Upon seeing this, Su Xi-er’s heart couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Lianchen’s tiny face emerged in her mind. After I left, would Yun Ruofeng also beat him like this? Showing no mercy even though his flesh would be lacerated and battered?
No! How can that be? It’s normal for a child to be fond of playing. It’s alright to just guide the child patiently and systematically. It’s still not too late to discipline the child with a beating afterwards if they still don’t listen.
Invariably lashing, the consequences…
Su Xi-er’s closed eyes abruptly opened, a trace of resolution flickering through them.
She swiftly came out of the woods and shouted loudly, “Stop! I was the one who made him come!”
A woman’s delicate yell sounded in the Laundry Service Bureau’s courtyard. Situ Lin’s tiny body trembled. She actually came out to protect me.
Pei Qianhao’s hand that was brandishing the whip paused. He didn’t expect that she would be here.
As Wu Ling looked at Prince Hao’s complexion, his expression started to become complicated. The matter is getting increasingly troublesome. It won’t be settled just because of the appearance of an unexpected person.
“Imperial Uncle, I don’t know her. I came here on my own.” Situ Lin pretended to look at Su Xi-er with a look of disdain. His cheeks bulged as he tried to appear arrogant and willful.
“Imperial Uncle, she’s dressed in coarse clothes. Why would I listen to her? She’s just an ordinary palace maid. Hmph.”
Right after he finished speaking, the whip thrashed him again. Pei Qianhao looked at him coldly. “Take note of your words and actions. After this beating, you still have to go and copy the sages’ classics.”
Su Xi-er understood the deep meaning in Situ Lin’s words. She quickly walked forward, looked straight at Pei Qianhao, and bowed. “This servant pays her respects to Prince Hao.”
No one told her to get up. Pei Qianhao continued to quietly look at her like that.
Only after a while did Pei Qianhao respond. “Get up. Why don’t you say what’s going on? If this prince doesn’t find your explanation satisfactory, you will have to kneel.”
“This servant was worried about Ruo Yuan so I left the Palace Side Quarters. It’s just that I didn’t know which way I had taken after that. Then, I happened to bump into His Majesty while wandering around; thinking that he was a little eunuch, this servant asked him to take this servant here. Prince Hao, only after you appeared did I find out that he is His Majesty.”
Situ Lin couldn’t help but admire her. She’s just a palace maid, but actually manages to remain unruffled when facing Imperial Uncle’s powerful aura in such a tense situation. She’s really a miraculous woman!
Just as he was exclaiming to himself, he noticed that his imperial uncle had shot a cold look at him. He panicked and his heart suddenly jumped.
“Su Xi-er, are you foolish or stupid? How would you not know if he was a eunuch? You had long discerned His Majesty’s identity right?” Pei Qianhao raised his eyebrow as a mocking smile hung at his mouth.
Situ Lin’s face instantly flushed red. He never knew that his solemn and cold imperial uncle could still make jokes and tease people. At the same time, he found out that the name of the woman standing before him was Su Xi-er. This name is really pleasant to hear.
“Replying to Prince Hao, this servant really didn’t know His Majesty’s identity. Furthermore, which woman would look at that place? Only you can think of that, Prince Hao.” Although her tone was deferential, anybody paying attention to her words would feel as if something was off.
One just had to look between a man’s legs to check if he was a eunuch. If that wasn’t enough, one would know by going up to find out. Moreover, Situ Lin was still just a child and currently not considered a man.
Wasn’t speaking about Prince Hao that way indirectly saying, “Unlike you, I’m not perverted enough to have thought of this move.”
Wu Ling was observing silently at one side. Realising the hidden message in Su Xi-er’s words, he really wanted to burst into laughter. However, when he spotted Prince Hao’s cold expression, he didn’t dare to do so.
There had never been anyone, especially not a woman, who had said to Prince Hao, “You’re a pervert! Your thoughts aren’t pure…”
Pei Qianhao stared at her for a while longer before finally responding, “Not bad. There’s an overtone in your words. You know how to curse at people in a roundabout manner. According to what you said, you thought that His Majesty was a little eunuch and requested him to take you to the Laundry Service Bureau.”
At this point, he paused and looked at Ruo Yuan who was passed out. “This fat palace maid, are you planning to ask this prince to transfer her back to the Palace Side Quarters?”
