Lu Ying knocked on the gate of her family's villa. The elderly caretaker opened it and began to say "Fourth Young Miss—" but upon noticing two strangers behind her, quickly corrected himself, "Young Master, you've returned."
"Don't make a fuss," Lu Ying said. "Bring three ladders to the pond."
The three entered the villa and found themselves transported to a Jiangnan-style garden. There were artificial hills built from Taihu stones, the layered Moon-Inviting Pavilion, and two ponds connected by a winding wooden bridge that snaked across the water. Beneath the bridge, emerald lotus leaves grew so abundantly one could bend down and pick them.
The Wang family, being mid-level nobility, possessed no such exquisite courtyard. Wang Daxia, overcome with curiosity, even abandoned his basket of gardenias and plucked several tender lotus seed pods to peel and eat.
"So sweet, even the lotus hearts aren't bitter," he remarked, still managing to enjoy lotus seeds at such a time.
The eastern pond ended right at the boundary of Duke Yansheng's villa, separated only by a single wall. As both were prominent, respectable families who only occasionally visited for leisure, they had guarded against petty thieves but never expected neighbors to scale their walls. Thus, the inner wall wasn't particularly high—an ordinary bamboo ladder could reach the top.
All three changed into black night-clothes and climbed the bamboo ladders to the top of the wall. It was the fifth day of the fifth month, the Dragon Boat Festival. The crescent moon hung like a hook, frequently obscured by clouds, rendering the moonlight practically nonexistent.
Wang Daxia stretched out his palm. "It's so dark I can't even see my own hand. We're completely blind here. How are we supposed to find Ding Wu?"
Lu Ying explained, "Our villas are neighbors, and we've visited each other. I've been to the Kong family villa a few times. The Kong family has deep ancestral roots—this villa has been in their possession since the Yongle era, over a hundred years. In their garden, skilled craftsmen built a waterwheel mechanism in the goldfish pond. It pumps water to the top of a pavilion, where it flows down from the four eaves like continuous rainfall. That's why it's called the Self-Raining Pavilion."
"The Self-Raining Pavilion uses artificial rain for cooling. Even without ice, it stays very comfortable in summer. A heat-fearing heavyweight like Yan Shifan is certain to be there."
Wang Daxia gaped like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden. "You imperial insiders really know how to live! Our Wang family thought we were something special with our five-generation, four-courtyard ancestral home by Shichahai, but we were just frogs at the bottom of a well."
Wei Caiwei, her heart entirely focused on Ding Wu, said, "If Yan Shifan is in the Self-Raining Pavilion, given his usual caution, Ding Wu must be nearby so he can threaten him at any moment."
Lu Ying nodded. "Exactly. Since you don't know martial arts, stay on the wall as our lookout. Wang Daxia and I will go in. Whether we successfully rescue Ding Wu or not, with me there, he at least won't be killed. I've already sent a carrier pigeon to my father—he'll come to support us at any time."
Faced with the actual mission, Wang Daxia lost his earlier calmness in eating lotus seeds and grew fearful. "What about me? If we're caught trespassing in Duke Yansheng's villa, even my father couldn't cover for me."
Lu Ying assured him, "You're under my command. I ordered you to climb the wall. If anything happens, just say I directed everything. I'll take responsibility for you."
Reassured by Lu Ying's promise, Wang Daxia relaxed and forced himself to muster courage. "Nothing will happen to me. I've always had great luck."
He then turned to Wei Caiwei and vowed, "I will definitely bring Ding Wu back to you."Wei Caiwei did not know martial arts. She knew that if she followed, she would only hold Lu Ying and Wang Daxia back. Staying here to provide support was the best choice.
Wei Caiwei took out two oil-paper packets from her pouch and said, "If you encounter an emergency, such as being surrounded and unable to fight your way out, open this and scatter the powder inside into the eyes, nose, and mouth of your opponents."
Wei Caiwei had always presented herself as a benevolent healer. After previously plucking five red palm stamens to create the illusion of Ding Rukui's critical illness, she once again revealed her ability to use poison.
Wang Daxia nervously accepted the packets. "Will it blind them?"
He never expected Doctor Wei to have such a vicious side.
