Chapter 61 The Fourth Prince recognizes Yun Zhaoxue; she's interesting.
The Shen family used to be an earl's mansion, a high-ranking and wealthy family. In their eyes, the escorts were just lowly servants.
They can make someone lose their job with just a few words.
But now the roles have been reversed, and the escorts have become the masters who hold the power of life and death over them. To treat the escorts as servants is to court death.
Old Liao knew that most of these 300-plus people had impressive backgrounds in the past, and there must be some who would disobey their orders.
He was worried that someone might misbehave on the road and delay his trip, but before he even set off, someone offered him an opportunity to make an example of someone, which he certainly wouldn't miss.
Old Liao strode forward and lashed his whip at Shen Qingyu.
Terrified, she closed her eyes, covered her head, and turned her back, still trying to intimidate the other person with her status, "I am a young lady from the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, how dare you hit me..."
"Smack!—"
The whip struck her back, and Shen Qingyu threw her head back and screamed, "Ah!—"
The newly changed silk and satin garments were torn to shreds, revealing a long scar.
A burning pain spread throughout her body from her back, causing her to roll on the ground and wail in agony, "Ahhh, it hurts so much! Help! Imperial Physician! I need an Imperial Physician! Waaaaah..."
When Old Liao heard her crying and shouting for the imperial physician, he chuckled coldly, "Imperial physician? Did I not hit her hard enough, or has she lost her mind? Does she still think she's some kind of rich young lady?"
Seeing this scene, everyone realized that the whipping they had received in prison was relatively mild; this escort commander was a ruthless and not to be trifled with.
It's best to avoid provoking him in the future.
Madam Shen rushed over and hugged her daughter, "Yu'er, Yu'er..."
"How dare you hit my daughter! Do you know who my daughter is? She is..."
Seeing that Old Liao's face was growing increasingly gloomy, Master Shen Yichun hurriedly interrupted her, saying, "Stop talking!"
Old Liao lashed Madam Shen's side with his whip, "Crack!"
"Get back to the ranks, put on your prison uniforms, and get ready to leave. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be whipped!"
Shen Yichun was a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He was a good-for-nothing, and the Shen family had declined day by day since it was passed down to him. One whip was enough to make his legs go weak. He urged, "Quickly, take the person away."
Madam Shen and Shen Yan quickly lifted Shen Qingyu off the ground and took her away, forgetting about the prison clothes on the ground.
Old Liao used the knife in his hand to hook and swing it over their heads, saying, "Put on your prison uniforms."
Shen Qingyu smelled that disgusting dog poop odor again and gagged physiologically, "Ugh ugh ugh..."
Pulling at the wound on her back, the pain was excruciating, and she wailed, "Waaah! That lowly escort dared to hit me! Mother, elder brother, please help me kill him! Kill him! Waaah..."
When Mr. Shen, who had walked away, heard his daughter's outrageous words, he was so frightened that he rushed back and covered his mouth.
Old Liao's cold, warning gaze swept over everyone, his eyes lingering on Yun Zhaoxue for a moment.
She was involved both times; she's no pushover.
Yun Zhaoxue had just turned her head to look at Shen Qingyu being beaten when she met Lao Liao's cold gaze. She was so frightened that she buried her face in Xiao Xuance's shoulder again, "Don't hit me..."
Old Liao: "All of you better stay out of trouble! Walk to your place of exile in a well-behaved manner, or I'll beat anyone who dares to misbehave to death!"
Yun Zhaoxue assured him, "Don't worry, officer, I will definitely not cause any trouble."
She has always adhered to the principle of "I will not offend others unless they offend me".
Each household lined up, and the guards responsible for watching over and managing each household counted the number of people. Once the number was confirmed to be correct, the procession set off.
Xiao Xiuning exclaimed, "Sister Hongying, don't you think she's different from before? She seems to have become smarter."
The two of them knew perfectly well who "she" referred to.
Upon hearing this, Ye Hongying's brows furrowed with arrogance, and she said disdainfully, "Clever? These are nothing more than the tricks those delicate women in the inner quarters use to feign weakness and seduce men."
She despised women who wore makeup and relied on tears to gain men's pity.
Xiao Xiuning looked confused. It seemed to make some sense, but something felt off.
"If you don't pretend, you'll get beaten up!" Shen Qingyu's painful wails were chilling.
