1纵虎归山: literally means let the tiger returns to its den; cause danger to occur in the future
2伤天害理: literally means against nature and reason; to commit ruthless actions
Li Wei Yang gave Bai Zhi a signal and Bai Zhi responded by retrieving a small case from aside. Bai Zhi stuffed the box in Hong Luo’s arms. In the box was five hundred silver taels, Hong Luo was stunned all of a sudden.
Li Wei Yang asked: “If these taels aren’t enough to resolve your difficulty, you can tell me whenever.”
Hong Luo held up the box, her hands suddenly began shaking and tears began falling. She wiped away the tears and said: “San Xiaojie, Nubi deserves to die but Nubi didn’t have a choice. Three years ago, Nubi’s mother was ill, father didn’t have a choice but to steal one hundred taels from the books for my mother to see the doctor. Afterwards, Da Furen caught ahold of evidence and said she would send him to the officials. Father is already old and he has leg problems, Nubi was driven into a corner to have committed such actions.”
This was exactly similar to what Li Wei Yang had predicted, she let out a sigh and said: “Hong Luo, I won’t make things difficult for you, bringing this box with you, leave this place with your father and don’t let Da Furen find you.”
Bai Zhi suddenly frowned: “Xiaojie, how could you let her leave like that? Isn’t this letting the tiger back to its den1?
Li Wei Yang waved her hands to indicate that she made up her mind.
Hong Luo had never thought that Li Wei Yang would treat her like that, her tears were flowing down nonstop. She thanked her, stood up and walked towards the door. Taking two steps, she suddenly stopped as if she couldn’t move, her whole body was still right in front of them. Her back was shaking, she then turned around, kneeled in front of Li Wei Yang and tearfully said: “Xiaojie, Nubi beg your pardon, if Nubi just left like this, Nubi would feel guilty. Da Furen ordered Nubi to bury wooden dolls in the residence, a total of seven ……”
Seven? Li Wei Yang was stunned; she shook her head. Da Furen was definitely something, she thought highly of her that she buried seven all at once.
Bai Zhi felt fear inside, if today Hong Luo rather die than tell them, or if she just left, even if they dug out one, there were the remaining six that would have send her Xiaojie to her doom. Cold sweat covered her head, she was very careless, how could Xiaojie let Hong Luo leave? Thinking up until this point, she suddenly understood and lifted her head to look at Li Wei Yang. At that moment, she understood her Xiaojie’s intention.
Li Wei Yang took a chance with Hong Luo’s character and soft spot and believed she would be honest with her. Understanding this, Bai Zhi couldn’t help but be speechless. Xiaojie’s thoughts were too complex, she couldn’t be read at all.
“Nubi knows this is against nature and reason2 and there will be karma but didn’t dare defy Da Furen’s order. To prevent others from finding out, I only made a move at night. These seven dolls, besides buried under the tree, there is one at every corner, one under your bed, and the last one ……”
Hong Luo’s face turned red and finally said: “The last one, Nubi hid it in the grass behind the residence.”
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, Da Furen’s tricks came one by one, waiting for her doom! If she didn’t discover this early, she wouldn’t even know how she died! Tiny wooden dolls? This was voodoo magic.
She asked Hong Luo: “Are there other people with you on this?”
Hong Luo shook her head, she said: “Nubi don’t know.”
Li Wei Yang nodded and said: “Then starting today, you should continue to pretend to not know anything.”
Hong Luo was astonished, she lifted her head and said: “Xiaojie, you still let Nubi stay by your side?”
Li Wei Yang smiled: “As long as you agree, I won’t kick you out and will treat you the same as before.”
She dared keep someone that betrayed her not because she was overconfident, but she held onto her opponent’s biggest soft spot. Hong Luo, this person, still had a conscience.
Bai Zhi bought Hong Luo out, Mo Zhu cautiously said: “Xiaojie, what should we do now, should we report this to Lao Furen?”
Mo Zhu was bestowed to her by Lao Furen, so it wasn’t unusual that she said such words.
Li Wei Yang shook her head and calmly said: “Lao Furen is getting old, it’s better to not trouble her, what do you say?”
Mo Zhu bit her lips and ultimately decided: “Yes, Nubi listens to everything Xiaojie says.”
Since she decided to stay with Xiaojie, she would serve Xiaojie her entire life. The person with the power to decide her fate was Xiaojie, it’s her, so there was nothing much to be concern about.
“Look for the wooden dolls Hong Luo was talking about.” Li Wei Yang instructed.
“Yes, Nubi will secretly trash them.” Mo Zhu said, following her good advice.
“No, keep everything, then summon Rong Er over from my mother’s residence.” Li Wei Yang faintly smiled as she replied.
Mo Zhu was surprised, Rong Er? Wasn’t she that yatou who falsely passed along a message from Qi Yiniang to draw Li Wei Yang over to the garden to see Gao Jin?
Not long, Rong Er arrived trembling with fear; once she saw Li Wei Yang, she immediately kneeled down.
Because of what happened last time, she thought San Xiaojie wouldn’t let her off that easily but who would have known that everything was calm. Right when she was letting out a thankful breath, Li Wei Yang summoned her.
“Rong Er, serving Qi Yiniang, do you feel aggrieved.” Li Wei Yang’s face had a smile as she asked.
