Transmigrated into the Scum Female Consort - Chapter 95

Yangzhou was in the south, but the wind in the mountain valley on an early winter evening was still biting.

Su Da, with his hands tied behind the tree, felt more than just the cold wind; he felt a bone-chilling aura surrounding him. The women here seemed like madwomen. Not only did they splash water at his feet from time to time, but the looks they gave him were terrifying. As the sky grew darker, their eyes seemed to carry blades, as if they wanted to carve the flesh right off his bones.

Under their cold, resentful glares, Su Da felt his scalp go numb. He opened his mouth to speak, but found no words, finally opting to simply close his eyes.

“Tui!”

Finally, someone spat. Seeing that Qi Mingyan and the others did not stop them, the women acted as if they had heard a war drum and surged forward.

“Beast!” “Thing that belongs in hell!” “You deserve to die!” “I’ll fight you to the death sooner or later!”

Voices full of hatred rang out one after another. The women crowded around the tree, gnashing their teeth as they stared at Su Da, wishing they could eat him alive.

A handful of dirt was thrown in his face; Su Da endured it. A handful of gravel hit his body; Su Da endured that too. But when a shovel nearly took a chunk out of his crotch, he could no longer stay silent.

” I am from the city garrison! I am a soldier who protects Yangzhou! Are you all mad?! Do you want to rebel?!”

But his roar provided no deterrent. Instead, it drew even fiercer hatred.

“We’re hitting you precisely because you’re a wicked Yangzhou soldier!” “I’ll fight you god-forsaken lot to the end!” “You animals, none of you will die a peaceful death!”

Zhou Qiyue and the others were stunned and looked toward Qi Mingyan. This time, Shushi spoke up: “Strategist, are we really not going to intervene?” She didn’t know the full history of these women and didn’t understand the context.

Qi Mingyan’s brow furrowed slightly. “Her Highness’s meaning was: as long as he doesn’t die.”

Zhou Qiyue, who knew the deep-seated hatred of these women and had participated in their rescue, pulled Shushi and the others aside to whisper an explanation. After hearing it, Shushi felt that the people of the Yangzhou yamen all deserved it, but she worried the women might lose control and actually kill him. She stepped forward—not to stop them, but to watch and ensure Su Da stayed alive.

Zhou Qiyue felt a bit of pity. “Sister-in-law, Su Da doesn’t look like he’s of the same flock as those others.”

Qi Mingyan shook her head gently. “Xiao Yue, he is not innocent.”

Zhou Qiyue was confused but didn’t press further. Remembering to “think thrice,” she decided to ponder it for a while.

Ten Mei, Ten Zhu, and Ten Ju moved closer to help Shushi monitor the situation. Only Ten Song remained in place, flanking Qi Mingyan along with Zhou Qiyue.

Zhou Qiyue couldn’t figure it out, so she looked at Qi Mingyan again. Noticing her gaze, Qi Mingyan sighed but said nothing more.

“Strategist said he isn’t innocent,” Ten Song suddenly spoke up.

Zhou Qiyue instinctively asked, “How do you know he isn’t innocent?”

Ten Song raised an eyebrow, her tone firm. “He just isn’t.”

Zhou Qiyue’s lip twitched. She decided to go help watch the crowd instead. Seeing Ten Song still standing there, Qi Mingyan observed the girl. She was impressed by Ten Song—after all, not many girls were brave enough to take on six men alone.

“Why is the Strategist looking at me?” Ten Song asked bluntly.

Qi Mingyan hid her scrutiny and replaced it with curiosity. “Why do you think this man isn’t innocent?”

Ten Song answered without hesitation, “Since it was Her Highness’s order, and the Strategist thinks so too, then he must be guilty.”

The girl’s voice was certain, her face radiating pure faith. Qi Mingyan was slightly taken aback. Her Highness is her faith! Reading this from the girl’s expression, Qi Mingyan smiled. “You are right. He is indeed not innocent. Ordinary people might not know what the women suffered at the mine, but those in the yamen and the military heard rumors. Many even participated. Knowing such things happen and ignoring them is the same as being complicit. There is no ‘innocence’ in cold indifference.”

