RATMOFANF: Chapter 58

Glossary

· Shen Jingxiu: The female protagonist, Li Ling's wife.

· Li Ling: The Heir of Zhenguo Duke Manor, Shen Jingxiu's husband.

· Liang Jin: One of Li Ling's subordinates.

· Zhou Jin: A deputy general.

· Hu Dahai: A deputy general.

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Chapter 58: Apology

Li Ling walked out of the interrogation room, his steps unsteady. Liang Jin, seeing Li Ling like this for the first time, hurried forward. "General, what's wrong? What exactly happened?"

Li Ling stood silently for a long time, a fierce expression gradually surfacing on his face. He turned his head with a 'whoosh', his eyes crimson as he said to Liang Jin, "Tell the executioner to cut that old woman three hundred times, then throw her out to feed the wild dogs."

Liang Jin stared fixedly at Li Ling. Having followed him for so many years, he suddenly felt he didn't know this man.

Although Li Ling was a military commander, he was not a cruel or violent person. Even with prisoners of war, he preferred those who would surrender; for those who didn't want to, Li Ling would usually release them to reunite with their parents, wives, and children. He never killed indiscriminately, let alone commit such brutal acts.

"Go now!" Seeing him motionless, Li Ling shouted sternly.

Liang Jin clenched his fists and accepted the order. He called two soldiers who served as executioners in the prison, and they entered the interrogation room together. Pointing at the old woman on the ground, unconscious and covered in blood, he instructed according to Li Ling's wishes: "Splash her awake, then tie her up and cut her three hundred times. Throw her out to feed the dogs."

The two soldiers looked at each other for a good while, as if they hadn't fully grasped the meaning.

Although this was a prison, it primarily punished soldiers who violated military discipline. The methods were usually confinement or caning.

This wasn't the Zhao Prison; they hadn't done such torturous things before.

Liang Jin saw their difficulty and coldly commanded, "This old woman is an enemy spy. Just serve her well."

The two soldiers finally understood. Since she was a spy, they certainly couldn't hold back. They searched the interrogation room for a long time but couldn't find a suitable tool. Finally, they went to the kitchen and fetched two chicken-slaughtering knives. They firmly tied the filthy old woman up and began cutting her, stroke by stroke.

The old woman, whose tongue Li Ling had cut out, couldn't speak a word, only wailing in agony.

Liang Jin left the interrogation room and saw Li Ling still standing rigidly in place. He approached. "General, Deputy General Zhou is coming to the camp this afternoon to report on the cavalry training results. General Hu asked you to go over tonight to review the soldiers' combat drills..."

Liang Jin chattered on about the day's routine military affairs, but Li Ling's mind was currently buzzing; he couldn't hear anything.

"Discuss these matters tomorrow. I'm going out first." He threw these words at Liang Jin, then strode out of the military camp in a frantic hurry, mounted his horse, and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Li Ling galloped all the way back to the manor, strode swiftly into the Qingfeng Yuan, and reached the corridor outside the main hall. Through the window, he vaguely saw the figure of his little wife inside, but he stopped in his tracks.

He had made her suffer such great grievance. What if she couldn't forgive him?

What would he do then?

His heart pounded wildly. Suddenly, he felt very afraid.

This fear unsettled him even more than the first time he went into battle to kill.

Jingxiu was sitting at the table managing accounts. Seeing Li Ling push the door open and enter, she was somewhat surprised and asked casually, "Why are you back again?"

Li Ling stood fixed at the doorway, looking at her distraught, a hint of moisture in his eyes.

Seeing him like this, Jingxiu thought something terrible had happened. She unconsciously stood up, asking in astonishment, "What's wrong with you? Has something happened?"

He walked to her in two or three steps and tightly embraced his wife. Jingxiu pushed at him, asking, "What on earth has happened?"

Li Ling held her tightly. After a long while, he said heavily by her ear, "I'm sorry."

Jingxiu lifted her head, looking at him bewildered. "What is it? Tell me."

