klisemfg Chapter 18 As a member of the samurai class, I am sorry.
Chapter 18 As a member of the samurai class, I am sorry.
"Oh, you mean that girl?" Dewey leaned on his desk, fanning himself. "A gentleman does not take what belongs to others. Since she has a past with Madam Shen, I will send my steward to your residence tonight."
Shen Qing was taken aback. So easy to talk to? He was prepared to be ripped off and then tear each other apart.
His momentum was caught in an awkward situation, and he said timidly, "Then thank you very much, Young Master Du."
Dewey waved his hand dismissively, "Just a mere female slave."
Shen Qing felt very uncomfortable. Although he was now also from the gentry class, he still disliked this dismissive attitude of casually manipulating other people's lives.
Even after receiving Dewey's promise, Shen Qing remained uneasy, imagining 108 possible scenarios. He quipped that he probably had paranoia.
Distracted, he waited until school was over, and as soon as he left the palace gate, he had Hei Zi drive directly to the Du residence to pick him up.
Wen Ying stopped her, saying, "Since Young Master Du has promised, he will not go back on his word. Miss, you should just go back to your residence and wait. It would be too impolite to come here like this."
Damn aristocratic etiquette! You have to send a visiting card before you even arrive!
Upon returning to the Shen residence, he didn't even go back to Yilan Courtyard first. The carriage was parked at the gate waiting. Half an hour passed, and he still hadn't arrived. Shen Qing couldn't sit still any longer and got out of the carriage, pacing back and forth.
"Why is it so slow!"
"Young lady, please don't be impatient. The Du residence is quite far away, and Sanya may need to get ready before she arrives."
What's the point of packing up after just one day in there? Just as Shen Qing was about to storm the door, a carriage slowly drove up from the intersection.
A middle-aged man jumped off the carriage, bowed, and said, "Mrs. Shen, this old servant is the steward of the Du family. I have come to deliver someone to you on the orders of the young master."
Shen Qing looked at the carriage behind him. Wen Ying understood and was about to step forward to lift the curtain, but was stopped by Steward Du.
"What does this mean?" Shen Qing's expression was unfriendly; was he trying to cause trouble at the last minute?
The manager was somewhat embarrassed. "This girl's condition isn't very presentable."
Shen Qing's face darkened. "What's going on?"
The steward considered his words carefully before replying, "Last night, the young master saw that this girl was skilled and beautiful, so he wanted to take her as a concubine. But the girl was ungrateful and bit the young master. In a fit of anger, the young master ordered her to be thrown in..."
Shen Qing's heart skipped a beat. She simply couldn't think of it in a positive light. Even modern women couldn't stand this!
"...They were only let out of the kennel when the young master returned."
Shen Qing was furious. He pushed aside the steward and stepped forward himself. The moment he lifted the curtain and saw the scene inside, Wen Ying let out a scream.
"what--"
Shen Qing felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, her scalp tingling, and she forced herself not to vomit.
I heard a faint groan of pain; he's still alive!
"Call a doctor!"
Shen Qing climbed onto the car, but he couldn't find a way to help Sanya. He knew that calling a doctor would be useless, since there was no rabies vaccine or tetanus shot available in this era. The wound was already smelling bad, and she was just hanging on by a thread.
Even if there were a medical miracle, there would be no point in living if she were saved. Sanya had lost four fingers on her right hand, her face was mostly disfigured and looked terrifying, and there wasn't a single good piece of flesh on her body.
"Sanya..." How much pain must she be in!
Shen Qing's voice was hoarse, and she couldn't bring herself to say any words of comfort. Any words of advice at this moment would just be empty words from someone who was not in her shoes.
"I'm late, I'm sorry."
Sanya struggled to open her eyes, her voice barely audible: "Noble Sister... I... I just wanted my family to have enough to eat, was I wrong?"
"You're not wrong, it's just that the world is a bad place." Shen Qing's eyes were misty.
