Yu Ying then ordered the two of them to kneel in the courtyard for two hours.
Su Yushan felt a pang of pity and pleaded, "Madam, both of them are injured and have blood on their lips. Why don't we call a doctor to treat their wounds?"
Princess Fucha chuckled, covering her face with her handkerchief. "They started the fight themselves, so they deserve to be injured! It's just a minor injury; it won't kill them!"
Yu Ying refused to change her mind, because Hongli had told her that she should not be soft-hearted towards her servants, and that only strictness could win their respect.
To prevent Su Yushan from reporting the news, Princess Fucha deliberately kept her there, saying that she wanted to play dominoes and they were one player short.
Su Yushan said she didn't know how to fight, but Princess Fucha said, "If you don't know, I can teach you! The Princess Consort is also a beginner! You can't possibly refuse the Princess Consort's face, can you?"
She used the title of Fujin (a high-ranking official's wife) to pressure people, leaving Su Yushan with no choice but to reluctantly stay to entertain.
The sun was blazing overhead, and the stone slabs in the courtyard were scorching hot. The branches and leaves remained motionless, and waves of heat emanated from them, making one's scalp burn and feel as if pricked by needles. Li Yu and Demin, who were being punished by kneeling with injuries, found it even more unbearable. The two turned their heads away and ignored each other.
Demin had practiced martial arts for many years and was physically strong. Although he was in pain, he could still endure it. Li Yu followed the Fourth Master all day long. Although he was called a servant, he actually enjoyed a lot of good fortune.
He could enjoy the warmth of charcoal fires in winter and ice blocks in summer. He had never suffered much hardship or been severely punished. How could he possibly endure kneeling under the scorching sun all of a sudden?
Seeing this, Yunfang felt sorry for him and wanted to sneak out to inform the Fourth Master, but she was spotted by the sharp-eyed Gao Xiuwen.
Where are you going?
Feeling guilty, Yunfang replied in a trembling voice, "This servant... wants to go to the outhouse."
“There are some in this courtyard, no need to go out. In this hot weather, what if such a fair-skinned girl gets tanned?” Gao Xiuwen then ordered her maid to take her there. Yunfang had no choice but to follow.
To keep Su Yushan from leaving, Princess Fucha actually taught her the rules of playing Pai Gow. Su Yushan didn't care to listen and just gave perfunctory replies. What she was thinking was that Chang Yue hadn't come along earlier, and she wondered if Chang Yue had found out what was going on and if she would do something.
Just as Su Yushan had predicted, Chang Yue had indeed discovered that Li Yu and Demin had been forced to kneel. Seeing that her master hadn't come out yet, Chang Yue guessed that he might be trapped there. She steeled herself, went back to her room to get some money, and asked a servant to go out of the mansion to find the Fourth Master and urge him to return home as soon as possible!
Although he had only knelt for half an hour, Li Yu felt as if it had been half a year. His lips were now cracked, the blood at the corners of his mouth had congealed, his cheeks were bruised, and he was in excruciating pain. His legs were numb, as if swollen, and his knees ached as if being pricked with needles. This was because someone was watching from the shade of a nearby tree, forbidding them from kneeling on their own legs and forcing them to kneel with their backs straight.
The prolonged exposure to the sun left him drenched in sweat, his head buzzing, and he felt as if he were sitting on a furnace, his whole body aching and unbearably hot.
Just as he was getting so sunburned that his skin was peeling off and he was on the verge of fainting, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind him. "Madam, the Fourth Prince is here!"
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