s Old Madam into his mess, he would likely confess out of fear before anyone even interrogated him.

"A-Xiu, you must be calm. What if we just admit it? After all, Liuniang is unharmed; surely they won't make you pay with your life!?"

Admit it?!

Wouldn't her reputation be ruined? And it would be in the hands of the Ninth Prince, no less.

Xue Wuniang looked at the Third Old Madam with suspicion: "Do you really want your granddaughter to admit it?" Did Grandmother have some ulterior motive? Was she trying to absolve herself by throwing her under the bus?

But what use would Grandmother have in protecting her own reputation?

No, no, that couldn't be it. Grandmother doted on her the most; she was the only young lady of the Third Branch. Grandmother surely wasn't trying to distance herself.

Xue Wuniang thought again. Grandmother was right; what was there to fear? In any case, Xue Liuniang was still perfectly fine.

Moreover, since Grandmother said so, she must have a plan to deal with it.

Just then, Xue Wuniang heard the Third Old Madam say: "I said 'what if'—there is no evidence, right? We can simply refuse to admit it! After all, this is a family matter. Even if we don't confess, what can the Ninth Prince actually do?"

That was true. What could the Ninth Prince do?

With her grandmother's encouragement, things felt different. Xue Wuniang regained her fighting spirit. Thinking of Xue Liuniang’s timid and submissive nature, why should she be afraid? She shouldn't be afraid at all; she should go to sleep.

The night passed without incident. When dawn broke the next day, Honglian rubbed her eyes and opened the window. The morning light was brilliant—a beauty incomparable to anything else. With the chirping of birds and the scent of flowers, it was another sunny, beautiful day.

Seeing the person on the couch move, Honglian suddenly remembered something. Oh no, her mistress had told her to wake her if anyone came, and she had completely forgotten.

Luckily, no one had come.

Honglian was an honest girl. Even though no one had arrived, she felt guilty for not waking her mistress, as if she had failed her. Perhaps her mistress had needed to be awake for something during the night, and she hadn't called her—it was unforgivable. Even if it were just to help her mistress get up to relieve herself, she should have done it.

As for why she hadn't called her? Well, she had fallen asleep too.

Determined to make it up to Xue Fanzhi, Honglian went out to gather news from the courtyard. She heard reports coming from the outer courtyard: the Ninth Prince had made new progress in his overnight interrogation of the culprit, He Dalang. He had already informed Old Madam Xue and instructed her to notify the managers of each branch that the mastermind behind the incident was someone from the Xue family.

Honglian hurried back to tell Xue Fanzhi: "Mistress, let’s go and listen too!"

She wanted to know who in the Xue family could be so vicious, not even sparing the Fourth Branch’s Old Madam.

Xue Fanzhi was already up and combing her hair. Hearing the news, she narrowed her eyes at her reflection in the mirror. Was Xiao Yi going to publicly expose Xue Wuniang’s malice?

Would Xue Wuniang admit it?

This time, would it be possible to make Xue Wuniang taste the same bitterness Liuniang had felt before her death in the previous life?!

Some people who commit evil deeds deserve to face retribution.

………………

The Xue family usually handled major matters in the ancestral hall, but Old Madam Xue did not want to make too much of a scene, so she summoned the members of the other branches to her own courtyard. She did not call the men, notifying only the female relatives.

It was after breakfast, when the day was bright and the morning’s work was just beginning. Before the appointed time had arrived, the Fourth Branch’s Old Madam—who had not brought anyone with her—was the first to arrive, wrapped tightly in her garments.