Not Your Typical Villianess - Chapter 188

Yu’an Temple, Northern Wei

*Kun Kun Kun Kun*

The sound of wooden knackers was heard throughout the small warship room as Zhu Fengyin sat barefoot on the flours reciting chants. She faced the golden buddha statue and listened to the monks seated around the room recite mantras. An hour later Zhu Fengyin was helped up by her lady’s maid Xiaonuo and supported out of the room by her arm.

She was approached by the abbot of the temple pm her way out, the Abbot was a bald elderly male dressed in a one-handed uniform and neck beads followed her out of the praying room. “Your Grace,” He said in a gentle tone bowing at her.

Zhu Fengyin stopped walking forward and glanced at her side, “Abbot Chen!” She cried out, bowing respectively.

“Your Grace, I received your request for an audience,” he said gently.

“Yes, these past few weeks haven’t been easy. I just lost my older brother, it was quite a shock to my Zhu family, not just myself. It was a fire Abbot, I am not at ease. in my present situations, spiritual guidance is necessary”

“Say no more my child, I understand. Please step this way, I am free to give you a counselling session” he stepped sideways while measuring to the path leading to the meditation room.

Zhu Fengyin nodded and walked towards the path, Abbot Chen walked beside her as he led her to the meditation room. Zhu Fengyin took off her shoes at the entrance of the meditation room, she instructed her maids to wait outside before going in. It was standard practice for the servants of the noble visitors of the temple to wait outside during quiet meditation and counselling. Since it was meant to be a one on one meditation session between the abbot and the visitor.

Zhu Fengyin walked into the meditation room and shut the door, abbot Chen bowed to the ground as soon as they were alone. “Everything has been set, your grace” he whispered.

“Did you run into any problems?”

“No my lady, A’Bao is already in the secret room. We are awaiting your return”.

She glanced at the door, “I hope you are not holding me for too long” she spotted her maid standing outside the door, “keep watch, I will be back soon”.

” Yes, your grace”

She walked past him to the altar and pulled the candle stand beside the altar to the side. The wall gave in and the entrance to the underground secret longer located beneath the meditation room opened. Abbot Chen passed a small lit lamp to her and stepped back. Zhu Fengyin accepted the lam and proceeded down the stairs leading to the secret room. The Entrance was shut as she pulled at the candle stand ahead of the last step.

Chonglin walked forward to receive her, he bowed to the ground, “thus way, Mistress”.

“mm,” she replied handing the small lamp over to Chonglin and continuing forward. She walked into the well-lit detainment cell, a bloody A’Bao sat forward as he was tired up to a seat. One of his eyes was shut, while the other was swollen. His face was battered with bruises and cuts, with his left side taking the full brunt of it all. Blood dried down from his injury to the ground, there was a long line is blood at the side of his lips.

Based on the stench coming off him and the room in general, he had to have lost control of his pee a few times. The putrid smell in the room made her gag as she came in but she held it in and soldiered in. All eyes were on her and She didn’t want to cause a scene. If she engaged, she would be feeding into the stereotype of women being weak.

Her ever-observant personal guard, Chonglin pulled out a seat and placed it a safe distance from A’Bao. Zhu Fengyin, whispered thanks audible to only him as she took a seat in front of A’Bao. A’Bao stiffened as an embroidered show came into view, he looked up from the ground. He squinted his one good eyes to get a clear view of the new arriver.

“Youn… Young… Young Mistress” he was taken aback as he came face to face with the eldest young mistress of the minister’s house. He was not expecting her to be the one behind this, he has assumed it was Chen Yao when a female shoe came into sight. He had underestimated this young mistress, do did his master. That miscalculation had cost his master his life.

Zhu Fengyin clicked her tongue, “what is wrong with your expression, I guess you weren’t expecting me” she flexed her hands, “who were you expecting?”

She smiled as his gaze lowered, she had only said that as a test but his reaction spoke volumes. A’Bao shook his head, “no one, I was just surprised to see you”.

“were you, you know A’Bao. By now you should understand your present situation, is it in your best interests lie?”

“I am not lying, young Miss”

“oh, but you are or are you just having a case of memory loss” as she said the last word, two hefty men came forward with whips and knives. Zhu Fengyin saw the lying servant visibly pale, as the men got closer he began to push himself back. Trasting in the chair but Zhu Fengyin ignored him. She shifted her seat back to get out of the way of blood splatters and any other dirt that might stain her clean gowns.

The ever-watchful servants from Duke Wu’s mansion would notice any stains on her clothes. Chonglin walked forward and whispered in her ear, “things are about to get messy mistress. Let’s step out and give tge man space to work”.

Zhu Fengyin nodded, using his arm as support. She got up from the seat and walked to the door. She stopped a few steps away from the door, glancing over her shoulder, ” Be careful not to leave any visible injuries on his face and hands. I still have use of him”, she called out.

Chonglin led her into the next room, it was a lot smaller than the other room but was as well lit. He helped her to a couch and stepped back. “Chonglin, what do you think of the sixth Prince. I am curious how people see him”.

Chonglin smiled, “Madam must be curious if the ordinary citizens are fooled by his Highness. Don’t worry they aren’t so easily fooled, mistress. There is a lot of gossip going around about the sixth prince, immoral activities. Most citizens are as displeased with him as they are with the Crown Prince”

“The Crown Prince has a better reputation than the Sixth Prince, why are they all displeased with him. It can’t just be because of his limp”

“Oh most citizens are not displeased because of that, only a select few are. Their problem with the Crown Prince stems from his political activities, most of the policies brought up by the Crown Prince made life difficult for striving families. He championed a lot of tax increments, that although aimed at the wealthy indirectly affected the poor citizens who depend on these families. Most wealthy families increase their rents and reduced the wages paid to their staff.

“It is obvious that He doesn’t pay close attention to the normal citizens. He relies on his advisers but from my observation, his advisers have long been comprised. Then there is the mess he caused at the seaport, a lot of soldiers lost their lives because of his sudden departure. Everyone was focused on finding him that no one paid any attention to the soldiers at the seaport. The surprise attack by the Droko tribe got a lot of people killed. Many citizens lost their sons and fathers to that attack”.

“The Crown Prince ruffled a lot of feathers, how did I miss that. He has a lot of potential, it is a pity that he went down this path”.

Minutes later one of the hefty men torturing A’Bao walked in to report that the Prisoner was ready to talk. Zhu Fengyin smiled and holding Chonglin arm for support, got up from the seat and walked into the other room.

A’Bao sat there panting heavily, Zhu Fengyin paused by her abandoned seat and glared at the blood on the ground. She raised her gown and took a seat, ” are you ready to talk”

“Yes!” A’Bao exclaimed in-between pants.

“Okay, let’s hear it. Tell me who is the Anonymous person, communicating with the Crown Prince. I know that Faye was working with whoever that is”

“It is a girl…..

*******

Chen Yao’s small courtyard, the Jiang family mansion

“Mistress, we have an emergency,” said a small ladies maid dressed in brown uniform cried as she ran into the room. She stopped a few stepped away from her mistress. Chen Yao frowned as her hands shook, paint dripped off the paintbrush in her hand, staining the spread out painting on the table in front of her.

Chen Yao hit the paintbrush on the table with force, the loud sound startled her maid making her jump.

“What is it” Chen Yao shouted.

“M_mistress the eldest young master of the Zhu family is dead”

“What!!”