Volume 1, Chapter 11: He Seeks Retribution for His Sister

Mei Changgong wanted to step forward to check on her, but Mei Gongxue reacted with a reflex, shielding her head with her hands while murmuring to herself, her body trembling uncontrollably.

His hand froze in mid-air.

It was only then that he realized Mei Gongxue must have been triggered by something, causing the horrific memories of the torture she endured in prison to resurface.

Mei Changgong tossed the whip aside and had Hongxiu coax Mei Gongxue away, carefully escorting her back, though his gaze lingered on her retreating figure for a long time.

"Third Brother, what is wrong?" Mei Xianghan asked from the side.

Mei Changgong turned to look at her, and upon seeing a face so similar to Mei Gongxue’s, he felt a momentary lapse in focus.

If Mei Xianghan had been locked in prison and subjected to torture...

"Has the doctor arrived?"

"I was just about to go fetch one," Xiao'e replied, looking flustered.

Mei Changgong snapped his head up and slapped her across the face. "The young mistress is ill, and instead of finding a doctor, you come running to complain to me? I don't know how to heal the sick!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, his fists clenching until they emitted a faint cracking sound.

Terrified, Xiao'e fell to her knees. "The young mistress took medicine after her fever, but I was worried she was suffering in silence, so I acted on my own initiative!"

Mei Changgong’s voice suddenly rose. "Vile servant! It was all your instigation!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand again.

"Third Brother, what are you doing?"

Someone hurried in from outside—it was Mei Yanjun, accompanied by the doctor.

Seeing an outsider, Mei Changgong lowered his hand, shot a glare at Xiao'e, and then invited the doctor to check Mei Xianghan’s pulse.

Mei Yanjun walked over and asked in a low voice, "What happened? I heard from the servants that A-Xiang stood outside in the cold for over an hour. Did Xiao Xue intentionally vent her anger on her?"

"No!"

Mei Changgong gave a rough account of what happened. By the end, when he described how Mei Gongxue had cowered like a frightened little beast at the crack of a whip, he grew visibly agitated.

Mei Yanjun turned the prayer beads in his hand, lost in thought.

Kneeling on the ground, Xiao'e crawled toward him, pleading for help. "Second Young Master, I was truly worried about my mistress. I feared she was being bullied and was suffering in silence, unable to speak of it!"

Mei Yanjun glanced at her, his tone cold. "It is clear the Second Young Mistress went to Peach Blossom Garden of her own volition. As for you servants, why didn't you advise her against it?"

He was not a man of muddled mind; he immediately identified the root of the problem.

Xiao'e’s heart sank, knowing that if the blame fell on her, she would certainly be punished.

Her mind raced, but she stubbornly insisted, "The mistress forbade me from following her when she left, and when she returned, she just kept crying, utterly heartbroken. I thought the Eldest Young Mistress must have said something terrible to her, which is why I sought out the Third Master!"

"You thought?" Mei Changgong’s anger flared even higher. "Are the affairs of your masters something a servant can presume to judge?"

"This servant knows her mistake!"

Xiao'e bowed her head, cold sweat beading on her forehead, not daring to reach up to wipe it away.

She had served Mei Xianghan since she was a child. Whenever her mistress fell ill or shed tears, the young masters would always yield to her. Why was it different with Mei Gongxue today?

True enough, ever since there were two young mistresses in the house, the affection of their masters had been divided!

Just then, the doctor finished writing the prescription.

Mei Xianghan spoke weakly, "Brother, please don't blame her. It was all my fault."

Hearing her pleading tone, Mei Changgong clamped his mouth shut, though his brows remained furrowed.

He looked at the kneeling Xiao'e, his gaze sharp enough to be felt physically. "You wretched servant, if I catch you being disrespectful to the Eldest Young Mistress again, I will break your legs!"

"Thank you, Third Master!"

When Xiao'e stood up to leave, her legs were so weak with fear they nearly gave way.

Mei Yanjun looked calm. Once Xiao'e was gone, he turned to Mei Changgong with a frown. "You really should curb your temper. You know A-Xiang's temperament; if she didn't have a maid like Xiao'e standing up for her..."

"Second Brother," Mei Changgong interrupted in a deep voice, "have you actually looked into who ordered the torture of Xiao Xue in the Ministry of Justice?"

Mei Yanjun shook his head. "Why bring that up now? Isn't it all in the past?"

Mei Changgong looked at him, realizing he had never bothered to investigate, and a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.

Mei Gongxue might be out of prison, but the shadows left behind by those walls might be a nightmare she would never escape for the rest of her life!

Even the sound of a whip crack could make her cower in a corner, shivering.

This was the pampered Eldest Young Mistress of their Marquis household!

That coarse, chilling whip—it was enough to break even the most ferocious beast.

One could only imagine how much she had suffered over these past six months!

If their sister-in-law hadn't kept reminding them, they, as her brothers, would never have thought to bring her home so quickly!

With a dark expression, Mei Changgong bent down, picked up the riding whip from the floor, and walked out.

Mei Yanjun frowned. "Where are you going?"

Mei Changgong let out a cold snort, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "I want to see who has the audacity to lay a hand on someone from our Marquis household!"

Mei Yanjun could not stop him. Fearing trouble, he quickly ordered a guard standing by, "Go and inform the Eldest Brother!"

...

Outside the gates of the Ministry of Justice prison.

A black stallion galloped up. A man jumped from its back and marched toward the entrance, his aura menacing.

"Halt! This is a restricted prison area. Who dares to trespass?"

Before the guard could finish, Mei Changgong kicked him flying and stormed inside.

The environment was even worse than he had imagined; the air was thick with a nauseating, pungent scent of blood.

Deep within the dark prison, the sharp, agonizing cries of tortured prisoners echoed out, a scene that pierced his heart.

How had his younger sister endured half a year in this place?

"How bold! How dare you trespass into the Ministry of Justice prison!" Several fierce-looking jailers immediately moved to seize him with ropes.

Having practiced martial arts since childhood, how could Mei Changgong fear them?

He dodged with a flash of movement, flipped his wrist, snatched the whip from one of their hands, and lashed it across the jailers.

The jailers let out a chorus of wails.

"Isn't this the Third Master of the Marquis household? What are you doing? Stop at once!"

A leader recognized him and hurried over to intervene.

But Mei Changgong remained cold and grim. "You recognize me now? When I sent people to ask who ordered the torture of my sister, you acted so high and mighty, showing no respect for my Marquis household. Don't blame me for being discourteous after trying to be polite!"

With that, he showed no mercy, striking the man hard enough to knock out two of his teeth.

The sting of the whip was excruciating; every strike left a crimson welt. If the barbed tip caught skin, it would instantly tear a small gash, drawing blood.

Only then did Mei Changgong notice that the whip was custom-made, featuring cruel barbs.

The rage in his eyes seemed ready to ignite. "Do you really think my Marquis household is toothless? I will flay you all alive!"

Today, he would vent his little sister's grievances for her!

The whip whistled through the air. The leader, terrified, covered his head and curled into a corner, just as Mei Gongxue had done.

However, he felt no pain.

"So it is the Third Master, here to drink tea in my Ministry of Justice prison with such refined taste?"

The man's tone was leisurely. He was tall, lean, and fragile-looking, his demeanor elegant, lacking any of the coarseness of a martial man.

Yet, he had caught the other end of the whip firmly in his palm.