Zhang Gu was jostled and shoved from all sides, nearly dropping the bundle in his hand.
"Boss, who's this important person passing through?" a new recruit asked curiously, standing on tiptoes to peer ahead. "Is it the Imperial Uncle? Back in my village, I heard that when Imperial Uncles pass through, the streets are paved with flowers—"
Zhang Gu spat in disgust. "If you don't want to be sent back to the countryside, keep your mouth shut. This is the capital! Spout nonsense like that again and you'll lose your head. What's all this rubbish about 'Imperial Uncles'—"
The recruit stuck out his tongue. He had worked hard to transfer from a rural courier station to the capital. Though the work was still tough—perhaps even less comfortable than in the countryside—he was young and adventurous, and had no desire to return.
Not daring to push forward, he was shoved to the back, but he managed to overhear many conversations.
"It's a young master of the Xie family."
"The Xie family of Dongyang—the same Xie family as the Crown Princess."
The recruit was delighted. The Xie family—they were Imperial Uncles too! Nowadays, there were plenty of Imperial Uncles around. Officer Zhang had accused him of talking nonsense.
"Young Master Xie the Third?"
"Of course not Young Master Xie the Third. It's his brother, the one who caused a huge disaster and got many people killed."
Hearing this, the recruit was startled again. Forgetting about catching a glimpse of the Imperial Uncles, he squeezed closer to the crowd to listen intently.
"The Xie young master was escorting goods from his family's shop. While passing through Han County, he got drunk and started a fire that burned down an entire village. Every last person—and even the dogs—perished."
"Heavens! That's... that's murder!"
"So what if it's murder? Do you think a Xie young master would pay with his life?"
The recruit's heart raced with fear, but it confirmed what the village rumors said: Imperial Uncles could kill and burn without consequence. He couldn't resist pushing forward, eager to see what an Imperial Uncle who could commit murder and arson with impunity looked like—
Zhang Gu couldn't hold him back and stamped his foot in frustration. "You reckless country boy! Fresh from the countryside and already as disobedient as A Jiu."
To prevent the ignorant and fearless country lad from causing trouble, he had no choice but to follow.
The crowd ahead grew restless.
"He's coming! He's coming!"
The recruit had already squeezed to the front. Without needing to stand on tiptoes, he could see a group approaching—not the lavish carriages and horses he had imagined, but a procession on foot. At the forefront was a young man.
The youth held his chin high, his expression arrogant and dismissive. He wore no splendid robes but was bare-chested, with vines tied around his body.
What was going on?
"Xie Yanlai of the Xie family—"
A middle-aged man behind the youth announced loudly.
"Misconduct, moral failings, taking human lives!"
He raised a whip and cracked it through the air. With a sharp snap and gasps from the onlookers, the lash landed on the youth's bare back.
The whip struck the thorny vines, making them jump and dig into his skin. Instantly, beads of blood welled up, glistening like dew in the sunlight.
The recruit clutched his chest, too tense to breathe.
An Imperial Uncle—being whipped!
...
...
"So that's Xie Yanlai."
In a tavern by the street, a group of young men stood by the window. At their head was Liang Qiang, holding a wine cup as he looked down at the whip marks on the youth's back, his expression a mix of satisfaction and resentment.
"He's the one who said my sister was ugly and unworthy of him."
The young men around him gazed at the street. Though they were far away and could barely make out the youth's features—well, he wasn't exactly wrong.
Liang Qiang frowned and sneered coldly. "Even if it's true, what kind of gentleman insults a woman's appearance?"His companion nodded in agreement. "Indeed, he is no gentleman. Just look at the things he has done."
"After he humiliated Miss Liang, Young Master Xie the Third was furious and punished him by sending him out of the capital to escort goods. And what happened then?" another companion sneered. "This time it wasn't just humiliation—it cost people their lives."
Liang Qiang's servant loudly added, "Dozens were burned to death, and the dozen or so survivors were so badly burned they were unrecognizable. An entire village was destroyed. Not only did he not rescue anyone, he even sued the village, demanding compensation for the lost goods."
