Green Mountain
Chapter 253: Execution by beating with a stick

Chapter 253: Execution by beating with a stick

Chen Liqin’s fingers trembled slightly beneath his robe sleeves.

His long-awaited son had returned home, only to be assigned a space amidst a pile of clutter.

It was not just Zhang Zhuo who was outraged; how could Chen Liqin himself be unaware of the oddities involved? And how could he not be angry? However, given the situation, spreading word about the matter would be of no benefit.

As the saying goes, "Family shame should not be spread abroad." Letting others know would only add to the ridicule of the Confucian scholars. As for Chen Ji, the only thing Chen Liqin could do was to think of a way to compensate him afterward; for now, he must not make a fuss about it.

Outside the gate of Tingquan Garden, Chen Liqin looked at the bricks and tiles filling the courtyard. After a moment of thought, he ordered the servant, "Bring the housekeeper to me, I must ask him what this is all about. How could such a simple task go wrong! The Lady clearly arranged for Chen Ji to stay in Mingquan Garden, so why was Chen Ji brought here to Tingquan Garden?"

"Yes," the servant said with a tense expression and bowed his head before walking away.

Zhang Xia sensed something amiss and quickly tugged at Zhang Zhuo’s sleeve in secret, whispering, "Father, be careful. He might tip off the housekeeper to align their stories and cover up the matter."

Zhang Zhuo stroked his beard and called out loudly, "Servant, come back!"

The servant was taken aback, "Does Lord Zhang have any orders?"

"Just wait here," Zhang Zhuo turned to Zhang Xia, "Daughter, go find any servant and get the housekeeper to come here."

Zhang Xia complied and ran off swiftly.

Chen Liqin glared at Zhang Zhuo, "What is Lord Zhang doing?"

Zhang Zhuo said carelessly from the side, "Mr. Chen, did the housekeeper really mishear? You should know the answer in your heart. Chen Ji, when the Lady was arranging your stay, were you present? If you were, tell us where she arranged for you. Don’t be afraid, I will stand up for you."

Chen Liqin clenched his fist inside his sleeve suddenly.

Mrs. Liang had arranged the accommodation in Chen Ji’s presence.

Moreover, Mrs. Liang had explained clearly her reasoning for the arrangement: Mingquan Garden was far from where Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao stayed, while Tingquan Garden was close, so there could be no mistake.

If Chen Ji, in his youth, did not consider the bigger picture and revealed everything, it would tarnish the reputation of the Chen Mansion.

At this moment, seeing that Chen Ji had not replied, Zhang Zhuo pressed him further, "Chen Ji, did you hear clearly then? Which place did Mrs. Chen say?"

Chen Ji was slightly startled, "It was Mingquan Garden."

Chen Liqin felt a sense of relief; the seventeen-year-old boy was wise enough to consider the overall situation, which was commendable.

Upon hearing Chen Ji’s answer, Zhang Zhuo understood their silent agreement: Chen Ji only intended to direct his anger at the housekeeper, not wanting to drag Mrs. Liang into the conflict. Chen Ji had just returned to the mansion, and it was not yet time to put Mrs. Liang on the hot seat.

But Zhang Zhuo wouldn’t let it go so easily and took a step forward, saying to Chen Ji, "Don’t be afraid. Speak out if you feel wronged, and I will support you. If it comes to it, we won’t return to this Chen Mansion. Rest assured, I guarantee your livelihood will be far better than Zhang Zheng’s. The residence where he is staying now, I will vacate it for you tonight!"

Chen Liqin grew impatient, "Does Lord Zhang not have his own son? Why is he always concerned about someone else’s son? What would Zhang Zheng think if he heard these words?"

Zhang Zheng replied cheerfully, "I don’t mind at all. If Chen Ji is willing to come tonight, I’ll move to another courtyard right away... even sleeping on the street would do."

Chen Liqin’s tone stumbled, "You!"

At that moment, Zhang Xia hurried over, leading the bowing and rushing housekeeper.