Ye Hongying's eyes flashed, and she continued to brainwash her: "Ning'er, we are all women who aspire to become female generals and fight on the battlefield. Don't learn her tricks of feigning pitifulness and scheming from women in the inner quarters. They are not respectable."
Two tall figures stood on the city wall. One of the men wore a mask and was tall and rugged. Judging from his build, he did not look like a person from the Central Plains but rather like a northern barbarian.
His gaze fell on the group, fixed on a particular figure's back.
Princess Zhaoxue.
The woman I met at Zuixianlou and Jinluge that day was her.
She somehow overprinted his token and secretly reported him, causing him to be chased and injured in the arm.
She wasn't the brainless, barbaric, vulgar, and vicious person the rumors portrayed her as...
Coincidentally, it was the wife of the man he considered his biggest rival.
For the first time in his twenty-plus years of life, he felt interested in a woman. If he could bring her back to Jingguo and make her his woman…
He was outmaneuvered by Xiao Xuance on the battlefield.
Losing on the battlefield but winning in love is also a good way to get revenge.
The second prince glanced at him, following his gaze to find him staring at the Xiao family's group. "Fourth Prince, you intend to..."
He raised his hand and made a sweeping motion across his neck.
If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring breeze.
“His martial arts skills and limbs are already crippled; he can no longer mount a warhorse or lift a spear. There’s no need to kill him outright.”
Wanyan Zonglie always respected his opponents and did not want to go too far. Moreover, for a general who had fought on the battlefield, being a cripple was worse than death.
Xiao Xuance is still clinging to life mostly because of his hatred. Once he gets his revenge, he will take his own life.
The second prince was puzzled. If he didn't want to kill him, why was he staring at him without blinking?
Thinking back on that look, it didn't seem like the look of someone looking at an enemy, but rather the look of a man looking at a 'woman'.
He had previously ordered people to arrange countless beauties of all shapes and sizes for the Fourth Prince, including virgins and battle-hardened courtesans, but he didn't like any of them. He was not interested in women, so he was interested in men.
The way she looked at him immediately changed, and she quietly took a step to the side, moving away from him.
Wanyan Zonglie narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he could see through his thoughts. "That Princess Zhaoxue is quite interesting. It is truly enviable that Prince Xiao has such a beautiful wife and concubine by his side on his journey of exile."
The second prince suddenly realized, "So this is what the fourth prince likes. No wonder you didn't like the beauties I offered you."
Wanyan Zonglie said, "Those who are too docile and proactive are boring."
The Second Prince said with a look of disgust, "My cousin is infatuated with the Third Prince. She acts crazy, often rides her horse wildly in the street, and is untamed. Because of a few words of provocation from others, she drugged her husband and consummated their marriage in prison. She also ran away with the money in the mansion and eloped with another man, making the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion a laughing stock. There is nothing she is not capable of."
Upon hearing this, Wanyan Zonglie's lips curled into a smile, and he felt that Yun Zhaoxue was a wonderful person. "She is indeed an interesting woman. I bet Prince Xiao will like her."
The Second Prince didn't believe it. "Impossible. This kind of woman is a rare breed in our Great Zhou. Xiao Xuance must have been incredibly unlucky to marry her."
Wanyan Zonglie smiled without refuting, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I congratulate Your Highness in advance on taking over the Xiao family army. The day Your Highness takes over the Xiao family army will be the day the two countries negotiate peace."
The Crown Prince was mediocre and unfit for important tasks, so the favored Third Prince was exiled, making the Second Prince the only candidate to take over the Xiao family army.
The Second Prince stepped forward and put his arm around his shoulder. "Things have progressed so smoothly that I should thank the Fourth Prince. Come on, I'll treat you to a night at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion for some fun. I'll have someone arrange a spirited and untamed mare for you, so you can train it properly tonight, hahaha!!!"
When a happy event occurs, one's spirits soar, and with a hearty laugh, one heads off to the brothel.
Wanyan Zonglie lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes obscuring his brown eyes, a dark glint flashing within them.
The Second Prince of Dajing is stubborn, arrogant, and has never been on the battlefield. He only knows how to talk about war on paper. When he takes over the Xiao family army, that will be the day when his Dajing iron cavalry tramples the Central Plains!
Peace talks? Ha! It's all a sham!
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