Touch of Riches Chapter 8

This silence lasted for a long time. Even if Nathan Xiao didn't look up, he knew that the only rustling sound in the hall at this time was the master whispering to the butler.

After a while, the master finally said, "I'm tired, housekeeper, you can handle it according to the family rules."

The housekeeper nodded and bowed in a timid manner. At this time, several maids who were pale with fear but dared not come over came over and knelt down to serve the master back to his room. These maids were all beauties picked from thousands of miles away. The clothes they wore were much better than those of ordinary maids. They were all embroidered with exquisite gold thread brocade, and the jewelry they wore was also gold, silver, jade and gems. Even those noble ladies might not be able to compare with them.
 
They were almost lying on the ground, crawling under the steps of the master's "throne". It turned out that the master's special seat was deliberately made very high to show his authority, and there was a step under the chair for feet. After these maids lay down, the master stepped on the maids' heads with his pearl-studded satin shoes, and then, with the help of the servants, he stepped on their backs step by step and walked down from the seat. The maids, who were used as human cushions, gritted their teeth and struggled to support themselves - just imagine how it felt to let a young girl be stepped on by an adult man.

This barbaric display left Nathan Xiao dumbfounded.

For a long time after the master left, people dared not say a word. It can be seen that the remaining power of the master was like a heavy mountain pressing on people's hearts.

Finally, the butler broke the silence and announced: "According to the family law, Thirteenth Young Master can be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment for his crime. He will be flogged 300 times and his monthly salary will be cut for three years.

This is what the master meant, Thirteenth Young Master, please thank him."

It turns out that in this family, one has to express gratitude and loyalty like a subject. Nathan Xiao could only say, "Thank you, Master, for not killing me!"

After saying that, he kowtowed three times.

Although he was lucky enough to save his life, it seemed that he would be tortured. Nathan Xiao sighed deeply in his heart.

However, his execution obviously did not need to be watched by the crowd in public. After everyone dispersed one by one, the servant dragged him to the dungeon built by the Xiao family privately. That was where he was executed. The dungeon was well built. At first glance, it looked like a decent basement, but after passing through a dark corridor, the space inside was incredibly large. There were rows of cells with closed iron doors on both sides of the corridor, more than 30 in total. Does the Xiao family have so many people who need to be locked up?

The jailer put him directly on the execution rack in a cell. There were some torture instruments hanging on the wall. They picked out a whip with many "pigtails" at the end. At the end of each fork of the whip, there was a small sharp stone tied. It is conceivable that this ugly whip would tear the skin and flesh when used on a person. I don't know how painful it would be.

"Thirteenth Young Master, it's not that we are cruel, it's just that this is the order from above and we have no choice but to obey." The two jailers also said something to Nathan Xiao, probably because they were afraid that he would retaliate in the future.

"You two are also doing things impartially. I know the rules of this house." Although Nathan Xiao said this, he actually knew that he knew nothing. Perhaps it was because he was in extreme conditions that stimulated some of his "talents". Before the jailers were about to tie his hands, he actually chatted with the jailers and said that he had some money on him.

Before the execution, he was able to talk to the jailer so calmly, which really surprised the two jailers. This Thirteenth Young Master seemed different from the rumors, and he seemed a little too calm.

Although the Xiao family is wealthy and gives their subordinates much more commissions than other wealthy families, who would find money too expensive these days?

It was purely accidental that Nathan Xiao had the money on him. These were the few remaining bills from the "bride price" that the Seventh Young Master had stuffed into his pocket. He had been planning to keep them to study these "silver notes" that were preserved among the people during the Republic of China period.

These silver bills were only circulated locally and were beautifully printed. They were issued by the Xiao family bank. He thought these silver bills were very special and didn't expect that they would come in handy here.

After he gave the two jailers the banknotes he brought, their attitude became much better. They said, "Master Thirteen, we dare not disobey the master, but we came from the old government office and know how to strike hard. You will suffer a lot."

After saying that, he made a gesture.

These jailers from the old Qing Dynasty government offices were very particular about beating people. They could beat you so hard that your skin looked torn apart, but it was actually just an external injury, or they could beat you so hard that you looked fine, but it was actually a serious internal injury. Nathan Xiao didn't expect that he would experience history again in such an unexpected place, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Anyway, there is no way to escape this beating.

However, the two jailers had already used very light blows, but the beating looked quite serious, and he was covered in blood. Nathan Xiao was also a patient person, and he did not say a word when he was punished. The seventh young master was also very loyal, and others did not dare to pay attention to Nathan Xiao at this time, but he secretly sent someone to carry Nathan Xiao back from the prison.

