Original and most updated translations are from volare. If read elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft.
The big hall seemed to be filled with roiling clouds of gunpowder – and all the spearheads were pointed towards Ji Yunshu.
Ji Wanxin’s face was filled with worry as she stood at the side. She used her handkerchief to cover her mouth as she coughed several times before speaking, “Grandmother, Father, don’t misunderstand Yunshu. At the time, I was also there too. This girl Lingzhi, fell on her own.” Hearing this, Ji Muqing was not pleased. Her phoenix eyes scanned over.
“Wanxin, we all know you and Yunshu are very close, but you can’t just protect her like this. She may have injured Lingzhi’s hand today, but what if one day she breaks it instead? At that time, would you still protect her?” Ji Muqing’s voice was dripping with sarcasm like usual!
“I speak the truth.” argued Ji Wanxin.
“Then you mean to say that Lingzhi lied?” Ji Muqing lifted a brow. When her words were out, Ji Lingzhi immediately refuted.
“I didn’t lie. Third Sister definitively pushed me. Second Sister, you clearly saw her do so, why are you speaking out for her and not for me?” Ji Lingzhi raised her voice as she refuted Ji Wanxin’s words.
Saying so, she once again lifted those hands that were bandaged up to the point they resembled a pair of dumplings, her eyes filled with tears as she stared at her father. She cried out, “Father, you have to help me teach Third Sister a lesson. She was the one who pushed me. My hands still hurt.”
Ji Shuhan gave a low snort. His hand lifted and slammed on the table once again, questioning Ji Yunshu, “Lingzhi is your younger sister. Even if you hate me for marrying you off to the Wei family you shouldn’t have taken it out on her.”
Ji Yunshu simply smiled. “Since father and grandmother have judged that I pushed Lingzhi, nothing I say will change anything.”
“You still dare to talk back to me.”
“Your daughter simply does not feel motivated to debate.”
Her retort caused Ji Shuhan to be so angered that a green vein popped up on his forehead as he pointed at her. “I must have committed some horrendous crime to have such a vicious creature as my child. Just look at yourself! Clothed in men’s wear daily, simply a disgrace to my Ji family. Since you’re so recalcitrant, don’t blame me for being a cruel father. Guards, discipline her using the family laws.”
‘Family laws?! Didn’t you people refuse to acknowledge me as a Ji? But now you want to use the family laws on me?!’
Ji Yunshu smiled in derison, a glint of stubbornness in her eyes as she met her father’s gaze. Her gaze that didn’t contain a hint of begging for mercy stimulated Ji Shuhan’s sensitive nerves, causing him to get more irritated.
He yelled at a servant who was at the side. “Hurry and bring me my whip.”
The servant’s face twitched. He hurriedly retrieved a horsewhip with the handle made of golden brocade and jade. That whip was an object bestowed upon the Ji family by the Emperor. Ji Shuhan had always treasured it and was the fittest thing to use when applying the family laws.
Ji Yunshu had heard Luan’er speak of it before. When the original Ji Yunshu accidentally broke a normal teapot in Ji Shuhan’s study, she suffered three lashes of this whip as a punishment. As a result, she was in a coma for a few days! Now that Ji Shuhan took the whip out again, she might not suffer just three lashes but ten!
Seeing this, Ji Wanxin hurriedly stepped forward. “Father, you can’t. That whip can kill people.”
“If anyone gets in my way, they’ll be whipped along with her.” Ji Shuhan had made up his mind!
Ji Wanxin’s pleas having gone unheard, she could only turn and pull on Ji Yunshu instead and attempt to persuade her, “Yunshu, hurry and admit your wrong to father. You can’t take a lashing from that whip.” She only got a ridicule-filled smile in response. The original Ji Yunshu could survive three lashes, what was she afraid of?
“Since your mind is set on lashing me, this matter is already settled. Fine then, I shall receive the ‘family laws’.” Having spoken thus, she raised the pan of her robe and knelt!
Clothed in light blue robes, her body ramrod straight, she surprisingly gave off a manly aura!
Ji Shuhan had already raised the whip. With clenched jaws, he swung down with all his might.
‘PAH!’
One lash struck!
