Ying Wutu didn’t dare to cry anymore.
He felt that he had already caused the deaths of many people and couldn’t continue harming others.
He forcibly held back his tears and stifled his sobs, feeling even more aggrieved. He could only curl up in the corner of the bed, his body trembling.
“That’s better, that’s more obedient.” Jiang Shouzhuo walked away, satisfied.
Tricking the little rabbit was so much fun.
The little rabbit had no idea that the ten people on the list never came to Jiang’s residence.
But this was the little rabbit’s weakness, and she could control him for a lifetime.
However…
Is the little rabbit really so aggrieved?
Why would he go to the lengths of trying to hang himself?
Did she hurt him?
He just shouted “no,” not “be gentle.”
He seemed so strong.
She couldn’t really understand men’s thoughts.
Jiang Shouzhuo instructed the housekeeper to bring some food for the little rabbit and then went out to attend to her official duties.
——
Ying Wutu only dared to continue crying after the wicked woman left.
He wanted to mourn for his ten comrades.
Those ten were the strongest in the army, and he had begged the wicked woman to spare them, but they were killed because of him.
Ying Wutu no longer dared to seek death.
He recalled the ten people he saw earlier. Although they were not as strong as the ones on the list, they were at least brave and willing to fight.
Despite… that night in the prisoner-of-war camp when he was beaten by the mob, it seemed these ten had also taken part in hitting him.
Ying Wutu dared not recall that night. He slowly wiped away his tears.
Last night, he was bullied by the wicked woman, and he would always remember this humiliation. When he escaped from Jiang’s residence, from Jin, and as long as he was still alive, he would return one day, and the wicked woman would pay for it!
The price would, of course, be blood for blood!
Thinking about this, Ying Wutu licked his lips again. The place where she had bitten him had already scabbed over, but it still hurt.
He remembered that he had bitten the wicked woman’s tongue last night, but she did not hit him.
As he thought about this, he looked at the corner of the bed where his shirt was. He slowly got up and found a paper bird in his shirt, holding it in his hand…
Suddenly, the door was opened.
Frightened, Ying Wutu quickly stuffed the paper bird under the blanket and pretended to sleep with his eyes closed.
The person who opened the door was merely a servant bringing food. They placed the meal on the table and left.
Ying Wutu smelled the aroma of the food.
After waiting for the footsteps outside the courtyard to fade away, he slowly sat up.
His waist hurt from the wicked woman riding him, and his legs hurt from being punished to kneel.
He put on his shirt but struggled to put on his pants. Feeling too hungry to bear, and knowing the wicked woman wasn’t around, he decided to go eat without pants.
He stood at the table, just picking up a steamed bun, and before he could take a bite…
Jiang Shouzhuo suddenly opened the door.
Ying Wutu was startled. He dropped the bun, covered his private parts, and limped towards the bed.
How could he run fast?
Jiang Shouzhuo was amused by his cute escape attempt. She had forgotten her Ministry of War badge after changing clothes yesterday, so she had to return halfway to retrieve it. As soon as she opened the door, she saw this scene.
“Why are you wandering around the room naked? How come I didn’t know that you have a habit of not wearing clothes? I heard that there are people like this, so why don’t I satisfy your little habit and take you for a stroll on the street? You won’t faint from the pleasure, will you? Then I’ll just throw you directly into the street for people to watch.” Jiang Shouzhu had already found the token, but she came to the bedside and took the opportunity to tease the little rabbit.
“No…no…” Ying Wutu huddled in the quilt, covering even his head, and spoke hesitantly.
Jiang Shouzhu pulled back the quilt and saw the red cheeks underneath. She smiled and said, “Then why are you wandering around without pants?”
“My legs can’t straightened, my waist can’t bend, and I can’t put on pants. But I’m too hungry, so I want to eat something first… I’m really too hungry… I’m exhausted from last night…” Ying Wutu explained carefully, and then he looked at her eagerly and asked tentatively, “If the master is unhappy, I won’t eat. Master, don’t be angry, and don’t kill anyone again.”
He felt so aggrieved that he wanted to cry again, but he was afraid of provoking her.
