Queen of No.11 Agent 11

Chapter 8 Blood Splattered Door

The fierce pitiful screams continued to resound throughout the courtyard. Amidst the screams you could hear the panic-stricken crying of a female. Around the west side room the gates were wide open. Someone was receiving corporalpunishment.You could hear the whipping sound meeting flesh as blood spilled over the entire Zhuge Residence. All of the servants, with raised heads, waited to see who was enjoying this honor.

While the crowd gradually gathered, Chu Qiao was still at the front of the Residence. Only one step to get out of this man-eating garden. But those screams continued to assault her ears making her brow wrinkle. Finally, retrieving her foot, she quickly turned back around and ran towards the west side room.

Fate. It gives people the most opportunities to make a choice, to make difference. Often those choices will change a lot of things.

Zhuge Yue (this is not the same Zhuge, if you go back to chapter 4 the previous one was named Huai, just making it easier so you don’t get confused) stood in a pale green silk dress, embroidered with a piece of dark green qinglian. His hair hung loose over his shoulders, his face was   fair similar to jade  . His eyes were as black as ink and his lips were dark red. Although he was only 13 or 14 years old, he appeared to have a nefarious charm. He was lying on his side on a chair made of rosewood. His elbow supporting his head as two fine-looking maids who were holding incense, sat on both his sides. Occasionally he would move a chess piece. A fast horse could  travel a thousand li with fresh lychee from Bian Tang in the meanwhile.

Twenty steps ahead of him, a child dressed in black servant clothes had been beaten until contusion and her cries gradually quieted down. A 6 or 7 year old little slave girl was kowtowing at his side begging for mercy. The skin on her forehead was broken as blood leaked and her crystal clear eyes over flowed with tears.

The sun gradually rose shining on the Hongshuan Plateau located in the city. Even in the deep of winter, the sun was still strong. Zhuge Yue raised his head, narrowing his eyes at the brightness. This caused both of the maidservants at his side to become anxious. One immediately held an umbrella to block out the sun from touching Zhuge Yue’s head. Bored, he pushed the umbrella away, sitting up straight. Both of the maids  waited while he waved his hands as he leaned against the cushions of the chair.

Two Burly men suddenly appeared and respectfully came forward. They carefully lifted   his chair, and carried him out of  the side room.

The girl who was kowtowing was instantaneously very frightened and let out a panicked cry. Crawling towards Zhuge Yue, pulling his clothes, “Please Fourth Young Master, Lin Xi will die!”

Zhuge Yue’s eyes twitched at that. Out of the corner of his eyes he glanced at the little girl stained with blood on her tiny hands and head.

The child only felt an uncontrollable chill suddenly raising in her head. Only to see Zhuge Yue’s snow white boots with five bloody fingerprints on them. The contrast was visibly striking.

Frightened, the child became tongue-tied for a long time before rubbing his shoes with both of her sleeves in a panic. Crying, “I’m so sorry Fourth young master, Xiao Qi will immediately get them cleaned.”

Bang Bang, Zhuge Yue kicked the child to the ground. Afterwards both of his maids immediately knelt down to take the dirty boots off. Zhuge looked at the child with disgust and commanded with a low voice “Chop off her hands.”

Xiao Qi forgot how to sob and sat there dumbfounded on the ground. A cruel bodyguard rapidly came up at that moment with a long sword sheath from his waist. And just as quickly a spray of blood-shot up to the sky. Her pale emaciated little hands were cut to the ground.

Xiao Qi found her voice and let out a grating pitiful shriek. Breaking through the clouds, surprising all of the hideous vultures near by.

Chu Qiao just arrived at the doorway, standing still as a stone. Suddenly she was bolted back in   action as her footsteps took on a whole new life. Her eyes wide open, she covered her mouth. Not moving a hair’s breath anymore.

“Fourth Young Master, this child is no longer breathing.”

Zhuge Yue looked at Lin Xi with pity, rubbing his temples. “Throw it into the lake in the Pavilion to feed the fishes.”

“Yes.”

As the other burly men lifted Zhuge Yue’s chair again to resume, all the other servants kneeled, even the wounded.

“Hold on,” When he past the door, Zhuge Yue suddenly whispered. Slightly turning, he looked in  the eyes of Chu Qiao still standing in front of the door. Frowning, “You, which courtyard slave are you? Why do you not kneel?”

Chu Qiao took a deep breath, biting her lips to swallow her anger. Kneeling on the ground, both of her eyes staring at the brick floor. With her eyes opened wide, she started to speak with a child like panic-stricken voice, “Yue is a backyard slave. Please, Fourth Young Master, forgive Yue, I’m inexperienced . It’s the first time Yue’s met Master. I thought I had seen God.”

Zhuge Yue lightly smiled at this. This cute light as snow child, at such a young age knew how to speak cleverly. Laughing he said, “Bright girl, how old are you? What’s your name?”

“Fourth Master, Yue is 7 years old, surname Jing.”

“Like this,” Zhuge Yue said, “ then you change your name to follow me, okay. Now you are called Xinger(er means child, endearment).”

Chu Qiao quickly kowtowed in place, shouting loudly, “Xing thanks Fourth Young Master for selecting me.”

Zhuge Yue smiled. His chair was once again lifted, turning around the corridors until he could no longer be seen.

With the excitement dying down, a low status slave was dead. In the Zhuge Residence, the servants had already gotten used to these scenes. It didn’t take long for the news to spread out. One servant came in to clean up. Lifting the child’s small body, he wrapped Lin Xi in a sack and dragged him on the ground, towards the direction of the Pavilion Lake.

