Second Marriage

Translator: tarararawr

Editor: Larkspur

Chapter 15 Part 2

Warning: torture

With a clatter, the plank fell. The steward was signaled and he loudly spoke about several of the culprits’ crimes. Every time he said a crime, the surrounding people looked at the culprits whose bottoms had been beaten to the bone, the scene and the smell of blood in the air made them feel even more unable to breathe.

And the bullied Young Miss from the Main Branch kept smiling while watching the people be punished. It didn’t matter how much of a young beautiful woman she was, it was frightening under such circumstances.

However, they did not expect that something more shocking was behind them. Xiao Youning said a few words to the round-faced servant girl beside her. Then, Yuan Guo walked towards the tortured people.

Second Master Xiao thought that the interrogation was starting.

In the end, Yuan Guo pulled out the dagger from her waist and swung it directly at Guard Xie’s wrist. Unexpectedly, she pricked the other person’s tendon.

The heart-wrenching scream shook everyone’s eardrum. Then, Yuan Guo disabled one hand after another.

After waiting for her to return to her side, Xiao Youning said to the pale husband and wife of the Xiao Family’s Second Branch, “They wanted my life and now I want their hands. This is a small punishment to prevent a larger crime. Thank you Second Uncle and Second Aunt for letting me make the decisions. Our Xiao Family always returns good for evil1 and drives people out. Thus, this matter is settled and we do not have to ask the elders to worry about me.”

After that, she asked, “I don’t know which courtyard I’ll be living in?”

Second Master Xiao recovered from the shock of her injuring the people’s hands just now and let the steward take her there.

The girl slowly and proudly departed and left several people rolling on the ground that left behind trails of blood. Second Master Xiao looked back at the bloodstains all over the ground and happened to look at the aggrieved eyes of Guard Xie.

Guard Xie was about to faint from pain. He suddenly trembled when they looked at each other.

He clearly saw the ruthlessness in Second Master Xiao’s eyes.

He opened his mouth and tried to say something to Second Master Xiao, but someone immediately blocked his mouth and dragged him out.

This was completely different from what he had said earlier. Their tendons were pricked and Second Master Xiao still used that kind of expression to look at them… He was unable to struggle. His face was grim and his heart was filled with despair caused by the cold glance from Second Master Xiao.

The outer courtyard soon dispersed and a few people were left behind to clean up the stains on the ground. Xiao Youning was taken to the most remote courtyard in the residence.

The courtyard had been renovated. The walls were newly painted and there were no weeds in the flower garden. She knew at a glance that it had been cleaned up for her.

Yuan Guo entered the room. She stood at the doorway and surveyed the room. She turned around with satisfaction and said to Xiao Youning, “This shows sincerity.”

Xiao Youning scanned the red-lacquered furniture in the room and whispered, “It’s all superficial effort… I don’t know if Brother Chen can catch those people.”

Yuan Guo closed the door when she spoke. She turned around to put their wrapped luggage on the table and said, “Young Miss, how can you be so certain that Second Master Xiao will not let them go? If Second Master Xiao will not let them go, then why did we still use the knife in front of everyone’s eyes? Is it for nothing to give Young Miss a domineering reputation?”

“If we don’t make our move, then Second Uncle will not be completely relieved. It will depend on their luck. If Brother Chen can catch them, then they will still have a life to tell the truth; and if he fails to catch them, then no one will be blamed.”

Since Xiao Youning wanted to become savage, she had to prepare a way out for herself.

Chen Li was introduced to her by the Daoist Nun when she was at Qingfeng Daoist Temple. He was a respectable farmer who was reliable and could handle things appropriately. Thus, she told him a long time ago that if she went down the mountain, she would send him information to let him enter the city. He stayed outside of the Xiao Family’s Second Branch so that he could observe and find out where Guard Xie would be taken.

She felt that Second Master Xiao would not be foolish enough to let her die on the way to Datong, so there must be someone else hiding behind it. Looking back on today, it was extremely likely that it was Mo-shi’s idea.

But in the end, there was only one Mo-shi. There were still other people who were fish in troubled waters2, so she must thoroughly investigate.

The whereabouts of her father and brother were still unknown. She had already been set up once and must not be set up again. She must find the real culprit. Otherwise, she would not be able to stay in the capital.

She was treading on thin ice and had to be careful with every step. Fortunately, the Second Branch did not dare to do anything for a while. At least this would give her time to breathe.

Xiao Youning sat down and only felt tired after saying those words. Yuan Guo saw that her complexion was not good, she was quietly distressed for her scheming Young Miss.

Mo-shi already returned to the back of the house and was about to lose her temper. After entering the room, she said to her husband whose complexion was not good, “Is that what she calls returning good for evil3? She stood on our heads and used a knife. Is this a trick a young girl from the family can do?”

Mo-shi was nagging the entire time. Second Master Xiao was so gloomy that he gave her an indifferent look and said, “Then are those things something a woman in the back of the house is capable of doing?!”

Mo-shi choked. Her face became deathly pale and her lips quivered. She covered her face and cried as she ran to the inner room.

Second Master Xiao could not quell the fire in his heart. He brushed aside his sleeves and left. The distraught he felt could not be explained. He gave a command to his trusted aide in the corridor. “We must keep an eye on those people, and there must be no more mistakes!”

The trusted aide left in a hurry, but after one shichen4 passed, Jian Yin threw all the people Second Master Xiao wanted to keep an eye on in front of Ye Shen.

“Fifth Master, all the people you asked for have been brought back.”

Jian Yin’s face was not very happy. Ye Shen raised his eyes and expressionlessly said, “Interrogate them properly and send the results directly to her.”

His mother had asked him to look after the little girl, then he would look after her.

Footnotes

以德报怨 (yǐ​dé​bào​yuàn​) – idiom that means to forget the grudges and promote the good/benefits.浑水摸鱼(hún​shuǐ​mō​yú) – idiom for taking advantage of a crisis for personal gain.以德报怨 (yǐ​dé​bào​yuàn​) – idiom that means to forget the grudges and promote the good/benefits.时辰 (shí​chen) – one shichen is a two hour period.