Granny Zheng was already half-dead, and after being whipped by Xique, she lay on the ground for a long time, unable to catch her breath, coughing up blood repeatedly.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhaoping instinctively shrank back a bit.

Ji Fengyao gripped Zhaoping's hand tightly and pulled her back. Her voice was clear and firm, and she used a bit of a mind-clearing technique: "Don't be afraid. These are just a few dogs who won't fall until they see the coffin. They are still trying to fool you and beg for mercy to save their lives, which shows that they have no remorse and only want to get away with their crimes and live."

If you soften your stance now, they won't be grateful; they'll look down on you, think you're weak and easily bullied, and might even turn around and bite you!

These lackeys are exactly like that!

When Zhaoping recalled the time when she was neglected by the Empress Dowager, she had to be mindful of the attitudes of those scoundrels even to get a full meal. She clenched her fists tightly and forced her legs to straighten.

“Sister is right. I have been fooled and manipulated by them all my life. Even fish know to struggle when they come ashore. If I retreat again, I am not worthy of being a human being.” Zhao Ping’s eyes were slightly red. He let go of Ji Fengyao’s hand and gritted his teeth as he took a step forward.

Finally, Zhaoping stopped in front of Simeng and Siyi.

Simeng and Siyi lay on the ground like dead dogs, struggling to turn their eyes to look up at Zhaoping, whom they usually looked down on and despised from the bottom of their hearts.

"Princess, what's wrong with you? Were you drugged by this bandit, or were you threatened by her and forced to act against your will?"

“Princess, if that’s the case, we don’t blame you. You don’t need to be sad.”

As Zhaoping watched them blatantly lie through their teeth while performing their opera, a cold smile slowly crept onto his face: "Heh... No wonder they're dogs trained by the Empress Dowager, their acting is superb."

As he spoke.

Zhaoping slowly extended his right foot and stepped on Simeng's right hand, slowly and fiercely crushing and stomping on it: "I must have been deaf before, because I couldn't tell that when you called me 'that bandit,' you were actually calling me stupid and brainless; I couldn't tell that you were openly laughing at me for treating dogs as friends, treating the enemy who wanted to kill and eat me as my only family in the world, and letting you fool me!"

"ah--"

Simeng screamed and tried to pull her hand back, but her body was frozen in place and she couldn't move.

Siyi had never seen Zhaoping so ruthless, and she couldn't help but tremble.

Even when Zhaoping was at his angrier, he would only wring his handkerchief or throw things at worst; he had never seriously hit or scolded anyone like this.

“Princess, you mustn’t listen to that bandit’s words, you mustn’t let that bandit use you as a tool. Even if we servants have been negligent in our daily lives, the Empress Dowager has always been kind to you and has cherished you like a precious jewel for more than ten years. How can you distrust the Empress Dowager because of a few idle words from the sidelines?” Siyi panicked and began to persuade Zhaoping without thinking, as if she hadn’t forcibly kidnapped Zhaoping before.

"That bandit!" Zhao Ping kicked Si Yi in the face with uncontrollable rage, pointing at Si Yi's slender index finger, trembling with anger: "That bandit you're talking about is probably the only person in the world who is truly sincere to me!"

Siyi's nose was nearly flattened by her kick, and blood immediately started flowing from her nose.

Simeng finally realized she was scared and cried, "Princess, please wake up! We have served you wholeheartedly since we came to your side. We have worked hard even if we have not done anything great. Since you are not satisfied with us, go back to the Empress Dowager and let her punish us. Please do not listen to what others say and punish us on your own, lest you ruin your relationship with the Empress Dowager."