Chapter 454: Tough but Not Soft-Hearted

The spacious courtyard was silent. The servants ordered to serve and watch here didn’t quite understand what Zhang Yue meant by his words, but the clever Ling Xi noticed the change in Feng Ying’s expression and couldn’t help but ponder the name “Yang Er of Songjiang Mansion.” Zhang Yue stood with his arms crossed, calmly observing the woman clearly thrown off balance before him.

Feng Ying finally regained her composure. Her hands, clasped tightly in front of her, had her long nails digging into her flesh, but the pain paled compared to the panic in her heart. Suppressing her unease, she raised a hand to gently tidy the strands of hair falling over her forehead, trying hard to appear calm. At this moment, she dared not use her usual charming tactics and could only bite her lip and say, “Could the third young master come inside to talk?”

“Alright. Ling Xi, come with me.”

Feng Ying, who was turning to enter the house, didn’t expect Zhang Yue to call Ling Xi as well. She paused, her teeth lightly biting her lip. Once they entered the room on the east side, she turned around and saw that Zhang Yue and Ling Xi had followed in. Since no noise came from outside, she unconsciously placed a hand on her waist, feeling a bit more confident.

“At this point, could the third young master tell me plainly what you really want?”

“It seems I should be the one to ask that. Miss Zhao, what exactly are your intentions in approaching my elder brother?”

“What intentions do you think I have? Do you think I really want to cling to him?” Feng Ying had always been unable to tolerate loneliness. After being held captive by the Zhang family for nearly a year, she had accumulated so much anger that she couldn’t hold back anymore upon hearing his words. She retorted, “If it weren’t for him intercepting my ship, if it weren’t for him treating me as a substitute for his beloved, if it weren’t for him taking my body leaving me with no way out, why would I have followed him?”

Zhang Yue wasn’t easily swayed by such casual words. He knew Zhang Chao’s personality well—though he could be impulsive and reckless, sometimes doing foolish things, he would never force a weak woman. Otherwise, that girl on Sishui Street wouldn’t have remained pure. Even if she hadn’t seduced him, it would still be a mutual agreement, with both parties sharing responsibility. But her expression earlier revealed that she indeed knew about Yang Er of the Yang family, which was worth paying attention to. Though he didn’t know exactly what their relationship was, it was worth exploiting.

“Who’s right and who’s wrong between you and my elder brother isn’t my concern. I only ask you—how exactly did Young Master Yang of the Yang family in Songjiang Prefecture die?”
Faced with such a question, even though Feng Ying had prepared for the worst, her heart still sank. Zhang Yue didn’t ask about her relationship with Yang Jincái but directly inquired about Yang Jincái’s death, clearly having already understood the situation. Thus, she had no room to maneuver. Even if she tried to deny it, how could he possibly believe her?
After a long while, she mustered up courage, slightly lowering her hands, though her expression remained indifferent: “The third young master must have been an official for too long and becomes suspicious of everything. I was captured by pirates at sea and lost my reputation, which forced me to follow the eldest young master. All I resent is his heartlessness. As for some Young Master Yang or Young Master Yang, I don’t know them at all…”
As she spoke, she subtly shifted her feet. When she saw that Lingxi was just a few steps away from the door, she suddenly rushed over, pressing her hand to her waist and drawing a cold glint of light, hoping to capture her and use her as leverage with Zhang Yue. But in that critical moment, everything went dark before her eyes, and soon the door curtain she had set down rolled toward her face. Despite her training and agility beyond that of ordinary women, she was still flustered for a moment. By the time she managed to get free from the thick curtain, she saw a steel knife pointed at her.
Even though Zhang Yue had instructed Hu Qi to be prepared before entering the mansion, seeing the sharp shoe-stitching awl in Feng Ying’s hand turned his initial level of vigilance into full alertness. Noticing Lingxi’s pale face, he felt a bit apologetic. He had originally used Lingxi to deceive her, but she was clever enough to abandon him and take Lingxi hostage—showing great judgment in her choices. It seemed he had underestimated her.
“Judging from your desperate actions just now, Young Master Yang must be dead beyond saving.”
“Since you’ve already made up your mind, what more is there for me to say?” Feng Ying tightly gripped the awl in her hand, refusing to give up even the slightest hope. “But there are still so many people from your Zhang family outside. If you kill me, you won’t be able to hide it. Otherwise, why would your old lady keep me alive to this day? Lord Zhang, with his great reputation outside, turns out to be a hypocrite too. Isn’t he afraid of retribution in his next life?”

