TRBDM -Chapter 37 Shi Yi Endures the Whipping

Shi Yi was brought to the Quyang Courtyard. Before he could even speak, someone violently kicked him in the ankle. Off balance, he stumbled and fell to his knees with a thud.

“Greetings, Second Young Master, Second Madam,” Shi Yi’s voice trembled slightly.

Xie Sheng sized him up, anger flashing in his eyes and brow.

A mere little book boy, yet his clothes were even better than those of the ordinary servants in the mansion.

Suppressing his own irritation, Xie Sheng coldly asked,

“How has Xie Lan been learning under Mr. Dong?”

He asked bluntly, as if he already knew everything.

Shi Yi hesitated, afraid to speak. In the Xie household, the various branches schemed against one another. Xie Lan, being a lowly illegitimate son, would likely make the two legitimate young masters unhappy if he suddenly rose in status.

Though young, Shi Yi was sharp. He knew exactly which words could be spoken and which must be avoided.

“Answer me! Are you mute?” Xie Sheng scolded.

“I do not know,” Shi Yi replied.

“…”

Not know what? Not know what Xie Lan had been learning under Mr. Dong? Or not know how well he had learned?

“Answer directly when asked. Don’t play tricks,” Xie Sheng shouted, slamming the table.

Shi Yi gritted his teeth and insisted he did not know.

“Hah, fine. You want to play hard with me? Bring the whip.”

Someone handed him a whip, and Xie Sheng lashed it hard across Shi Yi’s body.

“You, a lowly servant, playing tricks with me—do you even realize your own weight? Ten lashes are barely enough for you.”

Shi Yi was already frail. The first strike tore through his outer clothing and landed on his bony back, pain making his face go pale as he collapsed onto the ground.

Smack!

The second lash sent him completely to the floor, limp.

Xie Sheng, putting his full strength into each blow, prepared a third lash. At this rate, Shi Yi would only have air going in, with none coming out.

Servants’ lives meant nothing—especially a half-grown child like Shi Yi. If he died, so what? Another could always be bought from the pawnshop.

Having bottled up his anger for days, Xie Sheng found Shi Yi the perfect outlet.

“Second Young Master, have mercy… Second Young Master…” Shi Yi coughed up blood, his voice barely a whisper, his pleas barely audible.

“You won’t cry until you see the coffin. Answer when spoken to—this is the fate of those who try to scheme.”

Xie Sheng raised the whip again and struck without mercy.

The third lash silenced Shi Yi completely.

“You useless thing. Not even able to withstand a few lashes. Take him to the firewood shed.”

Two servants lifted the barely conscious Shi Yi, preparing to carry him away. Just then, someone ran in from outside.

“Shi Yi!!!”

Xie Lan threw himself onto the already unconscious Shi Yi. His palm felt sticky; when he let go, it was covered in blood.

“Mansion doctor! Hurry, call the mansion doctor!” Xie Lan shouted in panic.

“Xie Lan, you can call the mansion doctor? Don’t think that after a few good days you’ve suddenly become a phoenix from a sparrow. Illegitimate is illegitimate—don’t ever think you can stand on equal footing with us. Don’t move, and let’s see who dares fetch the doctor.”

The Quyang Courtyard fell silent, leaving only the sound of the night wind.

Having grown up in the wolf-and-tiger-like environment of the Xie Mansion, Xie Lan had long learned how to survive.

Alone, he could have protected himself—but now with Shi Yi by his side, he had a weakness.

Yet time waits for no one. Before he could grow stronger, that weakness had already been struck.

Holding back tears, Xie Lan carefully lifted Shi Yi.

The mottled whip marks on Shi Yi’s back were still bleeding. Xie Lan avoided the wounds and slowly moved toward the exit.

Being only one year older than Shi Yi, carrying him was no easy task.

“Stop! Who allowed you to leave?” Xie Sheng roared.

Xie Lan did not stop. Step by step, with resolve, he carried Shi Yi out of the Quyang Courtyard.

Drops of blood fell with a steady patter, staining Xie Lan’s robe and turning his boots red.