"Sister, don't cry. In my next life, I want to go to a world where commoners can be treated like human beings." Sanya's body convulsed and twitched. "This world... commoners... are too lowly..."
Shen Qing felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He thought of the disaster victims on the road and the wheat bran they were eating.
"As a member of the samurai class, I am sorry."
The doctor from the Shen family got into the carriage with Sanya, and used ginseng slices to prolong his life so he could go back to see his family one last time.
Shen Qing stood at the door watching the carriage depart, recalling the words of the steward from the Du family earlier.
"Young master also expressed his deep regret and gave the girl's family ten taels of gold as compensation. He originally wanted to come and apologize to the young lady in person, but the Third Prince has invited you to Yicui Pavilion for drinks tonight..."
Shen Qing's face was frosty. Drinking? How could he treat human life so lightly! So Du Wei's nonchalant attitude this morning was genuine. Whether it was the recipe for the steamed buns or San Ya's life, it didn't matter. It was all just a whim of his!
After standing still for a long time, Shen Qing turned around and stepped into the gate of the Shen residence, heading straight for Shen Shi's study in Jin Garden.
"Father, is forcibly buying innocent people a violation of the laws of Xuan Kingdom?"
"nature."
"Should he be punished?"
"Theoretically, yes."
"Theoretically?" Shen Qing smiled bitterly. The privileged class naturally has ways to get away with things, otherwise Dewey wouldn't dare to be so unscrupulous.
"Is it feasible to file a complaint with the authorities?" Shen Qing was still unwilling to give up. What if there was a Bao Zheng in Xuandu?
Shen Shi had already heard about what had happened. After all, the Third Madam of the Shen family had been standing at the gate, which was quite eye-catching. So he said, "Civil disputes are under the jurisdiction of Wanhe Ling. If a case is to be filed, there must be a first complainant. But do Sanya's family dare to go?"
Shen Qing opened his mouth, wanting to say yes, since they loved Sanya so much. But reason told him he didn't dare. Even if they won against Du Wei, the Du family would still be around, and dealing with a commoner would be far too easy.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Qing said, "How about I go and sue them?"
Shen Shi shook his head, "That would escalate into a conflict between the Shen and Du families."
Shen Qing frowned and analyzed that, as far as he knew, although the Du family was an old and prestigious family in Xuandu, they were not favored by the emperor and did not wield as much power in the court as Shen Shi.
"The Shen family can't win?"
"We could win, but it's not worth it."
"Father, are you saying it's not worth it for a commoner?" Shen Qing's heart slowly cooled down; she understood rationally, but felt emotionally distressed.
“I can fight the Du family for power, for rare treasures and anything else, but I cannot fight for justice for a commoner. My dear, you are also a member of the gentry.”
Shen Qing understood. It was the interest of all the noble classes to be above the common people, and as the beneficiaries, they could not betray their class.
"The most crucial point is that Wanhe Ling can rule in your favor, but the national treasury is empty. This crime can be redeemed by paying a fine. Is this the kind of justice you want?"
Ha, the laws of Xuan Kingdom are really flexible and adaptable.
Back at Yilan Courtyard, the maids and servants dared not utter a sound, and the young lady's face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.
After entering the house, Shen Qing instructed Wen Ying, "Go and call Hei Zi here!"
"Yes." Although she didn't understand, as a servant, she only needed to obey orders and not ask questions she shouldn't.
After Wen Ying left, Shen Qing's eyes flashed with cold light. He had only wanted to bring you to justice, but you were not going to cooperate.
If Heaven won't take you, I will!
If the law won't punish me, I will!
A moment later, Hei Zi came to Shen Qing, somewhat puzzled. Why was the young lady looking for him so late at night?
Shen Qing looked Hei Zi up and down. He always wore dark-colored shorts for convenience when working.
"Take it off."
"What?"
"I told you to take your clothes off!"
Kuroko clutched his arms in horror, "What are you doing, lady?!"