No way, with a broken leg, you still insist on going to the examination hall? Ye Changming, do you have a grudge against the Ye family?!
Ye Xiren’s vision went dark, and she nearly lost her balance.
The maid Xue Chan hurriedly reached out to support her, while the old servant frantically ordered hot water and a chair to be brought. Everyone was in a panic, and the front courtyard descended into chaos.
Madam Liao gently patted her daughter’s back, guiding her to sit down, and softly reassured her: "Don’t worry, your brother is tough-skinned and thick-boned. He’ll surely be fine. I’ve sent people to wait outside the examination hall. Don’t worry…"
Ye Xiren: …
Madam Liao: "That eldest son of ours, really! If he’s injured, couldn’t he just come back first?"
Ye Xiren: …
Madam Liao: "Who knows who did this? Is the injury serious?"
Ye Xiren: …
Ye Changming truly was tough-skinned and thick-boned. Even in this state, he could still go to the examination hall to court death.
Ye Xiren gritted her teeth, opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound. Her head buzzed, and she could already see the entire family stumbling as they were dragged to Caishikou. The raised executioner’s blade gleamed coldly, a sharp pain in the neck, and the ground stained crimson…
She shuddered, instinctively tightening her grip on Madam Liao’s wrist, and finally spoke: "It’s hopeless, utterly hopeless!"
"What?" Madam Liao was stunned.
Blood rushed to her head. Ye Xiren abruptly stood up: "Since we’re all going to die anyway, this time I won’t be a starving ghost again. Someone, bring me all my favorite dishes. If we don’t have them, go out and buy them.
"Xue Chan, quickly prepare paper and brush for me. I’ve long disliked that girl Yongning. I want to write a letter and give her a good scolding. And that ridiculously expensive hair ornament I fancied before, go buy it for me right away.
"And what about my dowry? Quickly sort out the silver and buy grain to distribute to the refugees. I want to accumulate merit, praying that in the next cycle, I can smoothly survive the disaster and prevent the tragedy…"
She was earnestly arranging her "final affairs."
A cold, lifeless smile hung at the corner of her mouth, her face carrying a faint aura of death.
Hearing this, Madam Liao let out a sharp cry, exclaiming: "My child!"
The Ye Residence was in chaos that day.
The eldest young master had entered the examination hall "while ill," and the usually gentle and refined second young lady had anxiously "gone mad," doing some extremely outrageous things.
Madam Liao watched her daughter, who was eating heartily, with worry.
Ye Xiren had a deathly, crazed air about her. The table was laden with a lavish spread of all kinds of delicacies. She even drank two cups of wine. After eating and drinking her fill, her cheeks slightly flushed, she calmly put down her chopsticks and spoke:
"Mother, you’ve eaten too little. Have some more."
How could Madam Liao eat? She had been staring at Ye Xiren with concern. Hearing this, she fretted: "My dear Xixi, what’s wrong with you? Should we call a doctor to take a look?"
She had called one "yesterday."
There was no illness—it was truly like encountering a ghost wall, dying and reviving, reviving and dying, all on this same day.
Ye Xiren glanced at the sky, wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, twisted the several bracelets on her wrist, and still feeling it wasn’t enough, walked over to Madam Liao with her hair adorned in pearls and jade. She took all the gold hairpins placed nearby and pinned them onto Madam Liao’s hair, instructing:
"Wear these. Remember, Mother, as long as you give those people some benefits later, you won’t suffer too much."
Madam Liao: "?"
Mad, her daughter had truly gone mad.
Before she could speak, Ye Xiren looked toward the entrance: "They’re here."
The main gate was kicked open, and a group of patrol soldiers rushed into the Ye Residence, their long blades gleaming coldly. Everyone in the Ye Residence turned pale with fright.
"All members of the Ye household, hear the judgment!"
"Investigation reveals that Ye Changming, son of Minister of Revenue Ye Pei, has recklessly misinterpreted the teachings of sages, committed examination fraud, and deceived the sovereign. With conclusive evidence, according to the laws of Daliang, the entire Ye family shall be held accountable for benefiting from his misconduct—Execution of the entire family!"
The Ye Residence fell into immediate silence.