This time he didn’t cause any trouble or resist. It was just that the feeling of hunger was too unbearable. He wanted to eat something first to ease the pain in his stomach, and then go back to slowly put on his pants.
Jiang Shouzhuo rarely felt a pang of reluctance. She actually saw the little rabbit drop the steamed bun and run, so she had guessed what happened.
She was just teasing the little rabbit casually, but how could she scare him like this?
Was she fierce and evil?
She stretched out her hand and wanted to touch the little rabbit’s head, but saw him quickly shrink his shoulders and close his eyes, looking frightened.
Jiang Shouzhu withdrew her hand in mid-air and did not touch it in the end. She came to the table, picked up the steamed bun that had been dropped, returned to the bed, put it next to the little rabbit’s mouth, and said, “Don’t starve to death, or you will be no fun.”
Actually, she didn’t want to say that. She wanted to comfort the little bunny by saying, “Don’t be afraid,” and promised, “I won’t hit you today,” but the words almost came out, and she changed her mind.
What’s there to comfort about? It’s okay to be soft-hearted, but you can’t show it.
Being soft-hearted was something that happened once and would happen again. If you comfort him this time, will you tell him next time that those captives were not really killed?
It was simply absurd!
So there was no need to comfort him.
He did something wrong in the first place, so her punishing and scaring him are all justified.
Although, when Jiang Shouzhu saw his pitiful appearance, she indeed felt a bit soft-hearted.
Ying Wutu felt the bun press against his mouth, and he opened his mouth to take it. He gulped it down in three bites without chewing, and it choked him. But he didn’t care about himself and hurriedly said, “I won’t starve to death. Master, don’t be angry.”
Jiang Shouzhu: “……”
What was going on?
Why was the little bunny so scared?
It seems that threatening him by saying the ten people were killed really terrified him.
Were those ten people really that important to him?
Jiang Shouzhu was even more upset. She squeezed the token in her hand as if she were strangling someone. She thought that if she stayed any longer, she might get angry at the little bunny again, or even hit him, so she got up and left. There was still official business to handle at the Ministry of War today, so she couldn’t stay home and waste time.
As soon as the bad woman left, Ying Wutu hurriedly jumped out of bed to drink water. The dry bun he swallowed almost choked him to death, but he didn’t dare cough earlier.
He was afraid that the bad woman would lose her temper and start killing again at any moment.
——
Just as Jiang Shouzhu left the mansion, a small sedan chair was carried in through the side gate of the Jiang residence.
Ying Xiaowu was excited all the way. He had thought he would be presented to the Emperor of Jin, but to his surprise, the Emperor of Jin granted him to Jiang Shouzhu.
Sister Jiang was tall and handsome, brave and resourceful, proficient in both civil and military affairs, simply his dream wife.
He couldn’t wait to marry her, even if it was just as a little servant.
On the way back to the capital, he was constantly rejected by Sister Jiang, but now it was official, he wouldn’t be rejected anymore, right?
Tonight was probably their wedding night.
Ying Xiaowu was excited just thinking about it.
As he got out of the sedan chair, Ying Xiaowu was amazed. Sister Jiang truly deserved to be a prominent minister of the country; the Jiang residence was almost as big as their own country’s imperial harem.
The housekeeper led the way in front.
Ying Xiaowu had a separate courtyard to himself, mainly because Jiang’s father was afraid he would fight with the other four servants, causing chaos in the household.
As the head husband, maintaining household peace was Jiang’s father’s responsibility.
Ying Xiaowu entered the courtyard and looked around. He asked the housekeeper, “When will Sister Jiang come to see me?”
The housekeeper replied, “I don’t know. The eldest lady will come when she feels like it.”
Ying Xiaowu felt a bit disappointed but not discouraged. He thought the courtyard and the house were nice. Once the servants moved his trunks in, he started unpacking and settling in, treating it as his own home without any discomfort.
——
Jiang Shouzhu worked on official business until very late today. By the time she looked up from her work, it was already dark.
She had a quick dinner at the Ministry of War and rode her horse back home in a hurry.
She recalled that she had never been someone driven by strong desires, but now she really wanted to go back and enjoy some happy moments with the little bunny.