But Xie Lan didn’t care at all; he carried Shi Yi back to the Lan Courtyard with unwavering determination.

By the time Wei Zhaorong learned of what had happened, night had already fallen completely.

“Have the court physician go to the Lan Courtyard immediately and treat Shi Yi. We’ll go there ourselves.”

Wei Zhaorong, accompanied by Nanny Qi, arrived at the Lan Courtyard. The room where Shi Yi stayed was packed with people.

The room was small. Some maids, seeing her arrive, immediately bowed their heads and stepped out.

The court physician had arrived ahead of time and was already examining Shi Yi’s wounds.

Shi Yi’s slender shoulders and thin, bloodied back were heart-wrenching to look at. When the physician tore open the clothing on his back, the unconscious Shi Yi was awakened by the pain.

His delicate brows furrowed tightly. He opened his eyes, his gaze hazy, unable to make out anyone clearly.

“Third Master… I’m fine… don’t worry.”

Even though his fever had clouded his mind, he still worried about Xie Lan.

“Shi Yi, don’t speak. The physician is treating you. It might hurt a little, so bear with it,” Xie Lan said softly beside his ear.

“Third Master… I’m not afraid of pain.”

Xie Lan’s throat constricted, his voice trembling: “I know… I know.”

The treatment was harsh at times. Especially when the wounds were being cleaned, Shi Yi fainted several times, only to wake up in pain.

Even Wei Zhaorong, who had faced life-and-death situations herself, couldn’t bear to watch too closely.

“Old Madam, perhaps we should wait outside,” Nanny Qi said, turning her head.

“Yes. Lan’er, let the physician stay here; we’ll wait outside for now.”

Xie Lan shook his head. “I want to stay with Shi Yi.”

Wei Zhaorong didn’t insist further and left with Nanny Qi.

The servants in the Lan Courtyard dared not breathe, standing quietly aside.

Wei Zhaorong couldn’t settle down either and paced back and forth in the courtyard.

The night was deep, the moonlight spilling across the ground, leaving a strip of brightness.

Even without lanterns, one could see the path ahead clearly.

Yet at this moment, Wei Zhaorong felt that the road ahead was shrouded in darkness. One wrong step could leave regrets behind.

Shi Yi’s ordeal was a stark warning: even with memories from two lifetimes, one could not control everything completely.

She had staked the future of the Xie household on Xie Lan and Shi Yi. It had always been a gamble—but someone was determined to oppose her.

Xie Lan’s status as a son of a concubine had become a shackle, confining him.

Though she had formally acknowledged him as her son, her past coldness, exclusion, and suppression had already left deep marks on everyone’s minds.

Anyone could step on Xie Lan without consequence.

Even among the servants filling the Lan Courtyard, how many truly respected him?

It would take a long time for Xie Lan to prove himself with his accomplishments. She feared that before he could, someone might harm him.

If that happened, all her efforts would be wasted.

So she needed an opportunity to make a grand show of Xie Lan, letting everyone know that he was her third son.

Her favoritism, her hopes, her regard for Xie Lan surpassed even Xie Chuan and Xie Sheng.

After a long wait, Wei Zhaorong’s legs had gone numb. Finally, the court physician emerged.

“Reporting, Old Madam: Shi Yi has a high fever. If he can safely get through tonight and remain in bed for half a month, he will have no risk to his life. If not… the danger is severe.”

Those who had been whipped feared fever the most. Once the wounds became infected, even a master physician could not save them.

Through the window, Wei Zhaorong saw Xie Lan sitting beside Shi Yi’s bed, head bowed, lost in thought.

Through countless days of exclusion and suppression, Shi Yi had accompanied Xie Lan through countless nights. They were no longer master and servant, but family bound by blood.

The days they went to the private school together were the happiest of their lives.

Xie Lan hated himself for being useless. Unable to protect Shi Yi, how was he different from a worthless person?

“Shi Yi, you must wake up,” Xie Lan murmured, touching Shi Yi’s burning forehead, his voice blank and desperate.