Ding Rukui had been sentenced to death but never executed, surviving year after year solely because Lu Bing had exploited a loophole in the death penalty review process for a decade.
In the Ming Dynasty, the final authority for death penalty reviews rested with the emperor. At the end of each year, all cases were collectively submitted for the emperor's review. When the emperor opened the files, confirmed their accuracy, and marked them with a vermilion brush, the Ministry of Justice would arrange the executions—beheading or hanging—schedule the dates, and publicly announce them to summon spectators for timely viewing, as capital punishment served to educate the masses and warn against breaking the law.
If the emperor had doubts, he would return the case for retrial, temporarily sparing the prisoner's life.
However, with so many death row inmates requiring review each year, the emperor's desk piled up like a small mountain. To demonstrate imperial magnanimity, a few were always deferred for review the following year. Even emperors like Hongwu, who loathed evil and were diligent, would never approve every single case.
Many prisoners died in jail without ever receiving the emperor's vermilion endorsement and approval for execution.
Moreover, the Jiajing Emperor was preoccupied with cultivating immortality and refining elixirs, lacking the patience to review every case. He wouldn't even touch the last few files, postponing them for the next year's review.
Thus, according to the pattern of death penalty reviews, those at the top of the pile were almost certain to die, while those at the bottom could typically survive another year—if they didn't perish in prison first.
Lu Bing took advantage of this loophole, bribing the eunuchs who transported the death row case files each year to ensure Ding Rukui's case was placed last.
Who would dare refuse Lu Bing? Especially when he offered silver.
So, year after year, Ding Rukui ranked last, surviving one more year each time. A decade passed, and he was still alive and well.
Ding Rukui's cell contained a bookshelf, a desk, and a full set of writing implements—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. His small bed had a mosquito net, and the chamber pot in the corner was concealed by a cloth curtain to protect his privacy, allowing him to await his potential execution with dignity.
His hair was meticulously combed. Though the underground cell was damp and prone to lice, he kept no beard, with guards shaving him every three days—prisoners weren't allowed to touch razors or metal tools, and even their bowls and spoons were wooden to prevent them from breaking porcelain to self-harm or injure others.
Lu Bing did his utmost to make Ding Rukui's wait for death as comfortable as possible.
If not for the iron bars, multiple iron doors, and stationed guards, Ding Rukui's condition would resemble that of a retired scholar living in seclusion, leisurely plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence and gazing at the southern mountains.
Meanwhile, Lu Bing, who had enjoyed boundless glory for over thirty years, now resembled a weapon covered in rust.
If the two were placed side by side, observers might mistake Lu Bing for the death row inmate awaiting execution year after year.
Ding Rukui invited Lord Lu to sit in the chair beside the desk while he took the bed—as the cell had only one chair, it wouldn't do to ask a visitor onto the bed.
Waiting for Lord Lu's coughing to subside, Ding Rukui asked, "What brings Lord Lu to visit a condemned prisoner like me amidst your busy schedule?"
Lu Bing, an extremely busy man, typically visited Ding Rukui only once a year—during the year-end death penalty review—to inform him, "The emperor didn't mark your name in vermilion this year. Congratulations, you get to live another year."
This was the tenth year, only halfway through, in the midst of summer. With the tenth review still six months away, Lu Bing's sudden visit surprised Ding Rukui and set his heart on edge.The last time Lu Bing had broken the routine to visit him in the death row cell was during his second year of imprisonment, when Lu brought him devastating news: "...Your wife fell ill and passed away on the way to her exile in Yunnan. My condolences."
Ding Rukui had once been the Minister of War, akin to the modern-day Secretary of Defense. His wife, accustomed to a life of privilege—delicate as blossoms and pure as snow—could not endure the hardships of exile. Like a fallen flower sinking into mud, she soon faded away.
At the time, Ding Rukui remained silent, not uttering a word. After a long while, he spat out a mouthful of blood and cried out, "Yan Song has ruined me!"
How bitterly Ding Rukui regretted it!
As Minister of War, he had sought the opinion of Grand Secretary Yan Song, who insisted on defending the capital at all costs and forbade engaging the enemy. Yan Song warned that if they were defeated, the capital would fall, the emperor would be captured, and the Great Ming would face destruction.
