“Faster, even faster!”
The carriage clattered along. A woman leaned out of the window, her face etched with urgency. The driver snapped the reins, constantly urging the horses to pick up speed as they galloped through the long streets in the dead of night.
Despite the chill of the March spring, beads of sweat covered her forehead. Her heart thundered, like countless heavy hammers striking so hard she could barely breathe.
Faster!
Even faster!
It was already the Yin hour. Once the Mao hour arrived and the gates of the Tribute Yard opened, the candidates gathered from across the land would enter. The triennial Spring Examination would officially begin, and by then, it would be too late. Everything would spiral into the same nightmare once more.
No, it wasn’t a nightmare.
The cold, stench-filled blade of the executioner, the spray of strong liquor from his mouth, her mother’s wailing, and the rolling heads of the entire Ye family… They had stared at her with wide eyes, refusing to rest in peace amidst the sea of crimson on the ground…
That was hell!
Ye Xiren clenched her fists tight. Only the sharp pain of her nails digging into her flesh made her believe that none of it had happened yet. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm and stop reminiscing, and continued to mentally rehearse her plan.
Fortunately…
When she left the house, she had seen Ye Changming speaking with their father, Ye Pei. He hadn’t left for the Tribute Yard yet. She was ahead of him now; as long as she moved a bit faster, she could buy enough time to prepare.
There was still time.
There had to be.
“Stop!”
The driver pulled the reins hard. The white horse reared its front legs with a piercing neigh, and the carriage swayed. He turned back in confusion, “Second Miss?”
Weren’t they going to the Tribute Yard?
Time was of the essence. Ye Xiren didn’t have time to explain. She hurriedly lifted her skirt and jumped down, tightening her hood to hide her face. Carrying a lantern, she held her breath and ducked into a dark alleyway.
Ye Xiren cast a sharp glare back.
The driver immediately fell silent. An inexplicable chill crept into his heart, and he didn’t dare stop her again.
For some reason, the usually weak and quiet Second Miss seemed very different today. That look in her eyes… it was as if she had just crawled out of hell, driven by a fire that held her body together.
He shook his head quickly, tossing the strange thought aside. Gripping the blade kept by his side, he nervously watched the swaying lantern, not daring to look away for a second.
Ye Xiren quickened her pace.
Was it chaotic here?
If it weren’t chaotic, she wouldn’t have come!
In the face of death, there was nothing to fear from refugees.
The alley was pitch black. As the lantern swayed, its flickering light revealed people lying haphazardly—clothed in rags, leaning against brick walls, their status between life and death unknown.
Hearing the movement, some opened their eyes. When they saw the fine silk clothing illuminated by the candlelight, their eyes turned sharp like wolves in the night, wary and malicious.
“I need someone… to do something for me. Twenty taels of silver!”
As soon as she spoke, the alley fell into a deathly silence. The sound of the wind became clear, and the candle flame danced.
More shadows slowly sat up in the darkness, stretched long by the light. Eyes fixed on her, and heavy breaths filled with greed filled the air.
After years of war, not only were there constant refugees, but many local farmers in Nandu also couldn’t afford to eat due to the high price of grain. Let alone twenty taels of silver—a single bowl of rice could buy a life.
And the people sleeping in this alley were exactly those who had reached a dead end.
At a dead end, there was nothing they wouldn’t do.
Countless people were stirred, but no one spoke, as if they were wary of someone.
Ye Xiren’s heart skipped a beat.
At that moment, from the deepest shadows of the alley, a figure slowly stood up. The others moved aside to make a path for him.
“My name is Ma Shan. I’ll take the money.” The man walked up to Ye Xiren step by step, his raspy voice growing clearer. “Speak. What is the job?”
Ye Xiren let out a tiny sigh of relief.
The two stepped aside.
Ye Xiren sized up the man in front of her. Though he looked haggard and exhausted, he was burly and had a sickle hanging from his waist stained with blood. He was clearly a ruthless character, much like the executioner who held the broadsword, inspiring dread.