Wei Caiwei explained, "This is for self-defense. It's not as terrifying as blinding someone—it merely irritates the eyes, causing tearing and redness, temporarily blurring vision. If inhaled through the nose or mouth, it will also cause severe irritation, rendering the person unable to attack. It's not fatal and will gradually subside after rinsing with clean water."
Merely... that?
Wang Daxia thought to himself: Thank goodness I never angered her! If I ever fell into her hands, wouldn't it be a fate worse than death?
In truth, Wang Daxia was overthinking. Wei Caiwei couldn't bear to torment him—at most, she might indulge in some verbal threats, fantasizing about cutting off Wang Xiaoxia.
Lu Ying grew increasingly convinced that Wei Caiwei was Miss He Er, who had returned for revenge. Seeing through it but not exposing her, she took the oil-paper packets and said, "After this matter is resolved, name your price. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will purchase your formula."
Even at such a critical moment, Lu Ying remained focused on official business.
The two of them scaled the wall. Having trained in martial arts since childhood, they were as agile as swallows, leaping directly from the wall to a nearby pine tree and then sliding down the trunk, disappearing into the night.
A layer of clouds once again obscured the crescent moon, plunging everything into utter darkness. Wei Caiwei, crouched on the wall, wished she could tear through the night to find Ding Wu.
Lu Ying had been a guest at the Kong residence's annex before and was familiar with the layout. Coupled with the loud splashing of the self-raining pavilion in the quiet night, the two quickly reached the goldfish pond and saw the pavilion in the water.
Just as Lu Ying had anticipated, the self-raining pavilion was brightly lit, and the melodious sound of a guqin drifted from within. Yan Shifan, the heat-fearing, portly man, was there enjoying the cool and having fun.
The rainwater on the pavilion's roof was supplied by two waterwheels in the pond, which rotated automatically, scooping pond water into channels that converged on the roof to create the illusion of rainfall.
These two massive waterwheels resembled small circular towers, slowly turning under the flow of water. Each waterwheel had about twenty buckets that carried the pond water.
The self-raining pavilion, bright as day, illuminated the waterwheels as well, allowing the two to see a person tightly bound with ropes on one of the buckets of the southern waterwheel!
The person was trussed up like a zongzi, unable to move, forced to rotate with the waterwheel.
As the waterwheel turned, half of it was submerged underwater while the other half was above, alternating continuously. Thus, the bound person followed the wheel, sometimes above water, sometimes below!
When above water, they could breathe air. But when submerged, if they couldn't hold their breath, they would choke on water. Then, upon resurfacing, they would cough up the inhaled water. Just as their breathing stabilized, the bucket would descend underwater again, beginning a new cycle of choking torture.
It was a cruel, slow form of water torture. Extremely painful, but not fatal.The cunning Yan Shifan was adept at political maneuvering, and his research on torture was even more brutal than that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Lu Ying, seeing this, gnashed her teeth in fury. "This is too much."
Wang Daxia couldn't bear to watch and said, "Thankfully Doctor Wei isn't here. If she saw this, how heartbroken she would be."
Lu Ying clenched her fists and was about to rush over to demand Yan Shifan release the prisoner, but Wang Daxia stopped her.
Wang Daxia shook his head. "Yan Shifan killed Masked Wu and still framed him for it. Such a vicious man, who even plotted against your father—do you think he'll listen to you and obediently release Ding Wu from the waterwheel? I have a way to save Ding Wu."
Wang Daxia explained his plan. "...Anyway, I'm a strong swimmer. Enduring a little won't kill me."
Lu Ying objected, "No, it's too dangerous. I should do it."
Wang Daxia insisted, "I was the one who insisted he come watch the dragon boat race, which led to this disaster. I feel guilty. Besides, my build is similar to his, while you're relatively slender and could be easily spotted. Don't argue with me about this—just get Ding Wu to safety quickly, then help me escape."
Wang Daxia's plan was simple: a substitution trick.
While Ding Wu was submerged underwater, they would cut the ropes, rescue him, and then tie Wang Daxia to the waterwheel, disguising him as Ding Wu.
Tonight, the darkness was thick. Ding Wu's hair, loosened during his struggles, drifted like seaweed, occasionally covering his face. As he rotated on the waterwheel, his body and hair were tangled with weeds and duckweed. If their builds were similar, a casual observer wouldn't notice the switch.
