cold clothes

There was nothing she could do.

"Woo... Wu..."

Leng Yi burst into tears, which made the girls around her feel sorry for her. At the same time, their excitement cooled down. After all, they were adults who had seen the coldness and warmth of human relationships, and they understood the helplessness of the world better than children.

Someone hugged Leng Yi, and her warm body temperature instantly enveloped her. Suddenly, all the bustling crowd of more than twenty people could hear was Leng Yi's childish, hoarse sobs.

Leng Yi recounted, haltingly, that Liang Shuyun had only been exiled and not sentenced to death. The girls, though showing some disappointment, weren't particularly saddened; instead, they kept comforting Leng Yi. Only then did Leng Yi realize they were her "older sisters," for even in her previous life when she was in her twenties, she hadn't possessed the maturity of these teenage girls from ancient times.

"So this is how it turned out..." Juanxin said bitterly. As Yunmei's closest friend, she was undoubtedly the most heartbroken person.

"What should I do? Sister Yunmei died for nothing..." Leng Yi clenched her fists, unable to suppress her self-blame. She had no ability whatsoever and couldn't do anything, yet she spent her days shouting and yelling as if she could look down on everyone. She was such a failure, such a failure...

"Since that's the case, it's not over yet!" Suddenly, a young woman stepped forward and shouted, her eyebrows furrowed and her fists clenched. This was Mu Yu, who often complained. Just moments before, she had been complaining about the pretentious fellow who couldn't even recite poetry. Now, she spoke with righteous indignation, "Since Liang Shuyun isn't dead, let's do our best to send him to hell. Liang Shuyun is now a commoner, stripped of all power and prestige. Aren't we able to handle him? Whether we hire a hitman or whisper sweet nothings in the ear of a customer, we can easily take him out. There's still a lot we can do." As she spoke, her eyes sharpened. "He looked down on us prostitutes, but now he doesn't even have the right to step into Fengxiang Pavilion. Who is truly superior?"

“Yes, we who have fallen into prostitution are not gentle and harmless confidantes, but poisonous poppies.” As soon as Mu Yu said this, someone immediately echoed her. The girls of Fengxiang Pavilion were highly trained and capable, and they quickly came up with more than a dozen plans to commit crimes.

Leng Yi, watching from the side, couldn't help but burst into tears again: "Sisters..."

"Ningbi, don't be sad. In this world, cause and effect are cyclical and retribution is inevitable. There is always justice in the world. Since we cannot eliminate harm through fair means, we can still uphold justice through clandestine means."

"Yes!" Leng Yi nodded heavily, tears welling in her eyes.

The girls comforted Lengyi again, coaxing her to stop crying, and then Juanxin said she would send her back to Zhuoyu Pavilion.

On the way back to Zhuoyu Pavilion, Juanxin kept comforting Lengyi: "Ningbi, you don't need to be too sad for Yunmei. To be honest, being sad now won't help. You need to be a strong person. That is, a strong person can turn sadness into motivation and become stronger. You are luckier than us and have a greater chance to stand at the peak of power. Only in this way will you not be bullied or looked down upon, and you will also have the ability to uphold justice for Yunmei."

"Yes, Sister Juanxin, I understand," Lengyi said softly, her clear blue eyes hardening.

The lessons learned over the past few months should have smoothed out her rough edges and softened her sharpness. It's ironic that in her previous life, she was a resentful and indignant young woman for over twenty years, but after only a few months in ancient times, she'd lost all her temper. Indeed, the cruelty of the old era far surpasses that of the new. The cruelty lies in the fact that Leng Yi had no choice from beginning to end. In modern times, if she was targeted by her boss, she could switch jobs; if she didn't fit in with her family, she could run away from home. As long as she had hands and feet, she could support herself. But at Fengxiang Tower, she didn't even have that choice. Perhaps choosing Fengxiang Tower over living on the streets was the only truly autonomous choice she made in her life.

In any case, she is still just a seed and needs to remain dormant in the soil.

Back at Zhuoyu Pavilion, she found Lingcao waiting for her outside. Her maid's uniform was already thin, and Lingcao had been standing outside for who knows how long; her face was pale, and her lips were purple. Upon seeing Lengyi, she happily called out, "Miss!"

Lingcao called out and ran towards Lengyi. After stopping in front of Lengyi, she bowed to Juanxin and said, "Miss Juanxin."

Juanxin smiled and said, "I'll leave after I bring Ningbi back. Goodbye, Ningbi."