The housekeeper, arriving in front of everyone, glanced at Chen Ji and then at the wide-open gate of Tingquan Garden, and immediately realized that the affair had been exposed.

He lifted his robe and knelt down, kowtowing while saying, "Master, everything is the servant’s fault. Please punish me!"

Chen Liqin, disappointed as if hating that iron could not become steel, said, "Such a trivial matter, and you managed to mess it up, how could the Chen Mansion be left in your hands? The Lady clearly arranged for Chen Ji..."

"Hold on!" Zhang Zhuo gripped Chen Liqin’s wrist, interrupting him. He looked down at the housekeeper’s back, smiling slyly, and asked, "Let me ask you, why did your Chen Mansion assign the well-prepared Mingquan Garden to someone else and give this cluttered Tingquan Garden to Chen Ji?"

Chen Liqin’s face changed as Zhang Zhuo attempted to extract a confession in his own mansion.

Just as he was about to say something, Zhang Zhuo’s grip suddenly tightened, causing him pain.

Beside him, Mrs. Liang wanted to warn the housekeeper but was caught off guard when Zhang Xia suddenly turned to her, "Aunt, you look so beautiful today."

Mrs. Liang was momentarily stunned and replied subconsciously, "Thank you, Second Miss Zhang..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the housekeeper had already answered, "To report back to the Lord Magistrate, because Tingquan Garden is closer to the First and Second Young Masters, that is why I arranged for the Third Young Master to stay here."

Zhang Zhuo narrowed his eyes slightly; the confession had been coerced, but he did not expect the housekeeper to take all the blame upon himself without any coordinated stories.

Chen Liqin burst into rage, "Zhang Zhuo, what do you want to do? Are you treating my Chen Mansion like a government office, resorting to such interrogation tactics?"

Zhang Zhuo brushed his robe and sighed slightly, "Mr. Chen, if the rights and wrongs of your household still need to be decided by the current Magistrate, don’t you find it sad?"

Chen Liqin stood in place, stunned.

Zhang Zhuo ignored him and looked down at the housekeeper, "Let me ask you, who instructed you to do this?"

The housekeeper, having recovered, gritted his teeth, "Lord Zhang misunderstands, nobody instructed me to do this. The servant had only good intentions, hoping to help the Third Young Master become closer to the First and Second Young Masters."

Zhang Zhuo continued to question, "If that’s the case, then why didn’t you arrange for someone to clean up this place after bringing Chen Ji here?"

The housekeeper hesitated, "This..."

Zhang Zhuo said no more, turned around, and pulled Chen Ji by the wrist, heading outside, "Come, come back with me to Chen Mansion, no need to suffer here! In Chen Mansion, even a lowly servant can cover the sky with one hand, and oppress their superiors. Today you’re relegated to a miscellaneous courtyard, who knows what they’ll do next!"

Chen Liqin quickly stepped forward, intending to grab Chen Ji’s other arm.

But before he could reach him, Chen Ji had already broken free from Zhang Zhuo’s grip, "Lord Zhang, I won’t go to Zhang Mansion."

Zhang Zhuo turned around in confusion, "Hmm?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "Lord Zhang, having a place to stay is quite good enough."

Chen Liqin slowly stopped in his tracks, his nose tingling.

He gave Mrs. Liang a cold glance, and then turned his gaze fiercely toward the housekeeper, commanding the servant beside him, "Drag the housekeeper down... and beat him to death!"

Under the scorching midday sun, the housekeeper panicked.

He trembled like chaff, sweat soaking his back, "Master, I’ve been wronged..."

Mrs. Liang grabbed onto Chen Liqin, frantically interjecting, "Master, Wang Gui’s mother was your wet nurse, and you even said before that when you return to the capital you would visit her. If you beat Wang Gui to death now, how will you face her later?"

Chen Liqin said nothing.

Mrs. Liang clung to Chen Liqin, pleading, "I know you are angry, Master, and I’m not saying to let him off easily. Wang Gui can be spared death, but he can’t escape punishment, first take him down for twenty beatings, and then dock his pay for three years. As the mistress in charge of the household, I am also at fault. Later, I will go to the Buddhist hall and kneel for three days and nights, and fast in front of Buddha for three days, to reflect on my own mistakes."

