Chapter 23: Death by Lingchi

"Go inside."
Chu Bing and her brother were thrown into the cell.
Chu Wenyen’s face was pale as he collapsed to the ground, his breathing faint.
Chu Bing hurried over and saw that his back was a mess of blood and torn flesh from the punishment; her heart ached with a bitterness that reached its peak in hatred for the county magistrate!
"Wenyen, wake up."
Chu Wenyen did not respond at all—he had already lost consciousness.
Seeing this, Chu Bing called out to the system in her heart, "System, hurry and think of a way. I can’t let Wenyen go on like this!"
The system, which had been feigning death, replied helplessly, "Host, it’s no use looking to me. I can’t conjure medicine out of thin air either!"
"Then what use are you?"
"I can’t just do nothing, but his wounds are horrifying—I worry about infection." Chu Bing sighed, her tone tinged with pleading. "Just help me this once!"
After a moment of silence, the system finally said, "The system can temporarily supply you with some inner strength. You can use it to tend to Chu Wenyen’s wounds."
Immediately, Chu Bing felt a surge of warmth flow through her body—a familiar sensation of inner energy circulating within. Without a moment’s hesitation, she pressed her hands to Chu Wenyen’s back.
The yamen runners had shown no mercy; his flesh was torn open, and when her hands touched his spine, her eyes turned red with fury.
This humiliation—they would pay for it, one by one, sooner or later!
While the siblings languished in the jail, Li Haoran and his young attendant had just arrived at the Chu family restaurant, only to find the place in utter chaos.
"What’s happened here?"
Li Haoran’s expression darkened as he walked through the wreckage, but there was no sign of Chu Bing or Chu Wenyen.
"Hey, don’t you know? The owner here is in big trouble. Early this morning, someone caused a commotion, claiming that someone died from their food. It escalated to the county magistrate, and he threw both siblings straight into jail!" a neighboring vendor eagerly gossiped.
"A crowd went to the county office to watch the spectacle. Let me tell you, the magistrate clearly took bribes from the troublemakers—he didn’t even bother to investigate the truth and convicted the siblings right away!"
Li Haoran’s face was grim as iron. He hadn’t expected that, just by being a little late, the Chu siblings would already be in prison!
He understood at once—this was the magistrate’s chance for revenge. There was definitely something fishy about this!
"Let’s go," Li Haoran said, turning to leave.

"Young master, where to?" the attendant asked, stunned.
"The county office!"
He was determined to confront the magistrate himself and see what had given the man such audacity to treat Miss Chu so.
Just as the master and servant were about to leave, a familiar figure appeared before them.
Li Yuxi strolled over, fanning himself with a folding fan.
He was tall and handsome, every gesture full of charm; the girls passing by blushed at the sight of him.
"Third Brother, where are you headed?" Li Yuxi stopped in front of Li Haoran, closing his fan with a snap.
Li Haoran hadn’t expected to run into him here, and his expression changed—clearly, his movements were no secret within the family.
"And you, Second Brother? Where are you going?"
"Just wandering about, nothing in particular," Li Yuxi replied with a slight smile, his eyes clear and bright. "Since it’s been a while since we brothers met, why not walk together?"
He reached out to drape an arm around Li Haoran’s neck, but Li Haoran dodged aside and bowed politely. "Unfortunately, I have urgent matters to attend to today. I must take my leave."
Thinking only of Chu Bing still locked in jail, he tried to walk past without stopping.
Li Yuxi’s smile faded as he said quietly, "Are you going to confront the county magistrate over the Chu family restaurant, Third Brother?"
Li Haoran stopped in his tracks and raised his brows. "How did you know, Second Brother?"
Li Yuxi turned to face him, his gaze steady. "Your concern for Miss Chu is known throughout the household. Surely you’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you?"
He stepped closer, lowering his voice to a whisper by Li Haoran’s ear, "Don’t you want to know what really happened to Miss Chu?"
Li Haoran’s eyes sharpened, a chill in his black pupils. "What are you implying, Second Brother?"
Could Miss Chu’s disaster today be linked to himself?
Li Yuxi slung an arm around Li Haoran’s shoulders and guided him toward the Li manor. "It’s a long story. We brothers should sit down and talk it through."
*
Meanwhile, in the county magistrate’s residence.
"What a joyous day! Go, call for Madam!" The magistrate, upon returning home, was nearly giddy with delight.

The steward answered and quickly brought over Yunxin.
Yunxin wore a scarlet gauze dress, her pale chest exposed; compared to the official wife, she looked more like a courtesan from a brothel.
"My lord, what’s made you so happy?" she asked coyly, throwing herself into the magistrate’s arms.
He pinched her chin, his expression smug and wild. "That wretch Chu Bing has finally fallen into my hands. Both she and her brother are locked in the dungeon! At last, I’ve got my revenge!"
"Chu Bing is in jail?" Yunxin was taken aback and suddenly clung tightly to his arm. "You’re not lying to me, are you?"
That Chu Bing was always unnaturally cunning—could she be jailed so easily?
Seeing the beauty’s disbelief, the magistrate recounted the day’s events with relish. "Now that she’s at my mercy, I won’t let her escape lightly! I’ll torment her until my anger is spent!"
A flicker of malice flashed in Yunxin’s eyes, her excitement mounting. "My lord, this is a perfect opportunity!"
"That Chu Bing bullied me in every way before. You must seize this chance and deal with her properly—have both siblings sentenced to death, if possible!"
The magistrate hesitated. "That—that’s not wise!"
The case was already questionable, and he’d earned some public resentment by jailing Chu Bing. If she died, who could predict what would be said about him behind his back?
Yunxin shook his arm, her voice sweet and pleading. "Please, my lord, listen to me!"
She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve, her voice delicate and tearful. "You don’t know—when I met Chu Bing in the street, not only did she scold me for being shameless, she also..."
"And what else?" The magistrate’s heart melted at her aggrieved look, and he held her close to comfort her.
"She said you were old, that you were... ugly, and that she hoped you’d die soon!"
"Outrageous!"
The magistrate was furious, grinding his teeth. "I’ll see that wretch executed by a thousand cuts!"
Yunxin buried her face in his chest, hiding her triumphant smile.
Chu Bing, I’ll see you come to a miserable end!