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SAVING A LIFE
Translator: Sylph
Editor: Milac
After a moment of silence, He Yan opened her mouth, “Madam seems to have misunderstood something.”
All was good until He Yan said nothing, but when she did, Tang Ying became agitated. She pointed at her nose and scolded, “Misunderstanding? You and Fan Cheng had an affair before I joined the family, and after I married him, you were still unhappy. Otherwise, why would you be fine being a mistress of a married man, I see that you’re dead set on being the main madam of my Fan family!”
He Yan had a headache.
That lady was truly unreasonable. Even though she looked like a flowery and slender woman, she had a vulgar way of talking. “Madam, you must inquire thoroughly. I knew Mr Fan before but I haven’t looked for him since the marriage.”
“You’re lying. If you hadn’t approached him, how could he give you something?”
“I’m also very troubled about this. If Madam could persuade Mr Fan not to do something like this, it would be appreciated.”
Tang Ying stumbled a few steps back and fell into a chair. Two lines of tears slid down her face, “Bastard… What a bastard!”
He Yan looked at her sympathetically. Any fool could see that Fan Cheng was not a good match for her. Even if he stopped looking for He Yan, he would find some other woman in the future. He Yan didn’t look up to him, but a few people would be willing to sacrifice themselves to climb to a higher branch. The eldest daughter of Cheng Wu Lang was more than enough for Fan Cheng. It was a pity that even with her beauty and such good background she was still tied up with Fan Cheng for the rest of her life.
Tang Ying’s maids and nanny quickly approached to comfort Tang Ying in a low voice. After a while, Tang Ying dried her tears.
She said, “You little bitch, you are used to lying. How could I believe your nonsense even for a moment?”
“What exactly does Madam want?” He Yan looked at the sky. “It’s getting late, I should go back.”
The woman who was consoling Tang Ying said, “Go back? You’ve done such shameless things and you still want to go back. Until our Lady has a good idea of what to do with you, you have to stay here!”
He Yan retorted, “You dare to imprison me privately?”
The old woman looked at He Yan with disdain and said, “Those who come out of small doors are not sensible. How can this be regarded as imprisonment? Since you are our young master’s favourite, you’re half Fan. Isn’t it appropriate for our lady, as a Madam of the house, to teach a servant a lesson? Even if you sue us, our actions are justified!”
He Yan was angry but she laughed. How could someone spew so much nonsense with such a serious face?
Seeing He Yan laugh, Tang Ying, who was originally a bit hesitant, became angry. “Tie her up and throw her in the backroom, starve her for a night. We’ll see tomorrow whether she’s still so arrogant!”
In the end, she was just a lady from a big family, who had recently married into her husband’s family. She hadn’t had the time to learn those thunderous and ruthless tactics, to vent out her anger. It was just a matter of tying people up and starving them so that they would be scared. He Yan was not afraid of it, but she was just scared of causing trouble for the He family as she was the eldest child of the family.
The women rushed and bundled her up like a chicken. He Yan stayed still during the entire and obediently let them tie her. Tang Ying looked at He Yan with a heart full of frustration.
When they finished tying her up, they threw He Yan on the bed of the backroom. The maid asked, “Madam, do you want to leave someone here to keep watch…”
“Leave what?” Tang Ying said angrily, “Let her stay here alone until it gets dark and see if she’s afraid. If she is robbed by a passing thief,” she smiled viciously. “I’ll see if Fan Cheng would still want her!”
The group of people walked away mightily, bringing the courtyard to a standstill.
He Yan lay flat on the floor with her hands tied to her feet, looking quietly at the bed.
Needless to say, the bed was very soft, and the curtains were made of delicate soft gauze. It seemed that Madam Fan was quite kind to her prisoner. She sighed. The house that Mrs Fan settled her in casually was even more beautiful than the house carefully built by He Sui.
‘The house is still empty all day, isn’t it a waste?’ She thought indecisively. After the time taken to brew a cup of tea had passed, ensuring that there was no more movement outside, she tampered with the rope.
The hands were tied, which felt a little uncomfortable, but the method of binding was random; similar to bundling up like a dumpling. She tried to reach out and touch the knot. Being in the barracks for ten days, she had learned how to unbuckle the knot. Such unorganized knots were the simplest.
He Yan felt the shape of the knot and was certain that it could be solved, so she stretched out her hands to do just that. As she was about to move, she heard the sound of footsteps outside. The sound was very low but with her sharp hearing, she recognized a male’s voice. She stopped her movements and tilted her head to look outside the door.
Was Tang Ying telling the truth about her being a flower here?
The sound of footsteps became more prominent as the person approached step by step. He Yan became a little nervous. She fiddled inside her sleeve for a long time and finally found a sharpened, pointed bamboo branch.
It was too expensive to go to the weapon shop and build a hidden weapon. And she was too frugal and poor to have that much money. In such desperate situations, all she could do was to pick up a bamboo branch and sharpen it herself. He Yan pitied herself thinking about it.
The door was pushed open and a man dressed as a guard walked in.
He was shocked when he saw He Yan with her eyes open and her mouth blocked by a piece of cloth, but he kept looking at her quietly. After a while, he walked towards and whispered in her ear, “Miss He Yan, don’t be afraid. Master asked me to help you.”
It turned out that he was not there to pick flowers but save lives.
The guard removed the cloth from her mouth and carried her on his shoulder. “This slave will send you out first.”
He Yan was so unaccustomed to this posture that she felt as if she had become someone else’s captive and was about to be dragged out to be beheaded by the enemy.
But if other people had a good heart, it was hard to say anything.
The guard took He Yan into a carriage, which quickly left the Fan’s house. He Yan didn’t utter a word which perplexed the guard a little.
He thought he would hear her screaming and crying when he went in. After all, Miss He was a timid and weak woman. Even though she was gagged, she looked curious and guarded but there was no fear in her eyes.
The guard had not seen such a woman. He inexplicably felt some shiver in his heart. Fortunately, the carriage was agile, and in about an incense stick of time, they arrived at the destination.
The guard helped He Yan out of the carriage.
The sky was already completely dark.
The Chun Lai River at night, without the hustle-bustle of the day, had become quiet and still. On such a night, there should have been many floating boats in the river with people singing, dancing, drinking and merrymaking. But that day, due to the heavy rain, the wind was cold. Only a few boats were floating in the river. A few fire lanterns could be seen, looking very lonely.
He Yan raised her head and the rain fell on her face, cold and itchy. She looked at the distance, “Why did you bring me here?”
The guard didn’t dare look at her face. He clenched his fists and said, “The young master is waiting for you on the boat ahead. This slave will take you there.”