"Impossible!" Madam Liao exclaimed in horror.
She sprang to her feet, instinctively shielding her daughter behind her. Yet, Ye Xiren’s skirt rustled slightly as she stepped forward ahead of her mother.
In the previous two instances, she had been as terrified and bewildered as everyone else, offering almost no resistance as she was shackled and taken away by the Imperial City Department, only to be beheaded in despair.
But this time was different. From the moment Ye Changming entered the examination hall, she had prepared herself for death. Though fear still lingered, she managed to maintain a semblance of clarity and rationality.
Now, hearing the decree for the "third time," she finally spoke to Lu Qian:
"Lord Lu, my father holds the rank of Deputy Second Grade Minister of Revenue. Even if my elder brother has committed a crime, he should be detained and tried by the Dali Temple before being transferred to the Ministry of Justice. How can our entire Ye family be sentenced to Execution of the entire family without due process?"
Her lips trembled as she spoke, her voice growing increasingly shaky yet also louder, filling the silent front courtyard.
Lu Qian slowly shifted his gaze to her, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
Ye Xiren, shielded by Madam Liao, retreated slightly. Her fingers trembled beneath her sleeves, but she bit her lip, straightened her neck, and met the gaze of this Imperial City Department commander, refusing to lower her head.
"Ye Pei certainly has talent—not only did he raise a son who committed examination fraud, but he also taught his daughter to be so bold." Lu Qian suddenly sneered, his face full of mockery. "Examination fraud is already a capital crime warranting Execution of the entire family. With conclusive evidence and His Majesty’s fury, why would the Dali Temple need to intervene?"
He stepped closer to Ye Xiren, the cold glint of his blade reflecting light. His crimson official robes exuded overwhelming pressure, and his eyes, when fixed on someone, felt like the gaze of a venomous snake.
The two retreated step by step until their backs pressed against a table, with nowhere left to go.
"Now, with the Bei Yan envoys just arriving in the capital, your Ye family has stirred up such a scandal. And Ye Pei? He has already been apprehended by me and is now awaiting death in the Imperial Prison." His voice drew nearer.
Though the Minister of Revenue held the rank of Deputy Second Grade, in reality, above him was Prime Minister Jiang You, the Pingzhangshi and Shumishi who oversaw the Six Ministries, while below him was Deputy Minister of Revenue Yu Zhize, favored by Prime Minister Jiang. What did Ye Pei amount to?
And Lu Qian, in command of the Imperial City Department and responsible for defending the capital, had no reason to fear a Minister of Revenue with whom he had little connection in these turbulent times.
Ye Xiren’s heart sank.
In the previous two beheadings, though she knew the decree called for "Execution of the entire family," she had clung to a sliver of hope, having not seen Ye Pei or Ye Changming at Caishikou. Now, it seemed…
Neither of them had survived either.
Lu Qian gripped his blade and shoved Ye Xiren and Madam Liao backward, sneering, "With conclusive evidence, take any grievances to the King of Hell!"
With that, Lu Qian turned and strode away.
The two fell to the ground. Ye Xiren hurriedly stood up and helped Madam Liao to her feet.
But Lu Qian had already signaled for them to be bound and taken away, sparing not even the grandmother in the rear Changshou Tang, ordering her capture as well.
Several burly guards stepped forward, holding coarse hemp ropes and cloths to gag them. Madam Liao tried to shield her daughter but was roughly pulled aside.
Gritting her teeth, Ye Xiren pulled out a golden hairpin and pressed it into the hand of the guard holding the rope, forcing a smile. "Take this, sirs, to buy some wine. Please show mercy. My grandmother is elderly and a Lady of the Imperial Mandate honored across three reigns. I beg you to treat her with care."
The guard glanced at her, then at the rather substantial gold hairpin.
After exchanging looks, the ropes binding Ye Xiren and Madam Liao became loose, the cloth gagging their mouths disappeared, and the guard sent to fetch the Ye family matriarch brought no hemp rope.
"Sir, why is this so sudden?" Ye Xiren whispered to the man escorting her.
The guard frowned.
Ye Xiren slipped off a gold bracelet and discreetly passed it to him.
