What else could she do? "Accept punishment!"
Was she not understanding, or was she deliberately causing trouble? "I'm punishing Xilan, what are you doing getting involved?"
Su Yushan stopped writing and, without looking at him, said in a muffled, resentful voice, "If you think Xilan is wrong, then I am wrong too. This whole thing started because of me. If I hadn't been so competitive and argued with Jin Minjing, none of this trouble would have happened. So I have to be punished too, kneeling and copying the scriptures."
Who would willingly take responsibility? Especially someone so boldly defying him in front of everyone—this made Hongli lose face. Standing with his hands behind his back at the door, his face was grim, veins throbbing on his forehead, and he coldly commanded:
"Whose fault it is, I will decide for myself. I don't need you to judge. Go back immediately!"
Xi Lan was grateful for Su Yushan's company, but she didn't want Yushan to have a conflict with the Fourth Master because of her, so she advised from the side:
"Yushan, you should go back with Fourth Master! I can write it all by myself."
“A hundred times! How long will it take to write this? And you have to kneel to write it, until dawn. I'm afraid your legs will be ruined. I'm not going back. I'll finish writing it for you here.”
She refused to leave and insisted on kneeling. How could Hongli bear to let her kneel all night?
Knowing Su Yushan's purpose, Hongli took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and gritted his teeth, saying:
“A hundred times, no need to kneel again.”
Only then did Xi Lan truly understand why Su Yushan insisted on coming to accompany her; only with Yushan present was there a possibility that the Fourth Master might change his mind. Although it still required repeating the same thing a hundred times, sitting was always more comfortable than kneeling. Xi Lan was extremely grateful and thanked her repeatedly.
"Thank you for your understanding, Fourth Master!"
Hongli did not respond, his gaze fixed on Su Yushan, his brows furrowed and his expression solemn. "Go back to your room immediately, and don't push your luck any further!"
It was rare for Hongli to change his mind, so Su Yushan breathed a sigh of relief for Xilan. Knowing her limits, she stopped making a fuss and slowly stood up, supporting herself on the small table.
Hongli at the door didn't wait for her. He turned around first and walked very fast. Su Yushan had been kneeling for a long time, and her legs were numb and almost lost all feeling. Every step she took felt like walking on cotton. She swayed from side to side and couldn't find her center of gravity. Not only were her calves uncomfortable, but her knees also hurt badly. So she moved very slowly. When she reached the door, she had difficulty lifting her feet and couldn't help but hiss softly.
Hongli paused slightly, turned around and saw her holding onto the door frame, carefully stepping out.
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Hongli scoffed sarcastically, "Your legs hurt a lot?"
Noticing his seemingly amused gaze, Su Yushan refused to back down, clenching her teeth and feigning nonchalance as she said, "It's alright, it's not very serious."
He stayed with Gao Xiuwen for half an hour, and she knelt there for half an hour. Thinking of that scene, Hongli's feelings were extremely complex—both pity and anger. He muttered a low sneer.
"You asked for trouble!"
She was already in such a sorry state, and instead of comforting her, he mocked and ridiculed her so cruelly. Su Yushan felt wronged, pouted her red lips unhappily, and endured the pain in her knees, slowly moving forward, not forgetting to put on a brave face and let out a soft groan.
"I'd love to!"
She was always so stubborn. Hongli didn't want to pay attention to her and wanted to teach her a lesson. However, she was walking so hard, and every step seemed to be painful. He had no choice but to stop and wait for her to come to his side. Then, he put his long arm around her and picked her up in his arms.
This sudden action startled Su Yushan, who cried out, "Hey---what are you doing? Put me down, I can walk."
Hongli didn't comfort her; instead, he mocked her, "Walking so slowly, are you stepping on ants?"
Normally, she could do whatever she wanted in the Painting Pear Pavilion, but being held by him like this outside made her feel a little uncomfortable. Her face flushed, and she whispered a reminder.
"This is on the street, with people coming and going. Aren't you afraid the servants will see us and gossip behind our backs?"
Hongli remained unfazed and walked straight ahead, saying, "Am I breaking the law by embracing my own woman?"
"That may be true, but given your noble status, don't you feel ashamed to hug a woman in public like this?"
These words were truly laughable coming from her mouth. Glancing at her indifferently, Hongli's eyes were full of mockery. "When you openly defied my orders, did you ever consider my feelings?"
"I..." Su Yushan, feeling guilty, was speechless. Afraid of falling, she subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in defense, "I was just stating what I saw."
Thinking of her actions today, Hongli angrily rebuked her, "I told you to go back, why did you insist on being punished with Xilan? You are clearly going against me and testing my patience!"
"But Xilan is truly innocent!" The thought of his punishment filled her with indignation. "The real culprit is Jin Minjing, yet you don't hold her accountable, only blaming Xilan. That's not fair!"
“I know you have a grudge against Kim Min-jung, but we need to stick to the facts. We can’t just convict someone because of personal grudges.” Hongli said as he walked forward, trying to reason with her, but she wouldn’t listen.
"This has nothing to do with the holiday. Today's incident was caused by Kim Min-jung."
“But Xiuwen doesn’t think so. She believes that Xilan is the murderer and has no intention of holding Jin Minjing responsible. Besides, Jin Minjing’s father works in the palace and is trusted by the Emperor. Even if I were to convict her, I would have to have a reason and evidence. I can’t offend her for the sake of a cat.”
Hongli was talking about rules and the status quo, but Su Yushan found his words extremely grating.
"Just because her father holds a high official position and Xilan's father holds a low official position, you're making Xilan take the blame? If my family is powerless and without influence, would I also be the one sacrificed by you in this situation?"
Her presumptuous words deeply stung Hongli. He stopped walking, put her down, looked directly at the young woman before him, his expression solemn, his eyes blazing with anger, and said sternly:
“Yushan, you should speak with a clear conscience. You should know very well how I have treated you. When have I ever looked down on you because of your family background? When you and Jin Minjing had conflicts, when were I not on your side?”
Honestly, he had indeed helped her many times, and Su Yushan was deeply grateful. She thought he had always been this upright, but his decision today surprised her greatly.
"Then why won't you help Xilan? You know she's innocent."
Gazing at the lush bamboo forest covered with a thin layer of snow in the distance, Hongli sighed softly and said truthfully, "I have no feelings for her and don't want to cause trouble."
Upon hearing this, Su Yushan couldn't help but think of his unspoken meaning: "You have feelings for Jin Minjing, so you can't bear to punish her?"
After all, Kim Min-jung had been with him for so long. Even if he no longer doted on her, he still had some feelings for her, right? Otherwise, why would he only punish Xi Lan?
The thought of this possibility brought a surge of bitterness to Su Yushan's heart, making her eyes sting and feel extremely uncomfortable!
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