Yan Song even assured Ding Rukui, "As long as I am here, you will be safe."
Ding Rukui found Yan Song's reasoning sound. With the Ming military stretched thin and reinforcements for the emperor's relief uncertain, he faced a difficult choice: protect the civilians outside the city or safeguard the dynasty. He followed Yan Song's advice and ordered the army to defend the city gates without engaging the enemy.
In the end, when Anda Khan withdrew his forces, Yan Song's son Yan Shifan persuaded his relative Lu Bing to shift the blame for the crisis onto Ding Rukui.
His wife was exiled three thousand li to the south, while his son Ding Wu was sent to the Tieling Garrison in the north. On the day mother and son parted, it was a final farewell.
Now, with Lu Bing unexpectedly visiting him mid-year, Ding Rukui was instantly reminded of his wife's tragic death. This time, had something happened to his son exiled in Tieling?
Lu Bing said, "I've come today regarding your son, Ding Wu."
Ding Rukui sat steadily on his bed, appearing calm, but his fingers had already slipped beneath the blanket, tightly clutching the cotton padding. "How... how is he now?"
Lu Bing, himself a parent and even a grandfather, understood that Ding Rukui was merely putting on a composed front. "Rest assured," he said, "the Embroidered Uniform Guard has people in Tieling Garrison. No one would dare mistreat him. He writes beautifully—every New Year, folks from all around seek him out to write couplets. A few years ago, the county magistrate recruited him to the yamen as a Clerk, managing household registration documents. He’s self-sufficient now."
Ding Rukui was a proper jinshi graduate, selected as a Hanlin Academy bachelor before rising to become a minister in one of the Six Boards. Had it not been for that catastrophe, he would have surely entered the Grand Secretariat, becoming a grand secretary or even chief grand secretary, reaching the pinnacle of officialdom.
But his son Ding Wu, as the descendant of a convicted official, was forbidden to leave his place of exile and barred from the imperial examinations. No matter how much he studied, it was futile. Serving as an unofficial Clerk in the county yamen was merely a means to a legitimate livelihood.
His future was utterly destroyed.
The drop was like the son of a former Secretary of Defense becoming a temporary worker in the household registration office of a remote mountain police station—a plunge from the clouds to the ground.
Lu Bing handed Wei Caiwei's Household Certificate to Ding Rukui, pointing at the name "Clerk Ding Wu." "This certificate was written by his hand."
For the first time in ten years, Ding Rukui saw his son's handwriting. In the past, his son had been a spirited youth who wrote in an elegant "flying white" style. Now, his writing was rigid and impersonal, in the standard "cabinet style" (imitation Song typeface).
Life had smoothed away all his edges.Ding Rukui glanced only once before handing back the household certificate. "There's nothing wrong with being a clerk—it puts food on the table and supports a family."
Lu Bing remarked, "Ding Wu has never married. What family is there to support?"
How could a former noble son of the capital ever stoop to marrying a rustic village woman? How could he bear to watch the next generation trapped in Tieling's bitter cold, declining with each passing generation?
What a tragedy that would be.
His son's choice to remain unmarried didn't surprise Ding Rukui. "A man's home is wherever he roams. My home is the imperial prison; his is Tieling."
Lu Bing pressed further, "Do you know Wei Nanshan?"
This question was the true purpose behind Lu Bing's unprecedented visit to the death row cells of the imperial prison.
Nothing could escape the intelligence chief. Ding Rukui confessed openly, "He was my former retainer, skilled in medicine and fiercely loyal. After the Ding family fell and followers scattered, when Ding Wu was exiled to Tieling, Wei Nanshan and his wife feared he wouldn't survive the harsh conditions alone. They voluntarily followed him to Tieling."
Lu Bing asked again, "Did Wei Nanshan and his wife have any children?"
Ding Rukui replied, "They once had a daughter, bright as ice and snow, but she died at seven. Lord Lu, are they... well now?"
"They cared for Ding Wu in Tieling until he came of age and became a county clerk," Lu Bing said. "Five years ago, Lady Wei fell gravely ill. Wei Nanshan ventured deep into Xiangya Mountain to gather herbs for her, but fell from a cliff. Upon hearing the news, his wife followed him in death."
Lu Bing truly was a bearer of grim tidings—each visit heralded death.
