Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The black-robed female warrior who had knocked Yun Zhonghe out sensed that she was in deep trouble.
She was not willing to sit around and await death.
What was her name? Xiaomin.
“Wait!” The black-robed female warrior, Xiaomin, screamed, “I suspect that this young, beautiful lady is Yun AoTian in disguise.”
The crowd slipped into insanity when they heard this.
F*ck!
Beat her to death!
To think that you would utter such ridiculous words, even at the brink of death.
Not only did you wish to slander our goddess Ning Qing, but you also wanted to tarnish our other goddess.
We’ll beat you to death, we’ll beat you to death.
In that instant, the officials from the investigation team swarmed forward and rained their fists onto her.
The black-robed lady, Xiaomin, shouted, “Nanny of Lady Ning Qing, come and be my witness. Did you not personally see the beggar, Yun AoTian, enter Ning Qing’s room and dig into Lady Ning Qing’s bed?”
Everyone could not help but look toward the middle-aged lady outside when they heard these words.
This lady was Ning Qing’s nanny. She was the person who was closest to Ning Qing. Whether or not there was an adulterous affair, she would not betray her master.
The nanny, Li Shi, was faced with a difficult decision.
On the one hand, she had to consider her son’s future. Her son’s talents in martial arts were only average.
He had only managed to make it into the Great West Martial Arts Academy because he was looked after by an influential figure.
Now that her son was about to graduate despite his failing grades, the other party promised that they would allow her son to become a minister with actual authority as long as she was willing to cooperate.
However, with the situation before her, most of the people present had become infatuated by the mysterious beauty.
If she dared to say that the unparalleled beauty before them was Yun AoTian, she was afraid that these manic men would beat her to death.
Furthermore, she was also suffering from shock and confusion.
Was she really seeing a ghost?
The beggar, Yun AoTian, had clearly been in the room. Where could he have gone? Furthermore, she had guarded the door the whole time. She had not left.
Could Yun AoTian move through heaven and earth?
Thus, there was only one answer.
The unparalleled beauty before them was the beggar, Yun AoTian.
If that was the case, this world was too ridiculous. The sun would rise from the west. An unimportant male beggar had transformed into a woman of unparalleled beauty.
At that moment, an official from within the group said in a chilling voice, “Li Shi, this is a matter of utmost importance. Can you tell the truth? Did you see the beggar, Yun AoTian, enter Lady Ning Qing’s room? Is the woman before their eyes Yun AoTian in disguise? You have to speak carefully, as every word you say implicates the lives of a few people.”
The expression of the nanny, Li Shi, changed when she heard those words.
That was because the other party had issued her a clear threat. They were threatening her with her son’s life.
The nanny, Li Shi, looked at the immensely beautiful Yun AoTian once again.
She could not see any loopholes. Yun AoTian had to be in this room.
Thus, she clenched her teeth and said, “That’s right. I personally witnessed the beggar, Yun AoTian, enter the mistress’s room and dig into her bed. He did not come out after that. I guarded the room because I was afraid people would realize this. Thus, the woman in front of us must be Yun AoTian in disguise.”
The expressions of everyone present changed drastically when they heard those words.
Some due to anger.
Some due to shock.
The people who were angry were furious that she had slandered their goddess. Did she think that we had not seen how old, ugly, and despicable Yun AoTian was? How could he have transformed into the unparalleled beauty in front of them?
Those who were shocked were surprised that the nanny, Li Shi, would take the side of the widow, Ning Qing. Her saying these words meant a despicable betrayal.
“This woman repays kindness by stabbing someone in the back. She worked together with outsiders to frame Lady Ning Qing. Beat her to death, beat her to death…” A bunch of white knights could not stand it any longer. They immediately charged to the front of Li Shi and were about to beat her to death.
However, a few warriors from within the crowd charged out and protected the nanny, Li Shi.
Clearly, these people were men from the Mo Clan of the City of Washed Jade and the City of Autumn Waters.
“It is actually very easy to determine if she is the beggar, Yun AoTian, in disguise. We will be able to find out the truth if we remove her dress.” The nanny, Li Shi pointed toward Yun Zhonghe and shouted, “She is a fake. She must be Yun AoTian in disguise.”
The group became even more furious when they heard those words.
