After Ling Xijie left with his female official and attendants, only Ling Xihe, Ling Xicheng and Ling Xihe's female official were left at the scene.
Ling Xihe recalled the winter of two years ago when, out of mischief, she had abandoned her attendants and gone to Qiongyu Lake alone, where He Huaichen had pushed her into the icy water. She assumed Ling Xicheng had also sneaked out on her own, leaving her alone and allowing Ling Xijie to take advantage of her bullying. She said, "Next time you go out, take a few more attendants with you. With adults by your side, Ling Xijie will be more cautious and more restrained."
Ling Xicheng squatted on the ground, putting her shoes back on with great difficulty. Her face was pale and her voice was very weak. "No servants were willing to come out with me. They all ran away."
Ling Xihe frowned. "What do you mean they all ran away? This is the imperial palace, where else could they run to?"
Ling Xicheng wanted to complain that the attendants were flattering the powerful and neglecting her and her stepfather, but just as she opened her mouth, she suddenly felt another cramp in her abdomen and groaned in pain. Seeing her in such pain, Ling Xihe didn't bother to ask any other questions and quickly sent her maid to fetch the imperial physician.
Normally, even the apprentices of the Imperial Hospital would not set foot in the Jingxin Hall where Xue Wu and his daughter lived. But now, seeing the token of the Crown Princess, Lord Liu, the director of the Imperial Hospital, came over in person.
Ling Xicheng had already taken off her muddy outer clothes. She was wearing a moon-white undershirt underneath. The light-colored clothes looked even more red against the blood stains on them.
Envoy Liu had already briefly learned the whole story from the female official on the way, but seeing such a small child covered in bruises still terrified her. With a solemn expression, she examined Ling Xicheng and breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, these are only superficial injuries. There's no internal bleeding."
Ling Xihe finally felt relieved. Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, "Why didn't I see Xue Cifu? Where did he go?"
Ling Xicheng lowered his eyes and replied breathlessly, "My second-father should be in the innermost hut."
Ling Xihe's brows, which had just relaxed, frowned again, "His daughter is so badly injured, doesn't he even come out to take a look?" As she spoke, she strode towards the room that Ling Xicheng mentioned.
Soon, Ling Xihe stopped in front of a wooden door whose surface was so rotten that the original pattern could no longer be seen. She kicked the door open, but before she could see what was inside, she was overwhelmed by the strong smell of alcohol. She covered her eyes and couldn't help coughing, "Cough cough cough... Why don't you open the window quickly? This smell is too bad."
The female official said in embarrassment, "Your Highness, there are no windows in this room. This is the only door that connects to the outside world."
Ling Xihe slowly opened her eyes. What she saw was a dim and cramped little room. It took her a while to adjust to the environment before she could barely make out what was going on inside.
The floor of this room, like the door she had just pushed, was rotten beyond recognition. Several empty wine jars lay piled on the uneven wooden floor, and in the middle of them lay a man with deeply sunken cheeks. He was already unconscious, repeating only a name over and over again.
Ling Xihe carefully distinguished for a long time before she could barely make out the words "Your Highness the Crown Princess." She frowned in confusion, then heard the female official standing behind her quietly explain, "This is Concubine Xue, the biological father of the Third Princess. She's not calling you, but His Majesty, before he ascended the throne."
Ling Xihe stared at Xue Wu, who lay on the ground, without blinking. She looked at him for who knows how long before she let out a long sigh. "With a stepfather like that, it's no wonder she was bullied like that by Ling Xijie."
On the other side of the bed, Ling Xicheng watched as Court Envoy Liu left. Her pained expression turned cold and indifferent. Then, the sound of two footsteps could be heard from behind. Knowing that it was the eldest princess, Ling Xicheng's face shifted to a pitiful expression. "Have you, Your Highness, seen my second father?"
Ling Xihe looked at this sister who was even prettier than the little boy, and felt pity for her. "Don't worry, I will report this matter to the Queen Mother truthfully, and Ling Xijie will stop being so arrogant."
Ling Xihe is a person of action. After she said this, she immediately went to the Biluo Palace to find Ling Shumo.
Not long after, Ling Xi and the female officials around her came to Jingxin Palace to deliver the message that the emperor had severely reprimanded Ling Xijie, punished her to be confined to her own courtyard for a month, and rewarded her with some gold, silver and jewelry to calm her down.
Ling Xicheng originally thought that since she had suffered such a great injustice this time, she would be summoned by her mother, but she waited on her sickbed until sunset, but received no news.
Two days later, Ling Xicheng found out that the Queen Mother did not summon her on the day she was bullied by Ling Xijie because Madam Shu (Pei Jiuyan) said in front of the Queen Mother that what happened that day was just a minor quarrel between children. Minister Liu took into account that Pei Jiuyan was the Queen Mother's favorite man and also said in front of the Queen Mother that she had only suffered some superficial injuries. The Queen Mother then gave up the idea of calling her over for questioning.
In the blink of an eye, it was early June.
The emperor held a banquet in the Biluo Palace to confer the title of wife on Pei Jiuyan. Ling Shumo asked him if he wanted any reward. Pei Jiuyan pleaded for her daughter, so Ling Xijie, who was supposed to be under house arrest, was released early.
Ling Xijie's father had always doted on her and was very indulgent towards her, which had led to her developing a bully personality, unable to tolerate even the slightest injustice. During the ten days of her confinement, she grew increasingly angry. As soon as she was released, she led her men to the Jingxin Hall and began beating and kicking Ling Xicheng.
Ling Xicheng was beaten to a pulp, every inch of her skin screaming in pain. She wanted to find Ling Shumo or Ling Xihe to help her, but the servants who had come with Ling Xijie surrounded her only escape route.
Ling Xicheng couldn't get out, so she could only ask for help from the people in the yard, but there wasn't a single servant there. After being kicked twice in the stomach, Ling Xicheng remembered Xue Wu was still in the house, and without thinking, she shouted, "Help! Second father, they're going to beat me to death, please come out and save me!"
Ling Xicheng desperately called out her father's name. She imagined that even though her father couldn't defeat the group, he would rush out and embrace her. Enduring this suffering together was always better than being alone in despair. But her voice grew hoarse from shouting, and she received nothing but increasingly intense punches and kicks.
Finally, Ling Xijie, the abuser, finally tired of beating her and left with his attendants. Only then did Ling Xicheng finally escape from this brutal beating. Enduring the excruciating pain, she staggered towards the house. She pushed open the door and saw her father lying unconscious on the ground, completely drunk.
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