nucmednet Chapter 205 Begging for mercy
Chapter 205 Begging for mercy
Li Yunge pleaded, "Please, when I become the matriarch of the Yu family, I will definitely promote you to the position of head guard and give you a monthly salary of twenty taels of silver!"
The guard scoffed, "You? The mistress of the house? Do you think my master is a fool? You must be Li Yunge, the one who tried to scheme against my master? Let me tell you, dream on if you want to get in!"
This young guard was the one Zisu had given to her uncle's family; he was a boy who had been trained by Shen Laihui for over a year. He remembered Zisu's instructions and would never let anyone from the Li family set foot in the Yu residence, nor would he be moved by the pitiful appearance of Li Jianu and her daughter.
Li Yunge had no choice but to leave. However, she was filled with resentment, and her desire to marry into the Yu family and become Yu Zhe's principal wife grew even stronger.
Hearing that Li Yunge had attempted to break into the Yu residence, Gu Mama was extremely nervous, holding Zhen'er tightly and refusing to let go. If she needed to use the restroom, she would have several maids stay in one room to watch over Zhen'er. She herself would rush there and return quickly, not daring to delay for even a moment.
An extra guard was added to patrol the house to prevent anyone from jumping over the wall. Fortunately, this was done, otherwise Li Yunge would have succeeded. She actually ordered someone to jump over the wall, trying to sneak in and kidnap Zhen'er, but luckily the patrolling guard discovered it and forced the jumper away with his sword.
In the dead of night, Li Chun, accompanied by several guards, escorted Yu Zhe and the others back to the Yu residence. Suddenly, they discovered that someone was attempting to jump over the wall. He immediately used his light-footed skill to dart over and capture the person.
"Mother, you take Han'er inside to rest first. I'll interrogate this thief properly in the front yard!" Yu Zhe said.
Madam Yu: "Alright, be careful!"
Lichun assists Yu Zhe in interrogating the thief.
The thief knelt down and begged for mercy: "My lord, I know I was wrong, please forgive me this once!"
Yu Zhe: "Tell me quickly, what is your purpose in coming to the Yu residence?"
Thief: "I just came to steal some silver, but I was caught before I could even steal anything. So please forgive me this time, sir. I promise I'll never do it again!"
Yu Zhe: "Don't think I'm a fool! Tell me honestly, what's your real purpose in coming to the Yu residence! And who's behind this?!"
Thief: "Sir, I really just came to steal some money. I have no other purpose and no one instructed me to do so."
Yu Zhe looked at Li Chun and said, "You come here, make sure he knows what's what!"
"My lord, please rest assured!" Lichun nodded, stepped forward, grabbed the thief's hand and twisted it. The thief immediately cried out, "Ouch, it hurts! My lord, I'll talk, I'll talk!"
The pain spread throughout his body, making him feel like he was living a life worse than death.
Lichun: "Tell me the truth, not a single lie, or I have countless tricks up my sleeve!"
Upon hearing this, the thief immediately abandoned his plans and honestly confessed, "Li Yunge sent me. She told me to climb over the wall and find a way to steal the young lady from the Yu family!"
Yu Zhe was furious: "Well, I was right!" He had vaguely guessed before that this thief might be related to the Li family.
He immediately found a pen, ink, paper and inkstone to write a confession, and had the thief sign and affix his fingerprint. The thief dared not resist and obediently did as he was told.
Yu Zhe then said to Li Chun, "Please take this thief to the yamen. Thank you for your trouble!"
Lichun nodded in agreement: "Okay, it's just a small matter, sir, you don't need to be so polite!" He then escorted the thief away and took his leave.
At this very moment, Li Yunge was waiting at home, but as the night deepened and all was quiet, she still hadn't received any news. Her heart filled with anxiety.
At daybreak, the door of the Li family was knocked on.
A maidservant came to report: "Second Miss, people from the yamen have arrived. They say they want to invite you to the yamen!"
