Distorted World

Delight.

When Bai Changming returned to his residence at the Xuanxing Pavilion, he found everything in disarray.

In the already cramped room, his clothes had been dumped out of the wardrobe, with several long robes scattered on the floor. There were signs of rummaging on the bed as well, and most of his daily necessities were missing. He understood the situation at a glance.

"A mere sweeper at Xuanxing Pavilion dares to attend a banquet at the Wangyue Tower, how arrogant this Bai fellow is! Now he's gotten what he deserved, hasn't he?"

"I've noticed that boy doesn't talk much, clearly looking down on everyone. People like him have their heads in the clouds; they need a lesson or two!"

"I've seen plenty of his kind. Living in such a place, it's obvious he's just a nobody, yet he puts on airs every day."

... The whispers grew louder as they approached, and a group of servants huddled together, gradually coming closer. They hadn't expected Bai Changming to be there, and when they entered the room, they fell silent all at once. Some pursed their lips, others rolled their eyes, and the room was filled with an oppressive silence.

He resisted the urge to wave away the pungent smell of sweat and vegetables, just as he had dealt with the strong alcohol fumes from the night before.

The next day, Zheng Guan, as usual, inspected the Xuanxing Pavilion. However, he found that the areas assigned to a few individuals were cleaned very poorly. Pages of books were haphazardly piled up, ancient artifacts were covered in dust, and the floors, which should have been swept, were littered with crumpled papers and sunflower seed shells. Zheng Guan summoned the responsible servants, naturally furious, and severely reprimanded them. These were precisely the ones who had ransacked Bai Changming’s belongings.

On the fifth day, Zheng Guan inspected again, and the situation remained unchanged. He lost his temper, scolding them harshly and issuing what amounted to an ultimatum, gritting his teeth.

The few servants were on the verge of tears, their legs trembling as they knelt on the ground.

On the eighth day, the jade ornament named “Yutang,” consisting of five jade pieces, belonging to the secretary of Muan Prefecture, was discovered missing. In the afternoon, it was found without much effort under the beds of the five servants at the Xuanxing Pavilion.

Zheng Guan felt that his days had been incredibly unlucky, as if even drinking water caused him to choke.

The five servants knelt in a row before him, not daring to breathe loudly.

“You little brats, I really… Humph! Yesterday, Official Yang was calculating the feng shui in the house and said that there was something in the northwest corner that was inauspicious for him. I think you few are specifically here to bring me bad luck! Once, twice, wasn’t kneeling enough for you yesterday? You dare to steal Secretary Zuo’s jade ornament, truly defying heaven! Each of you will receive eighty heavy blows and be sent to prison!”

Bai Changming changed into casual clothes, leaning against the roof with one hand, twirling a few willow leaves between his fingers. His position was directly opposite the dungeon of Muan Prefecture.

From the dungeon came cries of injustice and wails of pain.

He watched without showing any emotion, and upon closer inspection, he could see that their thighs were beaten to a bloody pulp. Eighty blows were nearly a death sentence.

He watched from a distance, as if it were as ordinary as eating and drinking.

First, he used the incident of the stolen items to plant the impression of “unfavorable conduct” in the mind of Zheng Guan, the direct supervisor. Then, he used the reason that they failed to perform their duties properly, which is the most critical measure of a servant's value, to make his point. Just as parents in the Northern Academy judge their children by their grades, and officials in the bureaucracy judge each other by wealth and rank, he ensured that these servants were notorious in Zheng Guan’s eyes. On the third occasion, he orchestrated a major incident, using Zheng Guan’s authority to lay a path of no return for these foolish and malicious servants.

Throughout the entire process, no one else knew except him, and he remained silent, maintaining the image of a dull and unremarkable person in the eyes of those around him.

The beaten servants were simple-minded and could not understand the cause-and-effect relationships between multiple events, acting only on instinct and surface appearances. As for why they were beaten so severely, he thought, he too had anger to vent. Beneath his calm eyes lay a sense of vengeful satisfaction.

With a flip of his palm, the willow branch snapped.

Water Confession, I am different from you; I do not save people.