Big Boss – Chapter 25

She is mine (Part one)

“Ci Ke?” Ye Youqing was puzzled for a moment, then held her hand and said, “Don’t panic, what happened? Wasn’t Ci Ke still at the Qin Residence?”

Ji An’an sobbed, took several deep breaths before she could calm down and replied, shaking her head continuously, “After the birthday banquet, Ci Ke was sent to the Ji Family by General Qin, she is now in the hands of the Madam of the Ji Family, who intends to punish her, and has already taken her away!”

The Ji Family? What’s going on now? Ye Youqing was filled with doubts, but couldn’t resist Ji An’an’s tearful cries, so she followed her a few steps forward.

Just as she was about to turn back to say something, she saw Shi Li standing by her side, her rare clear eyes exuding a faint hostility.

“I’ll go with you,” Shi Li’s voice was like aged wine, thick and pleasant to hear. As she spoke, she lifted her robe, as if pulling a sharp cold gleaming dagger from her leg.

Ye Youqing looked at her fierce demeanor as if she was about to start a killing spree, and quickly reached out to hold the handle of her knife, seriously saying, “You can go, but without my permission, you must not act recklessly.”

Shi Li pursed her lips and glanced at Ye Youqing for a moment, then opened her hand, inserted the knife back into the pouch on her leg, and whispered, “As a disciple, I shouldn’t act recklessly in front of my master.”

Although there were many benefits to having Shi Li around, such as the ability to cover a distance that would usually take the time of burning one incense stick in just half that time with Shi Li carrying the two of them and running wildly, the three of them had already arrived at the gates of the Ji Residence in no time.

Feeling a bit dizzy, Ye Youqing leaned against the door frame, closed her eyes, and pondered.

Through Ji An’an’s tearful recounting along the way, Ye Youqing had finally understood what had happened in the past few days. It turned out that Qin Wang, for some unknown reason, had sent Ci Ke back to the Ji family’s doorstep after the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet concluded that night.

After Ci Ke was enslaved, she was purchased by the Ji family to work as a maid. She was mistreated in the Ji household for three years until the Noble Consort fell out of favor, and Ci Ke was secretly taken out of the Ji Residence and brought into the palace. Later on, she left the cold palace and entered Qin Wang’s residence, where she stayed by Qin Wang’s side to serve him.

“They are my guests,” Ji An’an wiped away her tears and said in a soft voice to the guard at the door. The guard exchanged a glance and then said, “Third Miss,” before opening the door. Ji An’an pulled Ye Youqing inside in a hurry.

As Ye Youqing ran along with her, some fragmented memories slowly resurfaced in her mind.

How did Ci Ke die?

It was some time after the original owner married Qin Wang that Qin Wang finally saw through Ci Ke’s “malevolent” nature and sent her away from the residence. After that, the original owner did not see Ci Ke for a long time.

However, it was later heard that Ci Ke suffered greatly, sustained serious injuries, and narrowly escaped death.

Then, a Noble Consort in the palace died in the imperial palace. One evening, Ci Ke somehow entered the palace, perhaps in despair, and started a large fire in the Qiushui Palace before leaping into it.

Thinking of the image of Ci Ke turning back and smiling at her in her dream, Ye Youqing suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

“So why does the Madam target Ci Ke?” Ye Youqing suddenly asked.

“When Ci Ke was still a maid here, the Madam’s eldest son, my older brother, took a liking to her and insisted on taking her as a concubine. Ci Ke naturally resisted, but luckily, at that time, the Noble Consort fell out of favor and pleaded with the Emperor to have Ci Ke brought into the palace, thus averting a disaster,” Ji An’an whispered in response, avoiding the passing maids and servants in the mansion.

“Moreover, this time, General Qin directly sent her back to the Ji Residence, like sending a lamb into the mouth of a tiger. After Ci Ke entered the residence, she was isolated and helpless, strictly guarded and not allowed to step out of the door.”

“I wanted to help her but felt powerless. I thought about going to the palace to inform the Noble Consort, but as a mere commoner, I have no way to see the Noble Consort,” Ji An’an said as she led the two of them running across a neatly trimmed lawn, bypassing a waterside pavilion by the lake, breathing heavily. “Just this morning, I received news that my elder brother, with sinister intentions, still wanted to get close to Ci Ke and ended up getting stabbed by her yesterday.”

“So early this morning, I saw the Madam taking Ci Ke away, saying she was going to punish the servant who harmed her master, and I was desperate, so I had no choice but to come find you,” Ji An’an finished, clutching her chest, stopping to catch her breath in a courtyard.

Ye Youqing was slightly more composed, just perspiring lightly, while Shi Li showed no signs of sweating, with a calm demeanor as she crossed a bush.

Ye Youqing looked around, searching for any trace of Ci Ke, but could not see any sign of her presence.

“Where is she?” Unable to see anyone and reminded of Ci Ke’s cause of death, Ye Youqing’s worry grew stronger.

“She was just here. How could she suddenly disappear? Could it be…” Ji An’an suddenly became anxious, tears welled up in her eyes, and she shouted loudly in the courtyard, “Ci Ke! Ci Ke!”

Ye Youqing furrowed her brows, suddenly flipped over the bush and walked to the center of the courtyard, backing up to look around. She then noticed Shi Li crouching down nearby, her beautiful shoulders lowering to the ground, with her ear pressed against the ground.

“There.” Shi Li suddenly raised her eyes and whispered.