Her shoulders and back bursted in pain. A pain so intense, it drilled into her heart as her ears and mind filled with a buzzing noise. Despite the pain, Ji Yunshu’s body remained straightened. She had to keep her pride, her character unyielding!
Yet another lash descended!
Her body couldn’t help but move forward. Both hands were pressed on the floor in support, then clenched into a fist. Her eyes were bloodshot yet she stubbornly bit on her lips, dead set on not uttering the slightest noise.
The whip landed on her body, one lash followed after another in quick succession accompanied by the sound of a whip lacerating flesh and skin could be heard resounding throughout the Ji Mansion.
At the end of it, Ji Yunshu’s body had completely collapsed on the floor. Her back was marred with bloody whiplashes. A sight extremely terrifying to see!
Even after being beaten within an inch of her life, Ji Yunshu refused to plead for mercy. Her lips had been bitten to the point blood was freely flowing, yet she wasn’t willing to scream out her pain.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and fainted.
She didn’t remember how she was brought back to her courtyard, she could only vaguely hear sounds of sobbing. ‘It must have been Luan’er!’
When she woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
Lying on the bed, even a slight movement would cause her entire body to hurt!
At this moment, Luan’er carried some hot medicinal decoction into the room. Seeing that Ji Yunshu wanted to get up, Luan’er hurried to her side.
“Miss, don’t get up. Please lie back.” Her eyes were brimming with tears!
Ji Yunshu could barely move anyways, so she might as well continued lying on her bed. “I won’t die.”
“Miss, it’s all my fault. I’m too useless, I can’t even protect you and caused you to suffer so much suffering.”
“Silly girl. Look, I’m perfectly fine.” Her face was clearly extremely pale and her gaze lacked energy.
Luan’er cried for quite a bit more before wiping away at her tears.
Ji Yunshu went back to sleep after drinking the medicine. She was stuck in bed for two whole days. During this time, only Ji Wanxin had visited her to see how she was doing. The rest of the Ji family were probably eager to see her die.
During these two days, Ji Yunshu read about The Lin Capital Case as she was confined to the bed.
On the third day, she had recuperated quite well. Ignoring Luan’er’s advice, she got out of bed, changed into men’s wear and tied up her hair.
As she stepped into her courtyard, she noticed that it was completely empty. All those plants, gone!
She left the Ji Mansion and made for the Grand Canal Manor.
Because of her injuries, she walked slower than usual.
As she walked past a jewelry shop, she saw that the inside was packed with people who were all whispering while pointing at something.
At first, she hadn’t planned on getting involved, but she suddenly heard Wei Yi’s voice.
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t break your jade pendant! It really wasn’t me!” His voice was filled with panic.
Ji Yunshu halted her steps. Making her way to the front of the crowd, she saw Wei Yi standing there like an idiot while waving his hands.
The shopkeeper of the jewelry shop grabbed onto his hand, while his other hand was holding onto two pieces of broken jade.
“You broke my jade pendant so you have to compensate me. 100 taels. Not one less.” The shopkeeper was very aggressive, he even went so far as to hit Wei Yi.
Wei Yi blocked with one hand while furiously denying it, “I didn’t touch your jade pendant, it really wasn’t me.”
“Just now you said you wanted to have a look, but it dropped on the floor right after you took it.”
“But it wasn’t me…”
Ji Yunshu’s brows furrowed. She shook her head as she stepped in.
“May I have a look at this jade pendant?”
Wei Yi turned his head. Seeing that it was her, he became excited and called out, “Big Brother.”
Ji Yunshu ignored him. She plucked the jade pendant out of the shopkeeper’s hand and closely examined it before facing the shopkeeper once again. She asked him, “Tell me, was this jade pendant just broken?”
The shopkeeper nodded his head. “Of course.”
“Then let me ask you another question. Was this jade always kept inside a box in this shop?”
“Of course. This is a new good and was very expensive, but this idiot broke it.” The shopkeeper was just as angry as before.
Ji Yunshu’s face sunk as she rebuked him. “You are lying.”
Grenn’s Rants Corner
I have Britney Spears’ song Toxic in my head running in loop. I have no problem with song looping inside my head, but when you have weird one like the nyan nyan cat, it’s a brain killer.