The moment Haitang recognized her young mistress, her dazed eyes finally brightened, and she grabbed Song Tangxue's wrist: "Miss..."

Haitang's tears rolled down her cheeks, not only hitting Haitang's body but also Song Tangxue's heart, causing her heart to ache. She pulled Haitang around and looked her over, becoming more and more horrified as she looked. There were hardly any patches of good skin left on Haitang's body.

With a pained expression, she reached out and stroked Haitang's cheek, noticing a shocking scar that ran from her neck to her ear.

"Who did this!" Song Tangxue was filled with grief and indignation, her eyes glaring fiercely at the onlookers.

Now everyone understood that this wasn't someone looking for thieves; it was someone who had come to back them up. The villagers didn't dare offend Song Tangxue, and a few whispered Wan Fugui's name.

"Bring him to me, and you can divide this money among yourselves." Money makes the world go round. Song Tangxue weighed the money bag in her hand, waiting for that damned man to be brought to her. She was determined to avenge Haitang.

He also wanted to help Haitang resolve her resentment so that she wouldn't suffer from nightmares and endless nights.

Who wouldn't be greedy in such a small village?

The villagers stared at the money bag like hungry dogs eyeing a bone, their gaze greedy and undisguised. A crowd surged forward, and several villagers spontaneously and bravely joined in.

Before long, Wan Fugui was bound hand and foot and pushed in front of Song Tangxue.

The villager who claimed to be all-knowing mustered his courage and approached her: "Miss, this man is Wan Fugui..."

The money bag was thrown in front of the villager, who beamed and kowtowed several times before returning to the commotion with the money bag.

Out of place with the lively atmosphere over there, Wan Fugui was forced to kneel on the ground, his heart pounding.

Song Tangxue kicked Wan Fugui in the shoulder, sending him tumbling head over heels. "So you're the one who bullied Haitang?"

His eyes were cold, and he looked at Wan Fugui as if he were looking at a dead man.

Wan Fugui straightened up, his eyes sweeping coldly over Haitang. Haitang's palm, which was held in Song Tangxue's hand, twitched slightly. Noticing Haitang's subconscious movement, Song Tangxue felt a pang of heartache.

That Wan Fugui is truly despicable!

"So what if I hit her!" Wan Fugui glared at Haitang viciously, his eyes lewd: "Aren't women born to be beaten? I bought her, so she's my wife. Even if I beat her to death, that's what she deserves."

"Women are born sluts, all they do is get beaten and that's it for sex!" Wan Fugui was a stubborn bastard, and his words were so vile that some of the surrounding villagers nodded in agreement.

Song Tangxue looked at her with icy eyes, drew a dagger from her waist, and plunged it into the wooden table next to her, easily making a hole.

This is enough to prove that the dagger is as sharp as mud when it cuts through bone.

There's no point in reasoning with this kind of person; they won't listen anyway, as their deeply ingrained ideas are buried in their hearts.

He wasn't the only one; many people here thought the same way.

Song Tangxue scoffed inwardly. So what if she's a woman? Women can still turn the world upside down with a flick of their wrists. They're a thousand times better than these disgusting maggots who live in this world.

Fate is always in our own hands, not lightly defined by the world's conventions and prejudices.

Seeing Song Tangxue draw her knife, Muramasa, fearing someone might die, stepped forward and stood in front of Wan Fugui with a smile, saying, "Miss, you've found this maid. Wan Fugui is, after all, her nominal husband, so there's no need to make things too difficult for her..."

"As the saying goes, 'A woman follows her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog.' Since Haitang is with Wan Fugui, she belongs to Wan Fugui. This is their family matter."

"Outsiders shouldn't interfere; it's best for the couple to keep their business private."

Muramasa also looked disapproving. He looked Song Tangxue up and down and thought that this young lady from a wealthy family was nothing special, not even understanding such a simple principle.

She's far inferior to the girls in the village.

Song Tangxue ignored these people, the dagger in her hand scraping against the wooden table with a sizzling sound.

"Miss Song, Lord Xie said not to dirty your hands." A figure appeared silently from behind; it was An Sixteen.

An Shiliu looked at the villagers warily. He was tall and strong, with a long sword at his waist. Behind him stood a dozen or so men sent by Xie Qianzhong.

Xie Qianzhong understood Song Tangxue and knew she wouldn't be able to wait to go alone, so he sent An Shiliu instead.

In an instant, Song Tangxue understood the cause and effect, and her heart was filled with warmth.

She was confident that she could handle the situation, but she wouldn't turn down anyone's good intentions.

"Find a whip and whip him." Song Tangxue looked at the whip marks on Haitang's body and smiled cruelly, then looked at Wan Fugui: "If you can't whip him to death, whip him until he's dead!"

Muramasa frowned as he looked at these people and stepped forward. Song Tangxue looked at him slowly and said, "If you speak again, I'll whip you too!"

The people behind Song Tangxue stepped forward, and one of them drew a whip from his waist. The whip had many barbs on it, and it was clearly a special tool for execution.

The man walked expressionlessly to Wan Fuguishan and lashed the ground with his whip, raising dust and making a cracking sound.

Wan Fugui was so frightened that his face turned pale, he wet his pants, and crawled crying to Haitang's side: "Haitang, I'm my husband! You can't abandon me! Without me, you're just a widow, a filthy whore ridden by a thousand men!"

"Smack."

"Ah!" The man dragged Wan Fugui back and the whip fell hard on Wan Fugui's twisted body.

Wan Fugui howled in agony and rolled on the ground. The people around him looked at each other, took a step back, and dared not say a word.

"Haitang, do you want to whip him?" Song Tangxue's face was cold as she gestured to the person behind her to take another whip and hand it to Haitang: "I'll back you up, go ahead."

“I am the daughter of the Song family and the current Crown Princess. You have insulted my people, so you must pay the price.”

His voice was firm and resounding, and those around him dared not get involved. Those were members of the royal family, whose power was supreme. To punish someone was as easy as snapping their fingers, and a life was as insignificant as grass in their eyes.

Haitang gritted her teeth, took the whip, and walked up to Wan Fugui. Meeting his pleading gaze, she raised the whip and lashed it at him, gritting her teeth: "This is how you treated me a few days ago!"

"After you're done, splash some salt water on him and keep going!" Song Tangxue gritted her teeth, determined to make Wan Fugui suffer a fate worse than death and pay the price he deserved.

Having avenged her great grudge, Haitang put down her whip and returned to Song Tangxue's side, feeling a weight lifted from her heart.

The tiny hooks sent tiny bits of flesh flying with each lash, and Wan Fugui's screams of agony echoed endlessly.

Silence fell all around. The villagers huddled in the corner, afraid to speak, trying to minimize their presence and hoping that the important person would not notice them.