Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Wretched Beast “Wretched beast! Wretched beast!” Ling Taian slammed the table in fury, repeatedly denouncing Ling Ziqi. “Ling Ziqi, you’ve utterly disgraced the Ling family!” Ling Jiayue said as she looked at Ling Ziqi. Madam Zhang also rose to her feet and pulled Ling Ziqi into her arms. Glaring at Ling Taian and the others, she said, “All you know to do is blame my Ziqi. Master, if only you had cared about my Ziqi as much as you care about Ling Jiayue, my Ziqi would never have ended up like this.” “Utterly nonsensical! Today, I will deal with the two of you, mother and daughter!” Ling Taian forced himself to catch his breath and spoke with absolute resolve. “No, Father, you can’t treat me like this. In name, I already belong to the Third Prince. If you punish me, the Third Prince will not let this go. Besides, you can’t punish my mother either. My mother has always put me first. I can’t lose her,” Ling Ziqi said, still refusing to give up. At that moment, Madam Wan and the others, who had only just hurried over after hearing the news, arrived as well. Ling Zixue had just heard from outside the door that Father intended to punish Ling Ziqi and Madam Zhang. Unable to hold herself back, she cried out, “Father, you can’t do this! You can’t punish Sister and Mother! Zixue can’t lose them either!” “Good child, you don’t understand. Madam Zhang and her daughter have committed unforgivable crimes. Punishing them according to the Ling Residence’s family rules is not wronging them,” Madam Wan gently advised as she embraced Ling Zixue from behind. But Ling Zixue was in no state to listen. She only continued to plead bitterly with Ling Taian to spare Madam Zhang and Ling Ziqi. Ling Taian seemed determined to punish the mother and daughter. He said nothing, his lips pressed tightly together—making it clear that he had resolved to purge the family of its corrupt ways. Ling Ziqi pushed Madam Zhang away and stood up straight. Her eyes were still red from crying, and she spoke with a heavy nasal tone. “Father, you can’t punish me so easily. Even if I loathe the Third Prince now, I am still his woman in name. The Third Prince will not stand by and do nothing.” “Why are you still standing there? Take them away!” Madam Liu shouted at the guards on either side. “Yes, Madam.” The guards escorted Ling Ziqi and Madam Zhang away. “There’s no need to trouble yourself further. Give Madam Zhang a white silk sash and have her end her own life. Make the arrangements and send Ling Ziqi to the nunnery at once,” Madam Liu instructed the steward matron beside her. “Yes, Madam.” The steward matron accepted Madam Liu’s order and went to carry it out. “No, Mother! No, Father! You can’t do this!” Ling Zixue knelt on the ground and begged through her tears. The small child was crying herself hoarse, her face streaked with tears, looking utterly pitiful. Ling Jiayue walked over and helped Ling Zixue to her feet. “Good little sister, they have committed wrongs and must be punished. Only then can the family’s morals be restored. Everyone in the family will treat you twice as well from now on.” Ling Zixue could only sob until she was gasping for breath, unable to say a word for a long while. She stood there, red-eyed and weeping. Ling Taian furrowed his brow and said heavily, “Enough. Now that this matter is settled, all of you may leave. I want some peace and quiet.” “Your concubines will take their leave.” Madam Liu led the madams in bowing before they withdrew. Only Ling Taian remained in the study. He secretly grieved, though it was impossible to tell whether he was mourning the fact that Madam Zhang had been a venomous woman at his side, or that Ling Ziqi had become so vicious. On the way back, Madam Liu held Ling Jiayue’s hand and said, “Yue’er, now that the person who plotted to harm you has been dealt with, Mother can finally feel a little more at ease. All the effort you put into arranging this wasn’t wasted.” Ling Jiayue smiled. “Your daughter is destined for great wealth and honor. Why should Mother worry?” Ling Jiaxuan also comforted Madam Liu: “That’s right. My little sister has been blessed by the Buddhist temple since childhood, and she can heal the sick and save lives. Naturally, she is destined for great wealth and honor. Why should Mother worry? Besides, you still have me. As her Older Brother, it is only natural that I protect my little sister. Mother need only set your heart firmly at ease.” Madam Liu felt greatly comforted. “That’s wonderful. That’s wonderful.” Meanwhile, Madam Zhang and Ling Ziqi were facing nothing but misery. Acting on Madam Liu’s orders, the steward matron brought over a white silk sash and urged Ling Ziqi to pack her things and leave immediately for the nunnery. Madam Zhang and Ling Ziqi clung to each other, crying. “Mother, I don’t want you to die, and I don’t want to go to the nunnery either. We can’t be separated. We have to stay together. I don’t want you to die!” Ling Ziqi sobbed. Madam Zhang held Ling Ziqi and comforted her. “I won’t die. We won’t be separated. Mother won’t let them take you away from me.” But the steward matron urged them on. “Madam Zhang, the white silk sash has already been brought. End your life as soon as possible. And, Miss, please hurry and pack your things. The people who will escort you to the nunnery are already waiting outside.” Madam Zhang shoved the steward matron away. “Who do you think you are? How dare you force me to kill myself? I absolutely will not allow you to take my daughter away either.” The steward matron had already grown extremely impatient. She raised her hand and summoned two female servants, ordering them to forcibly separate Madam Zhang and Ling Ziqi. She then ordered one of them to drag Ling Ziqi away, saying that there was no need for her to pack and that she should be sent directly to the nunnery. Madam Zhang and Ling Ziqi cried and struggled incessantly. Madam Zhang continued to protest stubbornly, “You old servant! How dare you treat me so disrespectfully? I am a Madam, and she is a Miss! You can’t treat us this lightly!” The steward matron merely gave a cold laugh. “Oh, you’re a Madam, and she’s a Miss? If you two hadn’t ruined the Ling family’s reputation and repeatedly plotted against Miss Ling, Master would never have punished you. When all is said and done, you chose the wrong path yourselves. You have no one else to blame.” “You—you! Insolent servant, how dare you!” Madam Zhang was rendered speechless by the steward matron’s retort. Ling Ziqi said unwillingly, “I already belong to the Third Prince. You can’t harm me like this. The Third Prince won’t spare you, and neither will I!” The steward matron laughed even more loudly. “Oh, you’re the prince’s consort of our residence, are you? But does the Third Prince acknowledge you? You’ve done such shameless things, yet you still expect him to bring you into the residence in an eight-bearer bridal sedan and make you his prince’s consort?” Ling Ziqi and Madam Zhang were so enraged that their eyes reddened, yet they could not utter a single word in rebuttal. The steward matron waved her hand, and someone took Ling Ziqi away to the nunnery. Madam Zhang was left behind alone, while the matron forced her to end her life. Before Ling Ziqi was taken away, she continued shouting, “I belong to the Third Prince! I won’t let you off!” When Madam Zhang saw Ling Ziqi being taken away, she struggled even more violently. Seeing that Madam Zhang refused to die, the steward matron summoned two young and strong guards and ordered them, “Use the white silk sash to finish her.” The two guards exchanged glances. One of them said cautiously, “Matron, she is a Madam. This isn’t proper.” The steward matron shot him a sideways glance. “I know she is a Madam, but the order to finish her came from Master and Madam First Wife. You are guards of the Ling Residence, so naturally you must obey Master’s orders.” Only then did the two guards set their minds at ease. They picked up the white silk sash and approached Madam Zhang. Terrified, Madam Zhang cried, “Don’t come any closer! I am a Madam, and my daughter is the Third Prince’s consort! You can’t treat me like this!” But how could she possibly struggle free from two men? Before long, the white silk sash had strangled her to death. The steward matron then returned to report that the order had been carried out.