Such a lack of discipline will inevitably cause trouble for her sooner or later. Moreover, knowing that Zhang Xueliu's motives are impure, Qu Qingxi now just wants to force Zhang Xueliu to reveal her true intentions as soon as possible.
She no longer wanted to play the long game; she just wanted a quick and decisive victory.
"Qingdai, Zhang Xueliu doesn't know much about etiquette. To avoid causing any trouble and to prevent others from gossiping, you should teach Zhang Xueliu the proper manners according to the rules of the manor." Qu Qingxi stood up, glanced disdainfully at the person kneeling on the ground, and then turned and left.
"Your Highness, no, this servant..." Zhang Xueliu panicked when she heard Qu Qingxi say that she was going to punish her according to the rules of the manor. She had heard of the rules of the manor, which were said to be extremely strict and very different from those of other manor houses.
She had previously thought Qu Qingxi was a weak person, so she hardly paid any attention to her, but now, Qu Qingxi suddenly wanted to punish her.
Zhang Xueliu was very dissatisfied, but she couldn't say anything. After all, the hierarchy was what it was, and even if her master came today, he couldn't say anything.
Seeing that Zhang Xueliu was about to say something, Qingdai interrupted her directly, "Zhang Xueliu, the princess is the princess, she is your master. You should listen to whatever the princess says. There is no way the royal mansion can tolerate someone who does not listen to their master."
Knowing that Zhang Xueliu's goal was to stay in the Prince's mansion, Qingdai easily got her under her thumb. What an ungrateful thing! The Princess was lenient with her, and she really thought she could take advantage of her and do whatever she wanted.
Upon hearing Qingdai's words, Zhang Xueliu had no choice but to swallow her words. She had no doubt that if she said anything more, Qingdai might really expel her from the palace.
That won't do. If my master finds out I've been expelled from the palace, he'll surely kill me.
Seeing the resentment on Zhang Xueliu's face gradually disappear, Qingdai sneered inwardly, "Come with me." With that, she turned and left.
According to the rules, Zhang Xueliu was directly punished with ten strokes of the cane. After the caning, she was forced to kneel outside Qu Qingxi's courtyard for ten hours, and her annual allowance was also canceled.
It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that Zhang Xueliu dragged her injured body back to her room, cursing Qu Qingxi a thousand times in her heart.
However, she dared not say anything on the surface. This time, her master called her back, which meant that he should get something from the study of the Prince of Nanqing. As long as she got this thing, she could leave this place and no longer have to suffer any more nonsense.
However, she was punished as soon as she returned. The injury on her buttocks will probably take a long time to heal. She deserves to die. Qu Qingxi deserves to die, and Qingdai deserves to die even more.
Zhang Xueliu clenched her fists angrily, determined not to let them off once she completed her mission and left this place.
On the other side, Qingdai watched Zhang Xueliu being punished before returning to Qu Qingxi's side.
“Your Highness, just now, when Zhang Xueliu was being punished, I noticed that she seemed to have some skill. When she was being flogged, her body made an instinctive movement to avoid it, a movement that ordinary people cannot do.”
Qingdai recalled her unintentional discovery earlier.
"Zhang Xueliu has skills?" Qu Qingxi was surprised and looked up at Qingdai. She really hadn't noticed this.
"Yes, Your Highness, I know martial arts, so it's easy for me to notice the difference," Qingdai nodded affirmatively.
"Qingdai, have someone test her skills and see how capable she is."
Qu Qingxi hadn't expected Zhang Xueliu to be skilled in martial arts, but even if she was, she didn't care. "By the way, where has Zhang Xueliu been these past few days?"
"According to the information they sent, the person behind Zhang Xueliu is not from the Xu family, but someone else. On the surface, Zhang Xueliu listens to Xu Ding, but in reality, she is also obeying someone else's orders."
Qingdai recalled the news from Cuiwei Pavilion and was still somewhat surprised when Zhang Xueliu was mentioned. She really hadn't expected that Zhang Xueliu would be so well hidden.
"Zhang Xueliu asked for leave, saying that she had something to do at home. In reality, she went to the Zhang family for a visit, and then secretly went to the Xu residence to meet Xu Ding. Xu Ding gave her a task and promised that as long as she completed the task, he would take her back. She didn't hear the task very clearly. It was to find something in the prince's study, but she didn't hear the specifics."
As for the other person, their identity has not yet been determined, and the person who was following them has also lost track of them.
Is it someone else? Could that person be that powerful?
Qu Qingxi knew a bit about the people from Cuiwei Pavilion. Since they were able to lose track of them, it meant that the other party was very strong.
But who could that person be?
What was it that Xu Ding asked Zhang Xueliu to find in He Liufeng's study?
"Tell the prince about this and see what he says. Perhaps he knows what Xu Ding wants to get from him," Qu Qingxi said, looking at Qingdai.
Qingdai nodded, indicating that she understood.
However, at the same time, a surprising piece of news came: Zhou Wenli was actually setting off to return home.
Qu Qingxi was stunned the moment she saw the message.
Why the sudden change of heart? What is Zhou Wenli up to?
When the Zhou envoys were about to return home, the emperor naturally held a banquet for them. Thus, three days later, Qu Qingxi had no choice but to follow He Liufeng to the palace for the banquet.
Qu Qingxi was still wearing that purple princess dress, dignified and beautiful, but she was in a bad mood.
Every time she entered the palace, something big would happen, and today would probably be no exception. The thought of facing some "unexpected" events upon entering the palace made Qu Qingxi feel a little irritable.
It's not that it can't be solved, but being on guard every day like this makes people very uncomfortable.
However, for now, everything seems calm and natural. Qu Qingxi is enjoying the dancers' exquisite dance and the melodious music. Originally, Qu Qingxi did not plan to eat anything, but He Liufeng said that the food on their table today was arranged by their own people and had not been handled by anyone else.
Qu Qingxi then tasted two pieces of pastry. Seeing the fruit wine next to her, she became curious, poured herself a glass, and tasted it. The taste was not bad, and it was not as spicy and stimulating as other wines.
It tasted a bit like juice. Qu Qingxi took two sips, then couldn't help but finish the whole glass.
He Liufeng noticed Qu Qingxi's actions, but just turned his head and looked at her affectionately without stopping her. It wasn't as strong as other wines, and even if she drank a cup, she wouldn't get drunk. Besides, he was right next to Qu Qingxi, so he wasn't worried about anything happening to her.
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