Ten Song nodded solemnly. “I know now.” She simply believed Her Highness was never wrong, and since the Strategist was highly valued by Her Highness, she wouldn’t be wrong either.

“Then why didn’t you go help stop them?” Qi Mingyan asked.

Ten Song gave her a strange look. “Since Her Highness and the Strategist aren’t wrong, then this is right. Why stop a right thing?”

“What if he dies?” “Then he deserved to die.”

Qi Mingyan froze. “Her Highness doesn’t intend for him to die yet.”

Ten Song curled her lip. “But Her Highness didn’t tell us to stop them.” She paused, meeting Qi Mingyan’s eyes. “And the Strategist didn’t tell us to stop them either.”

Qi Mingyan was silenced. It was perfectly logical. “Exactly,” she finally smiled.

They looked back at the crowd. Su Da had lost his initial arrogance; he was now letting out cries of mental collapse and screams of regret. He finally seemed to understand the women’s fury.

Ten Song peeked at Qi Mingyan. “Why are you looking at me?” Qi Mingyan asked with a smile.

Caught in the act, Ten Song didn’t feel embarrassed. Instead, she beamed. “I’m happy.”

Qi Mingyan saw the “happiness” was literal. “Why look at me because you’re happy?”

“The Strategist is willing to talk to me, so I’m happy. I want to look at the Strategist more.”

Usually, Ten Song spoke the least. Her sisters were all literate; some were even well-read. She, however, grew up hunting in the mountains and rarely interacted with people. Most of the time, she couldn’t understand the deeper meanings in her sisters’ or Her Highness’s words. But her method was simple: just do whatever Her Highness said. Don’t worry about the why.

But the Strategist was different. The Strategist was willing to explain things until she understood.

“If Ten Song is willing to talk to me, I am also happy,” Qi Mingyan replied.

“I know,” Ten Song said confidently. “If the Strategist wasn’t happy, she wouldn’t talk to me this much, right?”

Qi Mingyan smiled. “Right.”

The door opened behind them. Ye Xuejin stood there. “Let the women rest. You seven, come in and eat.”

Inside, the small hut was filled with the aroma of food. Yun Chi had summoned seven stools. Ye Xuejin and Yun Chi sat first. “Sit. No need for formalities.”

They were all hungry and started eating in silence.

“Strategist, this fish is good. The bones are cooked soft,” Ten Song broke the silence, placing a piece of fish in Qi Mingyan’s bowl.

Everyone at the table froze. Seeing the usually cold and silent Ten Song smiling while serving Qi Mingyan made them feel like they had missed something.

Qi Mingyan explained gently, “This is mackerel. The bones are naturally soft, and there are almost no small bones.”

Noticing everyone staring at them, Qi Mingyan felt a bit self-conscious. But Ten Song didn’t notice the atmosphere at all. “I’ll remember that! Strategist, eat more.”

“Sister-in-law,” Zhou Qiyue said abruptly, her eyes searching. “Didn’t you say you hated fish?”

Ten Song’s chopsticks froze in mid-air. She had been about to put another piece in Qi Mingyan’s bowl. She quickly put it in her own bowl instead and apologized, “Sorry, Strategist. I thought you liked it.”

Qi Mingyan saw the girl’s flustered look. On an impulse, she reached out and took the piece of fish directly from Ten Song’s bowl and ate it. She then looked at Zhou Qiyue calmly. “I do dislike other fish because of the bones. But mackerel is different.”

Zhou Qiyue lowered her head, muttering, “You never said that before…” She stopped herself, remembering to “think thrice.”

The silence was awkward. Ye Xuejin broke it: “I haven’t had wine in a long time. Since we are all together, let’s have a drink to warm up.”

“Yes,” Yun Chi added, her eyes darting between the three women. She sensed something was “off” between Qi Mingyan, Ten Song, and Zhou Qiyue, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.