Leap Forward Comics: Watch How I Become a Villainess

Chapter 104 Victims of the Struggle

Nie Qing alone had no way to stop the Imperial City Guard from taking Bai Yu away. He could only watch helplessly as everything unfolded. Once inside the Imperial City Guard, Bai Yu probably wouldn't come out alive.

She rushed back to the mansion and knelt down at Nie Sheng's feet, begging her father to intervene and save Bai Yu.

"Father! It was Han Biao who made a fuss about me! My friend accidentally killed him while trying to save me. Please, go to the Imperial City Guard and demand his release!" Nie Qing was so anxious that she was incoherent. It took Nie Sheng a long time to finally understand what had happened.

"Your friend's servant?" Nie Sheng hesitated for a moment: "The one who was with Princess Chengde last time?"

“Yes, for Her Highness’s sake, shouldn’t you help her protect her servants?” Nie Qing hurriedly invoked the princess’s name. “And that Han Biao only dares to act like this because Han Ji is an official in the Imperial City Guard. He doesn’t even respect you. Are we just going to swallow this insult?”

“This matter is not good for your reputation, so I can’t get involved.” Nie Sheng frowned and thought for a moment: “But we can’t just let it go like this. Qing’er, go and inform your friend that I’m going to the Ministry of Justice.”

Nie Sheng is shrewd and calculating; he must have a plan, but Bai Yu might not be able to wait.

Nie Qing understood Nie Sheng's meaning. He would vent his anger and teach Han Ji a lesson, but not to save Bai Yu. If he wanted to save Bai Yu's life, he would have to leave it to her friend to handle.

Nie Qing didn't say anything more and immediately sent a servant to deliver a message to Lu He. At the same time, she went to her elder brother Nie Geng's residence to seek help. Nie Geng was the eldest son of the Nie family, already married, and had his own residence. He served as the Right Deputy Inspector General of the Censorate. If he was willing to help, Bai Yu's chances of survival would be much greater.

Lu He waited and waited at the inn but Bai Yu didn't return. Just as she was wondering about this, she received a letter from a servant of the Nie family.

What a big deal!

Lu He instructed Liu Xiao to immediately seek help from Chao Huaiyuan, while he himself prepared to enter the palace.

Imperial City Prison.

Bai Yu was tied to the rack, but had not yet been tortured.

At this moment, Zhao Kun was sitting in front of him, silently watching him. The matter of Han Biao's murder had already been reported to Han Ji, and the matter was pending Han Ji's order. Although it was his cousin who died, he was still a member of the Inner Guard, and it was necessary to report it to the Inner Guard and the Ministry of Justice.

"Why did you kill Han Biao! Who sent you?" Zhao Kun sat there, showing no intention of using torture. Zhao Kun actually suspected that he might have been instructed by someone behind the scenes to commit the murder, after all, Han Biao was someone Han Ji had placed in the Inner Guard. Now, everyone was more or less aware of the various factions at play.

"He killed someone in the street, and I was just saving him."

A brief answer, as expected, these people basically couldn't be extracted without torture. Zhao Kun stood up, his hand slowly running over the instruments of torture: "Choose one?" he asked Bai Yu.

Bai Yu snorted coldly and ignored him.

Zhao Kun wasn't annoyed. He took down a whip with barbs and asked in a calm tone, "Is this it?"

Bai Yu still ignored him.

A sharp crack echoed in the quiet torture chamber, as if taut flesh had snapped. Bai Yu groaned, feeling a burning pain in his internal organs, as if he had been struck with a heavy blow. His skin went numb, and he could feel nothing.

"How about it? Want to feel it?" Zhao Kun raised his hand and waved the whip in front of Bai Yu: "You didn't make a sound, which is admirable. This thing is an iron whip. You may not feel the pain at first, but every subsequent strike will be excruciating."

Bai Yu gritted his teeth and adjusted his breathing, feeling his previously numb skin begin to burn.

Zhao Kun saw that his eyes were closed, but his eyelids were trembling slightly. The Imperial City Guard had seen many people who could endure it, but there was no one who could endure a set of torture instruments without making a sound.

Zhao Kun pulled over a wooden bucket from the table; it contained a sticky mixture of aged brine and honey. He dipped his iron whip into it. "Shall we continue?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it, the whistling wind rushing past his eardrums, followed by the crisp sound of the whip hitting flesh with a "crack".

"..." Blood trickled down Bai Yu's lips as he gritted his teeth to keep himself from making a sound, drawing blood from his mouth. This lash was even more excruciating than the last.

As expected of the Imperial City Guard, he was already drenched in sweat after just two lashes. For a moment, Bai Yu doubted whether he could make it out alive, but he firmly believed that Lu He and Nie Qing would definitely rescue him.

"Feel it twice, do you think of anything?" Zhao Kun stopped after striking with the whip twice. This kind of iron whip with barbs would tear deep wounds and cause unstoppable bleeding. He couldn't kill Bai Yu yet, as he didn't know how important Bai Yu's life was.

Give him a hard time; he might get scared and tell you everything.

Bai Yu kept his eyes closed and his teeth clenched, remaining silent as blood dripped from his wounds.

Zhao Kun frowned. This was a tough nut to crack; he couldn't be subjected to severe torture. What a hassle.

At this moment, Han Ji was with the Prime Minister.

"Han Biao's murder might have been orchestrated by someone from the Crown Prince's side. It's not easy for us to plant people in the Imperial Guard, and now that one of them is dead, the Imperial Guard is left without anyone to use," Chao Ying analyzed. "We must interrogate this person; he must have premeditated the murder!"

"Not necessarily, Lord Chao. Nie Qing was also there, and a maid died. It's possible that Han Biao caused this mess again..." Han Ji was exasperated. His younger brother had been a womanizer and troublemaker for a long time, and he always had to clean up his messes. Sooner or later, Han Ji would be the death of him. Han Ji had been annoyed with Han Biao for a long time.

“You didn’t understand what I meant… I said he must have premeditated this.” Chao Ying gave Han Ji a meaningful look: “Han Biao can’t die without any purpose. I don’t care what methods you use to interrogate him, torture or anything, he must have premeditated this, and preferably he was instructed by the Commander of the Inner Guard, understand?”

"My lord, are you planning to... take this opportunity to dismantle the inner guard's power?" Han Ji seemed to wake from a dream.

"Find a way yourself, whatever you do, make him try to pinpoint the Crown Prince's influence within the Imperial Guard." Chao Ying looked at Han Ji with the cunning eyes of an old fox: "If you do a good job, the Third Prince will not treat you unfairly."