An Ke walked with heavy steps, her dark eyes filled with coldness. Xiao Yanzi nervously swallowed, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists. She had wanted to stop her when she saw An Ke hit Ziwei, but looking at the oppressive aura emanating from her, she felt that An Ke was just like the Empress Dowager, or even more powerful. For the first time, she felt that An Ke was extremely dangerous.
"I...I didn't mean to. I just went to look for Qing'er too. I..." Xiao Yanzi explained anxiously, but she didn't know what to say. She just kept muttering that it wasn't intentional.
But An Ke didn't want to hear her explanation; too much talk would just be pointless. Her promises were like empty words, pure rhetoric, and afterwards she would comfortably forgive herself, feeling that she hadn't done anything wrong.
Without hesitation, An Ke slapped her across the face. After hitting her, he even took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands before casually tossing it on the ground, as if slapping her face would dirty his own hands.
Little Swallow was stunned by the sudden slap, her face turned to one side.
"Stop saying you didn't do it on purpose. If you think it wasn't intentional, why didn't you whip your own horse? Now that something's happened, do you know how to apologize? Is your apology even useful? Can you take Qing'er's injuries for her? Did you experience the despair of waiting to be rescued from a trap?" An Ke was truly tormented by today's events. "And what about saying you went looking for her? Weren't you just following Yongqi around everywhere?"
Little Swallow's lips trembled, but she didn't know what to say. "But I really went to look for it, I didn't mean to... I didn't know Qing'er's horse would be startled, I..."
"Yes, yes, you don't know anything. When something goes wrong, you just say you don't know anything. Or you just find somewhere to vent your anger, and afterwards, there are plenty of people to clean up your mess," An Ke said coldly. "I remember telling you that you'd better stay away from the people and things around me. Are you deaf? Or are you not thinking straight?"
“Whatever injuries Qing’er has today, you must have them too.” After saying that, An Ke stopped looking at their expressions and turned to Qing’er’s side.
"Princess Qing sprained her ankle, but fortunately it's nothing serious. I've already fixed it for her. I'm afraid she won't be able to walk easily in the coming days." Physician Hu treated her with all his heart, but he was still worried.
An Ke was not such an unreasonable person. She could see that Doctor Hu was doing his best. "Anything else?"
"Princess's hands are also scratched, especially her left hand, which has two deep cuts. It's best to avoid direct contact with water these days. Her washing and grooming should be done by her maids. With the ointment I specially prescribed, Princess Qing should be completely healed in ten days." Physician Hu felt a pang of heartache; this ointment was painstakingly crafted by him, containing many rare medicinal herbs. He had originally planned to replicate it when the Emperor gave him more herbs.
Unexpectedly, the ointment ran out before that could even happen. But now wasn't the time to be heartbroken. If he didn't cure Qing Gege, who knew what fate awaited him? He knew what was more important.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Physician Hu." An Ke said in a deep voice, silently placing her hands on Qing'er's arms. Qing'er naturally knew An Ke's temperament; at this moment, she must be blaming herself in her heart. Qing'er couldn't comfort An'er physically, so she could only gently rest her head on An Ke's arm to tell her that she was alright and not to blame herself.
How could An Ke not know what Qing'er was thinking? In order not to make Qing'er worry about him while she was injured, even though she was helpless, she could only force a smile.
From the moment Qing'er and Anke entered the house, Shuangxi and Xingxing stood beside their respective masters. Not only was Anke worried about Qing'er, but Shuangxi was equally concerned for her own princess. When everyone went out to search, Shuangxi wanted to go along. However, Lady Emin said she didn't know the way and would only be a hindrance, so she should stay at the inn and wait quietly.
Now that they had finally arrived, Shuangxi was heartbroken to see her princess covered in injuries. "Shuangxi, Xingxing, help Qing'er back to her room." Only after Princess Yong'an spoke did Shuangxi follow Xingxing and help her princess back to her room.