“In fifteen minutes, a candidate wearing a scholar’s robe and a purple gauze cap, followed by two servants—one fat and one thin—will head toward the Tribute Yard. You and your men must intercept him on the road…”
Ma Shan cut her off: “Kill him?”
Ye Xiren’s breath hitched.
Kill him? He’s my own brother!
She shook her head hurriedly, ignoring her fear as she stepped forward. “Beat him up. Just make it so he can’t participate in the Spring Examination. Remember, do not take his life, and don’t leave any incurable injuries. You must be careful.”
Ma Shan raised an eyebrow.
That was it?
He scrutinized the delicate woman standing before him. Her hood was pulled tight, hiding her features, but the hands she revealed were fair and slender—clearly from a life of privilege. Her dark eyes were clear, reflecting the lantern light like two flickers of flame burning with anger.
“If it’s just some petty grudge, Little Lady, you shouldn’t mess with him today. Hindering a man’s future earns more resentment than wounding him.”
The Great Liang used to hold the Spring Examination in the second month. However, due to continuous wars, the administration had moved from Beidu to Nandu last year, and a new Emperor had ascended the throne. They had only managed to start the Spring Examination during a period of peace while the Bei Yan delegation was in the capital. In these troubled times, those scholars all yearned to pass the exams and don official robes; who would be willing to miss this long-awaited opportunity?
To even warn him to be careful while beating the man… perhaps these two had no real enmity at all, and it was just a lover’s quarrel that she would regret later. She might even come back with the scholar to cause trouble for Ma Shan…
His gaze was quite unfriendly.
Hearing this, the fire in Ye Xiren’s eyes flared. Her momentary cowardice vanished, replaced by resolve as she spoke word by word: “Do not worry. My grievance with him is no petty matter. It is a family-exterminating grudge.”
Ma Shan: “??”
Ye Xiren didn’t explain; she couldn’t explain it clearly anyway.
The moment her brother, Ye Changming, stepped into the Spring Examination hall today, by evening, the men of the Imperial City Department would storm the Ye household. They would drag everyone out for the execution of the entire family—not a single soul spared!
Was that not a “family-exterminating grudge”?
As for how Ye Xiren knew all this?
Well.
She had already been beheaded twice.
The sky was beginning to show a hint of light. Ye Xiren subconsciously touched her neck. Though it sounded surreal, she had indeed lived through two “todays” already.
During the first “today,” she knew nothing.
In the morning, she and her parents saw her brother off to the Spring Examination. After returning, she sat at home with her mother checking the accounts while waiting for the exam to end. To her horror, by evening, Lu Qian, the Commander of the Imperial City Department, broke into the Ye residence. he announced a decree stating that because Ye Changming had committed examination fraud with malicious intent, the entire Ye family was sentenced to execution to uphold the law.
When she opened her eyes again, Ye Xiren was clutching her neck, feeling lightheaded.
She thought it was just a dream, but she never expected the words of the maids and elderly servants to be identical to those in the dream!
Terror-stricken, Ye Xiren personally escorted Ye Changming to the exam hall during the second “today.” Unsettled, she nagged him repeatedly not to cheat, nearly infuriating him.
Ye Xiren also found it strange.
Great Liang prioritized civil culture and had always punished fraud severely. Few people dared to risk it, and once a case was discovered, it meant the execution of the entire family. Therefore, there hadn’t been a major fraud case in years.
Moreover, Ye Changming had studied since childhood and possessed brilliant literary talent. How could he have gotten involved in examination fraud?
At that time, Ye Xiren hadn’t figured out what kind of ghost had possessed her or if she was still in a nightmare. She returned home in a daze… only to be executed with her entire family again that evening.
Two encounters with ghosts, two executions—how could it be just a dream!
She didn’t know why she had “returned to life,” nor did she know what actually happened inside the examination hall. But she knew that if Ye Changming entered that hall, something would definitely go wrong.
Could his future be more important than the lives of the entire family?
When she opened her eyes for the third time, it was today.
Ye Xiren had tried to stop him, but Ye Changming was determined to use this Spring Examination to enter the court and fulfill his ambitions; he wouldn’t listen at all. She couldn’t exactly say, “If you go into the exam, the whole family will die,” could she?
