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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Yuan had likely intended to lead her in circles, creating the illusion of a long journey, making her believe she had been taken far away.
Earlier, she had wondered why there was a need for a sedative in that nearly enclosed carriage where the outside world was completely invisible. It seemed unnecessary.
Now, reflecting on it, it was likely not Liu Yuan's caution but rather an attempt to daze her, preventing her from discerning the time of disembarkation and the surrounding environment.
This meant that the separate courtyard should be located not far from the town, perhaps even within it.
Ye Xiaohan wandered around while piecing together the events. After all, there was nothing useful in this shabby courtyard. The scenery was decent, and the design was quite exquisite, with pavilions and towers throughout; truly a testament to the evils of wealth.
She decided to take a stroll. She hadn't slept well last night and felt a bit dizzy now, caught between dreams and reality.
“Zhao Laosi, you’re here too! Let me see, today’s luck seems good; this fish looks great—fresh and lively. Hey, catch it quickly! It’s jumping out!”
A flurry of commotion erupted from inside. The voice from earlier sighed in relief before another voice chimed in, “It’s fine; we caught it back. This fish is slippery; you have to grab it by the fin.”
As Ye Xiaohan passed by the kitchen's exterior, she suddenly heard a man's voice. She paused; it had been a long time since she had heard anyone speak!
Wait a minute—everyone in this courtyard besides her was deaf-mute. Who was talking?
Ye Xiaohan quietly approached and pressed herself against the wall, peeking inside.
Three people stood outside the kitchen: one was a deaf-mute she recognized from the kitchen, while the other two were unfamiliar. They looked like vendors from a market; one had a basket of fish in front of him, and the other had a basket of fresh green vegetables beside him.
They were vegetable vendors!
Ye Xiaohan had been pondering how all the deaf-mutes in the courtyard managed to go out for supplies and communicate with others. It became clear now that Liu Yuan had hired people to deliver goods.
How could she have missed such an obvious detail? Ye Xiaohan felt like punching herself; her mind seemed to have regressed with all these thoughts.
These individuals didn’t appear to be hired help from outside; they looked like they were specifically employed to serve wealthy households.
The deaf-mute in the kitchen was checking the items that had been delivered, then began to carry them inside. The two men stood nearby chatting, showing no intention of helping.
Perhaps knowing that everyone here was deaf-mute and not fearing any complaints or eavesdropping, they spoke freely, as if they were at the entrance of a market.
After exchanging a few words without any important information, Ye Xiaohan felt an urge to rush over and shake them by the neck, exclaiming, "Could you say something useful? Who cares about your wife chasing you three miles with a rolling pin?"
With such a slow pace, it was deserved!
Ye Xiaohan was growing increasingly anxious. Inside, the deaf-mute chef had finished preparing the dishes and came out to hand money to the Vegetable Vendor, gesturing for them to leave.
The two men took the money and walked out laughing, completely unaware of the two resentful gazes following them.
"By the way, have you heard about our young master? I heard he was punished by the County Magistrate and even got beaten!" The Fishmonger suddenly brought up this topic, instantly catching Ye Xiaohan's attention.
Finally, this was useful information—more of this!
In response to her eagerness, another Vegetable Vendor chimed in: "I heard! What did your young master do? The County Magistrate usually dotes on him so much; he must have done something serious for him to be punished!"
The Fishmonger raised a finger and made a shushing gesture, yet his voice remained loud: "What else could it be? It must be because of a woman. Otherwise, your young master is better than anyone else in every way; why would the magistrate punish him?"
The Vegetable Vendor nodded in agreement: "Now that you mention it, I seem to recall hearing something about how your young master wanted to marry a low-status woman as a concubine. The magistrate wasn't pleased about it; could it be related?"
"It must be!" They both agreed with this conclusion as they walked out of the courtyard.
Ye Xiaohan couldn't get too close and followed behind them, catching snippets of their conversation. With someone guarding the courtyard gate, she couldn't approach too closely; if she were discovered, she feared losing her limited freedom.
