Chapter 15: Pisces
Her fingers clenched, Xia Tian almost flung the book in her hand at his face. Had they conspired to bully her? Did they think she was a soft persimmon that could be pinched at will? How detestable! Taking a few steps forward, she glared angrily at Yuan Longqiao.
"Is the princess's silence a tacit consent? Or is it that the princess has hurt her feelings and feels guilty in her heart?" Yuan Longchao pressed step by step.
Damn it! A surge of anger almost burst out.
"Little... miss?"
Xiatian bit her teeth and swallowed back the words that had already reached her lips.
Luò Jī poked her head out of Yuán Lóng Qiào's arms, furrowed her brow and looked towards the courtyard gate where Fèng Liǔ was holding a jade basin with a frightened face.
"Be quiet, you have no right to interrupt the masters' conversation. Have you forgotten all the rules you've learned these days? Get out of here quickly." She avoided the crowd behind her and secretly winked at Feng He.
Pursed her lips, Feng Lui looked at Xia Tian with concern and hesitation.
"Hurry up and get out, what are you dawdling for!" Xiumei urged.
The phoenix orchid was frightened and dared not stay any longer, hastily lowering its head and retreating out of the courtyard.
"Halt!" Luojie struggled free from Yuan Longqiao's embrace and shouted loudly.
Feng Lian hastily lifted her head and immediately lowered it again, standing at attention.
"Xiu Niang, how can you be in charge like this? These servants have made mistakes and yet they're not even being punished. If everyone behaves like this without discipline in the future, won't the Ling Wang Fu be thrown into chaos!" Luo Ji was no longer weak and frail, her eyebrows were furrowed and she stood tall with an air of authority.
"Yes, I know my fault." Xiuniang secretly frowned and stopped talking, standing aside with a sideways posture.
"Bring her in!" Luojie pointed at Fengli, "This servant girl disrespects her superiors, give her twenty strokes of the rod for me, and execute her immediately!"
Feng Lian's face turned white in an instant, the jade basin in her hand was forcibly snatched away by a small eunuch, and her empty hands couldn't stop trembling.
Three steps two steps rushing down the stairs, Summer blocked in front of Feng Lui, glaring at Luo Ji, not giving an inch.
Several other eunuchs quickly brought over a bench, fetched the wooden boards and stood on either side, waiting for their master's order to start the punishment. They seemed very familiar with this procedure.
Luo Ji smiled and met Xia Tian's gaze with a sarcastic tone: "This little girl shouldn't be the king's concubine's maid, right? No wonder she's so rude!" Her clever eyes moved as she deliberately paused before continuing with a hint of meaning: "However, if the king's concubine personally pleads for this little girl..."
The young woman suddenly realized, so it was.
"Maybe we can spare this little girl!" Luoji tossed out the bait slowly.
In the summer, she was slightly moved, and her eyes involuntarily looked towards Yuan Longqiao. She didn't believe in Lian Ji; here, who was the master of the house? She could still tell that apart clearly. Those shiny black eyes... She shivered with a chill, his eyes were unapologetically mocking and ridiculing, with a hint of pleasure and understanding, as if everything before him was already under his control, and she was just a self-righteous clown in his palm. The humiliation, like a maggot in the heel bone, cut off the last thread of cowardice in her heart and ignited the stubbornness that had been hidden deep within her soul. Silently standing, she didn't plead or give way.
Jian Xia Tian still didn't open his mouth, Luo Ji was somewhat unable to hold back her temper, she turned her head and looked at Yuan Long Qiao, she gritted her teeth and shouted in a shrill voice: "What are you still dazing about, give this lady a good beating!"
"Yes." Two eunuchs came forward and dragged Feng Liu away.
"Miss, miss, save me, miss!" Feng Lü was so frightened that her face turned pale, and her crying voice became more and more shrill.
Xiatian's eyes turned red with anger, and he swung the book in his hand heavily towards the two eunuchs who were holding Feng Lui. Although there were many people present, no one dared to touch Xiatian, and the eunuchs who were hit could only endure it silently.
Yi Ba La pulled over Feng Wei and handed the book in his hand to her. Xia Tian was really angry. He glared at Yuan Longqiao and walked to the stool, lying down on it.
Everyone was stunned. Luo Qi was dazed for a moment, and her mouth slightly curved up.
With a cold hum, Yuan Long's face turned iron-green as he spoke in a chilly tone: "What does the princess mean by this? Could it be that you think I, the king, do not dare to move against you? Xiū Niáng has already told you about the rules of the Líng Wáng Fǔ, where every blade of grass and tree in the Jìng Mò Xuān is not to be taken out at will. Yet, you secretly stole my book, and just for this point alone, I can severely punish you! I had originally intended to give you some face and not pursue the matter, but I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful. Fine, since you're willing to test the law with your body, then I'll fulfill your wish! Come, hit me!"
Book? Xia Tian's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"No, it wasn't Miss who stole the book!" Feng Lai wanted to step forward, but was tightly held back by the little eunuch.
Luojie's heart skipped a beat as she recalled the report from the warfront... A cold laugh was about to escape her lips when Yuan Longqiao spoke up even faster: "Even if you were the one who stole it, that just means your master didn't discipline you properly! You still deserve a beating!"
Luò Jī looked at him with an uncomprehending expression.
His gaze swept coldly across her face, and she felt a chill run down to the marrow of her bones, no longer daring to utter another word.
"If you beg for mercy now, I might spare your life for General Xia's sake!"
Summer raised her head.
"You can talk. As long as you speak up, I'll let you go!" Yuan Longchao said word by word.
It turned out that everything he did was to get himself to speak! Xia Tian gritted his teeth and firmly grasped the edge of the stool, determined not to show weakness in front of him.
"Summer days!" His chest heaved, Yuan Long was thoroughly enraged by her. His eyes turned fierce, his lips tightly pursed, and with a flick of his sleeve, he resolutely bellowed: "Fight!"