The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 608
Chapter 608: Heaven Aids Those Who Help Themselves
The constables tumbled off their horses in a hurry. Who in the world did not know the great name of Princess Sunshine?
Yet here she was, in this remote mountain village!
Immediately, the constables dismounted and paid their respects. “Greetings, Princess Sunshine, Young Master Heir…”
Then, noticing Zhu Mo’s imposing presence, one of them cautiously inquired, “And this esteemed gentleman is…?”
Zhu Mo’s face instantly darkened.
“Her attendant.” He jerked his chin toward Lu Chao Chao, then promptly turned away.
[Aaaahhh! I’m the Dragon Clan’s little prince!! Why did he have to ask? Do I have no dignity?!]
The constable looked bewildered. What kind of attendant showed such a sour face when asked about? Had he somehow offended him?
He quickly shifted his tone. “I did not expect such esteemed guests to grace our humble county. Forgive us for not welcoming you properly. I will summon the county magistrate at once…”
Before he could finish, Lu Chao Chao raised a hand lightly.
“There is no need to trouble the townsfolk. We are merely passing through and will not stay long. Carry out your duties as required; you need not concern yourself with us.” Her expression was cold as Windchaser set up a reclining chair, upon which she leisurely lay back.
The constable hesitated for a moment. The rumors said that the Women’s Academy was founded by Princess Sunshine herself, established for the sake of securing rights for women. Since she had set such a precedent before the entire imperial court, he need not show favoritism. Simply upholding the law would suffice.
Before long, the culprits who had fraudulently taken others’ academy spots were dragged out. Just moments ago, these villagers had ignored the law with impunity; now, they wailed as if mourning the dead.
“Princess! Please, save us!” they cried.
The constable promptly silenced them. “By the decree of the court, those who commit fraud shall have their status stripped, and all accomplices shall receive thirty strokes.”
“The punishment shall be carried out in public.”
“For the elderly, their offspring shall take the penalty in their stead.”
The calculations quickly added up—the ones being flogged were the cherished lifeblood of these old crones.
A wave of panic swept through the crowd, and they fell to their knees, kowtowing frantically in plea. But the constables showed no mercy. The criminals were restrained at once, two constables per person, ensuring that the punishment was carried out under the open sky.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
Heavy wooden rods slammed onto their backs, eliciting bloodcurdling screams. One cry followed another, until the pain was so intense that they could not even voice their agony anymore.
Their flesh split, blood oozed, the sight so gruesome that few dared to watch directly.
The elderly of their families slapped their thighs in despair, wailing pitifully—yet powerless to intervene.
Even the Old Madam Wang, the mastermind behind the fraudulent scheme, was dragged forth. But at her advanced age, childless and alone, even three strokes might take her life.
She burst into tears, crying out, “My son just passed away! Let my daughter-in-law take my punishment instead! She will bear the thirty strokes!”
Zhao Zhu flinched at these words, her body trembling.
Lu Chao Chao lightly patted her hand. “If you have something you wish to do, then do it. Your mother is weak, and there is no one in your home to stand tall… Someone must rise up.”
Zhao Zhu hesitated, then softly asked, “Can I?” There was a flicker of light in her eyes.
Lu Chao Chao smiled. “Of course, you can.”
The air was thick with the scent of blood, interwoven with the sound of sorrowful cries. Zhao Zhu clenched her fists, willing herself not to tremble. She then spoke in a firm voice.
“Officer, I am her granddaughter—the same granddaughter whose academy spot was stolen.”
“My father killed his own daughters with his own hands. He deserved his death.”
“My mother is not even from this village. She was kidnapped and sold into it!” She spoke of how her mother had attempted to escape many times, only to be captured and brutally beaten each time.
Then, after giving birth to several daughters, those children became her chains.
“Officer, please investigate thoroughly. My mother gave birth to my fifth sister and has not even recovered from childbirth. If she is flogged thirty times, she will not survive. I am willing to take the punishment in her place.” Zhao Zhu knelt down, silent tears streaming as her accusations echoed through the square, shocking all who listened.
