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Madam Xiao was taken to the flower pavilion.
When Yan Qing arrived, Madam Xiao and the two maidservants were impatiently asking the maidservant, “Why hasn’t Princess Chang appeared yet?”
The maidservant replied, “Her Highness is having her breakfast.”
Madam Xiao’s expression turned unpleasant, “We came early in the morning and Princess Chang is still leisurely having her breakfast?”
“If Mrs. Xiao is impatient, you are welcome to leave.” Yan Qing arrived at the flower pavilion with her maidservant, her tone indifferent and distant, “My mansion is not the place for you to flaunt your power.”
Madam Xiao’s face slightly changed, and she quickly stood up, “Your Highness, Princess Chang.”
“It seems Mrs. Xiao has been waiting for a while and feels wronged.” Yan Qing glanced subtly, looking at the two maidservants standing beside her, “Speak, what is it?”
“I want to see Jinghan.”
“You want to see?” Yan Qing’s lips quirked slightly, a hint of mockery in her gaze as she looked at Madam Xiao, “This is my mansion, and you think you can see whoever you want?”
Madam Xiao’s expression darkened slightly, “Jinghan is my son, I want to see him. This should be a reasonable request.”
“This request is not reasonable to me.” Yan Qing leaned against a pillar of the pavilion, “Especially when Mrs. Xiao and the maidservants seem to lack even basic etiquette. Why should you make demands in front of me?”
Madam Xiao’s face turned pale, “What do you mean, Princess Chang?”
“Ah! That’s right.” Yan Qing smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, “Technically, you are older than the Emperor. Should I have the Emperor come and kneel before you?”
“Princess Chang, please watch your words!” Madam Xiao’s face was ashen, unconsciously clutching her handkerchief tightly, “How can you show such blatant disrespect?”
Blatant disrespect?
Just getting started!
Yan Qing decided she wanted to do more disrespectful things in this lifetime, preferably enough to make her late father jump out of his tomb in anger.
“Bring him.” She turned her head casually and ordered, “Go to the dungeon and bring Xiao Jinghan here.”
The mansion’s guards hurried off to fulfill the command.
The dungeon?
Madam Xiao couldn’t believe it as she stared at Yan Qing. Yan Qing had actually confined Jinghan in the dungeon?
This was outrageous!
Yan Qing paid no attention to her disbelief. While waiting for the Qilin Guards to bring Jinghan, a maid brought a chair and placed it beside Yan Qing.
“Since Mrs. Xiao is here, I can take care of some family matters.” Yan Qing adjusted her robe and sat on the chair, “The two maidservants don’t often visit my residence. Today, they can observe and see how I manage household affairs.”
Soon, Xiao Jinghan was brought over, escorted by the Qilin Guards, each one agile and formidable, the cream of the crop.
Madam Xiao hurried forward, “My son!”
Jinghan’s face was pale and haggard, his hair slightly disheveled. He appeared disheveled and weak from external and internal injuries, looking pitiful and frail.
Madam Xiao could hardly believe that in just two days, her son had been tormented into such a state.
“Yan Qing!” She turned to Yan Qing, her voice sharp, “Even if you are a princess, you have no right to torture your husband like this. He is your husband, not a criminal, and certainly not your servant!”
Yan Qing raised her hand lightly.
The Qilin Guards directly brought Jinghan into the courtyard, blocking Madam Xiao from getting close to Jinghan.
“Yan Qing.” Jinghan struggled fiercely, glaring at Yan Qing with resentment, “You dare to treat me like this. The Emperor will not let this—”
“Jinghan has violated my rules, neglected his duties as a husband, committed adultery. Originally, I intended to divorce him.” Yan Qing’s tone remained indifferent, “But considering General Xiao’s merits, I’ll only punish him with twenty lashes.”
Jinghan’s face paled, “What… what did you say?”
Two days ago, the Qilin Guards had taken him to the dungeon and whipped him eighty times without a word. Today, he was going to be lashed again?
This is going too far!
“You can’t do this!” Madam Xiao’s face turned pale, and she anxiously tried to rush forward to stop it, “Princess… no, Princess Chang, Jinghan was just momentarily confused, not intentionally making a mistake. You… you can’t lash him…”
“Your Highness, Princess, you mustn’t!” The two maidservants hurriedly intervened, “These lashes can cause serious harm. What if Master Xiao gets injured? He already has wounds on him. Your Highness, General Xiao only has this one son.”
“This is my family matter. Does Mrs. Xiao and the two maidservants want to get involved?” Yan Qing raised an eyebrow, looking like she was smiling, but it sent a chill down everyone’s spine, “Shen Mo.”
Shen Mo gestured, and the four guards escorting Jinghan quickly pinned him down on a spring stool. Two sticks held his neck in place, immobilizing him, while the other two sticks rained down on him.
Madam Xiao’s expression changed abruptly, and she tried to rush forward, her voice desperate and angry, “Your Highness, you can’t do this!”
The two maidservants exchanged a glance, subconsciously wanting to step forward to stop it. However, Shen Mo simply stood in front of them, his gaze sharp, “Take another step, and you’ll leave your lives here.”
The two maidservants were horrified, almost unable to believe that Princess Chang and the Qilin Guards had become so audacious.
Openly defying the imperial decree, lashing the husband in front of them, showing no regard for the Empress Dowager?
“Princess… Princess Chang, the imperial decree must not be defied! The authority of the Emperor must not be offended!” Old Lady Chen urgently tried to stop, “If the Empress Dowager learns of such blatant disrespect from the Princess, how will the Princess explain herself? And when facing the Emperor, how will she justify her actions?”
As the wooden stick fell on Xiao Jinghan, Yan Qing watched him grimace in pain, his face turning ashen. She smiled lightly, “I am the Lone Star of Calamity. Did you forget, Old Lady Chen?”
Old Lady Chen’s face turned pale.
“What does ‘Lone Star of Calamity’ mean? Do you need me to explain it to you?” Yan Qing leaned against the chair, lazily propping up her chin with her fair hand, her smile chilling, “Everyone who gets close to me will meet an untimely end. If you two maidservants are tired of living, I am willing to fulfill your wishes and send you to the King of Hell.”
Old Lady Chen shuddered, her face turning ashen.
As the most favored maidservants by the Empress Dowager, back when she was still the Empress, they were in charge of the education of the palace maidens and servants. No one had ever dared to be so disrespectful to them.
As the saying goes, you must also consider the master when you want to punish the dog.
Even the princes and princesses showed three points of respect towards the maidservants in charge of the Empress, reluctant to offend them easily. No one had ever threatened to send them to meet the King of Hell.
However, what made the two maidservants shudder was not this, but the title of the Ninth Princess as the “Lone Star of Calamity”, where those who got close to her met an untimely end… If this statement came from someone else’s mouth, it might be seen as a curse or a threat, but when it came from the Ninth Princess…
She was a monster! A natural female calamity god.
Old Lady Chen gritted her teeth, “Your Highness, Princess Chang, your actions put us in a difficult position.”
“I’m not putting you in a difficult position.” Yan Qing blew on her nails, “After the twenty lashes, you can leave.”
“But Master Xiao…”
“Xiao Jinghan’s injuries are severe and require rest.” Yan Qing raised her eyes to look at him, “Or does Old Lady Chen want Xiao Jinghan to drag his ‘ailing body’ to the palace to meet the Emperor?”