Chapter 4: Prince, please spare my life
Xiao Ning stood in front of him, a faint smile on his face: "Why, are you scared?"
As she spoke, she raised the stick and swung it down.
"ah--"
Chunlei was knocked to the ground by a stick. The severe pain made him hunch over, and big beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Seeing Xiao Ning raise the stick again, Chun Lei quickly endured the severe pain and climbed up to his knees at Xiao Ning's feet, kowtowed loudly: "Master, please spare my life, please spare my life!"
"Spare my life? How can a traitor like you, who betrays his master, deserve this prince's mercy?"
Xiao Ning raised the stick again.
This blow was even harder, and Chun Lei's waist and hips were instantly torn apart. Bright red blood soaked his clothes. He let out an even more miserable cry, tears and snot streaming down his face. He prostrated himself at Xiao Ning's feet, grabbing his trouser legs, and cried, "I will never dare to do it again! Please, my lord, spare my life..."
Ever since he followed Xiao Ning, Xiao Ning had always been as good-tempered as dough, allowing himself to be manipulated and flattened, and even servants like them were looked down upon in various ways. He didn't want to live that kind of life anymore, so he accepted the benefits from the eldest lady...
But looking at the fierceness in Xiao Ning's eyes, he was sure that he really wanted to beat him to death!
Chun Lei no longer dared to hide anything, and with tears streaming down his face, he told the whole truth: "It was the Madam. She made me pay attention to your every move. It was the Madam who made me her informant..."
"It was the Madam who instructed me to slander you in public today for looking for a strange man..."
Xiao Ning raised his eyes and looked towards Shen.
Although Xiao Ning's tug on the snake-headed staff hadn't caused any substantial harm to the old lady, it had seriously challenged her authority as the supreme ruler of the Marquisate, and it had truly infuriated her. Everyone gathered around her, offering comfort, and when they saw the old lady finally recover, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
The old lady, who had recovered from her shock, was about to have Xiao Ning taken to the ancestral hall to be punished according to family rules, but she heard Chunlei crying and wailing while holding Xiao Ning's trouser legs.
The sound of spring thunder was quite loud, and it was obvious that not only the old lady but everyone else present heard it as well.
Their different gazes fell on Shen.
For the first time, Shen's usually kind face showed an expression of anger, but the anger soon turned into sadness and sorrow. She turned around and knelt before the old lady, swearing and swearing, "Old lady, I have never done such a thing! I don't know why this lowly slave framed me! I swear, if I really did such a thing, I will die a miserable death in the future!"
After Shen finished speaking, before the old lady could speak, Xiao Ning smiled and advised: "Aunt, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want. After all, there are gods above your head."
Shen's heart shuddered, but her face showed a hurt expression: "Sanlang, as the heir of the Marquis's mansion, how could you just listen to this cunning servant's nonsense? Do you doubt your aunt's love for you?"
One was the notorious prince who was fond of men and would soon become the consort of Princess Duanhui, and the other was the wife of the eldest wife who was in charge of the household expenses of the mansion and was usually kind and gentle to everyone. Especially since she had just made such a vicious oath, the scales in the hearts of the people in the mansion were tilted towards Shen, including Xiao Ning's biological grandmother.
The old lady slammed her snake-headed staff down on the ground, easily condemning her. "You evil creature, haven't you had enough? As the heir of a marquisate, it's fine if you act recklessly on a daily basis, but now that you're about to marry the princess, you're still out there messing around! Not only did you refuse to repent after being caught, you even dared to instigate your servants to slander their elders!"
"Come here, drag him to the ancestral hall and punish him according to the family rules!"
Since Xiao Ning dared to take action today, she was ready to break off relations with them. When the guards rushed over, she was not panicked, and even had enough energy to deal with Chun Lei who first stabbed her in the back and then betrayed Shen.
Xiao Ning hates this kind of malicious fence-sitter the most.
She raised her hand and hit Chunlei on the lumbar spine with a stick.
This time he didn't hold back. Chunlei screamed in pain after being hit by the stick and fainted from the pain.
Before fainting, Xiao Ning's voice was vaguely in his ears: "This is the consequence of backstabbing me. Considering your honesty, I will spare your life for now. From now on, your life and death will depend on your own luck."
After dealing with Chunlei, Xiao Ning raised the blood-stained stick and pointed it at the guard in front of him.
"I don't think you've figured out who your real master is!"
It was rare for Xiao Ning to be tough. When she stared at people coldly, the majesty and dignity she exuded was no weaker than that of any nobleman in Shengjing.
The guards of the Marquis' Mansion were stunned, and no one dared to step forward to subdue her.
The old lady was almost furious at these words, and she banged the snake-headed cane in her hand on the ground.
"You evil beast! Even when your father was alive, you wouldn't dare say such things in front of me!"
"Why don't you tie him up and drag him to the ancestral hall!"
"Mrs. Shen, you, you send someone to invite the elders over! This disobedient and unfilial beast must be punished by family discipline today!"
The old lady gave the order in one breath.
Shen no longer pretended to be virtuous. She responded and quickly sent someone to invite the elders of the Xiao family.
The guards were frightened by Xiao Ning's eyes just now. Now that they came to their senses, they couldn't help but feel annoyed with their own behavior. Just as the old lady spoke, they said "I'm sorry" to Xiao Ning and approached her again.
Seeing this, Xiao Ning turned around and ran out.
As he ran, he shouted, "I'm already eighteen. My grandfather promised before the emperor that I would inherit the title of Marquis when I came of age. In two years, when I become a Marquis, I will order you to be beaten to death!"
This statement had no real effect other than making everyone angrier.
The original owner's image as a dandy fool had been deeply rooted in people's minds over the years. In addition, she was partial to Shen and was instigated by her to do many stupid things, which also offended many people. The servants in the Marquis' Mansion had neither fear nor respect for her.
Moreover, ever since the old marquis suffered a stroke and became paralyzed three years ago, the power of the marquisate has been controlled by the old lady. If she becomes a prince consort in the future, it will probably be even more difficult than when she was still in the marquisate.
Even if he had not become a prince consort, with the heavy burden of "filial piety" weighing on his head, what kind of trouble could the prince possibly make?
The servants in the Marquis' Mansion understood everything and naturally followed the old lady's lead.
Only Yuzhu and others grew up with her, and knew that their own prince was not as bad as outsiders said. She was just a little stupid and naive.
They knelt at the old lady's feet to beg for mercy for Xiao Ning, but were hit by the old lady's crutch.
The guards chased Xiao Ning outside the mansion, but still failed to catch up.
There was always a gap between the two sides.
But the guards were clearly struggling. The leader, panting heavily, tried to reason with Xiao Ning, "My Lord, just go back with your subordinates. What's the point of running away? We'll catch you and take you back eventually. And then the old lady might punish you even more severely..."
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