Su Xi-er shook her head at Prince Yun, but before she could refuse him, Prince Hao’s imperial guard suddenly dismounted his horse and handed her a thick and long rope.
“Tie the rope around your hands. I’ll be tying the other end to the horse carriage.” The imperial guard stared solemnly at the rope before signalling her to hurry up.
Su Xi-er shook the rope a little with her hand. “Have you been frightened silly by Prince Hao? How am I able to tie up my own hands? I will need to trouble you to tie them up for me.”
The imperial guard suddenly felt embarrassed. How could I have forgotten about this? However, considering that she’s a woman, it seems a little inappropriate for me to touch her hands to tie them up…
At this point, Yun Ruofeng asked, “Why is Prince Hao punishing you? What have you done wrong?”
Su Xi-er stayed silent and raised both hands up, looking at the imperial guard ‘sincerely’. “You should hurry up and tie my hands. Otherwise, your punishment will be unthinkable when Prince Hao finds you inefficient.”
The imperial guard trembled and quickly began to tie up Su Xi-er’s hands.
Yun Ruofeng suddenly voiced out to stop him. “Go back and tell your Prince Hao that since we are within the borders of Nanzhao now, any of his displeasure should have nothing to do with this maidservant, and should instead be aimed towards Nanzhao. On account of this prince, he should spare her.”
Yun Ruofeng stepped off the horse carriage after that, still clad in white, and giving off an air of gentleness and warmth.
“If Prince Hao blames you, ask him to find this Prince.” Yun Ruofeng extended his hand towards Su Xi-er and smiled at her, “You can ride on this prince’s horse carriage.”
“Many thanks to Prince Yun, but it is this servant who is at fault, so I should receive punishment.” Su Xi-er refused him. She then raised both hands to let the imperial guard tie them up.
The imperial guard immediately got ready to tie her hands up.
At this point, a man’s oppressive voice could be heard. “This prince is just punishing a maidservant, but this has unexpectedly alarmed Prince Yun.”
With the number of pedestrians on the road, one would’ve expected it to be bustling with activity. Once Pei Qianhao and Yun Ruofeng appeared however, it suddenly became deathly silent.
It felt as if the air had congealed, and even the sound of breathing couldn’t be heard.
All of the imperial guards were dispatched to disperse the crowd. Suddenly, the horse carriages and troop had taken up the entire road. All the pedestrians had left, and all the shops had closed.
Yun Ruofeng gave a gentlemanly smile as he spoke, “Nanzhao is governed by virtuosity. In that sense, it is very cruel to tie a woman up to walk behind a horse carriage.”
Cruel… Su Xi-er sneered to herself, He is once again putting on a facade and lying to everyone.
Pei Qianhao ignored his words and sneered to himself. “Prince Yun, you have depended on your own abilities to rise from a common soldier to the rank of General. You have even given yourself the title of Prince, and become the most powerful man in Nanzhao. How is it possible for you not to be cruel? Why are you suddenly becoming so soft-hearted?”
Everyone trembled after hearing this. While the soldiers from the Prince Hao Residence maintained their composure, those under Prince Yun knitted their brows as their grip on their swords tightened.
Prince Hao is being wildly arrogant, not respecting Prince Yun at all!
Yun Ruofeng didn’t show any trace of anger on his face, instead continuing to smile gently. “It is not being soft-hearted. It’s simply that, if there is punishment, there must be a reason. What crime has this maidservant committed?”
“What crime?” Pei Qianhao chuckled and looked at Su Xi-er, his gaze moving to her face as he spoke, “There is naturally a reason that this prince is punishing her. However, no matter what the reason, it’s still this prince’s affairs. Prince Yun seems to have stuck his nose into someone else’s business.”
Once he finished speaking, Pei Qianhao walked up and grabbed Su Xi-er’s wrists, taking her to the side of the horse carriage.
Yun Ruofeng stood quietly, appearing pensive as he watched their clasped hands.