"Goodbye, Sister Juanxin," Lengyi said.

"Miss Juanxin, please take care," Lingcao said respectfully.

As soon as Juanxin left, Lengyi frowned and said to Lingcao, "Why are you standing outside in the wind? Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Come inside quickly." With that, she pulled Lingcao into the house.

Lingcao chuckled, "Miss is so concerned about me; it's my fault as her maid."

Leng Yi said, "If you can't take care of yourself, how are you going to take care of me? That's dereliction of duty, hmph."

"By the way, how was your trip to the Dali Temple, Miss? Were you nervous? Isn't the Dali Temple very impressive?" Lingcao asked with great interest, her eyes sparkling.

This was the first time Leng Yi had seen Ling Cao so cheerful since Yun Mei's death. The thought of how Ling Cao might look if she were told the truth that Liang Shu Yun had not been sentenced to death made her heart clench. But no matter how reluctant she was, she had to be honest with her. She and Ling Cao both needed to be strong and face it together.

Leng Yi took a deep breath and then said solemnly, "Lingcao, although I am very sad, I still want to tell you that Liang Shuyun was not sentenced to death, or even convicted of murder, because Yunmei was his servant."

Leng Yi spoke with increasing difficulty, and at the same time, one could see that Ling Cao's eyes gradually dimmed. Ling Cao's lips trembled as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she bit her lip and said nothing.

Leng Yi hugged her tightly and said, "It's alright. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years! I'm just too weak right now, and my voice carries no weight, which is why I can't avenge Yun Mei. I've always been too naive, thinking that there is justice in society. In reality, the unchanging justice is that whoever has power is right. So, I will strive to become the most beautiful courtesan so that we will never be oppressed again."

“Miss.” Lingcao couldn’t help but shed tears after hearing Lengyi’s words and hugged Lengyi back. “Yes, I believe that Miss will become the most beautiful courtesan and will not let anyone bully her.”

"Well, I will definitely do it."

The scene of Lengyi and Lingcao embracing warmly was witnessed by the passing breeze. The breeze looked at their mournful appearance with disdain, curled her lips and muttered, "Tch, what's with the pretense of deep master-servant affection? I and ( ) could never do such mushy things." Then she suddenly froze. The thought that it was impossible for her and ( ) to embrace each other made her feel a little uncomfortable. Then Lengyi and Lingcao became even more irritating to her.

Driven by jealousy, Wei Feng coldly snorted, "Hmph, what a disrespectful master and servant! If word gets out, they'll be a laughingstock."

The harsh words drew Leng Yi's attention to Wei Feng. She didn't give Wei Feng a friendly look either. Wei Feng was the person she hated most in Zhuoyu Pavilion, without exception. She wasn't good at cursing, otherwise she would have made Wei Feng cry.

However, Leng Yi's silent glare was incredibly lethal. Her blue eyes were especially fierce, making people feel like they were being stared at by a wild beast. Wei Feng immediately felt guilty after being glared at like that.

"Did I say something wrong? Honestly... Ningbi, you should worry about the monthly exam, don't fail like last month!" Breeze said fiercely before leaving in a hurry.

Leng Yi withdrew her stern gaze, thinking that although she had decided not to be as arrogant and reckless as before, it did not mean she would be a pushover.

"Hahahahaha, hahahahaha..."

In the Dali Temple prison, Liang Shuyun laughed loudly for a long time, waving his arms as he laughed, looking exactly like a madman.

The maniacal laughter and the rattling of the chains disgusted the jailer, who finally lost his patience and beat him.

"What are you so smug about, you piece of trash! Do you think you're still the Vice Minister of Works? I can't kill you, but that doesn't mean I can't hit you!"

"What's the point of such scum living if he doesn't die? He's a scourge to the country and its people!"

"I heard that a young prostitute cried out pitifully in court today, tsk tsk," a jailer suddenly remarked.

"Oh, they're so pitiful. They're dead, so what? This bastard can't even be sentenced to death."

"It's fate to encounter scumbags. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't kill a pretty girl; I'd be too busy hurting her."

"You'll never get into Fengxiang Pavilion and enjoy the blessings of a celestial beauty! I heard that the most beautiful courtesan at Fengxiang Pavilion is as pretty as a fairy, with blue eyes. Is she a foreigner?"

"I don't know... Pshaw, let's hit her harder and that'll be revenge for the fairy."

"That's right, hit him!"

