Chapter 28: What a Powerful Mouth

The concubine sighed: "Lin'er, you are just too simple and kind."

"She killed your maid and seriously injured you, and you still speak on her behalf."

"It's good to be kind, but being too kind can lead to harm."

When Fang Yilin mentioned this, tears suddenly filled his eyes.

She seemed to be trying her best to endure it.

Tears were streaming down my face.

Her pale face was covered with tears, and she looked so pitiful.

The concubine was immediately distressed.

"Don't cry, don't cry." The concubine patted Fang Yilin's shoulder, "Auntie will make the decision for you."

The concubine glared at Xie Yingmian: "Someone come!"

"Slap me in the face."

"I want to see if she dares to continue to be so arrogant while guarding me."

The concubine gave an order.

Two maids with unfriendly faces walked towards Xie Yingmian.

Xie Yingmian frowned slightly.

The concubine was determined to give her a warning.

"My Lady Consort." Xie Yingmian lowered her eyes. "Would you allow me to say a few words?"

Seeing Xie Yingmian lowering her brows and looking submissive, the concubine thought she was afraid and sneered, "Are you afraid now?"

"I thought you were so strong-willed."

"It's too late to be afraid now."

Xie Yingmian said frankly: "I'm not afraid, I'm just asking."

"The Concubine has always said that Yingmian doesn't know the rules. Yingmian just wants to ask, from the time she entered the courtyard until now, where has Yingmian violated the rules?"

The concubine was choked by Xie Yingmian.

Xie Yingmian is questioning her?

A lowly village girl dares to question her?

The concubine's face turned ashen with anger.

Xie Yingmian ignored the Concubine Dowager's grim expression and said directly to Fang Yilin, "Isn't it Miss Fang who said I don't understand the rules?"

"Or, Miss Fang, please point out where I broke the rules?"

The concubine said angrily, "What?"

"I'm not allowed to hit you? I'm not allowed to punish you?"

Xie Yingmian said sternly, "Your Highness the Concubine is too kind."

"You are the elder, so of course you will beat her. You can punish Yingmian in any way you want. Yingmian dare not complain."

"It's just that Yingmian grew up on the farm and doesn't understand the rules of the palace."

"So, Miss Fang said Yingmian didn't know the rules. Yingmian felt deeply guilty and wanted to take this opportunity to learn."

"After this lesson, not only have I learned the rules, but I won't make the same mistake again next time. It's killing two birds with one stone, don't you think?"

Toffee nearly choked to death.

She wanted to refute, but found that she couldn't refute.

I really can't explain why, it seems like she is taking advantage of her status to bully the younger generation.

"What a powerful mouth." said the concubine.

"I used to think you were an honest and decent person."

"I never thought I was wrong and married such a tyrannical and unreasonable troublemaker."

Xie Yingmian looked at the concubine seriously.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Toffee. You must trust your own judgment."

"Besides, a house troublemaker is someone who messes up the house."

"Prince Ling's Mansion is fine, please don't curse yourself, Madam Dowager."

"You..." The concubine met Xie Yingmian's serious gaze, as if she had thrown a heavy punch but hit cotton.

That feeling of being unable to breathe.

This made her, who had always lived a life of luxury, feel unprecedentedly suffocated.

"Miss Fang, where did I go wrong with the rules? Please point it out and I will definitely change it in the future." Xie Yingmian looked curious.

Fang Yilin's already ugly expression became even uglier.

She just said it casually and made up a crime for Xie Yingmian.

Who would have thought that Xie Yingmian was so serious.

She looked at the Toffee, who had a sullen face and didn't say anything.

Based on her understanding of the Concubine Dowager, she knew that she wanted Xie Yingmian to be convinced.

Fang Yilin spoke softly, "You interrupted Nanny Fang's execution as soon as you entered the room. This is against the rules."

Xie Yingmian asked in surprise, "Didn't Miss Fang hear our conversation just now?"

"After I entered the courtyard, I saw Madam Chang being beaten to death. I asked out of curiosity, that's all."

"Whether or not Madam Fang carries out the execution is none of my business, so how can you say I interrupted her execution?"

Fang Yilin: "But you disturbed me later..."

Xie Yingmian: "Miss Fang, you are wrong. I never provoked Nanny Fang from the beginning to the end. It was Nanny Fang who stopped and started talking nonsense."

"I'm talking about my own thing, and Aunt Fang is hitting her own thing. How is this against the rules?"

"If anyone is to say who broke the rules, it should be Nanny Fang who stopped without permission, right?"

Fang Yilin's words were all blocked.

She had to admit that Xie Yingmian was right.

Xie Yingmian just asked, which was not considered a violation of the rules.

Xie Yingmian continued to ask, "Excuse me, Miss Fang, what punishment should Madam Fang receive for breaking the rules out of selfishness?"

Fang Yilin choked.

Xie Yingmian: "Miss Fang, don't you know?"

"I thought Miss Fang knew the rules of the palace like the back of her hand."

Her tone was somewhat disappointed and doubtful, and she whispered quietly enough for Fang Yilin to hear, "So it's just this."

Fang Yilin was provoked by Xie Yingmian and said coldly, "Of course I know."

"According to the rules, he will be punished with fifteen lashes of the cane and a fine of three months' salary."

Xie Yingmian stretched out his tone: "Oh..."

"Fifteen lashes of board, three months' salary."

"The palace takes rules very seriously, they won't let this go unchecked, right? I wonder when the execution will take place?"

Fang Yilin was shocked to realize that he had been fooled.

She wanted to punish Xie Yingmian, so why did she bring it to Nanny Fang?

"If Madam Fang does something wrong, someone will punish her," Fang Yilin said.

"Aunt Dowager is going to slap you. You're disrespectful and you've hurt Aunt Fang, which is also disobeying the rules."

Xie Yingmian was surprised: "I have already explained this to the Concubine Dowager."

"I didn't move at all, just waiting for Nanny Fang to come and teach me a lesson."

"Madame Fang also attacked, but her old eyesight was blurry and she hit herself. You can't blame me for that, right?"

"Also, Nanny Fang fell down by herself. I didn't hurt her. Is she blaming me for her fall?"

"If that's the case, then aren't the palace's rules being treated too lightly?"

Xie Yingmian frowned, a look of doubt on her face: "Does Miss Fang really understand the rules of the palace? Otherwise, I should find someone else to learn from."

Fang Yilin was extremely angry.

She almost gritted her teeth and said, "Aunt Dowager Toffee is right. You are really eloquent."

"Okay, even if you have the wrong reason about the matter in the yard."

"What happened after you entered the house?"

"You spoke rudely to Aunt Dowager Toffee after you entered the house..."

Xie Yingmian interrupted her directly: "How did I say anything rude?"

"Could it be that the rude words Miss Fang said were the ones I asked in return?"

"But, that's my normal speech."

"You can say I'm straightforward and I don't beat around the bush, but you can't say I'm rude."

"I raised reasonable questions and gave reasonable explanations, so why was that considered rude?"

Xie Yingmian bowed to the imperial concubine: "Your Highness the Imperial Concubine."

"Yingmian comes from Zhuangzi. She doesn't beat around the bush, doesn't flatter, and certainly won't say anything against her will to please you, the Empress Dowager."

"The truth is hard to hear and I'm deeply sorry for making you unhappy."

"If you want to be punished, Yingmian will accept it."

Xie Yingmian said to the two maids, "Mammy, please carry out the execution."

The concubine was so angry at Xie Yingmian that she laughed.

What a great Xie Yingmian.

After all the roundabout talk, it turned out that he was waiting for her here.

Good, very good.