Upon hearing this, Li Yunge was immediately alarmed, a terrible premonition creeping over her. Could it be that someone had been arrested?! No, she couldn't go to the yamen! She quickly told her maid, "Just tell the people at the yamen that I'm sick and bedridden!"
The maid had no choice but to turn around and lie to the officials: "Sir, my young lady is ill and is currently unconscious!"
The constable said, "As long as she's alive, she has to come with us!" She was lively and energetic yesterday, and now she can't get up? This is clearly a guilty conscience, feigning illness to fool them.
The maid had no choice but to go in again and report, "Miss, the yamen runners say that as long as you are alive, you have to go with them!"
Just then, the constables burst in: "What? He's unconscious? You're clearly lying to us, thinking we're fools, so easily fooled, aren't you?! If you know what's good for you, you'll obediently come with us, otherwise, we'll have to tie you up!"
Li Yunge was so frightened that her hands and feet went weak and she couldn't say a word.
The maids and servants rushed forward: "Second Miss, let me help you walk!"
Li Yunge nodded weakly: "Okay."
If she didn't leave, she would be kidnapped, and she couldn't bear such humiliation. If she were kidnapped, she would never be able to turn her life around! The spittle from her neighbors could drown her!
Mrs. Li was terrified. She hid in her bedroom, pretending to be asleep. Her daughter was about to be taken away, and she dared not utter a single word. She knew perfectly well what her daughter had done last night. It must have been that imposter posing as a thief who had betrayed her daughter. Her daughter was sure to be going to jail this time!
Oh dear, this is terrible! I hope she doesn't get implicated. The thought of going to jail is terrifying; just thinking about it makes her skin crawl. Forget jail time, she couldn't even bear living on a farm.
To avoid implicating herself, she gritted her teeth, hardened her heart, and didn't fight for her daughter. Or, she could have gone to the yamen with her daughter.
When Li Yunge arrived at the yamen, she was surprised to find that Yu Zhe was also there.
"Brother-in-law, please save me! I don't want to go to jail!" Li Yunge was both surprised and delighted. She rushed over to Yu Zhe, wanting to hug his leg.
Yu Zhe dodged to the side, and Li Yunge missed her target, falling face-first into the mud. She looked extremely comical and pathetic.
Yu Zhe snorted coldly: "I don't have a vicious aunt like you. And don't call me brother-in-law from now on. I have nothing to do with your Li family!"
Li Yunge: "How can you say we have no relation? Zhen'er is my niece, my eldest sister's own flesh and blood. How can you say that my Li family has no relation to you!"
Yu Zhe: "Niece? If you truly consider Zhen'er your niece, why would you allow a thief to sneak into the Yu residence in the middle of the night and kidnap a child who is only six months old?! Zhen'er would be better off without a heartless aunt like you!"
Li Yunge: "No, brother-in-law, please don't ignore me! I know I was wrong, and I will never dare to do it again. Please forgive me this time for the sake of my elder sister!"
Yu Zhe scoffed, "For your elder sister's sake? I can't forgive her for what she's done. How can she possibly ask me to show her mercy? Even if she's a good person, you're about to have Zhen'er kidnapped. How can I let you off so easily?! No matter who it is, if they dare to harm my children, I will never let them off easily!"
After saying that, he turned to the constable and said, "Don't give me any face. According to the law, give him whatever punishment is due!"
The officials respectfully replied, "Yes, Lord Yu, we will certainly uphold the law impartially!" Lord Yu was the Minister of Personnel, someone they couldn't afford to offend. Since he said he would uphold the law impartially, what else could they say?
Li Yun was sentenced to one year in prison for instigating a thief to break into the mansion and kidnap a child.
Madam Li was not spared either. Li Yunge was furious with her mother for standing idly by and not caring about her life or death. In a fit of anger, she confessed that her mother knew all her plans and actions. Madam Li, knowing the truth but failing to report it, condoned her daughter's crime and neglected her parenting responsibilities, and was sentenced to six months in prison.