Even though the lady had not exposed her identity, it was obvious that she was the daughter of a royal family from the Southern Zhou Empire.
You now wished to remove her dress to examine her identity. Were you asking for death?
What would become of this royal daughter’s dignity? What would become of her reputation?
The black-robed lady, Xiaomin, said, “After all, there are many ladies in the castle. What’s wrong with getting some elderly grannies to have a look at her body? If she were a man in disguise, there would be no way she could hide it.”
“That’s right, that’s right, let’s get a few old grannies to ascertain her identity,” the nanny, Li Shi said. “Yun AoTian is a man who has disguised himself with such a form. He wouldn’t dare allow himself to be examined; he wouldn’t dare to be determined.”
A minister by the side bowed and said, “Miss, forgive us for offending you, but this matter is too important. Not only does this matter involve the innocence of Lady Ning Qing, but it also implicates the lives of three barons. Thus, can you please give us your cooperation? Furthermore, the people examining your body are all old grannies above the age of 60. It wouldn’t be too much of an offense.”
“The rumors will spread further in the future if you refuse. When that time comes, Lady Ning Qing would not be able to clear her name even if she jumped into the River Tian.”
These were all officials who had been bribed by the City of Washed Jade and the City of Autumn Waters.
Identity examination? That was terrifying!
Even an expert crossdresser would be exposed, wouldn’t he?
After all, this was not something that could be hidden just by makeup, wearing a dress, and speaking with a feminine voice.
Was he going to be exposed?
Yun Zhonghe, who had taken the form of unparalleled beauty, was silent for a moment. He moved his eyes and finally planted his gaze on Ning Qing, who was asleep on the bed. He then said, “Alright, for Sister Ning Qing’s innocence, I can suffer a little indignance and allow a few old grannies to examine my body. However, if it is proven that I am a lady and not some Yun AoTian in disguise, let me deal with these two people. I am going to show them living hell.”
He unexpectedly agreed.
Everyone present was dumbfounded when they heard those words.
These included the officials from the City of Washed Jade and the City of Autumn Waters hidden within the investigation team.
If the woman before them were truly Yun AoTian in disguise, he would definitely be exposed if the old grannies thoroughly checked his body. That was because there was no way he could hide his genitals.
Most of the younger officials in the investigation team almost cried out in their fury and agitation.
The group was being too much of a bully.
The plots at play were too deep.
They could understand if it was to prosecute the Valley of Torn Gust, but the group should not frame and slander Lady Ning Qing like that.
Now, they were even going to force a young goddess to undergo an identity-check.
How… How humiliating was this?
No, no, no, we can’t let our goddess be humiliated like this.
“Who dares, who dares.”
“We’ll fight it out with whoever dares make this lady go through the identity check.”
“You’ll have to step over our bodies if you wish to make this lady go through the identity check.”
Many of the younger officials and warriors charged out and blocked the area in front of Yun Zhonghe. Their blood was boiling.
Yun AoTian, who had taken the form of unparalleled beauty, said, “I am willing to do that for the sake of Sister Ning Qing’s innocence. However, I do not believe these despicable people. You guys go help me find three old grannies with clean characters.”
“Miss, do you need to do this? Is everyone blind? Can they not differentiate between men and women? We have seen the beggar, Yun AoTian. He is old, ugly, and frivolous. If you are truly him in disguise, then I’ll dig my eyes out right now.”
“No, I’ll slam my head onto the pillar and kill myself.”
***
After a careful selection, three old grannies appeared in the room. They were all manual laborers and had no conflicts of interest.
Under the teary gazes of several young officials, under their gazes of immense fury, the absolute beauty, Yun AoTian, entered a small room together with the three grannies.
Then, the door was shut tight.
The young officials tightly clenched their fists. They were too upset, too furious.
This world was too dark.
The City of Washed Jade was too shameless. The City of Autumn Waters was too despicable.
They even made such a beautiful, noble daughter of royalty go through such an injustice.
***
In the small room, the three old grannies surrounded Yun AoTian.
Yun AoTian gently removed his dress and revealed his slender figure. He only had a layer of half-transparent clothing on him.
Which part of him looked like a man? He still looked like a full-fledged woman?
He could fool anyone.