Rong Er’s expression slightly changed, she bowed her head and said: “Nubi is clumsy, Qi Yiniang is magnanimous, to be able to serve her, it’s Nubi’s luck this lifetime.”
Li Wei Yang calmly smiled and said: “Da Xiaojie gifted you something not small? Or else how did you dare use Qi Yiniang’s name to call me out?”
Rong Er, hearing this, immediately bowed her body, her voice was shaking, “Nubi …… nubi ……”
Li Wei Yang’s coldly voiced: “You couldn’t have forgotten what you have done!”
Rong Er saw that Li Wei Yang’s countenance was chillingly cold and her voice was serious. It frightened her, causing her face to turn pale and she didn’t dare to move. She then tearfully cried: “Nubi …… nubi is loyal to Qi Yiniang, really don’t know …… don’t know anything about betraying the master.”
Seeing that Hua Mei had already been executed, she knew there was no witness to testify against her. Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, she said: “I let you speak yet you don’t speak. Later when I don’t let you speak, even if you do, it’s already too late.”
Rong Er was frightened but she boldly said: “Nubi honestly don’t know what wrong did I commit.”
Li Wei Yang suddenly dropped the tea cup onto the floor and then staring at the fragments, said: “Kneel over them.”
Rong Er bit her teeth together as she kneeled over the broken tea cup pieces. Pain from her knees spread to her heart as tears began forming in her eyes.
“Someone who dares betray her master should naturally be punished.” Mo Zhu coldly said, she didn’t sympathize Rong Er at all. If Li Wei Yang was successfully framed by her back then, they would have ended up with a miserable death, this kind of Nubi, death was too easy for her!
Li Wei Yang calmly said: “Pour a cup of tea for Rong Er.”
Rong Er was surprised, San Xiaojie’s words, what did those mean?
Mo Zhu understood, she lowered her head as she retrieved an empty tea cup and placed it in Rong Er’s palm, “Hold this, if a single drop flows out, then don’t you ever wish to stand up again.”
Rong Er held up the tea cup in her palm, she was really frightened.
Mo Zhu carried over a pot of boiled water and gradually poured it into the tea cup.
Rong Er really couldn’t understand what was Li Wei Yang’s meaning behand this; she only felt the sudden heat from the hot water in the tea cup as it became more and more hot to touch. Rong Er clenched her teeth, she only felt faint pain in her fingertips and sweat formed on her forehead. She persisted, wanting to get through this. She didn’t imagine that Mo Zhu would pour out the water in the cup and then pour another cup of hot water for her to hold. At this point, the cup itself was hot and it was a full; not long, she felt it was too hot to touch, her arms and whole body began to dramatically shake.
“Hot?” After a while, Li Wei Yang calmly asked.
“No, not hot ……” Rong Er immediately answered.
“Good, it’s not hot then let’s change the cup.” Li Wei Yang said.
Mo Zhu went and soon returned with a tray and on the tray was a burnt copper cup.
Rong Er quickly kneeled and only felt her whole body trembling and drenched with sweat. At this point, she didn’t know if the pain came from her knees or her fingertip, both was as painful. It was only that it was porcelain just now, but now that it’s a burnt copper cup, the skin of her hand would definitely split and be torn!
Rong Er tearfully said: “Xiaojie, spare my life, Nubi wouldn’t dare ever again!”
Li Wei Yang said in a low voice: “Who instructed you to send me a message.”
Rong Er trembled and tears were running, she fiercely kowtowed and asked for forgiveness: “It was … it was Da Xiaojie’s yatou Tan Xiang. The day before I was sent to serve Qi Yiniang, Tan Xiang summoned Nubi and rewarded Nubi taels, forcing Nubi to agree to help Da Xiaojie. Nubi …… got confused temporarily. Beg San Xiaojie’s forgiveness! Beg San Xiaojie’s forgiveness!”
If she said it earlier, then nothing would have happened? Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, she said: “Rong Er, are you willing to atone for your actions by doing me a favor?”
After what happened just now, Rong Er felt that San Xiaojie was very terrifying. She fearfully looked at Li Wei Yang and nodded, she said: “Nubi …… nubi will definitely make up for my actions.”
Everything was arranged, Mo Zhu whispered: “What Xiaojie wants to do, any one of us can go, if she goes, she might cause more troubles ……”
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, her sparkling eyes were able to startle others: “If one of you went, our opponent wouldn’t be able to believe it.”
Mo Zhu blinked her almond-shaped round eyes: “What if Rong Er leak our plan?”
Li Wei Yang’s finger gently tapped the tea cup and then calmly said: “Since she didn’t succeed last time, she had already been abandoned, now that I have evidence in my hand, if she dares betray me ---“ After, she spread her lips to reveal a clear, shallow smile.
“There is one more thing Nubi does not understand.” Mo Zhu was hesitant. “How did Xiaojie know then that Rong Er passed along a message under the false pretense of Qi Yiniang?
Li Wei Yang stared at the heavy colors in the sky, her eyes were pondering deep: “A mother loves her child like treasure, that day it was heavily raining outside yet the message strip asked me to meet, this is not something a mother would do.”
Mo Zhu finally understood and said: “Xiaojie is very attentive.”
She had already died once, if she didn’t learn from this, then she deserved to die in others’ hands. Li Wei Yang’s smile was momentarily cold.