Now that Qing'er was settled, An Ke could finally discuss the upcoming matters with her uncle without any distractions. "What does Uncle think of today's events?" An Ke's voice was as cold as the dead of winter. Her eyes, naturally, held no warmth either, merely glancing lightly at the candlelight beside her.
"I already know the whole story of what happened to Xiao Yanzi today. I don't want to hear 'you admitted your mistake,' I've heard that enough in the palace. Today, Qing'er's injustice is all because of you." The master was also very angry. Xiao Yanzi had been impulsive and restless all the way here, but the master hadn't said anything too harsh. Today, they almost caused a disaster. This made the master start to reflect on whether he had spoiled her too much.
"For the rest of the journey, you will sit in the carriage at the back. Because of your mistake, Qing'er suffered both physically and mentally. You will receive twenty strokes of the cane and be made to write the palace rules one hundred times." After saying this, the master looked at his niece. "What does An'an think?" he asked cautiously, afraid that his niece would be dissatisfied with his decision.
"Putting everything else aside, I just can't swallow this anger." An Ke began to express her opinion after listening. "Since returning to the palace, my impression of you has been inconsistent. Your aunt said you are impetuous and unruly. Consort Ling said you are naive and romantic. But I don't think so now. I think you are stupid without realizing it."
These words left the old man somewhat bewildered. Weren't we talking about Xiao Yanzi's punishment? Why are they suddenly expressing their impressions of her? It seems he's getting old and can't keep up with the younger generation's thinking.
"But I've always heard that your whip skills are excellent. Didn't you whip the horse's rump today? My whip is not bad either, how about we have a contest?" An Ke coldly stared at Xiao Yanzi before her, uttering astonishing words in a calm tone. Everyone knew that An Ke's martial arts were simply top-notch. To compare oneself with her would be nothing short of humiliation and courting death. But An Ke wasn't discussing it with them; she was merely informing them.
The old man, seated at the head of the table, touched his nose and scratched his bald head. His niece's temper was growing increasingly bad; he couldn't afford to get caught in the crossfire. It would be good for Little Swallow to learn a lesson, lest she become arrogant and reckless. The old man remained silent; how could the others possibly intervene?
To plead for mercy would be blatantly going against the Princess and the Emperor, wouldn't it? Are they tired of living? Going against these two powerful figures?
The scene was eerily quiet, as if dead.
Ziwei, who had been holding back tears because of the beating she had received, finally let them fall. Although she didn't know exactly how strong the princess's whip was, just from what she heard from the people in the palace, she felt that Xiaoyanzi certainly wouldn't be let off easily today.
"Miss, Xiao Yanzi didn't do it on purpose. She was very remorseful afterwards. None of this happened as she intended. Copying the palace rules as punishment is already very painful for Xiao Yanzi. I beg you, Miss, to be lenient and forgive her this time." Ziwei, her face still bearing the red handprint, tears streaming down her face, bowed gracefully. She was pleading for Xiao Yanzi, and also wanted to gauge the master's current attitude towards them.
"Are you done?" An Ke's expression remained calm. "Now you know she didn't do it on purpose. Since Xiao Yanzi can't remember what I said, this time she will remember it firmly. Can't Xiao Yanzi say it herself? Why do you always speak for her? Are you that protective of your mistress? You can do it yourself."
Upon hearing this, Ziwei froze. Tears welled up in her eyes but couldn't fall, which was somewhat comical.
After finishing her sentence, An Ke slowly stepped forward and circled around the two of them. "Back in the palace, I heard that if you stay by someone's side for a long time, your behavior will become like that person's. Little Swallow knows martial arts, so I suppose you do too. I don't care who I spar with. You can do it too. Anyway, you and your servant are of one mind, so it doesn't matter who it is."
"Anke, stop pressuring Ziwei like this." Xiaoyanzi stood up straight, defending her best friend. "Aren't we going to have a whip contest? Okay, I'll go." Xiaoyanzi was quite confident in her whip skills. She might not be good at other things, but she had been wielding a whip since she was a child. She didn't believe she would lose to Anke.