She felt that last night wasn’t satisfying enough.
Additionally, she hadn’t arranged for the housekeeper to have the little bunny do any work today; he had rested all day and should have recovered well.
So tonight, she could fully indulge and enjoy herself.
Just as Jiang Shouzhu entered the house, she was stopped by her father waiting at the door.
“Hello, Father.” Jiang Shouzhu handed the horse’s reins to the stable woman. “Why are you waiting for me at the door?”
Her father replied, “Young Master Wu came to the residence today. Do you want to see him tonight?”
Normally, her father didn’t interfere with his daughter’s personal matters, but Ying Xiaowu was exceptionally good at currying favor. This afternoon, he went to her father’s courtyard, served tea, massaged his shoulders, and behaved like a very obedient and filial son-in-law, leaving her father with no choice but to come and pass a message to his daughter.
Jiang Shouzhu had almost forgotten about the Fifth Prince. She replied perfunctorily, “Sure, I’m a bit tired today. I’ll go see him in a few days. Don’t worry, Father, I won’t neglect him.”
Tonight, she only wanted to enjoy herself with the little bunny. She would deal with Ying Xiaowu later.
Her father only gave a word of advice and then left after saying it.
Jiang Shouzhu headed straight to her own courtyard, feeling even more eager as she approached.
When she pushed open the door, she paused for a moment. Despite being someone who had seen all kinds of situations, she was slightly surprised, then walked in, closed the door, and looked down at the person before her, asking, “What’s this performance about?”
Ying Wutu was now completely naked, kneeling on the ground. In front of him was a whip, and he had been kneeling there waiting for her since after dinner.
Jiang Shouzhu walked to the table and sat down, while Ying Wutu picked up the whip and kneeled, facing her.
“I no longer dare to seek death. I kneel here, waiting for the master’s return to use me.” Ying Wutu kept his eyes lowered, looking very obedient.
Jiang Shouzhu was quite surprised. Had the little bunny changed?
“Have you figured it out? No more fussing?” Jiang Shouzhu asked him.
Ying Wutu raised the whip high with both hands, his voice trembling, “I dare not anymore.”
“Why are you being so obedient?” Jiang Shouzhu noticed that this was the thickest whip in the box. She took it but didn’t intend to use it on him.
“I only ask that master properly buries them, or… allows me to pay respects.” Ying Wutu’s voice grew lower and lower, fearing this request might anger her.
Jiang Shouzhu instantly got angry.
“So you did all this just for those irrelevant people!” Jiang Shouzhu thought he had been subdued, but it turned out it was still about those “concerns!”
“Master, please calm down!” Ying Wutu heard the change in her tone and quickly hugged her leg, begging, “Master, please don’t kill anyone anymore. I won’t mention it, I really won’t. If you’re angry, you can use the whip on me…”
Jiang Shouzhu stood up and dragged him towards the bed by his leg, pulling him along the floor.
Ying Wutu didn’t dare to let go; he was afraid that if he loosened his grip, the bad woman would go and kill those ten people.
“Let go and get on the bed yourself,” Jiang Shouzhu said irritably.
Ying Wutu used his hands and feet to climb onto the bed. He was prepared for anything; no matter how the bad woman bullied him, he wouldn’t make a sound.
Jiang Shouzhu did not get on the bed.
She looked at the little bunny lying there, as straight as a rod, but trembling all over, even so frightened that his face was deathly pale.
She didn’t like this.
She liked the rebellious little bunny, the biting little bunny, or the obedient little bunny, but never this terrified appearance.
It made her feel compassionate and lose all interest.
“Stop trembling,” Jiang Shouzhu commanded.
But trembling was something Ying Wutu couldn’t control himself.
Jiang Shouzhu rubbed her temples. On her way back, riding her horse, she had already thought about how to play tonight, but now seeing him like this, she couldn’t bring herself to go through with it.
“I won’t faint,” Ying Wutu stammered, still remembering the bad woman’s threat from the morning.
“Forget it, go back to your woodshed,” Jiang Shouzhu waved her hand. She didn’t want to see him tonight. She could have kept the little bunny around and done nothing, but she felt she couldn’t resist doing something.
So she sent him away.