But Li Ling didn't dare meet her gaze. Like a child who had done wrong, he hung his head and said in a low voice, "I know everything about what happened that summer in the Lu Yuan." He looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry. It was all my fault."

Jingxiu stiffened in his embrace. She bit her lip, turned her face away, and avoided his gaze.

Li Ling reached out, cupped her face, and pressed his forehead against hers. "Can you still forgive me?" he asked softly.

Jingxiu removed his hand, broke free from his embrace, and, covering her face, hurried towards the inner room.

Li Ling quickly followed her. He grabbed her hand, pulled her into his arms, and held her tightly, as if afraid she would run away if he loosened his grip even a little.

"I don't want to talk about that day anymore," Jingxiu finally said gloomily from within his embrace after a long silence.

Li Ling looked at the little wife in his arms, momentarily unsure how he could possibly earn her forgiveness. After a period of silence, he said solemnly, "I promise there won't be a next time. From now on, I will never let you suffer the slightest bit of grievance."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Hearing the word 'grievance,' Jingxiu's tears instantly welled up.

She pushed Li Ling away with all her strength, raised her delicate fists, and pounded them against him fiercely until her arms grew sore and she could no longer muster any strength. Only then did she stop, then lifted her foot and kicked him hard. As she hit him, she cried, "Haven't you made me suffer enough grievance already?"

Li Ling didn't dodge, just stood there letting her vent her anger by hitting him.

Only when she was too tired to hit anymore did Jingxiu finally stop. She covered her face and began to sob.

Seeing her so furious, Li Ling felt extremely anxious but didn't know how to calm her anger. He stared blankly at her, stammering incoherently, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Go away. I want to be alone for a while." After a good while, Jingxiu finally calmed down. She wiped the tears from her face and spoke to him coldly.

Li Ling sniffled, then stepped forward and embraced her again. Jingxiu, who had just settled down, felt the grievance surge back. She struggled desperately to break free.

But no matter how she struggled, he just held her deathly tight, refusing to let go. Finally, she stopped because her physical strength was exhausted.

When his wife lay limp and exhausted in his arms, Li Ling bent down, picked her up by the waist, carried her to the bed, and reached out to wipe the wet tears from her face.

"I was wrong." He bent one knee, supported his body with the other leg, and half-knelt before her, hanging his head as he apologized to her again in a low voice.

From years of martial practice, his fingertips were rough. They felt itchy against her skin. Jingxiu pushed his hand away and wiped the continuously flowing tears from her face herself. She looked at him and said, "Do you know what angers me the most about you?"

Seeing a slight softening in his little wife, Li Ling felt a surge of emotion. His usually stern face flushed red, and he quickly replied, "That day, I didn't personally see you back but entrusted you to someone else. It was my carelessness that caused you to suffer that肮脏 (āngzāng) filthy old woman's bullying. If I had known such a thing would happen, I would never have left."

Mentioning that old woman made Li Ling grind his teeth with hatred. "That old woman has already been dealt with by me—"

He didn't want to tell his wife about the bloody details of having the woman cut to pieces; he was afraid of frightening her.

He paused, then continued, "She has already been punished by me."

So, he knew. He simply didn't understand why she was so angry with him!

Jingxiu's face was wooden as she looked coldly at Li Ling.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Seeing his wife's icy expression, Li Ling scratched his head helplessly, unsure what to say.

After a long moment, he took her hand and just looked at her pleadingly, persistently repeating, "It was all my fault. It was all my fault."

Jingxiu glared at him and pulled her hand back. But Li Ling took the opportunity to tightly embrace her again, pleading with her, "Please forgive me this once. I promise I won't be so careless ever again."

Jingxiu coldly pushed him away and asked him directly, "Before marrying me, did you already have someone in your heart?"

(End of Chapter)

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Translator's Note: check out my other work— My Younger Sister Insisted On A Marriage Exchange Wanting To Make Me The Wife Of A Marquis and The Marquis’s Beloved is a Black-Hearted Lotus (⁠*⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠)⁠/⁠～⁠♡

Are y'all ready for the confrontation? 👀👀

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