“You wretched little brat! Just like your mother—nothing but filth! That was your own father! How dare you call his death deserved?!” The Old Madam Wang cursed viciously. But before she could say another word, the constables gagged her.
“Life was given by him; what’s wrong if he took it away? Useless girls only stand in the way of their grandsons. Getting rid of them is the right thing to do! My poor son… he left this world without a son to carry his name…” The old woman sobbed as she spewed her twisted reasoning.
“Zhao Zhu’s life belonged to her father. He gave it, so he had the right to take it back!” she wailed. “He just wanted a son!”
The constable grew angrier as he listened. “You venomous old hag! Even a beast does not eat its own cubs! How dare you disregard the law so blatantly?!”
“Had your son been alive, he would not have escaped execution in the marketplace!”
His gaze fell upon the frail and emaciated Zhao Zhu, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes.
“Since your mother was trafficked here, and your father is dead, she is no longer considered part of the Wang household. The punishment shall be borne by you, Old Madam Wang.”
He then turned to Zhao Zhu and her mother. “Tomorrow, you shall go to the county office and establish a new household. You are no longer part of the Wang family.”
Zhao Zhu’s mother collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly.
“If you wish to find your real family, you may register tomorrow as well. We will do our best to locate them, though we make no promises in such a vast world.”
Overcome with emotion, Zhao Zhu’s mother could only cry, years of suffering finally pouring out.
But Zhao Zhu remained composed, kneeling to bow deeply. “Thank you, Officer.”
The constable waved a hand dismissively, though he seemed pleased. “I am no great man, merely a servant of the court.”
Zhao Zhu, though uneducated, had overheard scholars’ teachings in the past. Now, she cautiously spoke words of flattery. “A man of the people, truly just. Surely, you will rise in rank.”
Zhu Mo gasped. “I nearly thought she was truly going to take the fall for that wretched old woman!”
A-Wu rolled her eyes at him, disdain evident.
She looked at Zhao Zhu with some admiration.
Filial piety was supreme in this world. Had the girl rashly denounced her grandmother, the constables might have taken offense.
But by retreating first, she won their sympathy.
From now on, they would surely look after her family.
“Proceed with the punishment.” The constable showed no mercy. Old Madam Wang would not survive thirty strokes.
The heavy sound of wooden rods striking flesh echoed throughout the village, lasting deep into the night. The entire village was pale with fear, their faces filled with horror, their cries merging into a mournful wail.
“On the mountaintop behind this village,” Lu Chao Chao said coldly, “there lies a ravine, known as the Infant Ditch.”
At these words, the villagers trembled, their skin crawling with goosebumps.
“A life, once born, is still a life. Northern Zhao’s laws shall deal with this.”
The constable bowed deeply. “Men, come with me to the ravine. We shall gather the remains and bring them to the county magistrate tomorrow. Justice will be done for the innocent souls.”
With several constables in tow, he climbed the mountain—completely unaware of the villagers’ ghastly expressions.
Moments later, the constable staggered back down, his face ashen with horror.
Shaken, he dropped to his knees. “Princess Sunshine, may you oversee this place? I must return to summon the magistrate!”
What he had thought was merely a small number of infant remains was in truth…
A ravine filled with white bones.
A grotesque pile of tiny, lifeless bodies, gnawed upon by wild beasts.
Some had been abandoned at birth, left to die in the elements.
Some had been torn apart while still alive.
Some had lain there, wide-eyed, watching their own deaths unfold.
The constable felt his blood run cold.
Lu Chao Chao nodded in acknowledgment, and the constable immediately spurred his horse into a gallop, racing towards the county seat.
Meanwhile, Zhao Zhu looked up at her with glistening eyes.
“I… I had a dream. In it, Pan Di said she met a noble soul, and was given the name Yu Zhen.”
“Princess, may I also receive a name from you?”
She had been waiting—waiting for the redemption her sister had foretold.
At last, her hope had arrived.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation