The 12th Year of Tai’an.
Futai County Yamen, Yongan Street.
“Officer, hit her! Hit her hard! Beat this little bastard to death! How dare she report me to the yamen? She is simply lawless. Hit her, beat her to death! Hit her!”
A sharp-voiced old woman kept shrieking, “Your family is a dead-end line, a bunch of losers, so poor you can hear the coins rattling in your pockets. You, a bastard whose own father is unknown, wouldn’t be able to fly even if you were given a pair of wings! Get out now, don’t linger here and refuse to move, you’re delaying my children and grandchildren from rising to greatness! You’ve ruined my Mingzhu’s reputation—she is someone destined to enter the palace and become a consort…”
“Thwack!” An officer raised the wooden paddle and brought it down heavily on the woman lying on the bench.
The woman lay prone on the bench, a wound on her forehead that had just scabbed over now seeping blood again. Her dark, thin face was covered in cold sweat from the pain, and her entire body trembled.
“Thwack!” Another blow landed.
The woman threw her head back in agony, the veins in her neck bulging, her body convulsing.
Suddenly, her body went limp, and everything went black.
Seeing this, the officer pulled back the paddle he had raised high and did not strike again.
Seeing this, the Li woman urged in a shrill voice, “Officer, keep hitting! Beat this bastard to death!
This bitch of a bastard is occupying the ancestral home, ruining the family’s feng shui. It wasn’t enough that she caused the old master’s death, now she refuses to leave the ancestral home, trying to kill our whole family! She’s rotten to the core!...That bitch Gu didn’t even give birth to a son, she’s a dead-end line. Does she think that just because her grandson took the Shen surname, he’s a Shen descendant and has the right to claim the house? Bah!”
The more the Li woman cursed, the more energized she became.
The officer noticed the woman on the bench wasn’t moving and his heart skipped a beat. He muttered, “She didn’t die after just a few blows, did she?”
A beautiful young woman beside the Li woman widened her eyes in alarm upon hearing this. “Grandmother, Cousin Xingnong isn’t dead, is she?”
She must not die! She was still waiting for this bastard to finish the beating and the nail-board punishment so they could report her to the authorities.
Only then could their family rightfully take back the ancestral home.
“Grandmother~” Shen Mingzhu tugged at the Li woman’s sleeve subconsciously.
“It was only five blows, she can’t be dead! She’s faking it! Mingzhu, don’t look, don’t let it scare you!” The Li woman cast a sidelong glance at the girl on the bench, patted her granddaughter’s hand, and walked over, her mouth still chattering incessantly: “This bastard is good at faking it on a daily basis; she must be faking a faint. Her life is cheap! She won’t die! A scourge lasts for a thousand years!”
The Li woman reached out with both hands and pinched the injured buttocks of the girl on the bench with all her might, her expression ferocious.
Her sharp fingernails sank right into the flesh!
“You cheap slut, you bastard, daring to fake a faint in front of me! Didn’t you want to report to the officials? Go on then, report them~”
Xingnong only felt a splitting headache, and waves of dull pain coming from her buttocks. There was an annoying voice chattering in her ear, and she was beyond irritated: “Shut up!”
As the words left her lips, her buttocks were pinched hard.
Xingnong didn’t even open her eyes; she simply lashed out with a kick.
The Li woman flew backward, landing heavily on the ground. The pain caused her old face to wrinkle like a chrysanthemum.
One could vaguely see a footprint left on her face.
Everyone: “...”
Shen Mingzhu, however, breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she wasn’t dead~!
The young girl opened her eyes, her pupils shimmering like stars.
As soon as Xingnong opened her eyes, she saw the four characters: “Bright Mirror Hanging High.”
(?)
What was going on?
Those spirited, piercing eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings.
Ancient architecture?
Ancient people?
Wasn’t there an explosion in the laboratory? Where had she been blown to?
Xingnong looked down at her own hands, feet, and clothing.
These rags, this dry, thin, dark hand!
She pinched herself. It hurt!
Thinking of the tropes in novels...
Could it be... she had transmigrated?
A pain shot through her brain, and countless memories surged forth like a broken dam...
“Grandmother, are you alright?” Seeing that she wasn’t dead, Shen Mingzhu felt relieved. She hurried over to help the Li woman up, saying anxiously, “Grandmother, Cousin Xingnong must not have meant it just now, please don’t blame her.”