The loss of his loyal retainers pained Ding Rukui deeply. "Might I be permitted to set up an incense altar in my cell today? I wish to pay my respects."
After just a short while in the underground cell, Lu Bing felt chest tightness and shortness of breath. Pressing his left hand to his chest, he used his right to push himself up from the desk. "The ventilation here is poor—even one incense stick would smoke up the place. Wait until evening to hold the ceremony in the courtyard. I'll have the guards set up an altar there."
"O... outside?" Ding Rukui could hardly believe it. For ten years, he hadn't stepped beyond his cell; the barred window above was his only glimpse of light.
"Of course," Lu Bing said, "though you'll need to wear shackles and chains. Five pounds of iron—it won't hinder your prayers."
Emerging from the underground death row, Lu Bing took a deep breath of fresh air, marveling at its sweetness for the first time. He asked his subordinate, "Has that Doctor Wei regained consciousness?"
The subordinate reported, "We just received a pigeon post from Commander Lu—she's awake. Zhou Xiaoqi gave her our Embroidered Uniform Guard's strongest drug. An ordinary person would be bedridden for three days, but she prescribed herself an antidote last night and can already walk slowly today. Her medical skills seem remarkable."
Lu Bing ordered, "Have Lu Ying bring her to me. I have questions for her."
As the subordinate departed to send a message via pigeon, sharp, agonized screams suddenly erupted from the eastern cells, startling the bird into flight. A feather brushed against Lu Bing's face.
Plucking the soft gray feather with distaste, Lu Bing blew on it and demanded, "Who's howling? So loudly."
A guard immediately reported, "Lord Lu, we're interrogating Zhou Xiaoqi. The bastard's stubborn, so we're applying some... persuasion."
Lu Bing asked, "What kind of persuasion?"The jailer said, "It's the method he wanted to use on Doctor Wei's eyes—dripping hot wax onto the eyeballs."
Just hearing the name made one's eyes ache.
Returning the favor in kind was... fair.
Lu Bing said, "Take it easy. You can take both eyes, but keep him alive."
The jailer replied, "Lord Lu, rest assured. We are seasoned professionals. Zhou Xiaoqi eats the Embroidered Uniform Guard's rice but wants to smash its bowl. Although Thousand Household Chen died under mysterious circumstances, when did our Embroidered Uniform Guard ever become the 'Chen family'? He actually dared to abuse a witness under Commander Lu's protection—truly audacious."
On one side was the legendary Commander Lu Ying, rumored to be Lu Bing's illegitimate son; on the other was Thousand Household Chen, whose influence had faded after his death. The jailers were no fools. Zhou Xiaoqi, trying to undermine Lu Ying for Chen's sake, was bound to suffer severely.
Zhou Xiaoqi's actions amounted to betraying the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Lu Bing despised those who bit the hand that fed them and would not let him off easily.
Zhou Xiaoqi endured torture in his cell—every method he had once used on prisoners was now inflicted upon him.
Lu Bing returned to the Duty Room. The morning medicinal brew was already prepared. He drank it in one go, rinsed his mouth, and relieved himself on the chamber pot. As he stood up, he suddenly saw stars, felt dizzy, and nearly collapsed, but guards swiftly supported him.
A guard said, "I'll fetch a physician at once."
"No need," Lu Bing said. "I'm already taking medicine three times a day. I was awakened by the Zhou Xiaoqi affair last night and haven't slept well since, so I'm just exhausted. Help me lie down—I'll take a nap."
Lu Bing lay on the bed.
Outside the window, to ensure his rest, guards used poles with sticky tips to remove the chattering cicadas.
Lu Bing closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep, but his mind was troubled, and sleep would not come.
Ding Rukui claimed that Wei Nanshan and his wife's daughter had died at age seven, yet according to Embroidered Uniform Guard intelligence, Wei Caiwei was clearly their daughter. She had followed the exiled Ding Wu to Tieling Garrison and settled there.
Wei Caiwei learned medicine from her parents. After Wei Nanshan and his wife passed away on the same day, she inherited the family practice, establishing herself as the resident physician at Xiangya Mountain Clinic. Ding Wu, serving as a Clerk in the county office, helped her register a Female Household.
A Female Household was classified as an "irregular household," exempt from corvée labor and military service, with reduced taxes—easing Wei Caiwei's burdens.