He seemed genuinely frightened, so she decided to let him off this time.
Anyway, he would always be in her hands, and there was plenty of time in the future.
Actually, she wanted to comfort him, but she didn’t know how. She only knew how to threaten.
“Yes…” Ying Wutu meekly picked up his clothes and hastily put them on. His punishment from yesterday still hadn’t healed, and tonight he had knelt for nearly an hour, so he was limping as he walked.
After Ying Wutu left, Jiang Shouzhu looked at the ground and saw the lonely whip lying there. She suddenly snapped out of it.
What had she done?
Had she shown him mercy?
The little bunny was her trophy, merely a toy for her enjoyment. She had no intention of killing him, so what if he was scared? Why did she feel reluctant to act when she saw his pitiful appearance?
Why should she care about his thoughts?
Jiang Shouzhu felt a headache coming on again.
Did she really like him that much?
Was it true? She didn’t believe it.
Jiang Shouzhu sat up again and decided to head to Ying Xiaowu’s courtyard.
Since her father had also advised her, she might as well give him some face.
But she went the wrong way.
The Jiang residence was large, but it had been her home for twenty years. How could she have taken the wrong path?
She intentionally walked here.
Jiang Shouzhu stood at the door of the woodshed. She stood there, bathed in moonlight, but the light did not reach inside the shed.
She had originally planned to kick the door open, grab the little bunny by the neck, drag him out, carry him back to her room, and throw him on the bed to play with him however she pleased.
But in the end, she left.
She didn’t kick the door open, nor did she use violence.
Just… let him have another night to recover.
Although she didn’t know how to comfort people, at least she didn’t want to scare him anymore.
Jiang Shouzhu went to Ying Xiaowu’s courtyard. The room was brightly lit, indicating that Ying Xiaowu hadn’t gone to bed yet.
That was just perfect.
When Jiang Shouzhu pushed the door open, Ying Xiaowu was embroidering under the lamp.
“Jiang Sister!” Ying Xiaowu put down the needle and thread, happily bouncing over to the door. “Ah, I called wrong! I should call you Jiang Sister Wife Master, Wife Master!”
“Mm.” Jiang Shouzhu closed the door and asked, “What are you embroidering?”
“The wedding veil,” Ying Xiaowu hurriedly went to the table to pick up the veil and show it to his wife master. “Is it pretty?”
“Pretty.” Jiang Shouzhu didn’t actually look at it. She didn’t care about these small gestures from men. She went straight to the bed and ordered, “Turn off the light and get in bed.”
Ying Xiaowu was momentarily surprised. He felt it was sudden but quickly accepted it. He had been yearning for this but felt it was a bit rushed, lacking ceremony.
He wanted to suggest something but saw that his wife master had already lain down.
Ying Xiaowu, new to the situation, could sense that his wife master didn’t like him as much as she did that scoundrel Ying Wutu. So he didn’t dare to overstep his bounds and obediently climbed into bed and lay in her arms.
But Jiang Shouzhu did nothing.
She simply closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Ying Xiaowu waited so long that even the flowers wilted, staring wide-eyed and waiting for nothing.
——
Ying Wutu waited until midnight when the moon was high in the sky. He cautiously stepped out of the woodshed.
The door of the woodshed was not locked, so he could actually move freely.
He walked towards the servants’ quarters according to his memory.
He remembered the way because the housekeeper had shown him around earlier, and they had passed by the servants’ quarters.
Previously, he had been unable to move due to his injuries and illness, or he had been detained by the bad woman, so he hadn’t gone out to find his people. As a result, he hadn’t seen those ten people before they were all killed.
Tonight, the bad woman hadn’t bullied him, and he saw a trace of pity in her eyes, but he might not be free to move around tomorrow night.
So he took advantage of the rare opportunity to go out and find someone.
The servants all lived together, so he didn’t dare to go in and find people directly. But when he was in the army, there used to be a secret signal, a bird call.
So he cautiously made the secret signal.
Then he hid in the corner, waiting for a response.
After a while, a room opened.
A woman peeked out through the crack in the door.
Ying Wutu saw her immediately and hurriedly moved towards her…
But the woman closed the door right away.
