As he spoke, he touched the ground with his forehead. At first, his forehead turned blue, and later it broke open and bled profusely.

A large crowd gathered, and seeing this scene, they couldn't help but point and whisper.

Pei Shijiu brought his men over and said with a stern face, "There's nothing to see here, everyone disperse."

Otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives were to take notice and say that the Princess Zhenguo was mistreating people, who knows what kind of rumors would spread.

Those onlookers refused to leave; they couldn't let such a juicy story slip by while shopping.

Pei Shijiu frowned: "Anyone who lingers here will be arrested."

Seeing that he was serious, the onlookers grumbled and dispersed with dissatisfaction.

Seeing how hard Song Ruier was acting, Qiao Lian'er squatted down.

Song Ruier thought Qiao Lian'er had softened her stance and was overjoyed.

As expected, Qiao Lian'er wasn't ruthless enough. If it were him, he would definitely eliminate the threat completely.

A soft heart and a soft hand will never amount to anything.

No wonder Qiao Lian'er treated the people in her fiefdom so well, distributing supplies and reducing taxes and corvée labor.

He thought she was putting on an act to gain prestige and a good reputation, but it turned out that she had a weak underlying personality.

This is a flaw she cannot overcome.

Once he grasps this weakness of hers, dealing with her in the future will be much easier.

The humiliation he suffered today, his predicament, will become the motivation and stepping stone for him to climb higher. And this humiliation and predicament were given to him by Qiao Lian'er. She will suffer terribly, terribly, terribly, beyond his imagination.

Qiao Lian'er saw Song Rui'er's eyes flicker, revealing a deep, dark aura.

She knew it; how could someone like that ever change?

I won't save you.

As soon as she uttered those words, she saw Song Ruier's body stiffen.

"However, since you knelt down before me and even kowtowed until your head was bleeding, I can't just leave without any thanks. Whether you're being sincere or not, I can offer you a word of advice."

"Your life is not impossible to save, but there is a condition: you must exchange it for your right hand."

Do you understand what I mean?

Qiao Lian'er got up and left.

Song Ruier raised her bloodshot, tearful eyes, her whole body trembling.

If his right hand is crippled, how can he, as a disabled person, participate in the palace examination? Even if the emperor doesn't mind that he is disabled and grants him the title of Jinshi, how will he survive in the officialdom in the future?

"Qiao Lian'er, how cruel you are! Are you even human? You will be punished! You will die a horrible death!"

Song Ruier gritted her teeth, a metallic taste rising in her throat, and almost vomited blood and fainted again.

Suddenly he noticed something. In the distance, among the crowd, he saw several familiar figures of wealthy young men. They were staring at his right hand, whispering among themselves, their expressions strange.