How terrifying.
Truly heartless and ungrateful.
Inhuman behavior!
"How could Handan County let him go? He should have been beaten to death on the spot!" the young nobles exclaimed indignantly.
"He nearly was," the servant said animatedly. "Unfortunately, the local prominent family's Eldest Young Master Wei intervened. Eldest Young Master Wei provided substantial funds to bury the dead and treat the injured, allowing Xie Yanlai to leave Handan County safely."
The Wei family of Handan County—the young nobles nodded in recognition. "Long have we heard of their reputation." "Now that is the conduct befitting a noble scion."
Liang Qiang sneered, "Still, it's just fear of the Xie family—playing the nice guy."
This was overly harsh, and the others laughed it off. "Don't say that. Eldest Young Master Wei had no choice." "Xie Yanlai is, after all, a member of the Xie family. If something happened to him in Handan County, it would reflect poorly on Wei as well." "Isn't it better to hand him over to the Xie family for punishment?"
Of course, Liang Qiang didn't truly resent the Wei family—he wasn't insane—and he didn't blame Young Master Xie the Third either.
"Young Master Xie the Third still acts like a proper noble scion," he said. "He knows what must be done!"
With that, he hurled his wine cup onto the street and shouted loudly.
"Well struck!"
The cup shattered on the ground with a sharp crack.
Behind Xie Yanlai, the middle-aged man raised his whip again and lashed it fiercely across Xie Yanlai's back.
"Xie scion, Xie Yanlai, misconduct and moral failings have cost lives!"
The whip struck, causing the youth carrying the thorned branches to stagger, but he quickly steadied himself. Treading over the shattered teacup on the road, he stepped forward, blood droplets scattering in his wake.
Simultaneously, the crowd along the street joined in shouting, their voices growing louder and louder.
"Well struck!"
"Well struck!"
...
...
The chaotic shouts rose from the street like a whirlwind, swirling up to the windows of the tall buildings lining the road.
But at this moment, the young ladies inside paid no attention to the scene outside, engrossed in their maids' accounts.
"So that's what happened. Eldest Young Master Wei of Handan County pacified the villagers, allowing this Xie—Xie what's-his-name—to leave safely."
Eldest Young Master Wei of Handan County couldn't compare to Young Master Xie the Third, and the young ladies didn't care about him. They only asked about Young Master Xie the Third: "What will Young Master Xie the Third do?" "Won't Young Master Xie the Third be implicated?" "Young Master Xie the Third must be terribly worried, right?"
The maids, well aware of whom the young ladies cared about, had made thorough inquiries.
"Don't worry, young misses," they said. "Young Master Xie the Third did no less than Eldest Young Master Wei."
Upon learning of the incident, Young Master Xie the Third immediately sent a large sum of money to the villagers and entrusted Eldest Young Master Wei to purchase a new settlement for the survivors.
By obtaining the survivors' forgiveness and with Eldest Young Master Wei's thorough handling, the matter would be contained within Handan County, never to spread, and the Xie family's reputation would remain untarnished.
But—
"Young Master Xie the Third did not do this. He said that so many lives could not be ignored. He ordered the culprit bound and returned, to be paraded through the streets as a public example, punishing himself and warning all Xie family disciples."Hearing this, the girls were filled with sympathy: "Young Master Xie the Third is truly strict with himself." "Ah, how troubled he must be." "Actually, it's really unnecessary—he's already done more than enough."
Qi Leyun turned to look at Chu Zhao, who had remained silent the entire time.
"Chu Zhao, what do you think?" she asked.
Everyone now wanted to hear her opinion, and all the girls turned their attention to her.
Chu Zhao thought for a moment and said, "This is indeed something Young Master Xie the Third would do."
In that lifetime, the Xie family could rally widespread support with a single call—all thanks to their accumulated prestige over time. When a Xie family member committed wrongdoing, Young Master Xie the Third did not cover it up. While it might seem embarrassing for the Xie family, it also earned them a good reputation.