The jailers beat him as they talked, the beating becoming increasingly brutal, even spitting in his face. When they were tired, they wiped their hands and went to drink. Liang Shuyun, bruised and swollen, lay on the ground convulsing, spitting out mouthfuls of blood, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"These cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong... I'll make them regret it once I get out of here!"

He hated the jailers who had been bullying him these past few days, but his deepest hatred went to the courtesan they'd mentioned—that must be Xiao Yu. That vicious little bastard! He didn't know what drug they'd given him, leaving him completely powerless, manipulated by a mere girl. What's worse, the drug's effects wore off as soon as the Imperial Guards arrived, leaving him speechless with humiliation. Not only that little bastard, but also that heartless woman, Madam Hu! She must have been plotting against him all along, but they'd both miscalculated, hahaha! He wasn't so easy to kill. Just wait, once he was released, he'd make them wish they were dead!

"Hahaha, you think you can kill me? How naive... You think you can kill me, you lowly prostitutes?" I am the Third Prince's man, even the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review doesn't dare to sentence me to death, how dare you kill me?

Liang Shuyun sneered, but he was completely unaware that all the jailers seemed to have left, and the prison was deathly silent.

A steady footstep approached. Liang Shuyun looked up in fear, thinking that the jailer was coming to beat him again. But when he looked closely, he saw that although the man was wearing jailer's clothes, he was wearing a straw hat, which made it impossible to see his face. Moreover, he was short and looked like a child.

"Who are you?" Liang Shuyun asked in confusion, but when his gaze shifted downwards, he froze, for the person in the newcomer was holding the prison key.

The newcomer's lips curled slightly as he brandished the key in his hand and said, "I've come to carry out your execution, Vice Minister of Works."

Liang Shuyun was completely bewildered. Seeing someone use a key to open the lock, he felt a strange sense of unease. He was definitely not a jailer, so why did he have a key? He swaggered in without anyone stopping him, and his voice sounded like a young boy's, even somewhat familiar, as if he'd heard it somewhere before…

"Who are you? Don't come any closer! You...you can't kill me! The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review didn't sentence me to death! Killing me is against the law!"

Liang Shuyun suddenly screamed, because he saw the boy take out a cloth bag from his arms. When the long cloth was unfolded, it was filled with all sorts of small tools: long needles, hooks, barbs, splints...

"Actually, I don't like this stuff. I like the clash of swords and the splatter of blood," the boy said. "But I can't let you die so easily. I won't kill you either. If you can't stand it, then end it yourself, okay?"

The boy took out a silver needle and curled his lip: "Actually, I don't need to come in person given my status, but, well, a certain ghost wants you dead... so I'll reluctantly do it. It's not that I want to help her fulfill her wish, and I hate you too."

"You, you are..." Liang Shuyun finally remembered his identity while the boy was muttering to himself: "You are—how come—did you report me for embezzlement? Because I am the Third Prince's man!"

"Tsk," the boy sneered, his dark eyes beneath the bamboo hat revealing a murderous intent. "It's not satisfying to let you die content after knowing everything. I suddenly have an interest in torture. I hope you can hold out a little longer."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liang Shuyun's tongue was cut off instantly, silencing his screams and thus beginning a secret feast of torture.

The jailers had long been dismissed. Those minor figures could be silenced with a little money and a token. The other prisoners were being tortured to the point of near death, and no matter how much Liang Shuyun screamed, it was no use. The boy simply disliked the pig-like screams.

He berated himself for coming, and the shadows silently crawling in the darkness were also criticizing him, thinking: "My master seems to have changed a lot since he was injured and went to Fengxiang Tower to recuperate. He talks more and is a bit like a child. I remember the first time I saw my master, I felt like I saw a zombie that had come back to life from the grave. His sinister aura was terrifying."

As for the master now… Shadow looked over and saw the young boy wearing a straw hat using Liang Shuyun's hair as thread to embroider patterns on Liang Shuyun's arm, just like a little girl doing embroidery. Then he used a hammer to strike Liang Shuyun's toe bones until they made a cracking sound before stopping and striking the next one. In no time, all of Liang Shuyun's toe bones were shattered.

Liang Shuyun's eyes rolled back in pain, and blood kept flowing from his mouth. The boy couldn't bear to look at his ugly appearance and said in a cold voice, "If you're going to commit suicide, hurry up. I don't have much patience left."

Liang Shuyun could only make a sound like bubbles coming out of his throat.

"Oh well, never mind."

The boy stood up, raised his hand, cut his finger, and then used his finger to write on the wall.

Confession/Plea Statement