With his status, Xiao Zhu Zi could never leave Zhao Shu, nor could he betray her. Without Zhao Shu, the princess, he could accomplish nothing unless he followed the emperor. Obviously, he could never follow the emperor in this lifetime. Only by following Zhao Shu could he give full play to his strengths and realize his self-worth. Of course, he did not know what self-worth was, but he found his pursuit, which was to do great things with the princess and do every task assigned by the princess well.

Class also has its advantages. From Zhao Shu's perspective, class struggle also has a place in the ancient struggles of mankind.

Xiao Zhu bowed deeply, "Princess, this servant obeys." He took two steps forward and whispered to Zhao Shu, "Princess, the leader of the Jiedao Pavilion just asked me to convey that the Crown Prince will arrive in Guanzhou soon, but the Imperial Uncle will also be coming. His Highness's leg injury is extremely serious, and Lord Wei wants you to be prepared."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu slumped into a chair. Her hand touched the teacup, and scalding tea poured onto her hand, yet she felt no pain. Prepared? Prepared for what? Prepared to give up the Crown Prince?

No! She absolutely refuses! If this is fate, she will definitely defy it!

"Princess, Princess, they're almost here! Summon the Imperial Physician!" Xiao Zhuzi bustled around, quickly ordering someone to apply cold water to Zhao Shu's scalded area.

It wasn't until the Empress Dowager's personal physician arrived that Zhao Shu came to her senses. By then, her hand had already been bandaged. The Empress Dowager was also alarmed and sent Granny Zhong to take a look.

“Princess, how could you be so careless? If a woman gets hurt anywhere, it can affect her for the rest of her life,” said Granny Zhong with concern.

Zhao Shu smiled, but the smile was extremely forced. "I'm sorry to have worried you, Granny. I'm fine." Her gaze swept across the courtyard, where people were kneeling all over the ground, all of whom had failed to serve her properly and were waiting to be punished.

"You've frightened the Empress Dowager. I'm not trying to be mean, but such recklessness will lead to trouble." In her words, she not only mentioned being scalded, but also the matter of making Zhao Wanru and others wash clothes and clean the chamber pot.

Zhao Shu listened attentively without arguing. Only after Granny Zhong's throat was dry did she say, "Granny, we've just arrived and need people everywhere. Let's postpone their punishment, what do you think?"

That being said, the Empress Dowager had spoken, and twenty strokes of the cane for each person was considered lenient. She shook her head and said, "Princess, the Empress Dowager said that if we want to postpone it, then forty strokes of the cane for each person." This silenced Zhao Shu, who was about to continue pleading for mercy.

This matter has nothing to do with them. After thinking for a moment, Zhao Shu said loudly, "We'll give them another half a month's salary this month!"

Those who followed Zhao Shu to Guanzhou were almost all trustworthy. Although she wasn't afraid that someone would try to take advantage of her and bribe her, there's always a "brave" man when there's a lot of money involved. Who could guarantee that? So, being beaten up and receiving half a month's salary was a form of compensation. If someone with a shortsighted eye gave up long-term benefits and insisted on betraying her, there was nothing she could do. She could only give them two words—"looking for death."

Seeing how Zhao Shu handled the situation, Granny Zhong smiled with relief. The princess was becoming more and more sensible. She curtsied, told Zhao Shu to be careful and to take her medicine, and then went to report to the Empress Dowager.

Before leaving, Zhao Shu asked Xiao Guozi to hand her the food box that Huo Danlan had prepared, so that she could take it with her to the Empress Dowager.

After seeing Granny Zhong off, the sound of beating with a cane rang out in the courtyard. Everyone in the courtyard was beaten, but no one cried out. Even Green Ivy gritted her teeth and endured it.

After the twenty strokes of the cane were finished, Zhao Shu went over and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Everyone shook their heads, their noses stinging and tears streaming down their faces. They had never seen such a good master. It was normal for servants to be punished when their master was injured; being punished was considered lenient, and losing one's life was commonplace.

They silently wiped away their tears, vowing in their hearts to do their job well, and to make sure that anyone who dared to slander their princess would be punished!

Zhao Shu never expected that her simple desire to avoid being taken advantage of would yield such a positive result.

"Feipeng, go and get some money to buy some medicine for everyone. Now you can all go home. Be good to your work in the future," Zhao Shuwei said with a smile.

"Yes." Everyone knelt and bowed before leaving one after another, leaving Chu Chun and the others behind. The people sent by the Empress Dowager showed no favoritism, but it really hurt.

"Shengxia, give me the package. You all go down and apply the medicine," Zhao Shu gestured to Shengxia.

Shengxia hurriedly took off the bundle from her body and placed it on the table. She did not get up, but said, "Princess, we servants will stay with you."

"Go down, but Xiao Guozi stays. He's a man, his skin is tough and thick, unlike your delicate skin. It wouldn't be good if he got a scar. Apply some medicine first, then you can come back to serve him. Oh, and those three still need to do the laundry." Zhao Shu didn't forget to mention this, just in case they succumbed to the tyranny of the Guanzhou clan and didn't keep an eye on the men.

"Princess, rest assured, I have Tang Gang and Wu Feng watching over things. Miss Sun and Sister Banshu are also here, so nothing will go wrong. Sisters, please go downstairs. I'll keep watch here." After saying this to Zhao Shu, he urged Chu Chun and the others to leave.

Zhao Shu smiled wryly. Sun Yun's men hadn't been punished. No wonder she didn't see Sun Yun and Ban Shu. It turned out she was afraid that the Guanzhou clan would take the opportunity to snatch them away, so she went to oversee things herself.

He smiled and said to Chuchun and the others again, "Go down."

After hearing Xiao Guozi's words and seeing Zhao Shu's determination, Chu Chun and the others went down one after another, walking with a limp.

After everyone left, Xiao Zhu Zi was still standing there. He was also a man, and the person in front of him was considered a man. Zhao Shu glanced at him and said, "Go and do what I told you to do quickly."

"Yes." Upon receiving the order, Xiao Zhuzi hurriedly went downstairs.

Xiao Guozi stood guard at the door, not beside Zhao Shu. Zhao Shu sat in a chair, her mind seemingly filled with many thoughts, but upon closer inspection, trying to grasp those thoughts, her mind seemed to be completely blank.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!