Wei Nanshan and his wife had shown kindness to Ding Wu, so it was natural for him to assist the orphaned Wei Caiwei, not an abuse of power. Yet intelligence indicated that, like Ding Wu, Wei Caiwei had never married. How then had she arrived in the capital as a widow?
How strange. Could the Wei Caiwei in the capital be an imposter? A fake?
Lu Bing tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Even with the cicadas removed, rest eluded him.
Since sleep was impossible, he thought, he might as well clarify these two matters.
He tried to order his subordinates to have an Embroidered Uniform Guard artist sketch Wei Caiwei's portrait, then send it swiftly to Tieling Garrison for agents to verify her identity.
But though his mind formed the words, his mouth produced only faint, incoherent murmurs.
The meaning was lost.
To the guards outside the door, it sounded like ordinary sleep-talking. They assumed Lu Bing was deep in slumber.
So no one entered to check.Lu Bing wanted to get up, but at this moment, he was like a person trapped by sleep paralysis—lying on the bed, unable to move.
Whether it was calling for help or getting out of bed, he couldn’t do either. He lay there like a living corpse.
Lu Bing was instantly terrified!
He was having another episode!
Just ten days earlier, he had attended a social gathering and drank as usual. After the banquet, remembering that he still had official duties to attend to at the office, he went to the Imperial Guard Office and worked until the early hours of the morning.
With only two hours left before the morning roll call, Lu Bing was too lazy to return home and decided to sleep in the Duty Room at the Imperial Guard Office.
The next morning, while washing up, he reached for his toothbrush to scrub his teeth with green salt, but he couldn’t grip the ivory handle of the toothbrush.
His fingers bent halfway and refused to move any further.
Not only that, but as he looked in the mirror, he realized that the right side of his face had lost all sensation. When he tried to make expressions, the muscles on the left side of his face responded, but the right side remained as still as a mask.
At the time, he could still speak, so he secretly ordered his trusted aide to summon the imperial physician who had always treated him—a man known for his discretion and reliability.
To maintain the morale of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and avoid alarming others, he specifically instructed that the physician should enter discreetly through the back door, without drawing any attention.
By the time the physician arrived, Lu Bing’s hand had mostly regained sensation, though his right face remained numb.
The physician immediately diagnosed it as a "minor stroke" and asked if he had been drinking recently.
Lu Bing nodded. "I’ve had social engagements for three consecutive nights and drank quite a bit."
The physician quickly performed acupuncture to unblock his meridians and cautioned, "This is a stroke, though not severe. But once it happens the first time, a second occurrence is highly likely. From now on, you must avoid alcohol entirely. Also, steer clear of rich, greasy foods and intimate relations with women. Stick to three regular meals a day, go to bed early at night, and even if you can’t sleep, rest by lying down. Since it’s summer and the days are long, it’s best to take a midday nap. Above all, do not stay up late."
The physician performed acupuncture and bloodletting, then dissolved a Tongqiao pill in hot water for him to take. By the afternoon, Lu Bing had mostly recovered, though his right hand still lacked strength.
The physician prescribed medication and instructed him to take it on schedule.
As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Lu Bing held an exceptionally high position where any disturbance could have widespread repercussions. Unwilling to let anyone know about his stroke, he paid the physician and made him swear to keep it a secret—not even the emperor was to be told.
In the days that followed, Lu Bing took medicine to treat the stroke but claimed publicly that it was a summer tonic for maintaining health. He even kept Lu Ying in the dark, with only his trusted aide who prepared the medicine knowing the truth.
After the minor stroke, Lu Bing strictly followed the physician’s advice, hoping to recover soon. He also gained a new perspective, realizing that nothing was more important than health and life.
If a person dies, they lose everything.
Watching Lu Ying constantly busy, staying up late to handle cases and skipping meals, he worried that she might follow in his footsteps. That’s why he personally peeled lychees for her, urged her to go home and rest, and went to great lengths to recruit the prodigy Wang Daxia to the Embroidered Uniform Guard—all to provide Lu Ying with a capable right-hand man and ease her burden.
