Duke Jing's younger sister

Chapter 112 Exploitation

Shen Li bowed and said,

"Sir, Miss Yang is guilty and should be punished, but she is a girl after all. It is not appropriate to execute her in public. Please be merciful and move her execution to the back hall."

Yang Lijun was a little surprised for a moment. She thought Shen Li was going to take advantage of her misfortune, but she didn't expect that Shen Li would actually speak up for her.

She glanced sideways and saw a woman in a light blue dress standing quietly in the hall. Under the light, the hem of her skirt sparkled like stars.

Yang Lijun couldn't describe how she felt.

She is not very old, but she is very concerned about her reputation.

Even if she was going to be beaten, she didn't want to be watched by so many people. That would feel more painful than being killed.

No one present spoke up for her.

Even when she begged Shen Beiqi in every possible way, he remained indifferent, but Shen Li... was willing to help her.

Since the parties involved had said so, Li Chengyin naturally had no objection. After all, Yang Lijun was the granddaughter of Master Yang, and he did not want to offend her, so he immediately said, "Approved!"

"Thank you, sir!" Shen Li said softly.

The front hall and back hall of Jingzhao Yin were separated by only a thin wall. Although the back hall was not as spacious as the front hall, it was large enough for executions.

It was already dark. There was a copper arched lamp stand against the wall in the back hall, with flickering candle flames on it.

The hall is fully equipped with desks, chairs, couches, etc. I think it should be the place where Lord Li usually works and rests.

Shen Li followed the yamen runner in. When Yang Lijun saw her, she asked awkwardly, "Why... do you want to come and see me laugh?"

"There are jokes, why don't you read them?"

Shen Li replied, her tone indifferent, without any trace of sarcasm.

Yang Lijun: "...I thought you had a change of heart, but it seems I was wrong about you!"

Shen Li curled her lips and smiled, "It's more appropriate to leave this matter to you."

Just as the two bailiffs had set up the punishment bench, they saw her pulling a cushion from the armchair in the hall.

She reached out and pinched the cushion, and felt it was a little thin, so she pulled out two more.

The two were stunned for a moment and looked at each other in bewilderment. Could it be that this Miss Shen San was going to serve as a cushion for Miss Yang?

Although they had not been in Jingzhao Yin for too long, it had been three to five years.

Using cushions during executions was unprecedented and unheard of.

But they all knew Shen Li's identity, and they absolutely could not afford to offend her, so they were quite hesitant for a moment.

One of them immediately gave a look, and the other one trotted off to find Li Chengyin for advice.

After hearing the reply, Li Chengyin glanced at Shen Beiqi sideways, what a Duke of Jingguo! Did he think that his position as Jingzhao Yin was a place for children to play?

Seeing that he didn't reply, the yamen runner scratched his head anxiously, "Sir? Please reply, what's the matter?"

Li Chengyin waved his sleeves and shouted in a low voice, "What else can we do? Let her be!"

Seeing Li Chengyin's embarrassed face, Shen Beiqi raised his eyebrows slightly, stood up and went to the inner hall.

Yang Lijun had just laid down on the torture bench when she saw Shen Li grabbing a few mats and laying them on her back layer by layer.

“You…what are you doing!?”

"You'd better shout louder later," Shen Li spread out the mat, "otherwise you'll have to start all over again!"

"...Why are you helping me?"

Shen Li squatted down and looked at her, "You are not bad."

Yang Lijun: “…”

"Just a little stupid."

"What did you say!"

"You have taken on everything by yourself today, but can you see her pleading for you? Saying a word for you?" Shen Li asked.

Yang Lijun was startled, "Do you know who said that?"

"Of course I know, Han Yunning, right?"

"how do you know?"

How does she know?

Shen Li sneered. Her guess was right. It turned out to be Han Yunning.

She didn't understand why the relationship between her and Han Yunning had become so irreconcilable.

She now reasonably suspected that at the last night banquet in the palace, Han Yunning's original intention was to use the obsidian snake to take her life through the fourth princess.

As for why the Fourth Princess attacked her, perhaps only Yang Lijun, who was traveling with the Fourth Princess at the time, knew.

She glanced at Yang Lijun and asked tentatively,

"I know that you have always been good friends with her, but you are so simple-minded and honest, how could you understand all those twists and turns? If you hadn't stood up for her at the last flower-viewing banquet, how could you have been punished to kneel in the ancestral hall?"

Yang Lijun is a typical person who responds to soft words but not hard ones. She will immediately feel proud after being coaxed by a few nice words.

Shen Li decided to praise her first to make her let down her guard and then try to persuade her further.

Only in this way can she get the answer she wants.

After Yang Lijun returned home from the flower-viewing banquet last time, she was punished by the family and made to kneel in the ancestral hall. Shen Li didn't know about this at first.

Shen Zhiyan told her this when they were chatting a few days ago.

She felt strange at the time, why was Yang Lijun being punished by the family?

Just because she was traveling with the fourth princess?

Thinking about it now, Yang Lijun must have played an important role that night.

Seeing that Yang Lijun's expression was somewhat moved, she struck while the iron was hot and said,

"And today, why were you sentenced to twenty canes? Was it all your fault? Why did the person who actually said that get away with it, but you were embarrassed in front of the noble lady of Jiangdu?"

"I've fallen the same way twice, and you still don't understand?"

Yang Lijun's face became increasingly heavy. Shen Li was right. Twice, she had stood up for Han Yunning, but ended up suffering herself.

However, Han Yunning was not affected at all.

Just like today, she was being punished in the hall, and Han Yunning stood outside the door without saying a word, not even a word to plead for her.

"So, she has been using me all along. Was it the same at the last palace banquet? Is it the same today?"

Yang Lijun couldn't quite believe it. She had grown up with Han Yunning and had always treated her as her own sister.

That's why he felt indignant for her, stood up for her, opposed Shen Li again and again, and put himself in embarrassing situations again and again.

"Not too stupid."

Seeing that the time was right, Shen Li asked, "When she was in the palace, she must have told you something bad about me, which made you hate me, right?"

Yang Lijun nodded in a daze, "She said that her cousin likes you, so he wants to break off the engagement with her."

"In order to help her, you went to find the fourth princess to teach me a lesson?"

"Well, we don't know either. There are poisonous snakes in that bag..."

Yang Lijun looked at her and said with a guilty conscience, "...I just wanted to scare you."

The lattice window was open, and it was already dark outside.

The evening breeze swayed the candle, and the flickering light was reflected on a tall dark blue figure at the corner.