Chapter Ninety-Seven: Punishing Wei Yilin

Wei Yilin, still unwilling to give up, asked Wei Ruo, “Where is your dried sweet potato? Didn’t you feed those two Japanese pirates dried sweet potato?”

“My dried sweet potato was taken by Xiumei and given to the common people nearby who were clearing wilderness. If you want some, I can find more when we return home,” Wei Ruo replied.

“Impossible. I saw it clearly. You used dried sweet potato to drug those two Japanese pirates and then killed them, didn’t you?” Wei Yilin pressed again.

Before Wei Ruo could answer, Wei Qingwan spoke first. “Little brother, your sister only just arrived here, and all the dried sweet potato was given to the local people. You must have dreamed all of this. The person who saved you has not been found yet, but rest assured, we will continue to ask around the nearby villagers. I’m sure there will be an answer before long.”

Wei Yilin looked at Wei Qingwan. Why was even his most trusted Sister Wanwan saying it was false? Could it really have been false?

Wei Yilin fell silent.

“All right, Yilin. You must have been badly frightened today as well. Go home first. Later, we can slowly go over what happened today,” Wei Yichen said.

It was not right to keep crowding around here like this. What mattered most now was that the child was safe.

So Wei Yichen arranged for everyone to return home.

Not long after the group returned to the Wei manor, Wei Mingting came back as well.

He was in the military and could not move about so freely, and at the beginning Madam Yun had not sent him any news. By the time he learned of it, the Wei family had already found Wei Yilin.

“Go bring Yilin here,” Wei Mingting ordered.

“Husband, Yilin was frightened and is resting now…” Madam Yun explained.

“Resting? What is there to rest from? He sneaked out on his own, and all these hardships are of his own making!” Wei Mingting’s expression was stern, his gaze cold and sharp.

“But Husband, Yilin is only seven…”

“Seven is already the age of a man!”

Seeing that her husband would not be swayed, Madam Yun dared not say more and let the servants go to Yuyu Courtyard to bring Wei Yilin over.

Knowing his father had sent for him, Wei Yilin’s heart had been hanging by a thread the whole way there.

When he entered and saw his father’s severe face, Wei Yilin panicked completely.

“Father… I… I know I was wrong…” Terrified, Wei Yilin took the initiative to apologize.

“Go squat in the courtyard,” Wei Mingting ordered without the slightest softness.

“Father, I…”

“Do not make me say it twice.”

Wei Yilin shuddered through his whole body, then hurriedly turned and went into the courtyard, dropping into a horse stance exactly as Wei Mingting had ordered.

Wei Mingting then came out, had someone bring an incense burner, lit incense in it, and placed it beneath Wei Yilin’s groin.

After that, he had a bowl brought over, filled it with water, and set it atop Wei Yilin’s head.

Seeing this, Madam Yun could not help herself again. “Husband, isn’t this a bit too strict with Yilin? He’s only seven…”

“Strict? If his luck had not been so good today and someone had not saved him, he might already be dead at the hands of those pirates. A child who dares not even treasure his own life—what hardship is this that he cannot bear?”

Madam Yun was left speechless.

Indeed, compared with losing his life, a little suffering now was nothing.

At first Wei Yilin could still hold on, but when the incense beneath him had burned down by a quarter, his legs had already begun to tremble uncontrollably, and the bowl on his head was shaking violently as well.

By the time the incense had burned down by a third, he staggered and fell to the ground, the bowl on his head crashing down with him.

“Get up. Continue. Light the incense again,” Wei Mingting said blankly.

Wei Yilin was in agony, his legs shaking, but he had no choice but to do as ordered.

This time he lasted even less. Not long after the incense was lit, he collapsed again.

Yet Wei Mingting still did not soften. With the same expressionless face, he told Wei Yilin to continue.

Madam Yun’s heart ached too much to bear it, so she turned and went back inside, pretending not to know.

No one knew how long it had been before Wei Yilin could no longer stand at all. Only then did Wei Mingting let him return.

Wei Ruo returned to the Wei family and went straight back to her room.

Xiumei brewed her a calming tea. Her young lady had seen many corpses and much blood before, but this was the first time she had ever killed with her own hands. Xiumei worried that she would not sleep well that night.

Sure enough, Wei Ruo slept uneasily in the first half of the night. In her dreams, there was the scene of killing, and blood flowing across the ground.

Only in the latter half of the night did she finally sleep more soundly.

After a night’s rest, Wei Ruo got up early the next morning. Hearing that Wei Mingting was now at the residence, she tidied herself and prepared to go see her father.

“What does Miss intend to do?” Xiumei asked.

“To take revenge on Wei Yilin.”

Wei Ruo strode out of Ting Song Courtyard and headed for Cangyun Courtyard.

As soon as she entered the courtyard gate, she saw Wei Mingting, along with Wei Qingwan and Wei Yilin standing before him.

Wei Yilin’s legs were still trembling, clearly showing he had truly been harshly disciplined yesterday.

Today, Wei Mingting had intended to continue punishing Wei Yilin, but after hearing of it, Wei Qingwan had specially come to plead for mercy from Wei Mingting.

Wei Ruo had come at an inopportune time and was met with a warm, affectionate scene of a loving sister and brother.

Seeing Wei Ruo enter and the conversation interrupted, Wei Mingting looked at her and asked, “Why are you up so early today, Ruo’er?”

“I have something I wish to discuss with Father. I wonder whether Father is convenient for such a conversation.” Wei Ruo did not beat around the bush.

“If you have something to say, just say it,” Wei Mingting said.

“It concerns my little brother Yilin. I believe Father’s way of punishing him these past two days is somewhat improper,” Wei Ruo said.

At this, Wei Yilin lifted his head and looked at Wei Ruo in astonishment.

It was one thing for Sister Wanwan to plead on his behalf, but why was Wei Qingruo also speaking up for him?

“Ruo’er, like Wanwan, do you think I should not continue his punishment today?” Wei Mingting asked.

Just now, Wei Qingwan had said the same thing to Wei Mingting: because Wei Yilin was still young, yesterday’s punishment had already left him unable to walk today, and she hoped that for the sake of his tender age, he could be spared today’s punishment.

“Father, that is not what I mean. I think the teaching of my younger brother cannot be confined to a day or two. Father is usually busy with official duties and has limited time at home. If he is only disciplined a little while Father is present, then once Father returns to camp, no one will continue to correct him. I feel such a method would have very little effect,” Wei Ruo analyzed.

The moment those words fell, Wei Yilin was dumbfounded. This woman was not here to plead for him at all. She was here to harm him!

But after hearing Wei Ruo’s reasoning, Wei Mingting thought it made a great deal of sense and continued to ask, “Then what method does Ruo’er think would be better?”

“I think, first of all, Yilin should be separated from Qingwan,” Wei Ruo answered.

Wei Qingwan’s and Wei Yilin’s faces both went pale at once.

If this had been any other day, Wei Yilin would already have been speaking rudely to Wei Ruo by now. But today, he only dared stare at her in utter disbelief.

Wei Qingwan lowered her head, bit her lip, and asked in a hurt voice, “Does Sister think I have led my little brother astray?”