Having judged countless people in his life, Lu Bing believed that Wang Daxia was a natural for this line of work and would handle tasks with exceptional skill.Lu Bing had been following the imperial physician's advice these past days—taking his medicine regularly, minding his meals and rest. Yet all his efforts came to naught when he was startled awake last night by Zhou Xiaoqi's attempted assassination of Wei Caiwei. Unable to fall back asleep, he rose before dawn to review case files at the Imperial Guard Office. This morning's visit to the stifling underground prison triggered another stroke.
Just as the imperial physician had warned, each stroke struck harder than the last. Where he had previously retained mobility and speech, he now lay bedridden like a living corpse.
What could be done?
Paralyzed, Lu Bing tasted true fear and despair for the first time—like a drowning man watching himself sink deeper.
At this very moment, Lu Ying and Wang Daxia arrived at the Imperial Guard Office with Wei Caiwei.
Wei Caiwei's legs had not fully recovered. Upon entering, Lu Ying ordered a sedan chair to carry her.
Wang Daxia asked Lu Ying, "Why has the Commander summoned the young widow? She's still unwell—dragging an invalid through this summer heat."
Lu Bing was a cunning old fox. Wang Daxia feared that while they might deceive the inexperienced Lu Ying, the old fox would see through their ruse. Thus he probed for information.
Lu Ying replied coldly, "You'll find out soon enough. Is the Imperial Guard Office less secure than your Wang residence? I'll personally ensure Physician Wei's safety."
While the eunuch fretted, the emperor remained calm. Wang Daxia's mind churned with anxiety, yet Wei Caiwei remained unperturbed. Based on her previous life's understanding of Lu Bing, the more he knew about her, the less likely he was to harm her.
In the adult world, few people were purely good or evil.
Aside from madmen like Old Woman Wang and Thousand Household Chen and his son, most people possessed dual natures—revealing different facets depending on circumstances. Just as Wang Daxia's malicious stepmother Madam Wu, after enduring hardships and witnessing her family's true ugliness, had awakened to choose kindness.
Lu Bing was a man with blood on his hands yet not devoid of conscience. Burdened by guilt toward Ding Rukui's family, he had delayed Ding Rukui's execution for a decade. Knowing her close connection to Ding Wu, he wouldn't move against her lightly.
When the trio reached the bedroom door, a guard whispered, "Lord Lu had a restless night and is catching up on sleep. Please wait in the adjacent guest room, Commander Lu. I'll escort you when he wakes."
Wang Daxia yawned widely, his tonsils visible like peach pits. "I'm exhausted too. I need a nap—take me to the guest room."
In the adjacent room, Wang Daxia spotted an Arhat bed by the window and immediately claimed it.
"Get up," Lu Ying said. "This is for Physician Wei. Aren't you ashamed to take a sick person's spot?"
Wang Daxia opened his eyes to see Wei Caiwei leaning weakly against the doorframe after disembarking from the sedan chair.
"Oh, my exhaustion clouded my judgment. Please, Physician Wei." Wang Daxia scrambled up, surrendering the Arhat bed. After scanning the room, he pulled a thick copy of the Great Ming Law from the bookshelf, placed it on a corner of the desk, and used the legal code as a pillow while lying across the desktop.
The desk only accommodated him from head to knees, leaving his long legs dangling over the edge, swaying aimlessly.
Even in such austere conditions, Wang Daxia fell asleep the moment his head touched the Great Ming Law.
Lu Ying couldn't help but admire Wang Daxia's ability to make himself at home anywhere.Wei Caiwei lay askew on the Arhat bed, turning her face away toward the window—her husband before his castration had slept in this very posture, making it unbearable to look at him.
Only Lu Ying sat upright in the official's hat armchair on the other side, showing no signs of having stayed up all night, with the collar button at her throat still fastened tightly.
Just then, several reckless cicadas flew in from outside, chirping desperately as they perched on the branches. The guards waved sticky poles but couldn't reach them. Worried the cicadas would wake her father, Lu Ying took out a slingshot and went outside, aiming at the cicadas on the branches—every shot hit its mark.
"Commander Lu is truly impressive," a guard murmured under his breath.
At the same time, inside the bedroom, Lu Bing heard the commotion outside the window and knew Lu Ying had arrived. Using all his strength, he pushed a jade ruyi scepter from beside his pillow outward. With a clatter, it landed on the footrest by the bed.
Hearing the noise, Lu Ying stood by the window and peered inside, spotting the jade ruyi on the footrest and half of his father's hand extending from the mosquito net.
