As soon as the woman finished speaking, Zhao Ping opened the door, ready to reprimand her, but upon seeing that it was the Miao Holy Maiden, he turned to the guard holding her shoulder and asked in a shrill voice, "What's going on?"
"Your subordinate discovered that the Holy Maiden was trying to sneak out of the palace. His Majesty instructed that if the Holy Maiden was found to have sneaked out of the palace, she should be brought here immediately," the guard replied respectfully.
"Let her in." Long Xinghuang was holding back his anger and had nowhere to vent it.
"Yes, sir." Zhao Ping gave the guard a look, and the guard immediately released Xia and retreated.
Zhao Ping moved a step to the side of the door and bowed to invite Xia into the room.
Shea pouted, "I just... I just wanted to go out for a walk."
Long Xinghuang glanced at Zhao Ping, who understood and led two eunuchs out of the imperial study, closing the door to wait outside.
"Take a stroll? Should we go to the Regent's Palace or the Imperial Preceptor's Palace?" Long Xinghuang's voice was cold.
"I heard that assassins entered the hunting grounds, and the Regent and the Grand Tutor were both injured."
"I heard it? Who told you that?" Long Xinghuang remembered telling everyone around him to shut up, so how did she find out?
Xia thought he was jealous, and spoke somewhat willfully, "What's wrong with me going to see them? One is your uncle, and the other is a minister who was injured while saving you. Shouldn't you care more about them? I've studied medicine for so many years, maybe I can help. I'm doing this for you."
Long Xinghuang sneered, "For him?"
Why would he care about other men?
And she even accused him of not caring enough because of other men?
How ridiculous.
Seeing her like this now, Long Xinghuang no longer felt the sourness he used to have; all he felt was anger.
She was a holy maiden presented by the Miao people and lived in the harem. As long as the court was stable, he would ignore all obstacles and take her as his concubine.
Therefore, she is his person.
However, she repeatedly showed concern for other men and frequently visited other residences.
This made him feel that she didn't take his words as the emperor seriously at all.
Now they even dare to talk back to him.
This completely extinguished any remaining goodwill he had for her.
The emperor's authority cannot be violated. If he continues to indulge her, she might even dare to ride roughshod over him in the future.
Long Xinghuang slammed his fist on the table in anger, the sound startling Xia.
His expression was extremely serious, and his dark eyes, which used to hold no affection, were now filled with frost, as if he were about to punish her at any moment.
Shea told herself not to scare herself, thinking that the emperor would definitely not punish her.
"Someone come here." Before Long Xinghuang could even speak, Zhao Ping pushed open the door and entered.
"Send the Holy Maiden back to Moon Cloud Palace. Without my permission, she is not to step out of the palace gates even a single step," Long Xinghuang said coldly. "If the Holy Maiden disobeys this decree, she will be punished with caning!"
If we don't teach her a lesson, she'll never know who she is.
Shea froze on the spot, never expecting him to actually do it!
"No... Your Majesty... you can't just lock me up like this." Shia protested, "What have I done to offend you?"
Long Xinghuang lost his patience and roared, "Remember this! I am the Emperor! My words are imperial edicts! And you, a mere Miao holy maiden, who gave you the audacity to disobey my decree? You even dare to talk back to me! How many heads do you have to lose?!"
He wanted to yell these words at Long Fantian, but he couldn't.
If Shia's words and actions hadn't crossed his bottom line, he wouldn't have bothered to argue with her.
However, since she went straight for the bullseye, he can't be blamed.
Shea was horrified by his furious expression.
It had been a long time since he had been so furious. His current outburst reminded her of the time she had accidentally broken one of his wooden figurines and was subsequently placed under house arrest in the palace.
He issued an imperial decree that if she touched the wooden statue again, her hand should be cut off.
She wasn't feeling too good about it last time. There were eleven wooden figurines in total, two of which were exactly the same, and the one she broke was one of those two.
I didn't expect him to react so strongly; he's making a mountain out of a molehill.
This time, she really didn't offend him at all.
He usually turns a blind eye to her sneaking out of the palace. Whether she goes to the Prince's residence or the Grand Preceptor's residence, he never blames her. Why is it different today?
Xia was very dissatisfied with his shout, but she didn't dare to say anything more and could only obediently return to the palace.
...
In the dimly lit dungeon of the Regent's Palace.
Mu Tiantian and Wulana's hands were tied.
Long Fantian sat in a large chair, the dim candlelight highlighting the dark and wicked nature of his phoenix eyes.
"You..." Mu Tiantian's throat was still not fully recovered, and it was difficult for her to even squeeze out a single word.
She glared at Long Fantian with questioning eyes, but when he remained unmoved, she struggled violently. However, the rope binding her hands was very tight, and since she was still recovering, she could not break free.
The movement aggravated her wound, causing her to cough a few times.
Upon seeing this, Long Fantian's eyes flickered slightly, and he slowly said, "Untie Miss Mu."
A guard stepped forward and untied the ropes binding her hands.
Ulana pressed her lips together, her face resolute, as if she were prepared to be tortured.
Long Fantian's eyes were sharp as he glanced at the two of them and asked in a cold voice, "Are you two in cahoots?"
“No, I don’t know her.” Ulana denied it directly. “Besides, I said that I only shot arrows at the Grand Preceptor to kill him.”
"Oh?" Long Fantian's lips curled slightly. "Since you don't recognize me, that makes things easier. Men, bring the torture."
Ulana closed her eyes, already mentally prepared, but the whip did not fall for a long time.
She opened her eyes and saw two guards escorting Mu Tiantian into the adjacent torture chamber.
Mu Tiantian felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the torture instruments in the room. Why was she being tortured without warning?
She was, after all, his savior!
This person has truly turned to the dark side; they've lost all conscience.
She had originally intended to make a last-ditch effort, but the overwhelming smell of blood made her stomach churn.
She opened her mouth as if to vomit, but couldn't even make a vomiting sound; her throat seemed to be getting worse again.
After a while, Long Fantian's ruthless voice came from outside, "Anyway, Miss Mu's voice is hoarse and she can't make a sound, so there's no need to cover her mouth. Use torture."
Mu Tiantian was so angry that she raised her hand, intending to punch the guard who had escorted her in, but she missed.
The guard with the long whip ignored her.
A guard stood in front of her, his face bearing a scar that ran from the corner of his eye to below his ear, adding a touch of ferocity to his already cold and stern expression.
He didn't torture her, but warned her in a low voice, "If you want to live, stay here and don't move."
Before Mu Tiantian could react, she heard the sound of a whip slicing through the air behind her, but the whip didn't land on her.
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