My Female General Is A Villain (GL) - Chapter 21

The young man’s slightly yellowish hair was streaked with snowflakes, adding a touch of fragility to his already pale face. Only his eyes were bright and full of spirit.

The stray hairs on his forehead partially obscured his vision, but Pei Ji squinted, looking directly at Zhao Lianying.

Zhao Lianying felt uneasy under his gaze. The Emperor’s words rang true in his mind: this Second Master He’s stare was unnerving, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

“You are more reasonable, Second Master He,” Zhao Lianying said slowly, his head bowed, breaking eye contact.

Jiaojiao couldn’t understand what this woman was thinking. By doing this, wasn’t she just handing herself over?

Did she really want to die so badly?

Jiaojiao rushed to her side, looking at her with a complex expression. She said with conviction, “Pei Ji, don’t go. You can’t.”

If you go, you’ll lose half your life.

With her current physical condition, it was debatable whether she would even survive.

“Trust me, they won’t do anything to you… I will…”

I will protect you.

Before she could finish, she heard Pei Ji say, “Is the Second Miss worried about me?”

Jiaojiao’s heart skipped a beat. How could she even ask such a thing at a time like this?

She didn’t speak. She felt like she could never truly understand the woman in front of her.

Pei Ji suddenly smiled, her eyes crinkling. It was a beautiful smile, but it looked a little desolate.

“The Second Miss should worry about herself first. If you insist on going with me, they won’t have an easy time.”

He Jiaojiao glanced behind her and finally understood Pei Ji. She was risking herself for the safety of others.

Pei Ji knew that no matter what, she couldn’t escape this situation. She couldn’t leave these high palace walls, so she might as well give in to their demands.

Right now, she wasn’t the fearsome person everyone shunned. She was just an ordinary person who needed warmth and care.

“If you must go, then take me with you,” Jiaojiao said calmly, as if she were talking about a trivial matter, something as common as can be.

If this prison sentence was inevitable, then she could at least help her there. At the very least, she could keep an eye on Pei Ji’s every move.

Pei Ji’s eyes widened in disbelief. She frowned. He Jiaojiao had once again exceeded her expectations.

Zhao Lianying quickly replied, “Oh, I wouldn’t dare. The Crown Prince only ordered me to invite the Second Master to have a talk. If there’s nothing else, the Second Master will be back soon. The Second Miss should wait here.”

Before Jiaojiao could speak, He Wanqing stepped forward. “Thank you, Chief Eunuch Zhao. We will wait here for good news.”

She walked up to Jiaojiao, placed a hand on hers, and shook her head.

“Sister,” Jiaojiao said.

He Wanqing whispered, “Second Sister, don’t.”

Jiaojiao understood her meaning. One more person on the outside meant one more person to help.

But she saw Pei Ji’s bright eyes suddenly dim, returning to a state of complete stillness.

She wanted to say more to her, but Pei Ji had already turned and followed Chief Eunuch Zhao.

The young man’s back was straight in the cold wind. His narrow shoulders didn’t flinch as he left a trail of footprints in the snow.

********

Pei Ji didn’t see Yuwen Jingshen. Instead, she was handed directly to the Grand Court of Appeals for trial.

She watched Zhao Lianying whisper a few words to the bailiffs before hurrying away without giving her a second glance.

The bailiffs looked thuggish. They sized her up and shook their heads, sighing.

“Where’s the Crown Prince? Didn’t he want to see me?” Pei Ji asked lightly, as if she had expected this. Her cold eyes even held a hint of amusement.

One of the bailiffs in front of her played with a key, as if he had heard something funny. He scoffed. “The Crown Prince? You’re dreaming. You’re in the Grand Court of Appeals now, so just be a good prisoner. What kind of person do you think the Crown Prince is? You can’t just see him whenever you want.”

Pei Ji closed her mouth. The bailiff probably didn’t even know who she was. She had been summarily placed here.

It seemed that both Yuwen Jingshen and the Emperor wanted her dead.

The bailiff opened the cell door and shoved her inside. “Hurry up. Don’t waste my time.”

Pei Ji was almost knocked over by the violent shove. She turned, her eyes filled with a murderous glint, like a man-eating ghost. It made the bailiffs’ skin crawl.

The bailiff behind her was enraged by her stare. He swung his whip and lashed her across the back. “What are you looking at?! You think you’re still a noble? Stop acting high and mighty. Once you’re in here, you listen to me.”

A fiery, sharp pain shot through Pei Ji’s body, right to her core.

It had been a long time since she had felt such a strange sensation. She even missed the pain that made it hard to breathe.

She didn’t back down. On the contrary, her expression remained cold and contemptuous.

The whip was stopped by another bailiff. “That’s enough. He’s just a prisoner. The judge will handle the trial.”