His father, being elderly, slept lightly and must have been awakened by the sound, yet he remained completely still.
Bound by blood ties, Lu Ying sensed something intuitively and asked in a low voice, "Lord Lu, I have brought Doctor Wei with me."
Lu Bing did not even move a finger.
A sense of foreboding washed over Lu Ying. Without bothering to use the main door, he vaulted over the windowsill, pushed aside the gauze curtain, and found himself face to face with Lu Bing, whose eyes were wide open.
If he was awake, why hadn't he responded?
Lu Ying asked, "Father, what's wrong with you?"
Lu Bing blinked his eyes and murmured something in a dreamlike whisper, but his words were unintelligible.
Recognizing that something was amiss, Lu Ying quickly called the guards in. "What did Lord Lu eat this morning? He seems completely paralyzed."
The guards, aware that Lu Bing had previously suffered a minor stroke, immediately exclaimed, "Oh no, His Lordship has had another stroke! I'll fetch Imperial Physician Song."
At the mention of a stroke, Lu Ying was horrified. He hurried to the adjacent room and, half-supporting and half-carrying Wei Caiwei, brought her to the bedroom. In his panic, he forgot to address her formally and blurted out, "My father has had a stroke. Please examine him quickly. The guards say this isn't the first time."
Wei Caiwei observed Lu Bing's slurred speech, complete numbness, unresponsiveness, changes in his pupils, and hemiplegia. She immediately took out a set of needles, selected a three-edged needle, and performed bloodletting by pricking points such as Neiguan, Shuigou, and the twelve Jing-well points. After the initial treatment, she proceeded to acupuncture at Zhenghui, Shangqiu, Yamen, Fengfu, and Lianquan (Note 1).
Wei Caiwei then filled Lu Bing's Shenque point (i.e., his navel) with salt, lit a moxa stick, and applied moxibustion over the salt at the Shenque point.
After this series of procedures, Lu Bing finally managed to move his fingers. With great difficulty, he uttered, "No... no—"
"Won't spread the word," Lu Ying guessed his father's concern. Relieved to see his father responding, he said, "This matter is critical. Rest well, Father. I won't tell anyone."
Lu Bing laboriously pointed at Wei Caiwei, who was applying moxibustion to his navel with a finger-thick moxa stick. "She—" Her identity is suspicious; you must be cautious.
Lu Ying replied, "That's right. It was Doctor Wei who revived you, Father."
Lu Bing said, "Send... send—" Send her away. I still want Imperial Physician Song to treat me. This woman's identity hasn't been verified yet; I don't trust her.
Lu Ying responded, "Don't worry, Father. I will surely reward her with a generous sum." It's just hush money—I understand. Keeping bad company rubs off on one; under Wang Daxia's constant influence of talking about money, I've learned a thing or two about worldly matters.
Lu Bing felt helpless: With this level of tacit understanding, if I hadn't personally witnessed this child being born, I might doubt if he's really my own.
Author's Note: Note 1: This acupuncture and bloodletting therapy is derived from the "Clinical Pathways and TCM Diagnosis and Treatment Plans for 92 Diseases Including Stroke" issued by the Office of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2017 edition).Additionally, the audiobook version of my contemporary romance novel The Amazing Earl Tang will premiere tomorrow, July 16th, on Central People's Broadcasting Station Entertainment Radio AM747 at 8:00 AM, with a repeat broadcast at 11:00 PM. Interested readers are welcome to tune in—it's an absolutely fantastic contemporary romance! If you enjoy it, the printed version is already published and available... (heavily hinting).
Lu Bing has physical issues. Readers who found this chapter surprising should definitely skip answering the seven prize quiz questions in Chapter 22's author's notes hahahahaha—those questions contain spoilers about Lu Bing's fate. Tomorrow we'll randomly select 1,000 subscribers to receive red envelope gifts. Hope you'll be among them!
Starting tomorrow, there will be double updates daily at 6:18 AM and 6:18 PM. Thank you all for your subscriptions. See you tomorrow at 6:10 AM. Good night!
Regarding citations in the text: JJWXC requires all referenced sources to be clearly marked. As a creator, I always provide proper attribution. If this affects your reading experience, you may choose to hide the author's notes.
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