Lu Ying, being a woman, had a smaller frame and might reveal the deception.
Apart from the brightly lit Ziyu Pavilion, the Golden Fish Pond was shrouded in darkness, with lotus leaves as large as millstones and lotus flowers providing cover for breathing and hiding.
The two submerged into the water, swam to the lotus cluster to catch their breath, and waited for Ding Wu to submerge again. They then swam over, cut the ropes, and freed him. Ding Wu's limbs were numb from being bound, leaving him unable to move, and he sank straight down.
Lu Ying swiftly tied Wang Daxia to the waterwheel. Ding Wu's dark green clothes appeared black in the night, matching Wang Daxia's black night-wear. With his hair disheveled and covering his face, the resemblance was close enough.
Once Wang Daxia was secured, Lu Ying dove underwater and pulled up the sinking Ding Wu as if digging up a lotus root.
Ding Wu, bound for too long, was paralyzed and immobile like a corpse, which made it easier for Lu Ying to rescue him.
While swimming underwater, Lu Ying noticed Ding Wu wasn't even producing bubbles and quickly leaned in, pressing her lips to his to give him a breath of air.
They swam to the vast expanse of lotus leaves, finally able to surface and breathe under the cover of the foliage.
With fresh air filling his lungs, Ding Wu revived from his near-death state and instinctively began treading water.
Lu Ying dragged Ding Wu ashore and supported him through the pine forest to the base of the wall.
Wei Caiwei had been waiting there and, hearing Lu Ying's voice, promptly threw down a rope.
Lu Ying said, "Ding Wu doesn't have the strength to climb the rope yet. Bring the ladder over."Wei Caiwei struggled to position the ladder against the wall. Lu Ying tied a rope around Ding Wu’s waist and instructed him to climb the ladder while she pushed from below. Wei Caiwei, stationed atop the wall, pulled on the rope. Gritting his teeth, Ding Wu dragged his half-numb legs up the rungs, his feet unresponsive and nearly slipping off multiple times.
Wei Caiwei tugged with all her might, the rope nearly slicing through her fingertips, and called out, "Wang Daxia, push harder!"
In the pitch darkness, where lighting a lamp risked alerting others, Wei Caiwei remained oblivious that Wang Daxia hadn’t followed them.
Lu Ying, shoving Ding Wu’s rear with effort, replied, "Wang Daxia is covering our retreat—he hasn’t arrived yet."
Through their combined efforts, they finally hoisted Ding Wu over the wall, leaving him in the care of the elderly watchman.
Wei Caiwei waved to Lu Ying from the wall, "Hurry up and climb... Has Wang Daxia returned?"
She had assumed Wang Daxia’s rear guard duty merely involved keeping watch.
Instead of ascending the ladder, Lu Ying said, "He’s... in a bit of trouble right now. I’m going to rescue him."
With that, Lu Ying vanished into the darkness, her footsteps fading into the distance.
Ding Wu, his throat swollen and hoarse from repeated water torture that had forced too much liquid into his lungs, could only emit guttural rasps. He wanted to tell Wei Caiwei that Wang Daxia had taken his place, enduring the torment of the water wheel, but words failed him.
Though Wei Caiwei couldn’t decipher Ding Wu’s sounds, Lu Ying’s urgency signaled that this was no minor predicament—it was a grave crisis!
"Please look after him, uncle. I’m going back over to check," Wei Caiwei declared, her anxiety spiking. She had been reborn to ensure Wang Daxia lived a better, regret-free life in this lifetime—how could she stand idly by when he was in danger?
She would spare no effort to save her doomed husband!
Author’s Note:
Banxia! Daxia has been strung up on the water wheel for three days!
Has he admitted his mistake?
Daxia drowned from the torture on the very first day!
If Back to Before My Husband Castrated Himself were a tragedy, the synopsis would probably read like this, hahahahaha. Once again, Lan Zhou is here right on time! Today, I’m shamelessly begging for everyone’s comments because Back to Before My Husband Castrated Himself is just one breath away from making the romance monthly leaderboard homepage. The book will drop off the leaderboard on the 28th—we only have three days left. I was ready to lie down and accept fate, but I can’t help feeling a bit regretful. What if... right? Even one day on the leaderboard homepage would be worth it—at least I tried. So, everyone, you know what I mean—I just want your comments.
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