Qi Leyun was displeased: "Who asked you about that? You don’t care about Young Master Xie the Third at all!"
Chu Zhao immediately pressed a hand to her chest: "I do care, I care so much that I wish I could see him in person to express my concern."
The girls burst into laughter: "Who wouldn’t want to!"
"But no matter how good Young Master Xie the Third is, it’s still unfortunate when his own relatives are not," one girl sighed, turning to look out the window. "This Xie Yanlai’s actions are truly heinous."
"That Xie Yanlai!" another girl finally thought of someone besides Young Master Xie the Third. "The one who said Liang Qin was ugly and unworthy of him."
The girls grew even more astonished: "It’s him?" "So it was him!" "Yes, yes, I heard it too. It’s him, which is why Young Master Xie the Third punished him by sending him out to work instead of letting him stay home in comfort." "Who would have thought that someone who harms others at home would do even worse outside!"
"He’s truly despicable," Qi Leyun said bitterly.
Chu Zhao nodded. Someone who would do such things was indeed despicable.
The Xie family’s descendants were far from virtuous. In that lifetime, after the rebellion, they became as fierce as wolves and tigers.
Even the gentle and humble Young Master Xie the Third eventually turned into the Swallow Wolf.
Unlike these girls, she had seen the other side of the Xie family, so she wasn’t particularly moved.
The commotion on the street below grew louder as the Xie family member being publicly paraded and punished arrived nearby.
"Hit him hard!"
"Beat him!"
The shouts from the crowd came one after another. The girls by the window turned their attention back, and a few joined in the yelling: "Beat him!"
They were venting their anger for Young Master Xie the Third!
Chu Zhao also looked over and immediately spotted the person in question—though the street was crowded, the area around him was cleared as if people were avoiding the plague.
He stood out like a solitary island in a river.
His upper body was bare, his shoulders and back dripping with blood. Amid the jeers from the roadside, some people threw rotten vegetables at him—
He did not evade or resist the whipping from behind, but when the vegetables were thrown, he dodged them and raised his eyes to glare at the offender.
With just one glance, the person was so frightened they dared not move again.
The young man’s expression was calm, but his eyes were fierce, like a wild beast hunting its prey. Though he wasn’t looking at him, Xin Ding was so terrified he stumbled backward, nearly colliding with someone and falling, but Zhang Gu caught him just in time.
"Stop moving around," Zhang Gu scolded.
Xin Ding muttered, "That man is so vicious."
Even after committing evil deeds and being punished, he remained so fierce, showing no sign of shame or remorse.
"Of course he’s vicious. People like him—" Zhang Gu started to say, but his words abruptly cut off as if he had been choked.
What happened? Xin Ding turned to look and saw Zhang Gu staring past him, his eyes fixed on the passing young man. His expression was one of shock and disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost—"A Jiu—" he murmured.
......
......
By the window, Chu Zhao suddenly tightened her grip on the railing, staring incredulously at the young man on the street.
He shook off the vegetable leaves, fiercely drove back the surrounding onlookers, then lifted his head to survey the crowd around him, his gaze rising upward.
Above, countless mocking voices and stares converged upon him.
When they caught sight of his face, the stares and jeers faltered momentarily—previously, from their elevated positions, they hadn't been able to clearly see the young man's features.
So this youth was this strikingly handsome.
His face resembled jade and snow, his phoenix eyes sparkled like stars, and now, with his upper body exposed and the blood-stained thorns accentuating his form, he seemed to radiate an ethereal glow, carrying a bizarre yet captivating beauty.
Men and women, young and old, stared in a daze—astonished, regretful, and disdainful—
What a pity for such a fine appearance.
Xie Yanlai also noticed the onlookers gathered at the high vantage points along the street, observing their expressions, which were no different from those on the street.
However, one among them stood out particularly.
That girl's eyes were wide open, as if she had seen a ghost—
He saw her lips murmur a single word.
A Jiu.
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