Who would believe that?!
If Ye Xiren hadn’t lived through this day twice, she wouldn’t have believed it herself!
Ye Xiren looked up at Ma Shan, her cloak shifting slightly. Her uneasy gaze turned firm as she reminded him: “Make sure you don’t get the wrong person. His name is Ye Changming, and today he is wearing…”
Ma Shan didn’t understand.
But the person paying was the person in the right. He weighed the silver and prepared to do as told.
The sky grew brighter, and Nandu, once hidden in darkness, gradually became clear. The sound of horses and carriages rose in the streets. Commoners formed long lines at the city gates, waiting to enter.
Many officials lived along Yong’an Street. Servants were readying horses, waiting for their masters to head to their shifts. Nandu slowly came to life in the morning light.
Ye Xiren returned to the Ye residence through a side door, her mind restless.
She had been raised in a proper household, pampered by her parents and protected by her brother. She was a very law-abiding person and had never done anything like this before. For a moment, she worried if Ma Shan could do the job well, and the next, she worried if Ye Changming would be hurt too badly.
“Xixi, what are you doing here?” Liao Changying walked over along the corridor after seeing Ye Pei off to the morning court session.
Ye Xiren’s heart skipped a beat.
Immediately, she suppressed her guilt and stepped forward with her usual smile. “Mother, I originally thought of seeing Brother off, but then I worried he’d get nervous if he saw me and it would affect his performance, so I came back halfway.”
Hearing this, Lady Liao also looked a bit troubled. “Now is not a good time to enter the court, but your brother insists on the Spring Examination. We couldn’t stop him.”
At this point, she sighed and took her daughter’s hand.
“Forget it, don’t mind him. Since you can’t sleep anyway, I’ll take you to go over the household accounts. If you can manage the household well, then when you marry in the future…”
Thinking of the years her daughter had lost to the war, she grew even more worried.
Ye Xiren was still distracted and didn’t listen closely. She was pulled away by Lady Liao. Servants carried stacks of account books to the front courtyard, and the Ye residence suddenly became busy.
The Mao hour had arrived.
Ye Xiren grew increasingly anxious. She mindlessly flipped through the account books, the characters swimming before her eyes. Her mind was a mess, her gaze blank.
Would Ma Shan recognize him?
Would Ye Changming be hurt too severely?
That Ma Shan looked so fierce. If he hit him too hard, wouldn’t she be the one who harmed her brother?
Lady Liao clicked the abacus, not looking up. “Follow along and calculate how much we spent on procurement last month. If you can’t get the math right, the servants will take advantage of you later…”
“Twenty-six taels and three mace.” Ye Xiren answered offhandedly, her mind elsewhere.
Why weren’t they back yet?
Logically, if he couldn’t take the exam, he should be carried back by now.
Lady Liao froze and looked up in surprise. “When did you calculate that?”
Ye Xiren paused. “…”
She tapped her head, trying to think of an explanation, when a commotion broke out outside. A young servant ran in frantically, his clothes stained with mud. Seeing the Mistress and the Young Miss, his face fell into a wail:
“Something’s happened! The eldest young master was intercepted on his way to the Spring Examination by some masked refugees—they broke his leg!”
“What?!” Lady Liao and Ye Xiren stood up at the same time—one in shock, one in joy.
Lady Liao’s face paled with horror. “How? How could such a thing happen?!”
“Oh heavens, my poor brother~”
Ye Xiren clutched her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes, hiding the corners of her mouth that were turning upward. She pinched her thigh hard with her other hand to keep from laughing out loud. “This is truly… most unfortunate!”
Hahahaha!
Finally, she had solved the trouble of the “Execution of the entire family.” If Ye Changming couldn’t take the exam, how could he “commit fraud”?
But was a broken leg too severe?
“Second Miss, do not be sad. The eldest young master is a man of strong will. After finding a doctor to dress the wound, he had them carry him into the Tribute Yard on a stretcher. He didn’t let it affect his Spring Examination!”
Ye Xiren: “??”