At the same time, near a dry well in the backyard, which appeared deserted with overgrown grass and a wooden pole in the center, a relatively clean area with a circle chair was placed. A middle-aged woman sat on it, holding a piece of preserved fruit between her fingertips, complete with her manicured nails.

“Stop the nonsense, tie up this treacherous servant.” The woman impatiently ordered, while spitting the leftover fruit pit into the hand of a nearby servant.

“Yes, Madam.” Several strong maidservants approached, grabbed Ci Ke, and forcefully dragged her to a nearby pillar, hastily untying the hemp rope.

“Even a weak servant without any strength can cause this much trouble for you, it’s truly unlucky!” The woman scornfully glanced at the maidservants, her eyes already sharp, but now, even more piercingly cruel.

Meanwhile, the maidservants lowered their heads, dare not speak their minds, feeling unjustly treated. This servant girl was no weakling, she had put up a fierce resistance. Now, each of the maidservants bore marks of being beaten, with some even losing a few strands of hair.

Realizing this, the woman’s next actions showed even less restraint. The hemp rope bound tightly around the servant’s wrists, nearly drawing blood from the girl’s fair skin. Despite the pain, Ci Ke gritted her teeth and remained silent.

She lifted her eyelashes, her hazel eyes filled with icy coldness, staring at the middle-aged woman in front of her with disdain and hatred.

“How dare you glare at me!” The woman was infuriated by her gaze, and suddenly threw the preserved fruit towards Ci Ke, hitting her heavily and falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

“You, a sly and harmful vixen, how could I dare keep you in the residence? You even dared to harm my son. I think you don’t want to live anymore!” The woman spat, “Hurry up and tie her up, stop wasting time!”

“Do you think someone in the palace backs you, so I wouldn’t dare to act against you? Regardless, you are a servant of my Ji Residence, a daughter of a sinner,” the middle-aged woman said, waving her hand to signal the maidservants to take action.

Ci Ke bit her lip tightly, watching as the maidservants brought out a riding crop. She suddenly chuckled, her voice smooth and sarcastic, “Who allowed your son to behave immorally? It was his own reckless actions.”

Ci Ke knew she would be beaten regardless, so she no longer wanted to remain quiet. Her voice gradually became clearer, “To think he was attracted to a mere servant like me. If he hadn’t approached me, how could I have harmed him? Instead of blaming his lack of restraint, you want to punish me. Your thick skin is truly as shameless as your son’s!”

“Shut up!” The middle-aged woman, startled by her boldness, abruptly shouted, stood up, took a few steps towards Ci Ke, “If it wasn’t for you seducing him, how could he, a person of such high standing, be ensnared by a lowly person like you!”

Upon hearing this, Ci Ke suddenly laughed, her voice like a melodious bell, with a hint of a mocking stagnation. Squinting her eyes, she tauntingly said, “Is it considered seduction if he makes a mistake? If your son is so obedient, if I call you a fool now, let him say a word and hear it.”

“You, you!” The woman waved her thick, flabby arms, pointing at Ci Ke and shrilled, “Beat her, beat her to death!”

Several maidservants, fearing the wrath of their mistress, hurriedly approached with whips. However, Ci Ke, who had appeared docile just moments ago, had somehow managed to free herself from the ropes. She kicked one of the maidservants in the abdomen, causing several cries of agony to ring out, once again throwing the backyard into chaos.

However, no matter how much Ci Ke struggled, she was no match for so many people. Besides, with reinforcements appearing out of nowhere, a dozen maidservants surrounded Ci Ke, pinning her down on the ground, with someone’s hand harshly pinching her shoulder. The pain nearly brought tears to Ci Ke’s eyes, but she endured silently, glaring fiercely at the middle-aged woman.

The woman’s back began to sweat profusely as she frantically pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and threw it to one of the maidservants present, commanding sternly, “Cover her eyes. She looks like a demon, who knows if she might absorb someone’s vitality!”

Someone lifted Ci Ke’s head up high, tightly covering her eyes with the handkerchief. Subsequently, her body was uncontrollably dragged back to the pillar and tightly bound with rope.

Ci Ke was almost exhausted and stopped struggling. She gazed up at the dark sky above, resigned to her fate.

She had already gathered some clues about Qin Wang, neatly arranged them, and entrusted them to Ji An’an. Someday, those materials would reach her aunt’s hands. She hoped her aunt could utilize them to clear the wrongful accusations against the Zhou family.

Qin Wang’s distrust came faster than anticipated, and his cruelty exceeded expectations. He left her with no chance to catch her breath. She was certain that death was imminent.

Amidst the raucous, malicious insults, the sound of the wind cutting through the air, and the whooshing of the whip, Ci Ke braced herself, closing her eyes and awaiting the blows.

But the pain never came.

The wind subsided, the surroundings fell into stillness, the hostile voices disappeared, replaced by the frightened screams of the maidservants. Then, she suddenly felt a loosening on her wrist.

Involuntarily, she slipped and slumped to the ground. Simultaneously, the cover over her eyes was abruptly removed, and in the blinding light attacking her eyes, Ci Ke saw a slender figure standing nearby.

Not sure if it was the harsh sunlight, but she suddenly felt a twinge on her nose bridge. The figure in front of her became clearer, a cool and composed woman stood a pace away, extending her hand towards Ci Ke, her voice simultaneously cold and gentle.

“Ci Ke, come here.”