Seeing him try to stop him, the furious Zhang Shen reined in his temper and spat at Pei Ji. “Pah! You dare to challenge me? I’ll teach you a lesson sooner or later.”

The other bailiff, Li Si, noticed that Pei Ji didn’t seem easy to deal with. He was afraid he would snap at any moment.

The prison cell was dark and damp. Dry straw covered the floor, and in the unseen corners, she could hear the faint squeaking of mice.

The only light came from a window high up. Other than being a little bigger, it was no different from the woodshed she used to live in.

Pei Ji took off her outer coat and folded it neatly. She found a corner to sit in and placed the coat on her lap, making sure it didn’t touch anything dirty.

The rats and bugs around her didn’t seem to fear her. They rested calmly beside her, not scurrying around.

She rubbed the long tear on her coat as she thought.

Then she looked at the little thing. “Well, you have a companion now,” she mumbled.

Pei Ji had lost track of time. All she knew was that she had been sleeping for a long time. The light outside had gone from bright to dark.

She was woken up by the lash of a whip. The familiar pain shot to her brain, forcing her eyes open.

“Still sleeping?! Get up!” Zhang Shen said, playing with his whip. He pulled her up and swung the whip at her, but Pei Ji caught it in her hand.

A bloody red mark, a shallow cut, stained the whip.

“Hey!” Zhang Shen sneered. “A common criminal, acting so arrogant. You think I’m a pushover?”

He yanked the whip with all his might, but it didn’t move. In his shock, he pulled even harder, but still nothing. He was losing face and pulled again with all his might.

Pei Ji gently let go.

“Ouch!” he shouted as he fell to the ground. “You little bastard! You played dirty!”

Pei Ji stood up and looked down at him. A small smile appeared on her lips. She looked at the wound on her palm and couldn’t help but lick it. The taste of bl00d lingered in her mouth, as if she were in heaven.

At that moment, Li Si walked over. He looked at the scene as if it were nothing new. He turned to them and said, “Hurry up. The judge is waiting.”

Pei Ji draped her coat over herself without blinking. She lifted her foot and stepped over Zhang Shen.

Li Si was stunned. His face was blank. He had never seen a prisoner act so fearlessly.

Very few people who entered the Grand Court of Appeals ever left. Even if they had the power to get out, they would at least leave with their skin peeled off.

And the prisoners all looked at them with fear. The smart ones would even try to befriend them.

They were nothing like this young man who didn’t even look them in the eye.

By the time he came to his senses, Pei Ji was already in front of him. Zhang Shen, who followed, was so angry he looked like he wanted to eat her alive.

Li Si said, “Stop it. The judge is here. Don’t cause any more trouble, or you’ll both get a beating.”

Zhang Shen rubbed his behind, gritting his teeth. “You just wait. I’ll get you.”

Pei Ji saw the person they called the judge, the Minister of the Grand Court of Appeals, Chai Cheng.

He was handsome and about the same age as her, but a little taller and with a more intimidating presence.

But how could a person in cahoots with Yuwen Jingshen be a good official? They were all just corrupt officials who took bribes.

Pei Ji walked to the chair opposite him and sat down casually, staring at him coldly.

It was the first time Chai Cheng had ever seen a prisoner be so calm in front of him, showing no fear.

Li Si and Zhang Shen walked to Chai Cheng’s side, clasping their hands. “Judge, the person has been brought here.”

Chai Cheng waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

Pei Ji saw the triumphant look on Zhang Shen’s face as he left. He probably thought she wouldn’t have an easy time with Chai Cheng.

Then, she saw a document appear in front of her, filled with trumped-up charges. A box of red ink was next to it.

“Sign it.”

Pei Ji said coldly, “I see the Grand Court of Appeals is as useless as the rumors say.”

Chai Cheng didn’t want to waste his breath on her. He kindly advised, “If you settle this case early, you can avoid a lot of pain. Why make it so difficult?”

“The evidence is all there. You can’t turn things around. Just accept your fate.”

Accept her fate? Her life was already this bad. What else was there to accept?

“How can I admit to something I didn’t do?” Pei Ji’s eyes moved from the document to Chai Cheng. “I won’t admit to it.”

Admitting to it would truly be the end of her.

“If the Crown Prince wants my life, he can come and take it himself. Why go through all this trouble? Who are you putting on a show for? I am just a worthless person. He’s wasting his time.”

Chai Cheng never expected her to see right through everything. He was speechless.

“So, you want to see some bl00d?” Chai Cheng leaned his elbows on the table and got closer to her.

As soon as he said that, a guard next to him walked up to Pei Ji. He grabbed her hand, trying to force her to sign the document.

Pei Ji didn’t resist. She let them do what they wanted.

When the guard took Pei Ji’s hand, he noticed that her fingertips were already bloody and mangled. The skin was completely destroyed. All ten of her fingers were like that.