When Zuo Lanzhi heard her say that, her expression stiffened for a moment. She then walked to the side, pointed at Xiao Yunying, and said to the guards, "Give her a beating! Give her a good whack to see what it feels like."
Xiao Yunying lay face down on the bench, eyes closed, teeth clenched, waiting for the paddle to fall on her.
Despite being mentally prepared, she still couldn't help but let out a muffled groan when the solid wood plank landed on her.
After a moment of numbness came a burning, stinging pain, and just that one moment made cold sweat break out on her forehead.
Looking at her disheveled appearance, Zuo Lanzhi felt a surge of vengeful pleasure: "How was it, Xiao Yunying? Did you enjoy being beaten? If you begged for mercy..."
"Shut up." Xiao Yunying interrupted her impatiently, "I'll say it again, you want me to beg for mercy next time? No way, if you have the guts, just kill me today."
She has been stubborn since childhood, and once she's made up her mind, no one can persuade her otherwise. Besides, she has her own dignity, and her dignity wouldn't allow her to kneel down and beg for mercy from such a wicked person.
Zuo Lanzhi was quite angry at her attitude: "Since you are so ungrateful, someone, take off her pants, so that the fabric won't stick to her skin and make it difficult to treat the wound."
Xiao Yunying then raised her head and looked at her: "Zuo Lanzhi, how dare you!"
The cold hatred in her eyes made Zuo Lanzhi feel inexplicably guilty. The old woman beside her also advised, "Miss, she is, after all, General Luo's nominal wife. It's not right to humiliate her like this. What if General Luo finds out..."
Zuo Lanzhi was also so angry with Xiao Yunying that she lost her mind: "What are you afraid of? My mother is here. He can't possibly kill me."
Despite saying that, Zuo Lanzhi did not have anyone take off her pants. Instead, she told the guards, "Then continue beating her like this until she begs for mercy."
This time, the paddle didn't stop, and it kept hitting Xiao Yunying one after another.
Xiao Yunying bit her lip, trying her best not to cry out in pain, silently counting how many blows she had taken.
Fortunately, the board behind me stopped after only the fourth count.
A servant from the Zuo family rushed in to report: "Miss, Young Master Chen Yuancheng has arrived. He says he's here to take this young lady back."
Upon hearing his words, the executioner stopped and looked at his young mistress.
"What's the panic? This is my Zuo family's property..."
Chen Yuancheng's voice came from not far away: "Even if Minister Zuo were here, he wouldn't dare to abuse his power in broad daylight, let alone humiliate the family members of a current official."
Exhausted, Xiao Yunying slumped onto the bench, trying to look behind her.
When he saw Chen Yuancheng leading a group of guards striding towards him, he had a dazed feeling that this torment was finally over.
Zuo Lanzhi was blinded by the pleasure she had just gained from humiliating Xiao Yunying. She only gradually calmed down when she saw Chen Yuancheng arrive, feeling a little guilty and flustered.
She forced herself to remain calm and said, "Who let you in? Bringing people in without the host's permission, is this the family upbringing and style of your Chen family?"
Chen Yuancheng saw Xiao Yunying's current state and lost interest in arguing with Zuo Lanzhi. He took off his cloak and covered her with it, then squatted down in front of her and asked, "Yunying, how are you?"
Xiao Yunying tried her best to force a smile: "You're still alive. If you had come any later, you probably wouldn't have seen me."
Chen Yuancheng brushed the hair stuck to her face behind her ear, revealing her pale, bloodless face and the lip that had been bitten raw in pain when she was being beaten. He said with heartache, "Don't talk nonsense. I'll take you away."
Zuo Lanzhi was unhappy that the two ignored her: "Who gave you permission to leave!"
Chen Yuancheng said coldly, "Yun Ying is a county princess personally appointed by the Emperor, and she also has a gold medal bestowed by the Emperor. Seeing the gold medal is like seeing the Emperor. Miss Zuo's humiliation of Yun Ying today shows that she has no respect for the Emperor. I will definitely have my father submit a memorial to inform the Emperor of what happened today."
As he spoke, Ling Qi, standing beside him, brought out a yellow brocade box with both hands. He opened it, took out the gold medal inside, showed it to the people around him, and then put the box back and retreated. He then suppressed his anger and stared intently at Zuo Lanzhi.
Such a lovely girl, Xiao, was tormented like this in just half a day. This Zuo Lanzhi is truly hateful!
Bringing back the gold medal would change everything. Zuo Lanzhi was in a panic, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Your father has already resigned from his post and is no longer qualified to submit memorials."
"If his father isn't qualified, then does this general not deserve it?"
Luo Sheng arrived before he did, his voice preceding him. After speaking, he strode over.
As he approached Xiao Yunying, he glanced at the Zuo family guard standing to the side holding a board, then reached out and punched him in the chest.
The guard was sent flying, crashing into a pillar under the corridor and rolling to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Zuo Lanzhi's face turned pale: "Brother Luo Sheng..."
Luo Sheng ignored her, took off his cloak, took the cloak that Chen Yuancheng had covered her with and threw it to Ling Qi, then put his own cloak on top of her.
"Yun Ying, I'm sorry, I'm late."
Looking at his chin with its stubble, his messy hair, and his clothes covered in dust, Xiao Yunying knew that he had probably traveled day and night to get back, and her resentment towards him lessened a bit.
But she was still very angry.
At the same time, I also felt a little wronged.
She suppressed the urge to cry and said in a hoarse voice, "It hurts so much."
"I'm sorry, I failed to protect you. I'll take you home now. Can you get up?"
Xiao Yunying bit her lip and nodded. With Luo Sheng's help, she slowly sat up and stood up.
Do you need me to carry you?
Chen Yuancheng said from the side, "Yun Ying was just beaten with a board. We don't know if she has any other injuries. What if you hold her and aggravate her injuries?"
Xiao Yunying said, "I can manage on my own. Xin'er and Yunwan have been taken away by them. You should ask her to release Xin'er and Yunwan first."
Luo Sheng naturally wouldn't give Zuo Lanzhi a friendly look, and asked coldly, "Where are Xin'er and Miss Zheng?"
Zuo Lanzhi was so frightened that she couldn't speak. It was the old woman next to her who reacted first: "Miss Luo and Miss Zheng are fine and are resting in the backyard. I'll have someone invite them over right away."
Perhaps because she had someone to back her up, Xiao Yunying let go of the strength that had been supporting her. Her head began to feel dizzy again, and she leaned weakly against Luo Sheng.
Luo Sheng asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Yunying said weakly, "I'm fine, just a little dizzy, probably heatstroke."
Luo Sheng had no idea what kind of torment she had suffered. Seeing that she was in poor spirits, he didn't ask any questions. He just secretly supported her with his hand to help her stand up.
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