Ying Wutu was sure he hadn’t mistaken her; she was indeed one of his comrades from the army, and they had matched the signal. So why did she suddenly close the door?
Was there someone else in the room?
But he rarely had a chance to come out.
Finally, he gently knocked on the door.
The door suddenly opened, and someone grabbed him by the arm and dragged him inside.
Ying Wutu, with his impaired legs, fell to the ground. When the door closed, the iron ball on his ankle was still outside.
He looked up and saw those ten people surrounding him.
“Great, it’s really you,” Ying Wutu couldn’t get up.
“You traitor! Climbing into the enemy’s bed and now you dare come to find us?” a woman said fiercely.
“I had no choice. I’ll make it short; my plan is… ah…”
Before Ying Wutu could finish speaking, someone kicked him in the stomach, causing him to cry out in pain.
His stomach was already injured.
In his pain, he rolled on the ground, and a cloth bundle fell out of his arms.
The bundle contained three buns, which he had secretly stashed away the day before, initially meant for himself when he got hungry.
Now, he had brought these buns on purpose. He remembered that when he was fetching water and chopping wood in the kitchen, he saw many servants coming to the dining hall for meals, but never saw the captives from the Ying kingdom. He worried that the captives, like him, were lowly slaves without the right to eat three meals a day regularly, perhaps starving one moment and full the next. So, he thought of his people and came out tonight not only to share his plan but also to distribute these three buns to them.
But before he could share his plan or take out the buns, his people beat him, and the buns were taken away.
Dividing three buns among ten people meant each person got only a small bite.
“Are there any more buns? Speak! Don’t play dead!”
They searched his body, but it was covered in wounds, and he convulsed in pain.
“No more!”
“If you hadn’t lost the battle! Would we have become captives? Now we’ve been reduced to servants! It’s all your fault!”
“I think you’ve been colluding with that woman all along, deliberately sending us to our deaths!”
As they spoke, they punched and kicked Ying Wutu.
It seemed as if all their misfortunes were caused by Ying Wutu.
Before he could speak, he was suddenly beaten. He curled up on the ground, holding his head, repeatedly shouting, “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me, she’ll find out.”
He had fallen to this state but still thought that if he had any new injuries that weren’t caused by the bad woman, it would implicate them.
These words indeed had an effect.
“Stop, don’t hit him anymore!”
There were still some rational people among them.
“Get out, don’t think about implicating us anymore!”
“You damned scoundrel, don’t think you can climb into her bed and become the master. We’ll beat you every time we see you!”
Ying Wutu was thrown out the door, and the door was shut behind him. Outside the threshold, along with the moonlight, was the iron ball that had never made it inside and the little bunny on it, still waiting for him.
Ying Wutu’s waist, abdomen, and head had been kicked several times, causing severe pain. He slowly stood up, clutching his stomach, bending over, and walked slowly back to the woodshed under the moonlight.
He shed tears as he walked.
Why wouldn’t they listen to him?
His hands were useless now, and he couldn’t manage on his own. Without cooperating with his people, how could he seek revenge?
And… why was he beaten by his own people again?
He thought about tonight, kneeling at the bad woman’s feet, holding the whip.
He wanted to please her, no matter how she tortured or abused him, just to satisfy her and ask her not to kill his people anymore.
But in the bad woman’s eyes, there was pity for him. Tonight, she didn’t beat him, nor did she sleep with him.
She just sent him away.
Was this pity from the bad woman, could it be affection?
He touched his body; those three buns were meant for them, but in the end, they were taken in this way, and he felt very bad.
He returned to the woodshed, hugging his knees and curling up in the corner.
He couldn’t stop crying.
Why did he receive pity and praise from his enemies?
But from his own people, he only received beatings and ridicule.
Why couldn’t his people trust him once more…
Ying Wutu felt intense pain in his abdomen, as if that kick had seriously injured him. He lay on the ground, gritting his teeth, silently enduring the pain.
As the pain reached its peak, he held the paper bird in his hand, and it seemed like he was hallucinating.
He thought he was still in the bad woman’s arms.
Her embrace, always so warm, always so reliable.
He passed out from the pain.