With both masters arrested, the servants of the Li household panicked and fled with their valuables. Only two very honest old women, with nowhere else to go, remained to guard the house. However, they also took a few valuable items to the pawnshop to use as their food and monthly wages for the year.
Li Yunge felt like dying. If she had known this would happen, she would have been better off not offending Yu Zhe in the first place. If she hadn't offended Yu Zhe, she could have used his influence to find a good family to marry into.
Now, it's too late for regrets!
Madam Li was even more regretful than her daughter. If she had known this would happen, why had she instigated her eldest daughter? How much dowry Yu Zhe was willing to give to Princess Duan was his own business. How could she have been so blinded by greed and interfered so much? Why did she have to meddle so much in her daughter's affairs? Now, she was filled with remorse!
But there's no going back in life. Madam Li, who once enjoyed a good reputation among the ladies of the capital, has now fallen to such a pitiful and lamentable state. Those ladies who were once close to her can't help but feel deeply moved, secretly reminding themselves never to do anything hateful to their son-in-law's family.
Sigh, this family is really strange. They've done so many inexplicable things just for a little extra dowry. Originally, they were relatives of the Prince Duan's family. If they had gotten along well, it wouldn't have been long before Lord Li could have become a fourth-rank official. Lord Li's two sons also had bright futures ahead of them.
However, this family was ruined and destroyed over a mere five thousand taels of silver for a dowry. The eldest daughter died young, the second daughter went to prison, and Lord Li and his two sons were banished far away from the capital. If Li Yunge hadn't ordered the kidnapping of Lord Yu's daughter, this family might have had some hope; perhaps one day Yu Zhe would have shown some mercy to the Li family out of consideration for his daughter.
However, after this incident, the Li family exhausted Yu Zhe's patience. Unless a miracle occurs, as long as Yu Zhe remains the Minister of Personnel, this family has no chance of turning their lives around!
Alas, how pitiful and lamentable!
Madam Yu was very angry.
A thief broke into their house and even tried to kidnap their granddaughter. And the person behind it all was Li Yunge! What is she trying to do? Has she gone mad?!
Madam Yu comforted her, "Mother, don't be sad. It's good that Zhen'er is alright! Now that Li Yunge and her mother are locked up, they shouldn't dare to harm Zhen'er again!"
Zisu comforted her, "Grandma, let bygones be bygones, and look to the future! In six months, Zhen'er will recognize people, and it won't be so easy for others to kidnap her! From now on, just keep a close eye on Zhen'er!"
Madam Yu sighed, "Alas, Zhen'er will grow up eventually, and we can't just keep her locked up at home and never let her go anywhere. If that mother and daughter don't give up, Zhen'er will be abducted one day. There's no such thing as being able to catch a thief from afar, but not guard against one for a thousand days!"
Zisu: "Before Zhen'er is old enough to understand, if we take her out, we should have someone with her every hour of the day. We should also make sure she has a maid, a matron, and two guards. That way, there shouldn't be too many problems. Once Zhen'er is old enough, we'll explain everything to her about her birth mother and the Li family. I believe that a child raised by her grandmother will be a sensible and good child!"
Back at the Prince's residence, Zisu wrote a letter to Shen Laihui, urging him to continue adopting orphans and, ideally, to train two martial arts maids. She wanted to provide Zhen'er with two maids skilled in martial arts, so they could protect her closely and prevent Li Yunge from taking advantage of her.
Upon receiving the letter, Shen Laihui immediately replied with a short note, assuring Zisu not to worry. He said that in a year, he would send two young female martial arts maids, around ten years old, to the Yu family. He explained that he already had several little girls with considerable martial arts talent, and with proper training for a year, they could be sent to the Yu family to protect Zhen'er. He also mentioned that he was training several other children, both boys and girls, aged three or four, for Zisu's children.