Shui Yinglian immediately prostrated on the ground and begged in a quivering voice, ignoring the icy water seeping into her hair. “Prince Hao, please forgive me…” Her voice faltered.
Pei Qianhao looked at the uncontrollably shaking Shui Yinglian and compared her to Su Xi-er. While other women beg for forgiveness after committing a crime, she…
Pei Qianhao’s gaze became even more ice-cold. “Since you like to lie prone on the ground, it would be good for you to do so until noon tomorrow.”
Shui Yinglian immediately replied, “This humble woman obeys the order.” She then pressed her body even closer to the floor to the point that her whole face was leaning against the floor, causing her fair face to be sullied by the dust on the ground.
Disregarding the fact that Shui Yinglian’s clothing was soaked, the cold temperatures in the dead of night were already enough to guarantee she would fall ill if she was forced to lay there until noon. If I didn’t know her mother’s relationship with Mother Empress, I could still allow myself to watch on unfeelingly. However, she is still of Nanzhao’s blood.
Hence, Su Xi-er raised her head. “Prince Hao, why must someone of your station make things difficult for a weak woman? Since she dropped the wooden basin because she was afraid, this servant hopes that you can be benevolent and let her off, Prince Hao.”
After all this time, she is only interceding for the sake of another woman.
Pei Qianhao’s eyes were filled with coldness. “This prince doesn’t know what ‘benevolence’ is. That word is unrelated to this prince.” He then turned around and prepared to leave.
Before he could make it far however, the hem of his clothes was firmly pulled by a small hand as a woman’s soft voice sounded. “Prince Hao, let her off. This servant was the root of the matter.”
Pei Qianhao lowered his head and looked down at her, seeing that her face was filled with sincerity. “Didn’t you have the intention to play a prank on her? What, are you regretting it now?”
When Shui Yinglian heard the words ‘playing a prank’, her trembling body shook even more violently. That woman is quite nice. She doesn’t have an interest in Prince Hao either, so how could it be possible for her to play a trick on me?
“Prince Hao, you have misunderstood. This servant didn’t play a prank on her.” Su Xi-er simply saw the yearning in Shui Yinglian’s eyes and only did that because she was annoyed by her constant pestering.
Besides, Pei Qianhao treated me in such a manner. It’s inevitable that I would want to play a prank on him. To put it bluntly, the person Su Xi-er really wanted to ‘play a prank’ on was Pei Qianhao.
“If that’s the case, you weren’t playing a prank on her, but this prince instead?”
His frigid tone echoed in the night, causing the still shivering Shui Yinglian to once again give a small jolt.
Since she had already come so far, Su Xi-er decided to simply steel her heart. “Prince Hao, since you are already clear on this fact, this servant won’t say anything more. You can punish this servant.”
Shui Yinglian’s eyes instantly widened, momentarily forgetting about Pei Qianhao as she raised her head to stare at Su Xi-er in astonishment. She actually admitted to pranking Prince Hao! Based on how dangerous Prince Hao is, he will definitely not spare Su Xi-er.
“You admitted so readily that you played a prank on this prince. Do you understand what the price is?” Pei Qianhao flung the hem of his sleeves, breaking free of her hand that clutched it.
“Of course I understand,” Su Xi-er enunciated.
Pei Qianhao crouched down and looked at her at eye level with a devilish face. “As you wish, I will punish you and not her.” He then stood up and waved his hand at Shui Yinglian, instructing, “Withdraw.”
Shui Yinglian wanted to say something, but was so frightened by the cold glance Pei Qianhao shot at her that she no longer dared to voice anything.
In the end, she could only shoot a flustered glance at Su Xi-er before immediately fleeing down whatever path she could. Perhaps only a personal maidservant can deal with Prince Hao’s unyielding aura.
“This servant will accept any punishment. But…this servant doesn’t wish to be forced to take off my clothes again.” Su Xi-er raised her head and looked straight at him. She felt that it was very necessary for her to stress the latter part.
Pei Qianhao laughed. “This prince has just seen it today, so I won’t see it a second time. It’s just that this prince can’t think of how I should punish you. Tell me, why did you prank this prince? If you provide a satisfactory explanation, perhaps your punishment will be lighter.”
“Prince Hao, don’t you understand what the most important thing to a woman is?”
Pei Qianhao looked at her endlessly flickering eyes that appeared to dance in the moonlight. She was using such an earnest expression to ask him what the most important thing to a woman was.
Su Xi-er didn’t wait for him to reply before continuing. “Prince Hao, you may answer appearance, but what this servant wants to tell you is chastity. Every woman, no matter what their status is, hides the thought of marrying someone.”
Her words were only half truthful, although for her, she had only played a prank to get back at him. Everyone had their own dignity, but she figured that if she talked to Pei Qianhao about dignity, what she would get in return would probably be a sneer of disdain.
What sort of dignity did a palace maid have to speak of in front of Pei Qianhao?
“What you mean is that, since this prince have seen all of you, I have to take responsibility and marry you? So it turns out that this was your plan.”
“This servant doesn’t dare, Prince Hao. You can beat and lambaste this servant, but you can’t joke with me, ignoring the difference between men and women, overstepping your status and doing some bad things to this servant.”
Her tone was flat, but her words were extremely audacious! In short, she was telling him, “With your lofty and powerful status, you should stop acting like a common hoodlum!”
Pei Qianhao’s voice was deep and low as a dangerous glint flashed across his eyes. “Bad things? No one has spoken those words to this prince before. Su Xi-er, this time, you have overstepped your boundaries.”
He then chuckled and swayed the hem of his sleeves before fading into the distance.
Su Xi-er looked at the empty wooden basin beside her. Is he really going to let me off just like that?
That hope was soon dashed as an imperial guard soon made his way over with a whip in his hands.
Stopping before Su Xi-er, the imperial bodyguard cupped his fist and said apologetically, “I am an imperial guard from the Prince Hao Residence. Conveying Prince Hao’s verbal edict, Su Xi-er offended her superior and is to be whipped 20 times as discipline.”
Not a second after, the whip was raised and struck Su Xi-er’s back fiercely.
Su Xi-er was expressionless. How meaningless. This sort of pain can’t even begin to compare to what I have experienced. The whips on landing on her felt only felt like a drizzle to her.
Puzzlement and shock flitted across the imperial guard’s eyes, feeling that he was witnessing something inconceivable. A normal woman would definitely collapse to the ground within ten strikes. I have already thrashed more than ten times, yet she is still not budging even an inch.
The imperial bodyguard was a little soft-hearted and couldn’t bear to continue. The complete lack of reaction suggested that this woman was already used to such punishments. A woman who is used to being whipped must have suffered a lot of hardships.
He involuntarily began to slow down his strikes, but when he recalled Prince Hao’s expression and tone when he had issued the edict, the guard’s whole body trembled.
Hence, the imperial guard could only clench his teeth and increase the force for the last three whips.
Rip! The back of the dress was torn, revealing the lacerated skin and fresh blood slowly trickling down.
The imperial bodyguard wound up the whip and cupped his fist again. His tone was filled with apology. “I’m sorry. I was executing orders. Don’t blame me.”
Su Xi-er bit her pallid lips and suddenly smiled. “Why would I blame you? You should leave.”
I brought this upon myself. I can’t blame anyone. For that teeny bit of pathetic dignity, I blustered and even played a prank before the eminent and mighty him.
Twenty whips is considered a light punishment.
