Suddenly, Jin Mudan stopped moving, and a painful groan escaped her lips as a nail pierced through the sole of her shoe and embedded itself in her toe.
She endured the sharp pain in her feet and continued dancing, her movements gradually becoming chaotic.
Chu Qinghe felt that this punishment was not enough, so she said, "Someone, there's a nail stuck in the sole of Miss Peony's shoe. Go and change her a new pair."
"yes."
Two old women stepped forward and forcibly removed Jin Mu's embroidered shoes, saying they were going to get a new pair, but they never returned.
"Peony, keep dancing! This princess truly admires your dance."
The women nearby also joined in the commotion, but this time, surprisingly, none of the men joined in.
Men are born with a protective instinct, especially towards beautiful and delicate women.
Seeing Jin Mudan's bright red shoes and socks, they felt sorry for her.
But with the princess present, they dared not step forward to play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress.
"Jump now, what are you waiting for?"
One of the ladies shouted at her sternly.
She liked the prince, but instead saw pity in his eyes, which enraged her.
She really is a slut who knows how to seduce men!
Jin Mudan continued dancing. Without the protection of her shoes, a thumbtack would pierce her foot with every jump, causing her so much pain that she almost couldn't breathe.
Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead, his face was pale and transparent, and even his lips were bloodless.
The prince couldn't stand it anymore. Apart from the princess, the prince was the highest-ranking person in the greenhouse, and they were cousins.
“Princess, she has made a mess of the ground, it’s disgusting to look at. Why don’t you make her stop?”
Chu Qinghe pouted and reluctantly said, "Fine, stop jumping."
"I've grown tired of this too. Why don't you play a tune for everyone?"
What appeared to be a question was actually an order, and the palace maids under her command, being quite perceptive, placed a table and a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) in front of Jin Mudan.
"Please come, Miss Peony."
The palace maid did not give her armor; the gleaming strings of the zither were as sharp as blades. Jin Mudan smiled bitterly; this Princess Qinghe certainly had many tricks up her sleeve.
She gently placed her hand on the strings and plucked them lightly, just to test the tone. A fine scratch appeared on her fingertip.
In her next performance, she tried to touch the strings with her fingernails, but as the rhythm quickened, her fingertips inevitably touched the strings.
Before long, Jin Mudan's fingers were covered in red marks and wounds.
When Su Yujiao and Mo Lingchen broke into the greenhouse, Jin Mudan was still playing the zither, and the strings and the table were covered in her blood.
"peony!"
Su Yujiao rushed over, kicked over the table in front of her, and pulled her into her arms, glaring at Chu Qinghe with hatred in her eyes.
"Princess Qinghe, may I ask what crime Peony has committed that warrants such private torture from you?"
Chu Qinghe stared at Su Yujiao with disdain. She, the legitimate princess, looked down on Su Yujiao, this country bumpkin county princess.
"Princess, please be careful with your words. When did I ever use torture on her?"
"Miss Peony, why didn't you say anything when you injured your hand?"
"I just fell asleep listening to the music. In my drowsy state, I only felt that the music was getting worse and worse. I didn't expect that you were injured. What a pity."
"Someone, bring the best medicine for Miss Peony's wounds."
Seeing Mo Lingchen's ashen face and murderous look, the others dared not interfere in other people's family affairs any longer and took their leave.
The son of the Prime Minister's family is not someone that these good-for-nothing playboys can compare to.
Looking at Mo Lingchen's terrifying expression, Chu Qinghe grew even angrier.
"Why is the prince consort looking at me like that?"
"What, are you feeling sorry for him?"
"Should I, this princess, take her in for you?"
"Miss Peony was originally a lowly prostitute from a brothel. It is already an honor for her to become the concubine of Prince Consort Mo."
Mo Lingchen's face turned ashen, and the veins on his forehead bulged: "Princess, please don't go too far."
"Too much? She dared to steal my man, she should have known this would be her fate."
The man's gaze was gloomy, and his tone was low and restrained: "I knew Mudan first, and I knew you later. If anyone is stealing, it's you who stole her man."
"I have already severed ties with the princess, so why is she being so wicked?"
"I'm vicious, I stole her man?" Chu Qinghe was absolutely furious.
"Who does she think she is, daring to compare herself to this princess?"
Mo Lingchen sneered: "Princess, you overestimate yourself. You only have a better background than her, but you are not better than her."
"Yes, I am born into a better family than her. She is of low birth, so she is considered lowly and can be killed at will."
"I will kill her right now and see how outstanding she is."
Mo Lingchen stood in front of Jin Mudan, his tone icy: "Princess, please reconsider... Are you sure you want to make a laughingstock out of yourself for a woman you have no connection with?"
"After the princess kills her, will she divorce me, or will she want to torment me for the rest of her life?"
Chu Qinghe's eyes widened, and she trembled with anger: "How dare you threaten this princess?"
"I was just trying to persuade the princess!"
"Get out, let her get to the ends of the earth. I, the princess, never want to see her again."
Su Yujiao helped the person away, and Mo Lingchen looked at the limping Jin Mudan with heartache in his eyes.
Seeing the tenderness in his eyes, Chu Qinghe was filled with jealousy and said sarcastically, "So what if she likes you? It's a pity she's not a princess, just a lowly prostitute."
"snort!"
Mo Lingchen snorted coldly and went straight to the study.
Actually, he wanted to check on Peony's condition, but unfortunately, Peony couldn't withstand any more trouble, and he didn't dare to cause her any more trouble.
At the entrance of the princess's residence, the Wei sisters were already waiting outside with their carriage.
"Get in the car first."
"Bear with it, let me check your wound first."
With a furrowed brow, Su Yujiao pulled out the bloodstained gold nails, removing more than twenty in total.
"How vicious."
"Damn princess."
"Jiaojiao, be careful what you say, don't let anyone hear you, I'm afraid it will implicate you."
Jin Mudan was in so much pain that her face turned deathly pale, and she could barely speak.
Su Yujiao's eyes were red with heartache. Look, this is the power of authority. Victims don't even have the right to vent their emotions.
She wiped her tear-blurred eyes with the back of her hand, and carefully used scissors to cut open the socks that were stuck together with blood on Jin Mudan's feet, revealing her feet to be covered in blood and in a terrible state.
When the carriage arrived at the courtyard, she immediately bandaged Jin Mudan's wounds.
"Okay, you can rest for a while."
"I'll arrange for someone to help you leave once your foot injury is a little better."
Jin Mudan hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back. She didn't want to leave, but it seemed she had no choice but to, otherwise Chu Qinghe would never let her go.
But where could she go if she left the capital?
She was an orphan who had never left the capital. She was unfamiliar with everything and had no relatives or friends.
She was terrified just thinking about living alone in an unfamiliar place.
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