Who did they think I, Yun Zhonghe, am?
A medical professor? A medical professor who understands neurology and cosmetology?
When pretending to be a woman, one must do it to the extreme. There must not be any loopholes. Of course, what he did was nothing impressive. Many props like that could be purchased through Taobao in the future, even though they weren’t too realistic.
However, they would be considered groundbreaking in this world.
“Alright, maiden, that’s enough…” an old granny took a glance before she said in a hurry.
“That’s right. It’s enough, it’s enough,” another old granny said. “We can tell in a glance whether you are a woman or not. This is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful maiden.”
“That’s right, maiden. It is going to be hard for you to maintain such a figure in the future. Childbirth will be your first hurdle.”
“Maiden, hurry up and get dressed. The weather is chilly.”
“Are the people outside blind? To think that they would call such a beautiful maiden a man.”
“Their eyes are not blind, but their hearts are.”
***
A moment later!
The door of the room was opened. The young princess of unparalleled beauty walked out with her face red.
The three grannies also walked out.
All of the gazes turned toward the old grannies as they awaited the results of the examination.
“Are all of you blind? Are your hearts blind? She is clearly a fair maiden, yet you slander her and claim that she is a man disguised as a woman?”
“I have never seen such a beautiful maiden,” another granny said.
The nanny, Li Shi, said, doubting life, said, “You guys, have you guys examined her thoroughly? Don’t just examine the surface.”
“Do we need to be taught by you?” the third granny asked. “We’ve examined her thoroughly. Isn’t a glance enough to differentiate between man and woman?”
Then, the three grannies said, “We can guarantee with our lives that this maiden is a woman. You can chop off our heads if she is a man in disguise.”
At that moment, the nanny, Li Shi, and the black-robed lady, Xiaomin, wore an expression of mourning.
They doubted life.
Now, even they felt that the woman in front of them was not Yun AoTian in disguise. She was indeed a member of the Southern Zhou Empire’s royal family.
Then… Then what exactly happened?
Could I have been hallucinating back then?
But it was I who personally stuffed Yun Zhonghe into Ning Qing’s bed.
At that moment, Yun AoTian paused in front of nanny Li Shi and said slowly, “You promised me just now that, as long as I proved my identity, you were going to hand these two traitors over to me for me to deal with. Do your words count?”
“They count, they could…” a dozen members of the investigation team voiced out in agreement.
They were filled with remorse. They did not stop the goddess from undergoing the examination just now. What kind of humiliation had she suffered?
Now was the time to settle the score.
“Capture her, capture her.”
Several warriors stepped forward and immediately captured nanny Li Shi. They tied her up.
“Fire up the furnace. Bring over the branding iron,” Yun Zhonghe said.
A moment later, the furnace and branding iron was brought over.
Nanny Li Shi trembled in fright.
Yun Zhonghe picked the branding iron up without waiting for it to become red-hot and aimed it at Li Shi’s face. He then fiercely pressed the metal into her face.
“Ah…” Ning Qing’s nanny Li Shi let out a pathetic cry.
The expressions of all of the members of the investigation team jumped when they witnessed such a scene.
This immensely beautiful princess was too cruel, too overbearing.
But… she was too charming.
“Li Min, save me, save me…”
“Miss, save me… save me…”
The nanny, Li Shi, cried painfully for help.
Yun Zhonghe continued heating the branding iron in the furnace without expression. He picked it out when the iron became fully red, then pointed the iron toward nanny Li Shi’s eyes and said, “You must be blind. To think that you would betray and frame your mistress. Tell me, who put you up to it?”
“You’re not going to speak? It’s alright. After all, all I want is revenge and to vent my anger. I don’t mind torturing you until you die.”
“I’ll count down from five. I’ll burn your eyes if you don’t speak.”
“Five, four, one.”
Yun Zhonghe casually finished the countdown. He fiercely pushed the red-hot iron directly toward nanny Li Shi’s eyes.
“Stop, no…” nanny Li Shi exclaimed loudly. “I’ll confess, I’ll confess. It is the people from the Mo Clan of the City of Washed Jade. It was they who ordered me to betray and frame Lady Ning Qing. As long as I listened to them, my son would be able to become a minister. I was being forced, I was being forced…”
***