Zhang Zhuo exchanged a glance with Zhang Xia, finding the punishment proposed by Mrs. Liang to be quite heavy. By putting forth such a compromise, she was effectively destroying her own dignity to save the housekeeper, as twenty lashes, even if they did not kill a person, would certainly flay some skin.

The way Mrs. Liang behaved made it clear the housekeeper wouldn’t be executed today.

But whether the punishment was sufficient was not for them to decide.

Zhang Zhuo’s glance flickered towards Chen Ji, and seeing his expression, coupled with his previous attitude, he felt certain.

He stepped forward to hold back Chen Liqin, "Even if this Wang Gui is a slave in your household, there’s no need for such violence. I think your sister-in-law’s suggestion is not bad. There are laws for the country and rules for the family. When such a servant appears in a family, it’s only natural for the mistress to reflect on her oversight. But, once Wang Gui’s injuries are healed, he won’t continue as housekeeper, will he?"

Chen Liqin was expressionless, "Of course not."

Zhang Zhuo remarked, "I had intended to take Chen Ji away, but I didn’t expect him to be so attached to the Chen family. Well, well, I shouldn’t play the villain any longer."

Chen Liqin stared at him directly, "Lord Zhang comes and throws my Chen Mansion into chaos, and now you want to play the good guy?"

Zhang Zhuo laughed, "Mr. Chen, you’ve misunderstood me, it’s all a misunderstanding!"

At this point, Wang Gui, knowing he had dodged a bullet, let out a slight sigh of relief. Beating with a cane had its tricks, and those servants surely wouldn’t hit too hard, or else, with his relationship to the master’s wet nurse, he’d turn the tables on them eventually.

Wang Gui thought to this point, and knocked his forehead on the ground three times, producing a thud, with tears and snot, "I’ve shamed you, Master, I shall go receive my punishment now."

But just as he finished speaking, the sound of footsteps approached from behind.

Chen Wenzong appeared, clutching a whistle stick, hurried to Chen Liqin, and saluted, "Father, what has happened here?"

Chen Liqin casually explained, "Wang Gui lost his mind, he arranged for your brother to stay in this miscellaneous courtyard, and intentionally didn’t assign servants to clean up for him. Now that the truth is clear, he’s about to receive twenty lashes."

Chen Wenzong turned to look at Wang Gui kneeling on the ground, his gaze chilling by several degrees, "I’ll do it."

Wang Gui’s body went limp.

...

...

At sunset.

Wang Gui was flogged with twenty lashes and was barely breathing as the servants carried him back to his quarters.

Chen Wenzong used all his strength with each lash, and after twenty lashes, even his seldom-exercised arm was swollen and ached.

By the eleventh lash, Chen Wenzong was tired and took a short break before continuing. After the twenty lashes, Wang Gui had no energy left even to groan.

These past two months, he had been punished twice because of Chen Ji. He wondered what ill fortune he had encountered; he used to control the bastard at will, but now he could no longer grasp him.

Was today’s event coincidence, or had the bastard calculated everything? Wang Gui was sweating profusely from pain and had no energy to think.

The servants carried him through the courtyard and pushed open the wooden door to his room.

A servant whispered, "Godfather, it’s not that we didn’t want to help you, but the Third Young Master was too ruthless, we couldn’t stop him."

Wang Gui weakly replied, "Shut up, put me on the bed, and get out! Don’t think I don’t know, you all want to see me make a fool of myself!"

The servants pursed their lips and said nothing more, working together to lay the housekeeper down on the bed.

Just as they were about to leave, the housekeeper suddenly sprang up shouting, "Spit, spit, spit, what is this on my pillow?"

The servants looked closely and saw that the housekeeper’s face was smeared with black feces, disgusting and foul-smelling.

Wang Gui screamed hysterically, "Who did this, who did this? If you have the guts to do it, have the guts to admit it! When I recover, I’ll deal with each of you!"