“Don't let this brother here look down on us later.”
“The hair - combing punishment doesn't use an ordinary wooden comb. It's an iron comb.”
“Actually, it's more accurately an iron brush rather than an iron comb. Generally, when carrying out the punishment, the process is like this. First, we'll strip you naked, then tie you to an iron bed. Next, we'll boil water and pour the scalding water over your body several times.”
“After that, I'll take the iron brush and start scrubbing your body back and forth, over and over again until your bones are exposed. All the flesh and skin on your body will be scrubbed clean.”
“Normally, few people can endure it. But don't worry. My brother here is an old hand. He will definitely not let anything go wrong with you. You'll just lose a few pieces of flesh at most. It's okay. Don't be afraid!”
Prisoner No. 57 was so scared that his legs went weak. If it weren't for the ropes tying him to the pillar to support him, he would have collapsed to the ground long ago.
His back was soaked with cold sweat, and the sweat on his face kept streaming down.
“Don't... don't... I'll do it. I'll definitely do it. I'll tell the truth tomorrow. There won't be a single lie.”
Prisoner No. 57 was scared out of his wits. He had never even heard of such a punishment. But just thinking along the other person's train of thought, he knew that this punishment must be more painful than the previous one.
He didn't want it! He would rather die than live in such agony.
“That's right. If you're obedient, we won't touch you. If you're not, I'll let my brother here use all the punishments I know on you!”
“Yes, yes, yes... I'll definitely be obedient, definitely obedient.”
Jing Xinche checked the time. It was getting late. “Take them back. We'll take them to the village early tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.”
When A Ru woke up the next morning, she was completely shocked to see the three people in Yuan Yuhan's room.
“My goodness! You really caught them. You're amazing!”
“How about it? Have you got anything out of them? Who's their master?”
“We haven't questioned them yet. But I'll make them tell the truth in front of the villagers.”
“Will that work? What if they lie to us?” A Ru still had some doubts.
“Don't worry, A Ru. He doesn't dare to lie to us. Right, No. 57? Hmm?” Yuan Yuhan looked at No. 57 ferociously, his eyes full of threats.
“Yes, yes, yes... Please rest assured, miss. I'll definitely tell the truth. There won't be any falsehood.” No. 57 nervously took a few steps back.
Mu Fengqie saw this person's reaction and knew that something must have happened. Otherwise, this No. 57 wouldn't be so afraid of Yuan Yuhan.
“What did you do to him? Why is he so afraid of you?” Mu Fengqie whispered to Jing Xinche.
“Nothing. We just scared him a bit. I didn't expect this guy to be so timid. A little scare and he confessed everything.”
Mu Fengqie twitched the corner of her mouth speechlessly. This “scare” must not be an ordinary one. Otherwise, it wouldn't have scared the person like this.
The refugees had been waiting for Mu Fengqie and the others at the same place as yesterday early in the morning. They all wanted an answer, an answer that concerned their lives and deaths.
“Here they come! They're coming!”
“Look! They're still tying three people.”
“Everyone, these people are the real murderers who killed your people. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
“What! It was really someone's deliberate act!”
“Who are you? Why did you harm us?”
Yuan Yuhan kicked No. 57's calf, signaling him to speak.
“I'm a secret guard of the Yang family in the capital. I was instructed by our master.”
“Then why did he harm us? We have no grudges against him.”
“Because he privately withheld the silver that the empress sent to relieve you. He was afraid that you would pose a threat to him, so he sent us to guard you. You mustn't leave this village.”
“Otherwise, you'll be killed on the spot.”
“The Yang family in the capital? Aren't they relatives of your Southern Qing empress? Tsk, tsk, tsk... Such behavior...”
Yuan Yuhan interjected at the right time, sowing discord.
The villagers thought about Yuan Yuhan's words. The Yang family was related to the empress. If the Yang family was short of money, they could ask the empress for it. Why did they have to withhold the relief money for them?
Unless... the empress didn't really want to save them at all. The silver she allocated was just for show, and she took it back secretly!
Thinking of this, the villagers were furious. They had been waiting for the court to save them whole - heartedly, but they didn't expect that the court actually wanted them dead!
The villagers found it hard to accept this fact, but they had no choice but to accept it.
If the court wanted them dead, how could they survive? They had no food, no place to live, nothing. What could they do?
Suddenly, someone in the crowd asked, “Is it true what you said yesterday that you could help us?”
Hearing this, the villagers' eyes lit up. Who wouldn't be willing to have a chance to survive?
“Of course it's true. As long as you submit to our Qin Dynasty, our Qin Dynasty will never do such a thing.”
“Okay! I agree. Anyway, Southern Qing wants to kill us. It's better to find a way out for ourselves.”
“That's right. I also agree.”
“Me too, me too...”
The villagers unanimously agreed to submit to the Qin Dynasty.
“Good. I've already arranged a place for you to live. Later, you can live there in peace.”
“Thank you, young master, for your help. If there's anything we can do for you in the future, we'll definitely do our best.”
“In that case, I thank you all.”
“Oh, right. Leave these people here for you to vent your anger on.” After saying that, Yuan Yuhan didn't care what would happen to the three tied - up people. He was about to leave with a few others.
He had promised not to touch them, but that only applied to him. He didn't say he wouldn't throw them to others.
As soon as he took a step, a black - sooty hand grabbed his ankle, which gave Yuan Yuhan a big scare.
“Help!”
“Who is this person?”
“Please don't blame the young master. This person can actually be regarded as a benefactor of our village. At first, our village head picked him up by the roadside. At that time, he was covered in wounds. It was really scary.”
“Later, when his wounds got a little better, he helped everyone with the work. Then, before the flood, this person was injured while driving away the bandits who came to the village. He still hasn't recovered until now.”
“He must be delirious today. I hope the young master won't blame him.”
“It's okay, it's okay.” Yuan Yuhan was scared to death. He thought the dead had come back to life.
“Since he's so badly injured, let me take a look at him.” Mu Fengqie stepped forward, lifted his wrist, and started to feel his pulse.
But when she lifted his arm, the red string on his wrist caught Jing Xinche's attention.
He remembered that his secret guard, Hong Yi, had an identical red string on his hand.
Jing Xinche rushed forward and wiped the dirt off the man's face. After seeing his appearance clearly, Jing Xinche's nose felt a little sour.