CH 39

October 4, 2022Merchie

Qi Changyi’s arms were tied up as he knelt on the ground. His mouth was stuffed with a ball of cloth, so he could only look up at Qi Yirou with angry eyes.

He had never hated anyone in his life; Qi Yirou was the first.

It seemed that they were all hidden behind a secluded rockery2; one could smell the light fragrance that wafted from the imperial garden.

Qi Yirou exchanged a look with the maid beside her. The maid rolled up her sleeves and walked towards the kneeling Qi Changyi. She drew back her hand and slapped him across his face.

Qi Changyi was hit so hard that his body shifted to the side. He looked up at Qi Yirou; the terror in his eyes was palpable.

“Would you look at that, this little fool also knows how to stare at people, it’s really strange.” Qi Yirou mocked as she crossed her arms.

The maid raised her hand again and gave him two more slaps. Qi Changyi’s fair cheeks were swollen and covered in red handprints. The white wad of cloth in his mouth had also turned scarlet.

Qi Yirou looked down at the scene with cold eyes, but the tight feeling of resentment in her heart had loosened slightly. “I don’t intend to continue embarrassing you. As long as you kowtow to me and admit your mistake, and you confess all your crimes to Royal Father as well, I will speak up for you in front of him.”

Qi Changyi lowered his head and did not speak. A thin line of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.

Qi Yirou took his silence as acquiescence. She waved her hand and ordered a servant to loosen his restraints before she walked up to him.

“Go on, kowtow. Do it quickly, so we can meet with Royal Father as soon as possible…ah!”

The servants all snapped to attention at Qi Yirou’s shrill scream. They didn’t know what was going on until they saw that the kneeling figure had arched his back and had charged toward the third princess.

Qi Yirou was headbutted in the stomach, and she crashed directly into the rockery. The fall was so painful that she couldn’t even stand back up.

After Qi Changyi barreled into her, he also slumped to the ground and curled into a little ball.

Qi Yirou’s anger had almost subsided, but it was instantly revitalized and burned even brighter; even her eyes looked red.

“No one has ever dared to be so disrespectful to me before! You stupid bastard! Someone, tear his mouth apart and beat his face into a pulp, he’ll be a great feast for the fish in the Lotus Pond!”

Several servants hoisted Qi Changyi by his arms. The maid’s eyes were fierce; she raised her hand and slapped his face five times in a row. Her palms had become hot and numb.

Before she could draw back her hand again, a black-clad figure suddenly jumped off the top of the rock wall and gently held her wrist. There was a sudden, crisp cracking sound.

The man in black was still unsatisfied. Before the maid could even open her mouth to scream, she was grabbed by the collar and slammed against the rockery. This time, her wrist wasn’t the only thing that was broken. There was no doubt that every bone in her body had completely shattered.

Everything happened so quickly. Before the other servants could scream and flee the scene, they were blown straight into the rocky wall by a gust of strong wind. Their bones shattered, and they slumped to the ground like limp noodles.

Cheng Feng gazed at the bodies with cold eyes, before the spiritual wind1 in his hand dissipated. Qi Yirou was nowhere to be found, she took advantage of the chaotic flurry of events and had slipped away without making a sound.

Many footsteps sounded from behind the rock wall. The Emperor, Pei Zheng, A’mu Le, and his subordinates had all arrived. Many palace maids and eunuchs stood outside as well.

The group was only passing by this deserted spot. They were about to turn back, but Pei Zheng continued to lead them forward. It was then that they heard the commotion from behind the rockery.

The Emperor was embarrassed to have let the foreign envoys listen to something so disgraceful, he ordered Pei Zheng to punish the culprits without mercy.

Cheng Feng obeyed his master’s orders and indeed showed no mercy.

The only things that hadn’t been taken care of were a small bundle that was still lying on the ground and the escaped mastermind.

Cheng Feng walked out and spoke, “Your Majesty, everything has been dealt with. However, one of the culprits has escaped…”

A’mu Le couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

The Emperor’s expression became even uglier. “Find them! No matter who it is, they must be punished severely! Who dares to be so unruly and disrespectful in my palace?!”