Even so, she managed to grasp the gist of it without missing any crucial information.
Liu Yuan had been punished by his father, the County Magistrate, for reasons unknown.
Was it indeed related to Liu Yuan wanting to marry her—a woman of 'low status'—as a concubine? Or had the magistrate discovered Liu Yuan's audacity in swapping out death row prisoners and decided to take drastic measures against his own kin?
No matter the circumstances, whenever Liu Yuan encountered trouble, Ye Xiaohan felt a sense of joy.
At least for now, Liu Yuan was preoccupied and wouldn’t come to the other courtyard; she was safe for the time being.
Ye Xiaohan was in high spirits, but the fatigue from the past few days suddenly surged back. Her body could no longer hold on, and she swayed slightly.
First, she needed to catch up on some sleep and regain her strength to fight against the dark forces.
However, things took an unexpected turn. While Ye Xiaohan was still dreaming and expressing her admiration to the God of Dreams, she was suddenly yanked awake by someone.
As she opened her sore eyelids, the figure before her—one she would gladly stomp on even if it turned to dust—was none other than Liu Yuan!
But contrary to her expectations, there was no triumphant smirk on Liu Yuan's face; instead, it was filled with rage.
“Bitch! You really are a bitch! What cunning methods you have, even managing to seduce the Flying Dragon General! I’m impressed!”
Liu Yuan was so furious that she didn’t even bother maintaining her usual facade. It was rare to see her so emotionally charged that she resorted to insults.
Ye Xiaohan was utterly confused. What Flying Dragon General? She had never even heard of him, let alone seduced him. However, she wouldn’t voice this confusion; after all, the enemy of her enemy was her friend. She wouldn’t miss any opportunity to take down Liu Yuan and free herself!
Let Liu Yuan think that she had some secret connection with this Flying Dragon General; perhaps it would make her cautious and less reckless.
Her silence indeed seemed to Liu Yuan like an acknowledgment. Even her expressionless face appeared to Liu Yuan as disdainful contempt in light of her anger.
“Don’t think that just because you have the Flying Dragon General backing you up, you can get through this unscathed. Your life is still in my hands; don’t get too cocky!”
Liu Yuan spat out fiercely, having completely discarded her elegant demeanor.
The more Ye Xiaohan saw Liu Yuan’s unwillingness and fury, the more she could guess that this Flying Dragon General must be a formidable figure. Otherwise, with Liu Yuan’s audacity to swap out even death row inmates, she wouldn’t be this agitated.
With a wave of her hand, several servants approached and took Ye Xiaohan away. Outside the courtyard stood a familiar modified carriage.
She hadn't expected to be so anxious about planning her escape inside, and now she found herself face to face with it again so soon.
This time, it seemed to come too suddenly, catching both Ye Xiaohan and Liu Yuan off guard, to the point that the carriage had not even had time to restock the sedatives from last time.
As Liu Yuan escorted her back to the cell, Ye Xiaohan was lost in thought.
Seeing her remain 'calm' in the cell, with hardly any change in her expression, Liu Yuan felt insulted and couldn't help but lash out.
"Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being ruthless! If you don't want to be my concubine, then fulfill your wish and go be a condemned prisoner at the market!"
With a flick of his hand, Liu Yuan stormed off in anger.
Ye Xiaohan rolled her eyes and tried to piece things together. Liu Yuan was so eager to return her to the cell likely because he understood that the Flying Dragon General was going to review this case.
After all, with the execution date approaching, it was crucial to clarify the details of this case as much as possible.
Ye Xiaohan was certain she could never know someone as influential as the Flying Dragon General; the original owner of her body wouldn't have known him either. If she had such connections, she wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.
She wondered if there were hidden motives behind this situation. She hoped that the Flying Dragon General didn't have any ulterior motives for saving her, as that would only lead to more brutal exploitation and make escape even more difficult.
While Ye Xiaohan contemplated various strategies in her cell, a guard approached and knocked on the door with the handle of his whip, calling out loudly, "Prisoner Ye Xiaohan, you have a visitor!"
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