The child was very little. His whole body’s flesh had been bloodied and beaten. The blood was seeping out of the sack, and was dripping on the brick ground. A long blood trail followed the servant. Chu Qiao was still kneeling on the ground. Her mind reeling back and forth about the ups and downs that have happened. Her teeth were gnawing  her bottom lips while she gripped her two little fist tightly. Staring at the trail of blood from the sack, tears welled up from her eyes. Dropping on the back of her hand.

“Yue should not be afraid, 5th brother is here.”

“Tonight we ate really well. Fourth young master add vegetables, braised, sweet and sour pork ribs, sweet and sour sauce fillet, wild duck and many other food. I ate so much I want to throw up. I can’t anything more.”

“Yue, you can be assured that in the future, 5th brother will make sure you eat until you are full and warm. All the good things in this world were made to be eaten by you. Not just pork, but ginseng, abalone, bird’s nest, shark fin and even an elephant will be brought. You can have anything you want. By that time, no one will bully us again. Yue, do you believe 5th brother?”

“Yue, 5th brother will protect you. I will accompany you, you shouldn’t be afraid.”

She was filled with grief and hatred, just like boiling water in a tidal wave, but she knew that she could cry. She could reveal at this time, the slightest resentment. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and quickly stood up. Next to the door, Xiao Qi was still there with her broken hand. Blood still bubbling out her wrist without paying attention to anything else.

Chu Qiao quickly tore her clothes, pressed and held Xiao Qi’s acupoints, while wrapping her wrist to stop the bleeding. After all of that she gathered Xiao Qi on her back, clenched her teeth and walked back towards the backyard.

Just when she left the front door, a cold voice stopped her suddenly, “Halt! Who told you to carry her off?”

Chu Qiao looked up to see the man pulling out a whip. A man that she hadn’t seen in three days. Zhu Shun. She kept her brows light and calmly spoke, “Fourth Young Master did not say to kill her.”

“The Lord had not say you must help her either!” Zhu Shun said, looking at Chu Qiao indifferently. He did not know why, but ever since that day on Jiu Wei Street, that scene always appeared in his dream. After he hit this child, she inquired about his name. Making him flinch. He also thought it was very laughable that he still dreaded this kind of immature low status slave. But the voice in his heart constantly reminded him that while under the General’s Residence, there were countless of eyes. Otherwise, he would have had this child removed. Without this sooner or later that child would bring him misfortune.

“That’s the wrong assumption of the Master’s mind. Too Naive. Someone come, take these two arrogant slaves away for not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth!”

Two male servants came forward to draw Chu Qiao’s arms. Hastily Chu Qiao hid away from them. The sudden movement had caused Xiao Qi’s wound to start bleeding again.

“Who dares to come!! I am Fourth Young Master’s people. You all don’t don’t understand clearly?”

Zhu Shun sneered at that, “You had not attained the chicken’s feather but are already shooting an arrow….Early tomorrow morning, Fourth Young Master won’t even remember you two. You dare try to frighten me with this! Go take these two away and give them a bitter lesson!”

Chu Qiao turned serious, with Xiao Qi on her back, she receded back like a leopard. Her eyes sharp and her brows furrowed.

Just then another voice sounded behind Zhu Shun. A handsome little boy, in a jasper boa robe, stood behind them. Followed by four other followers, the 11 years old stood there, making Zhu Shun look uncomfortable. “Housekeeper Zhu, why did you not know that Huai is bidding me to leave? Is the crown prince family not important? Why are you entangled here? I think you are really too idle.”

Zhu Shun shocked, hurriedly moved closer to the bow, bending quickly at the waist. “Yan Shi Zi, is that these servants do not listen to discipline, making Yan Shi Zi laugh.”

“Is your teachings to servants more important or is my  family more important? Zhu Shun, I thought you were smarter than that. I didn’t know that you could be so daring in front of Yan Shi.”

Zhu Shun was startled hearing this and quickly knocked his head on the floor. “This one does not dare. This one does not dare, this one was wrong.”

“You know that you are wrong, so why are you still here?”

After he heard this, Zhu Shun suddenly stood up like his butt catched on fire. Quickly leaving to find Zhuge Huai. The other servants quickly retreated to one side, one of which carefully said, “Please Yan Shi Zi, enter the flower hall to wait.”

The elegantly robed youth nodded and slowly turned around. His black eyes swept the courtyard, narrowing when he saw Chu Qiao. It seemed like he was remembering something, so he walked up to her directly.

Chu Qiao was quiet, as she cautiously took two steps back. Yan Xun, saw her step back, halted his steps. Thinking for a moment, he pulled out a white jar from his sleeve bag. Carved with a bluegrass pattern, it was very delicate. He motioned her to take the bottle with a slight nod.

Chu Qiao looked at Yan Xun up and down. Remembering the scene around the hunting ground, she was not dumb. She didn’t move forward an inch.

Yan Xun just smiled at this. He bent down and gently placed the bottle on the ground. Then he turned to enter the Flower Hall with his followers.

“Uh….” A slight groan sounded from behind. Xiao Qi saw Chu Qiao’s face that was blurry. The sound of houses flies and mosquitoes could be heard. Having the fear of not being heard she cried out “Big Sister Yue…..Xiao Qi…..am I dying?”

Chu Qiao went to pick up the bottle and held it tightly in her hand. The tension she held in her body did not loosen. With somber eyes she looked towards the Main House. Slowly but firmly she looked at Xiao Qi and said, “Xiao Qi, Big Sister is with you. You are going to be okay. Not much longer, you will be just fine.”

***************

Under the pain of the Winter’s child. The blacken hand, will he be forgiven?

However, it was inevitable. Xiao Qiao was firmly resolved to stay to exact her revenge. All was unperturbed !