Cheng Feng was ordered to capture the remaining culprit. A’mu Le cupped his hands and spoke, “Your Majesty, it would be better if you let me help out as well.”

A’mu Le didn’t wait for the Emperor’s response. He simply followed behind Cheng Feng, and they set off together to capture this “fugitive”.

Pei Zheng stared at his receding figure without saying a word.

“Help out”, my ass. He was clearly inserting himself into the situation in order to force the Emperor into continuing the investigation.

It really left a bad taste in his mouth.

The Emperor flicked his sleeves slightly. His face was ashen as he led A’mu Le’s subordinates to sit at a nearby gazebo.

Pei Zheng walked into the rockery and immediately spotted the little white bundle sprawled on the ground. His heart throbbed violently.

He quickly stepped forward to help the little man up. The handprints on his fair face were bright red, and his torn mouth was covered in blood and soil.

Pei Zheng gently brushed the dirt away, and his fingers accidentally touched the open wound. Qi Changyi frowned and hissed. His eyes peeled open, and the moment he saw Pei Zheng, they reddened and filled with tears.

“Pei-gege…”

“How did you get hurt?” Pei Zheng gently wiped the corner of the little man’s mouth with his sleeve. “Was it the third princess?”

“Nn..” Qi Changyi’s little nose wrinkled slightly. “But I, I also pushed her, she, she wanted to push me off the staircase today, just now, just now…ss…”

Pei Zheng had rubbed his wound too hard, so he let out another soft hiss.

Pei Zheng’s hand stopped, and he reached out and affectionately touched the corner of the little man’s mouth. He pressed his lips together and leaned forward, before gently licking the wound with the tip of his tongue.

“Does it still hurt?”

Qi Changyi froze for a second. He quickly shook his head, then nodded it, then shook it again.

Pei Zheng waved his hand, and Cheng Feng suddenly appeared from behind the rockery.

Cheng Feng said that he was going to arrest the “fugitive”, but he hadn’t actually gone. It was better to leave it to A’mu Le.

“Send him back, and return quickly. Don’t get caught.”

Cheng Feng nodded and took Qi Changyi from Pei Zheng’s arms. He hugged the little bundle carefully as if it was one of his master’s priceless treasures.

After Qi Changyi was taken away, Pei Zheng stood still for a while before he made his way toward the gazebo.

From a distance, one could see that A’mu Le had already returned, and was sitting leisurely on a stone bench. On the other hand, the Emperor’s complexion was flashing blue and red.

The person kneeling in the middle of the pavilion was none other than the escaped culprit, the third princess Qi Yirou.

Her face looked pained; she was clutching her left knee, and beads of cold sweat were dripping down her skin.

After Pei Zheng walked into the pavilion, Cheng Feng followed close behind. He bowed to the Emperor before he moved to stand at the side.

“Your Majesty, I’m really sorry, I didn’t know that this was your third princess.” A’mu Le’s smiling face did not look sorry at all.

“I was too eager to arrest the culprit, so I accidentally kicked Her Highness’s knee to pieces. Your Majesty, I believe your people have a saying: ‘one who does not know cannot be guilty3‘. Besides, I’m only here to share your worries and solve your problems. Your Majesty is magnanimous, surely you won’t blame me for this, right?”

Notes

This title sounds like the name of a terrible transmigration novel

Sorry, this one felt especially clunky, let me know if it’s confusing! For reference, I used rock wall, and rocky wall, and rockery, but they’re all the same thing btw

As usual, thanks for reading~

1: Author calls it 掌风, ‘palm wind’, but I’m giving it my own little fancy name because let’s be real it sounds a little better this way

2. 假山, ‘fake mountain’, basically a rock garden/rockery

3. 不知者不罪: “if one does not know any better, one cannot be held responsible” (Linguee) cite your sources kids jk what do I know about citing sources hghahaha