When he returned to his own courtyard again, Nathan Xiao found that only one day and one night had passed, but the whole courtyard had become extremely deserted. The maids and servants in his courtyard resigned one after another, fearing that they would be implicated by him and punished according to the family rules. Even the quick-talking maid Sophie was transferred away.

He was merely punished by the master, but the yard was in a state of panic, and the fear of the master was deeply rooted in everyone's heart.

Now, Wanyue is the only one left in the yard, waiting for him to come back.

After he was sent here, Wanyue was the only one who took on the duties of a maid and servant, running around to take care of his injuries. Fortunately, the Seventh Young Master sent a doctor to examine his injuries and prescribe medicine. However, the Seventh Young Master himself did not dare to visit him in the yard. The doctor prescribed medicine, helped Wanyue take care of his injuries, and then left in a hurry.

While Nathan Xiao was lying in bed, he learned another frustrating thing. That was that several servants who had resigned had robbed all the savings in his house. In order to stop them, Wanyue was pushed and beaten by him. That was how she got the large blood scab on her forehead.

How important is face to a girl! And this girl is willing to do anything to protect herself. In this strange and indifferent mansion, only Wanyue can make him feel a little warmth from the world. Even if everyone has left him now, she is the only one who will not leave him, just because of the promises he made to her that he is not sure whether they can be fulfilled.

And in this difficult time, it was the Seventh Young Master who secretly gave Wanyue some money so that they could barely maintain their expenses for the next few days.

Nathan Xiao now had no idea what to do next. The low-grade fever he suffered from the injury made him fall into a coma in worry.
 
When he woke up the next day, he felt heavy all over, but his mind was much clearer than the night before. However, when he turned his head, a wet towel fell off his head. He then realized that there was a person sleeping beside his bed. It couldn't be anyone else except Wanyue. Looking at the basin and several towels on the stool beside her, he realized that she had been watching over him all night, constantly changing wet towels to apply to his forehead, trying to lower his body temperature.

As soon as he moved, Wanyue woke up in a daze. When she saw that he was awake, she was extremely surprised.

"Master! Are you feeling better?" She used her hand to test the temperature of his forehead. Nathan Xiao nodded: "Go and treat the wound on your forehead... Wanyue, you've worked too hard."

"I am yours, young master. I will stay with you no matter what." Wanyue said firmly, "Young master, you must live well! I don't want to lose anyone important in my life again!"

"I'm so useless. I promised to let you live a good life, but you ended up doing all this hard work beside me..." Nathan Xiao said apologetically.

"I'm not miserable." She looked at Nathan Xiao with clear eyes, "As long as Thirteenth Young Master is still alive, I still have a home."

"Wanyue, do you trust me so much based on just one sentence?" Nathan Xiao felt more and more sorry for this strong and submissive girl.

"Believe. One sentence is enough. No one in this world has ever said that to me." Wanyue lowered her head, "I am content and accept my fate."

"Then I... will continue to promise you. Whether you believe it or not, I have to assure you that one day... I will make you happy." Nathan Xiao held her hand. He suddenly felt that he really had a certain responsibility. In the past, he lived a frivolous life and never thought about considering other people.

Now, none of that seemed to matter.

Everything should be able to turn around. At least he knows some vague future.

And in this era, what he knows should be of great use...

When he was lost in his thoughts again, Wanyue covered him with a blanket and said, "Now, Master, you just need to recover from your injuries and don't think about anything else. I'll go to the market. Don't worry, Wanyue is not the kind of spoiled girl. As long as Wanyue is here, she will never let Thirteenth Master go hungry or cold."

These few words made Nathan Xiao feel even more powerless. He actually fell to the point where he needed a weak woman to protect him. He felt so ashamed.

He originally thought that he could live a better life in this Republic of China through his own efforts, but a family order from the master took away everything from him.

Everyone thought that the eldest master was the absolute ruler of the family, but he felt deeply that the eldest master was just a devil in human skin.

For him, Wanyue had to work like a servant and take on all the chores in the yard. She was like all the traditional women in ancient China, hardworking and persevering, which shows how she was treated in her original family.

While Wanyue was out of the yard, he struggled to sit up. The two jailer brothers were indeed very careful in their attack. He could actually get out of bed. After examining the injuries, the doctor said they were just flesh wounds.

He wanted to search the room again to see if there was any money or other valuables left. Although the Seventh Young Master had sent some money, he did not dare to send too much for fear of criticism. The amount of money was only enough for a few days' medicine.

He just didn't believe that a dignified Thirteenth Young Master would not keep some private money where the servants couldn't find it.