The events of tonight had left her completely confused. First, the inexplicable incident of Qing'er's horse being startled was blamed on her. Then came An Ke's inexplicable slap. Adding to this, her father, the Emperor, hadn't said a word in her defense, which had left her feeling extremely down. This shouldn't be happening; it shouldn't be like this. Before An Ke returned to the palace, everything was wonderful. Especially after hearing Er Kang's words, she felt that even more strongly.
Since she's the one who proposed this sparring match, then don't blame Little Swallow for showing no mercy.
Seeing Xiao Yanzi's expression, An Ke knew she was overthinking things again. He could have challenged her to a sword fight, but using a whip would both wound Xiao Yanzi's pride and avenge Qing'er—killing two birds with one stone.
"Alright, I thought you'd just say it wasn't intentional. Let's go." An Ke had expected her to step forward. After all, Ziwei was her sworn sister and the Emperor's biological daughter; she naturally wouldn't let Ziwei be in danger.
Xiao Yanzi kept turning back to look at the Emperor, as if expecting him to say something. But she had already left the room, and the Emperor hadn't said a word. A gaping hole seemed to have opened in her heart, leaving her feeling empty. She could only clench the whip in her hand, trying to find some comfort and security.
"Bring out the whip, let me see it." Anke raised her hand, letting her go first.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanzi's eyes hardened. She showed no mercy and lashed out with the whip.
Just then, Benjamin returned and quickly used his light-footed skill to leap forward, grabbing the whip that was about to strike Anke. "Little Swallow, the person in front of you is Miss. Today's events have already caused a great commotion. Don't do this anymore." Benjamin didn't know what had just happened. But he knew very well that if Little Swallow lashed out with that whip, the consequences would be severe.
The anxious Benjamin did not see that the two women were facing each other, and that the master was watching from the sidelines without intervening.
"Banjiu, do you even think I'm wrong now?" Xiao Yanzi roared at the person gripping her whip. She felt incredibly cold; she felt that ever since this princess returned to the palace, everyone around her had changed. First, there was Ertai, who had argued with her several times because of her, and then he was overjoyed when he withdrew from her four guards.
Then, even Yongqi, who had always stood by her side, spoke up for her. Now, even Banjiu was wholeheartedly on her side? Xiaoyanzi felt betrayed by them all, and was furious. She snatched the whip back from Benjamin's hand. "She wanted to spar with me, give me back my whip!" She even pushed Benjamin aside.
Benjamin could hardly believe his ears, but it seemed he had no choice but to believe it.
Xiao Yanzi's whip had already been lashed out, and An Ke's whip followed suit without leaving a trace, even faster than Xiao Yanzi's first whip strike, leaving a loud, silvery-white line in the quiet and dim space.
When Xiao Yanzi swung her whip, it made a loud sound, but it lacked power. Anke's whip, on the other hand, was like a snake, both agile and heavy.
Anke's whip met Xiaoyanzi's whip head-on, knocking it to the ground. Before Xiaoyanzi could react, Anke's whip swiftly wrapped around Xiaoyanzi's ankle.
An Ke coldly curled the corners of her lips, and with all her might, she swung the whip, sending Xiao Yanzi flying. Then, using her inner strength, An Ke made the whip move nimbly, striking Xiao Yanzi's ankle and fracturing it.
Little Swallow couldn't help but let out a loud "Ah!" Immediately afterward, she was whipped away by Anke. Little Swallow landed heavily on the ground, even kicking up some dust. Seeing this, Ziwei quickly ran towards Little Swallow.
Anke felt utterly bored and swiftly pulled the whip back. She then coiled it up and put it back in her pocket. Clapping her hands, she walked to her uncle's side, said a few words to him, and without looking back at them, rushed straight towards Qing'er's room.
The master merely sighed and said nothing. He simply instructed Physician Hu to adjust Xiao Yanzi's bones as well, then turned and walked inside.
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