Chapter 216 Prince Heng Saves Physician Ye
Su Tingwan was caught off guard and startled, but calmly replied, "Of course not."
"Very well." He curled his lips into a faint, enigmatic smile, exuding an aura of imperial majesty that was awe-inspiring, as if to say, "If you dare to deceive me, I will not spare you."
Xie Shang coldly addressed Su Xuan, "Disregarding military discipline and coercing respectable women should be dealt with according to military law. General Su, what crime should these five soldiers be punished for?"
Su Xuan was stunned, then quickly said, "Those with serious offenses should be beheaded as a warning to others; those with minor offenses should be punished with military flogging as a deterrent. No matter the reason, soldiers should abide by military discipline. To be so easily swayed should be punished..."
"One hundred lashes!" Xie Shang said firmly. "I do not want the army of the Great Zhou to be undisciplined, and I do not want such things or such behavior to happen to soldiers. Whether it is voluntary or forced, once discovered, they shall be executed immediately."
Su Xuan and Su Dehai were also startled. Prince Heng was indeed more decisive than the Emperor. Since the prince had said they would be given a hundred lashes, whether they lived or died depended on their fate.
If they really killed someone, Su Xuan would clean up the mess.
The five men were terrified and knelt on the ground, trembling. They were no longer as nonchalant as before.
They wanted to beg for mercy, but Su Xuan warned them with his eyes. After all, they were Su Xuan's troops, so they naturally dared not resist.
Xie Shang flicked his sleeves, walked up to Yin Xing, and said sternly, "The maid stole her master's money and belongings. The evidence is conclusive. How should she be dealt with? Beat her to death! Wan Wan probably won't plead for such a treacherous servant."
Su Tingwan felt a shiver run through her body. She had never seen Xie Shang so cold and ruthless before; he had always been gentle and refined.
Upon hearing that she was to be executed, Yinxing screamed in fright. Su Xuan was also about to make a move, but Lin Feng beat him to it, saying, "This humble servant believes that Yinxing's crime does not warrant death. Although she stole her master's property, it has been recovered. She has also served the concubine diligently for so long, and even if she has not made any great contributions, she has certainly worked hard."
Although Lin Feng disliked Yin Xing, he didn't think that she, as a maid, had done anything wrong that she should die for her master, which is why he pleaded for her.
“Yes, Lin Feng is right. Yin Xing was very devoted to me when she was by my side,” Su Tingwan added.
"So Wanwan isn't going to pursue this matter," he added. "I remember Wanwan telling me that Yinxing was actually Aunt Liu's maid. She didn't steal anything from you, so you can't make the decision for her!"
Aunt Liu quickly said, "Back then, I had Yinxing serve Miss Wan, so she became Miss Wan's person. As for the jewelry she stole, it has already been recovered. Whether Yinxing should be punished or not is entirely up to Miss Wan to decide."
They only said that Yinxing was Aunt Liu's person because they were setting a trap.
"I will not pursue this matter. She has done her part, even if she has not done anything meritorious. It was all my negligence. She suffered so much with me, yet I let her receive Ye Susu's favor. It was really wrong of me. I was also at fault." Su Tingwan said sincerely, and then personally took Yinxing's hand.
Ginkgo was too frightened to look up. If she wanted to live, she had to obey the young master's orders, otherwise she would die. Just now, when the prince wanted to execute her, it was Lin Feng who stood up to plead for her.
"Ye, the female physician, instigated others to steal and extorted money under the pretext of selling medicine and clothes. What should be the punishment for her?" Xie Shang's voice was cold and deep. "She is a righteous woman who was selected by the court to go to the border to provide support. I may not be able to deal with her privately. I will wait until I return to the capital and report the matter to my father, the emperor, so that he can handle it."
He was speaking to Su Dehai. If this battle were won, the Su family would be credited, Prince Heng would be credited, all the soldiers, officers, generals and subordinates would be credited, and the doctors who went to the border would also be credited. Ye Susu was one of them. If she died for no reason or was murdered, even Prince Heng would not be able to explain to the Emperor or to the people of the world.
No matter how great the Su family's contributions are, a thorough investigation of Su Tingwan's itinerary after leaving the capital will eventually uncover the truth. The Su family will not want to make a big fuss, and the royal family will not lose face for the sake of a concubine.
Regardless of the outcome, Su Tingwan can forget about ever joining the royal family again.
Su Dehai hurriedly said, "Physician Ye is naturally innocent. Transactions are free, and the money and goods are exchanged. Wanwan's maid used her ointment and wore her clothes, so Wanwan should pay for it. Since Physician Ye did not say anything fabricated to Your Highness, there must be some misunderstanding. Wanwan should apologize to Physician Ye. I think it must be that the maid spread rumors and conveyed incorrect information, causing Physician Ye to misunderstand and leading to so many misunderstandings."
If Ye Susu were smart, she should have known when to stop and stopped worrying about whether Consort Su had lost her innocence, since it really had nothing to do with her.
Xie Shang didn't need her feigned kindness; she simply wanted to achieve her goal of successfully attracting Prince Heng's attention.
Even if Su Tingwan didn't want to apologize, she had no choice but to lower her head. "Doctor Ye, I'm sorry, it was all my servant's fault."
Ye Susu stared coldly without uttering a word. It was a fact that they had just had the soldiers humiliate her, and if Lin Feng hadn't arrived in time, her innocence would have been ruined.
Su Tingwan was naturally unhappy that Ye Susu had given her the cold shoulder, but she didn't dare to act like a spoiled young lady anymore. She obediently had her maid hand over the silver to Ye Susu, who simply threw it on the ground.
She finally understood that only those without power or influence could be bullied like this.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment. Xie Shang said, "Prepare the military rods. I will personally supervise the beating."
The soldier was beaten with a hundred lashes. Even if he didn't die, he was crippled. Xie Shang stared at him without blinking, which was chilling.
All five men were covered in blood and gore, coughing up blood. They had been harmed by Su Xuan, but they couldn't speak out. Only the soldiers themselves knew who the real culprit was.
Having survived a brush with death, Ye Susu never dared to run around again, and she didn't even dare to trust anyone. She never expected that Yinxing would turn around and bite her.
In fact, Ye Susu herself should also be blamed. If she hadn't harbored the desire to curry favor with Prince Heng and deliberately provoked Su Tingwan, how could Su Tingwan have held a grudge against her, and how could she have almost had her innocence ruined?
She was far too overconfident.
Xie Shang sat in the carriage, expressionless, reading a book in his hand. Su Tingwan sat on the other side, not daring to speak. She was unsure if Xie Shang suspected her, but she became absolutely obedient.
Throughout the journey, Xie Shang refused to share a bed with her, and she dared not make any further requests, as if she felt guilty.
The seed of her infidelity and impurity had already been planted in Xie Shang's heart, making it difficult to eradicate this suspicion.
Su Tingwan wouldn't have acted this way if she hadn't been so cunning.
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