activa-t Chapter 52 Subjugation
Chapter 52 Subjugation
Batu's gaze swept back and forth between Yin'e and Wulan several times, and the scattered fragments in his mind finally pieced together a complete picture.
This room was not the private prison of the Crown Prince's residence as he had imagined, nor was it the work of Gao Mengyuan's men, nor was it the work of some enemy stabbing him in the back.
This is the residence of the Tenth Prince.
In that instant, humiliation, collapse, despair, shame, and anger surged into his head like a flood bursting its banks, overwhelming his last shred of reason.
His face turned bright red, and the veins on his neck bulged out.
Batu jumped out of bed.
His body was still very weak, and his legs were limp, but the raw power surging from his bones made him like a wild bull driven to the brink of despair, and he charged suddenly in front of Yin'e.
His right hand, like an iron clamp, gripped Yin'e's collar tightly.
His left hand was clenched into a fist, suspended in mid-air, with veins bulging.
As soon as he opened his mouth, a string of Mongolian words burst out like a machine gun.
Yin'e couldn't understand a single word, but he didn't need to understand the meaning in the tone of his voice.
Yin'e did not move.
He sat in the chair, leaning back slightly, but his back remained straight.
His expression remained unchanged.
There was no fear, no anger, not even surprise.
He stared coldly at Batu, as if time had frozen.
Ulan sat to the side, watching her brother act like a madman.
Her eyes reddened, her lips trembled, and her chest heaved more and more violently, as if something was about to explode.
"That's enough!"
Ulan stood up.
Batu's hand stiffened, but he didn't let go.
"Brother! Haven't you caused enough trouble?!" Ulan's voice rose eight octaves. "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?!"
Batu finally loosened his grip.
His eyes became empty and lifeless, and he began to mutter something incoherently.
It was Mongolian, spoken very quickly and intermittently, interspersed with a few words that Yin'e could barely guess.
"Home", "Dad", "It's over", "I can't go back".
Yin'e looked down at Batu, who was slumped on the ground, and did not speak immediately.
He is waiting.
Batu gradually calmed down from that semi-manic state.
He knew that Batu's outburst of rage just now was not only because he had been imprisoned for three days.
Rather, it was out of rage and shame.
It wasn't because he was arrested, but because the person who arrested him was his brother-in-law, whom he had been using.
It wasn't because he was imprisoned, but because his brother-in-law knew all his shameful deeds, all his secrets, and all his shady dealings.
If a person is defeated by an enemy, he can admit defeat.
But being defeated by someone you despise is a humiliation that is more unbearable than the defeat itself.
After a while, Batu's rambling gradually subsided, and his breathing became more even.
"I can help you," Yin'e finally said.
Batu suddenly raised his head.
Yin'e did not scold him, hit him, or threaten him.
It didn't say how much money you owed, how many stupid things you did, or how you almost ruined your whole family.
He reached out a hand to Batu when he was at his lowest point, most desperate, and most convinced that he was doomed.
Moreover, he said "I can help you," not "I can spare you."
Help and forgive, a difference of one word, yet worlds apart.
Even though it may be a condescending act of charity, help is a helping hand extended in times of shared hardship.
Batu's lips trembled for a while before he finally managed to squeeze out two words: "Really...really?"
Yin'e did not answer directly, but instead stretched out his hand and pointed at Batu.
"Didn't you notice? I've already removed the most difficult thing from your body."
Batu paused for a moment, then looked at him blankly.
"Your heavy smoking habit," Yin'e said, emphasizing each word. "Why do you think I would lock you in this room and serve you good food and drink?"
You think I'm doing this to discipline or punish you?
"If I wanted to teach you a lesson, wouldn't it be better to just put a sack over your head and beat you up? Why go through all this trouble, locking you up for three days and having someone bring you food three times a day?"
Batu's pupils contracted slightly.
He looked up at Yin'e, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes: "You mean...you were...helping me quit that stuff?"
"What do you think?" Yin'e leaned back in his chair. "Are you no longer thinking about that thing?"
Batu thought about it, and realized that the first two days really did feel like he had been through hell.
Snot and tears streamed down my face, and it felt like a million ants were gnawing at my bones, every inch of my skin screaming for that stuff.
He thought he was going to die, that these people were going to torture him to death.
But by the third day, those symptoms gradually subsided.
He can eat, drink, and sleep through the night now.
And he really doesn't think about that thing anymore.
Batu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.
His eyes reddened.
Looking at his expression, Yin'e knew that the time was almost right.
He leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more gentle.
"Batu, I know that everything you've been through lately is not what you wanted. You must have been set up to do these things."
"Thanks to your sister, who noticed your unusual behavior and told me everything, you were prevented from causing an even bigger disaster."
Yin'e's voice turned serious: "Think about it, if you really betrayed the Tenth Prince's Mansion and the Eighth Prince's Party for money and opium, would you still be alive to return to the grasslands? Would your father still be able to protect you?"
Batu's shoulders jerked violently.
"I...I..." His voice was broken and choked up, almost inaudible.
"I didn't mean to... I really didn't mean to... I don't know what to do... They have the IOU... If I can't pay it back, they will... they will..."
He couldn't continue.
The room was quiet for a moment.
Suddenly, the chair was pushed away with a loud scraping sound.
Ulan stood up.
She rushed to Batu like a gust of wind, and to Yin'e's astonishment, she raised her right hand, swung her arm, and slapped Batu across the face.
"Snapped!"
The sound was crisp and loud, bouncing back and forth several times in the narrow room.
Batu's head was knocked to one side, and a red handprint immediately appeared on his face.
Before he could react, Ulan slapped him a second time.
She was hitting him while cursing in Mongolian, speaking at a rapid-fire pace.
You could tell from his tone that he was pouring out all the pent-up disappointment he had been holding in at that moment.
Batu was beaten so badly that he was powerless to fight back.
He lay on the ground, covering his head with his hands, curled up like a big dog that had been kicked by its owner, making "ouch, ouch" noises and rolling around on the ground.
"Enough, enough, enough!" Yin'e jumped up from the chair, grabbed Wulan's waist from behind, and dragged her backward.
Ulan was incredibly strong; it took him a great deal of effort to drag her away from Batu.
"If you hit me again, I'll kill you! My lady, calm down! Calm down!"
Ulan was held tightly around the waist by Yin'e and couldn't break free, panting heavily.
At this moment, Batu's face was covered in bruises, and his head was swollen like that of a wounded soldier who had just been carried off the battlefield.
Yin'e released Wulan, supported Batu's arms with both hands, and helped him sit down in a chair.
"My brother-in-law," Yin'e patted his shoulder, handed him a handkerchief, and said with a hint of helplessness, "your sister is just being strict because she loves you so much, don't blame her."
Batu took the handkerchief, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and gave a bitter smile.
"I could never beat her when I was little. When we were kids on the grasslands, she would chase me and beat me, from the yurt to the horse pen, and from the horse pen to the riverbank. My dad never cared. I got used to it."
Yin'e smiled and sat down in the chair next to him.
"Brother-in-law, since we've come this far, tell me what exactly happened?"