The Li woman felt as if all the bones in her body had shattered. Hearing this, she snapped back to reality. Ignoring the pain, she flew into a rage, snatched the paddle from the officer’s hand, and lunged at Xingnong ferociously: “You little bastard, you dare kick me! I’ll beat you to death!”
A flash of triumph crossed Shen Mingzhu’s eyes. She quickly chased after her, standing not far from Xingnong, and said anxiously, “Grandmother, don’t hit Cousin...”
The Li woman raised the paddle high and brought it down heavily toward where Xingnong was standing: “You dead bastard, I’ll beat you to death!”
The moment the paddle fell, Xingnong nimbly dodged to the side.
“Ah~~~!” A scream pierced the sky!
The Li woman, having raised the paddle high, brought it down heavily onto Shen Mingzhu’s shoulder, knocking her flat onto the ground.
Shen Mingzhu’s eyes welled up with tears from the pain, her mouth agape, unable to make a sound.
Everyone: “...”
The Li woman stared at the person on the ground, dumbfounded. Why was it her precious granddaughter?
She hurriedly crouched down: “Mingzhu, Mingzhu, are you alright?”
Shen Mingzhu was in so much pain she nearly fainted. She looked up and happened to see the cold, frosty Xingnong nearby. A wave of hatred rose in her heart, and she forced a hideous smile, saying weakly, “Grandmother, I’m fine. Cousin Xingnong didn’t mean it, please don’t hit her.”
Hearing this, the Li woman looked at Xingnong with fury, grabbed the paddle, and lunged at her: “You dead bastard, you did it on purpose! Don’t you dare dodge!”
The Li woman raised the paddle high and swung it down at Xingnong with all her might.
Xingnong took a step to the side, revealing a row of nail-boards gleaming with cold light behind her.
The Li woman’s pupils constricted, but because she had used too much force, she couldn’t stop her momentum. She watched helplessly as her body made intimate contact with the nail-boards.
“AHHHHHHH!!!!” A scream that pierced the heavens rang out again, nearly blowing the roof off.
“...” Everyone was stunned.
The Li woman lay on the nail-boards, too afraid to move from the pain, throwing her head back and wailing: “Ah! Ah! Ah!... Help! It hurts so much! Ah, help me~ Master!”
The yamen officers hadn’t expected such a turn of events. They scrambled to save the woman and call for a doctor. The scene was chaotic.
Xingnong didn’t even spare the chaos a glance; she turned and walked away.
~
Behind the screen.
The County Magistrate stood respectfully one step behind a refined man in purple robes.
Beside the man in purple stood a man in black.
The three of them had witnessed the entire scene.
Ren Zilin turned his head and asked the man in black, “Does that girl know martial arts?”
Why couldn’t he tell at all?
Could it be that her martial arts were even better than his?
“No.” The voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of coldness, low and pleasant.
He had already probed her; there was no internal energy at all, just agility.
Magistrate Fang couldn’t help but secretly size up the man in black beside Ren Zilin.
The man in black had a slender, well-proportioned figure and exquisite features. His brows and eyes were excessively cold and distant. He stood there without expression, yet he naturally exuded an aura that made others want to bow down.
Was this man Magistrate Ren’s secretary?
Why did it feel like this secretary was more of a “magistrate” than Magistrate Ren himself?
Wasn’t this aura of absolute authority a bit too powerful?
At this moment, the officer who had been in charge of the beating ran in, bowed to the Magistrate, and said, “Magistrate, something has happened. That Shen Xingnong is causing a scene in the courtroom. Would you like to go out and preside over justice?”
As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the other two men.
Who was the new Magistrate?
Hearing this, Magistrate Fang subconsciously looked at Ren Zilin and deferred, “Magistrate Ren, would you like to?”
He was about to be promoted and transferred. This noble person from the capital with such a prominent background was the incoming Magistrate.
Although the handover hadn’t happened yet, the man was already at the yamen. He couldn’t afford to offend him, so naturally, he had to ask if he wanted to handle this lawsuit.
Ren Zilin was speechless: “Magistrate Fang, I haven’t taken office yet, have I?”
He just happened to be here and wanted to watch the show.
Magistrate Fang nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: “Yes, yes, this subordinate will go handle it immediately.”
Magistrate Fang immediately walked out with the officer.
Happy New Year, everyone~
The new book is out. I’ve been preparing for a long time, please show your support~
Please vote, please add to your library~
(End of chapter)