She mumbled these words incoherently, which was overheard by Zuo Lanzhi, who had just arrived hoping to see her make a fool of herself.

However, Xiao Yunying's words were too vague, and it was impossible to hear what she said. Even when Zuo Lanzhi leaned closer to listen carefully, she could only vaguely hear her call Luo Sheng's name.

"Oh, so you still have the mind to call out Brother Luo Sheng's name? Brother Luo Sheng is currently handling matters in the capital and won't be back for a while, so don't even dream that he can come to save you."

She raised her voice to say these words, but found that Xiao Yunying had no reaction. The old woman next to her whispered, "Miss, she seems to have heatstroke. She looks like she's about to faint."

Zuo Lanzhi glanced at the setting sun and said to the old woman, "Have someone remove the brazier and fetch a few basins of water to splash on her. Make sure it's ice water!"

Xiao Yunying was feeling confused when she suddenly felt a chill on her head and shivered from the cold.

She gasped, and before she could speak, several more buckets of ice water were poured over her head, soaking her completely.

The commotion was so great that no one saw a small head peek out from behind the stone archway at the other end of the corridor. Seeing Xiao Yunying being tortured, the head frowned in pity.

The girl who had been peeping rolled her eyes and thought for a while. Finally, she realized what it was about and quietly slipped back in, as if she had never been there at all.

The girl calmly left the gate under the pretext of going out to buy pastries. After turning the corner, she looked back to make sure the gatekeeper couldn't see her, then lifted her skirt and ran eastward.

Zuo Lanzhi dismissed the maids carrying wooden basins and stepped aside to wait. She then walked up to Xiao Yunying and asked, "How are you? Are you awake?"

Xiao Yunying let out a long breath: "What else do you want?"

She had been exposed to the sun all afternoon, and was also being roasted by charcoal fire. When she was suddenly doused with ice water, she felt uncomfortable all over, but couldn't pinpoint exactly where she felt uncomfortable.

She could feel her whole body was weak, she was trembling uncontrollably, and she was constantly sweating profusely.

"Do you know you're wrong?" Zuo Lanzhi walked around her, as if admiring a work of art she had created: "You really have a great figure, no wonder Brother Luo Sheng likes you."

Xiao Yunying looked up and glanced around at the guards and maids, then looked down at her inner garment, which was clinging to her body because it was wet from the water. Even though she wasn't naked, she felt extremely humiliated by the malicious stares of the group.

She lowered her head, but her tone was firm: "What did I do wrong? It's clearly you who are wicked, malicious and despicable, but you refuse to admit it and insist on blaming me."

Zuo Lanzhi exclaimed, "If you hadn't shamelessly seduced Brother Luo Sheng, I wouldn't have had to do this."

"Hehe." Xiao Yunying looked up, her face full of mockery: "In all my life, this is the first time I've seen someone as hypocritical and vicious as you, yet so oblivious to it."

"You!" Zuo Lanzhi was furious. She took two steps forward, intending to teach her a lesson, but remembering that she had been kicked by her several times before, she turned around, grabbed the ice water that a maid had not yet poured out, and forcefully splashed it on Xiao Yunying.

Not content with just splashing ice water, he also forcefully threw the wooden basin he was holding onto Xiao Yunying's head.

The wooden basin, made of solid wood, was quite heavy. Xiao Yunying heard a thud and felt something heavy hit her forehead, so she couldn't help but groan.

Then I heard a long buzzing sound in both ears, and I felt dizzy.

During this time, Zuo Lanzhi was rambling on and on, but she didn't hear a single word. After a while, she regained some of her senses, and her anger surged as she directly cursed:

"You son of a bitch, Zuo Lanzhi, if you have the guts, kill me today. If you can't, just wait until I get a chance, and I'll definitely kill you!"

Zuo Lanzhi was also quite angry at her attitude, completely forgetting the words of the Minister's wife: "Fine, you still won't beg for mercy, huh? If you want to die, then I'll grant your wish. Guards, put her down and give her thirty lashes. I want to see if the lashes are harder or her bones are harder!"

Several guards hesitated for a moment, then one of them said, "Miss, she is, after all, General Luo's nominal wife, and besides, Madam said it's not possible..."

"No? What do you mean no?!" Zuo Lanzhi glared at him and said, "You are my Zuo family's guards. If you dare disobey me, I'll have my father deal with you!"

After some deliberation, the guards could only decide to obey their master.

Someone brought over a bench and a board, untied Xiao Yunying's wrists, dragged her over, and pressed her onto the bench.

Xiao Yunying tried to struggle a couple of times, but unfortunately she was powerless and had no strength to resist.

She ordered Hu Feng to be beaten with thirty strokes of the cane, but he only got twenty. Zuo Lanzhi really wanted to ruin herself.

Should we hide inside the supermarket?

But if that's the case, she'll probably never be able to go back to Xiaqu Village again, and never be able to live with the people she cares about again.

It might even implicate them; knowing monsters here is not a good thing.

It's getting dark. Will Madam Luo notice something's wrong if I don't go back?

I think so. The coachman who came with me this time is from the Luo family. He knows a little martial arts. He hasn't been able to find me for so long, he should have noticed something.

Hopefully, he'll be smart enough to go back and tell Madam Luo or ask Chen Yuancheng for help, since they're probably the only two people in the city who can come to his rescue.

Xiao Yunying racked her sluggish brain for a solution, but Zuo Lanzhi didn't give her a chance to think. She bent down in front of her and said:

"Xiao Yunying, I'm giving you one last chance. If you're willing to kneel down and kowtow to me a few times, and then personally go to Brother Luo Sheng and tell him that you know you're not good enough for him and are willing to give up your status as his wife and become a concubine, I'll let you go. What do you say?"

Xiao Yunying raised her head and looked at her, saying, "You want me to kneel down and beg for mercy? Dream on! How many times have I told you, your desire to marry Luo Sheng is your business and his business, it has nothing to do with me. You two should resolve it yourselves, why do you have to cling to me like this!"

She couldn't help but feel resentment towards Luo Sheng.

That scoundrel of a man, he only attracts trouble with women, and he not only fails to handle things well but also drags her down with him.

Zuo Lanzhi stood up: "It was Brother Luo Sheng who personally requested the marriage decree, so naturally he can't ask the Emperor to rescind the order. Only you can speak on this."

Xiao Yunying cursed inwardly: "You know this is an imperial decree, do you think it's a joke? You can't just give it away and take it back as you please. Luo Sheng can't offend the emperor, but I can?"

Zuo Lanzhi thought she was worried about angering the emperor and losing her life, so she said to her, "You are just a peasant girl. Even if you don't know the rules and etiquette, the emperor will not blame you. My father will also plead for you. At most, he will only take back your title of county princess. You will not lose your life."

Xiao Yunying, who had been holding her upper body up for so long, was quite tired, so she simply relaxed and lay down on the bench: "You make it sound so easy. I really suspect that your mother abandoned the child when she gave birth to you and raised the placenta instead. Why should I give up my status as a county princess and my status as the principal wife to become a concubine because of you? Is it because you have a thick skin or because you have no shame?!"