"Who knows? This morning, they said someone committed examination fraud—dragged a scholar out of the examination hall. There was quite a stir in the palace. Lord Lu ordered us to keep an eye on your family. As soon as the imperial edict arrived, he brought us to make the arrests. It’s been a long day." The guard shook his sleeve and swiftly pocketed the bracelet.
"What are you doing?!" Ahead, a petty officer turned and barked, his face fierce, the whip in his hand lashing toward them without mercy.
In their eyes, these condemned officials' family members held no weight at all.
Ye Xiren shuddered, then hurriedly removed a warm jade bracelet. With her bound hands, she struggled to hold it up, showing proper deference. "Sir, I just wanted to ask, to die with some understanding."
The petty officer paused—it was hard not to be tempted.
So, the whip halted mid-air and slowly retracted. The petty officer silently took the bracelet and lowered his voice:
"You won’t survive. Don’t struggle. The Northern Yan delegation has entered the capital, and the court is busy dealing with them. Yet your brother caused an examination fraud scandal—ironclad evidence. The Northern Yan delegation heard about it and mocked Daliang relentlessly. The Emperor and the ministers were furious, immediately drafting an edict for the execution of the entire family…"
Ye Xiren’s heart sank.
There was truly no hope left.
She removed the hairpin and bracelets one by one. Since that was the case… she might as well suffer less.
Imperial City Department, Imperial Prison.
A figure sat upon a floor strewn with straw, chains binding his hands and feet, his body covered in wounds. Blood soaked his coarse clothes, and disheveled hair obscured most of his face. There wasn’t even a window here—only dead silence.
Yet the shadowy figure remained seated upright, his back straight, posture unmoving. Only his eyes shifted slightly, gazing toward the dungeon entrance.
A shadow appeared. A jailer entered, placing a food box before the figure, taking out the dishes one by one, then pouring a bowl of water.
The figure slowly closed his eyes.
At Caishikou, the executioner raised both hands, spat out a mouthful of strong liquor, and the Ghost Head Blade flashed coldly before falling heavily. Excruciating pain struck, blood sprayed…
Ye Xiren clutched her neck and sat up abruptly, breathing rapidly, her eyes filled with terror.
"Miss?" The maids filed in, the head maid looking anxious as she wiped the cold sweat from Ye Xiren’s forehead and instructed, "Quick, bring some water!"
Familiar scene, familiar voices.
Ye Xiren swallowed and asked, "Xue Chan, what is the date today?"
"The first day of the third month. Today is the Spring Examination…"
It was indeed this day again!
Ye Xiren leaped out of bed, gritting her teeth. "Quick, help me dress, have a carriage prepared. I’m going to 'see off' my brother…"
Once Ye Changming entered the examination hall, the fraud scandal would erupt, and the court would listen to no explanations, directly issuing an edict for the execution of the entire family. The process had differed three times, but the outcome remained exactly the same.
To change the ending, she must resolve the source!
In the darkness.
A black lacquered carriage raced along, stirring up dust, and halted outside the alley of Wenlin Fang.
Ye Xiren hurried into the dark alleyway with a lantern in hand. Once was unfamiliar, twice was familiar—she ignored the pairs of wolf-like eyes and took a deep breath before shouting:
"Ma Shan, come out!"
Ma Shan: "??"
He sat up in confusion, rubbing his dizzy head as he emerged from the darkness. His tall, burly figure was imposing, and his expression was unfriendly. "Who are you?"
Strange. He studied Ye Xiren. Although her face was hidden beneath a hood, there was no way he could possibly know a young lady from a respectable family like her.
"That’s not important," Ye Xiren said, holding the lantern with a slight smile. "What matters is that I need you to do something for me. I’ll give you twenty taels of silver."
"What is it?" Ma Shan’s unfriendly expression vanished instantly, and he agreed right away.
Ye Xiren took a deep breath and gritted her teeth:
"Break his right hand for me. If he still tries to go to the examination hall, break his legs too. As long as it can be healed, don’t hold back!"
Last time, she suffered from being too soft-hearted. People really shouldn’t be too "kind."
Ma Shan: "…"
Author’s Note:
Ye Changming: Who hit me!
Madam Liao: Who hit my son!
Ye Xiren: …I really went too easy on him!!