“Reputation means nothing to me. I’m a practical person. Toward family, friends, and those who deserve genuine treatment, I’ll surely be a true gentleman. But toward those with ill intentions, I don’t mind being a real scoundrel. You’ve never officially entered the Zhang family, you haven’t produced any descendants for them, and yet you just tried to kidnap Lingxi. Why shouldn’t I kill you? The over a hundred people in Ningbo who dealt with the Japanese pirates have all been executed over the past year—none survived. Do you still think my reputation as a butcher is false? As for the next life… it’s good enough if one can live well in this life. Who cares what happens in the next! Lingxi, go outside first. Otherwise, when Lao Hu kills her, you might be scared.”

Feeling as if the steel knife was getting closer again, and hearing these cold words, seeing Lingxi stumble out of the room, Feng Ying felt all her remaining strength drain away, and even her last glimmer of hope vanished. Facing that burly man holding a steel knife who didn’t even blink at her, she finally believed that if things went wrong, she might really die. Fear and resentment filled her heart.

“As long as you spare me, I’ll tell you everything you want to know. From now on, I’ll have nothing to do with your Zhang family!”

“Very good. Tell me everything about your background, your dealings with Young Master Yang, and everyone above and below you. If I think you’re lying even once, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

“What… if you insist I’m lying, so what?”

Staring at that face that had lost its composure and even seemed distorted, Zhang Yue merely sneered, “Then you might as well take a gamble. If you don’t speak, you die now. If you do, you might have a chance to live. I’m not that patient. I don’t want to wait long. You’d better choose quickly.” As he spoke, he nodded at Hu Qi, “Lao Hu, I’ll count to three. If she still hasn’t spoken, then draw your knife and kill her. I remember your skill with a knife is as good as that of a butcher skilled in slaughtering oxen. There shouldn’t be a chance for her to make a sound. Leave it to you.”

“Yes, young master, don’t worry!”

“One.”

“Two.”

In the utterly silent room, only the slow sound of counting could be heard, yet Feng Ying felt her heart pounding wildly. She was naturally afraid that Zhang Yue would kill her after asking everything, but she had no choice but to believe him. He wasn’t the carefree type like Zhang Chao—he could really do such a thing! When Zhang Yue spoke with mockery, as if ready to utter the last word at any moment, she finally lacked the courage to bet that he wouldn’t kill her there and blurted out the truth.

“I don’t have the surname Zhao. I don’t even know my own name. All I know is that I was taken to Dongfan since I can remember. There were only vicious pirates around, so I lived in a hell on earth until I was fourteen before I left. Since pirates needed supplies and money, and the imperial court prohibited any ships from setting sail, they had to collude with wealthy people inland who were willing to take risks smuggling goods. Young Master Yang was insatiably greedy. After the incident, he couldn’t stay in Songjiang Prefecture, so I originally planned to take him and those treasures to Dongfan to hide. Who would have thought we’d encounter the imperial naval forces hunting pirates?”

At this point, Feng Ying paused briefly before gritting her teeth and saying, “I didn’t kill him. It was because we heard it was an imperial ship, and if caught, they would be beheaded as a warning. In a moment of panic, he jumped into the sea. Many others followed suit without hesitation. In the end, only one young sailor dared not jump. I gave him some instructions and asked him to tie me up and lock me in the cabin. You probably know the rest.”

More than a year later, hearing the word “Dongfan” again, Zhang Yue frowned. “Then let me ask you—did those pirates on Dongfan Island collude with others? After following my elder brother, did you still keep in touch with those people?”

“I’m just a insignificant little figure. Isn’t it asking too much for the third young master to ask these questions? Besides, Dongfan has been completely wiped out by the imperial army. Those pirates’ heads are probably already rotting at the city gates of Quanzhou and other places. Who would I still keep in touch with?”

“Old Hu!”

Feng Ying sneered in mockery before seeing Hu Qi approaching with a steel knife, her face paling instantly. “I really haven’t had any contact with those people again. Dongfan is so large, and security is so strict. They must have temporarily compromised with the island’s natives and hidden. I don’t even know where they are! As for who they colluded with, I only heard it was some nobles—probably princes like the Han King or Zhao King, maybe plus some imperial sons-in-law or nobles…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt the steel knife retract. Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, a heavy blow struck her abdomen suddenly. She looked at Zhang Yue in disbelief, opened her mouth to shout, but before she could utter a single word, she fainted. Only then did Hu Qi withdraw his fist in satisfaction and look at Zhang Yue with a wry smile, saying, “Young master was really good at pretending just now. Even I believed you to be a butcher who eats people without spitting out their bones, and me to be a thug who kills without hesitation.”
“A woman like this only responds to force, not kindness. My grandmother was too gentle with her,” Zhang Yue said with a faint smile before ordering, “Call Ling Xi in. I have something to tell her.”