Chapter 167 This Empress Will Help Uya Clan Climb into Bed
After Li Guiping bowed and left the sleeping quarters, he did not immediately go to get the whip.
Instead, he quickly walked to a secluded corner, scanning his surroundings to make sure no one was there.
He beckoned to his trusted eunuch, who stood behind him with his hands at his sides. The young eunuch immediately moved closer alertly.
Li Guiping lowered his voice very low, but spoke very quickly.
"Go and do what you did last time, and get the one inside."
He gestured towards the direction of the sleeping quarters.
"The news that the palace maids are about to be punished with whipping must be leaked out, and we must make sure that it reaches the ears of the people who need to know."
The young eunuch's eyes sharpened, and without the slightest hesitation, he nodded immediately, his voice barely audible.
"Master, rest assured, your disciple understands."
After saying that, he disappeared silently around the corner of the corridor.
Li Guiping is now standing still, deep in thought.
He didn't know if the Empress would be interested in such a trivial matter, and he was even less certain what she would do if she found out.
But the Empress told him that he must report any disturbance, big or small, in Chengqian Palace immediately.
Doing things according to the Empress's instructions is never wrong.
He composed himself and then strode quickly toward the storeroom where the torture instruments were kept.
Before long, he came out holding a black, shiny cowhide whip that smelled faintly of fish.
They returned to the outside of the sleeping quarters.
His face regained its usual submissive expression as he pushed open the door and entered.
Inside the hall, all was silent.
Li Guiping lowered his eyes, raised the whip high above his head with both hands, and presented it to Tongjia Shi in a calm and even voice.
"Princess, the whip you requested has been brought."
Tongjia's gaze was fixed on the whip, her eyes surging with violence and excitement.
She knew it was wrong to do this; it was beneath her dignity.
But at this moment, she desperately needed an outlet, a living being to whom she could vent all her pent-up frustrations and resentment.
She snatched the whip, then was overwhelmed by a strong urge to destroy.
She seemed to see that the person kneeling before her was not the lowly palace maid, Uya.
Instead, it was Jiang Nan, who sat high on the phoenix throne, humiliating her with a look of schadenfreude.
"You dog servant, you can't even serve a cup of tea properly, what use are you to me?"
She shouted and cursed, then flicked her wrist with all her might.
The black whip whistled through the air and lashed down hard onto Wuya's thin back.
"Smack—"
A crisp sound broke the silence in the hall.
"ah--"
Unable to suppress the immense pain emanating from behind, Uya let out a bloodcurdling scream.
He lunged forward, gripping the floor tiles so tightly his fingernails almost broke.
This lash seemed to rip her soul apart.
This heart-wrenching scream did not evoke any pity from Tongjia Shi; instead, it acted like a potent drug, stimulating her to become even more excited.
Her eyes gleamed with even greater pleasure. Her wrist flicked, and another lash was delivered, even more vicious and heavy than before!
"Smack!"
"ah--"
"I'll teach you to be so blind, so stupid, and so bullying of me because I'm young."
"Smack!"
"Princess, have mercy! This servant knows she was wrong, ah—"
The whip fell again and again, accompanied by Tongjia's frantic curses and Wuya's gradually weakening wails.
The old woman turned her face away, unable to bear to look any longer.
Li Guiping kept his head down the whole time, like an emotionless puppet, but his hands hanging at his sides trembled slightly.
He was not indifferent or callous; rather, he knew that trying to dissuade him at this moment would be tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.
The princess was furious, and they would only stop once she had vented her anger.
As for that palace maid... she can only pray for good fortune.
The whipping punishments in the palace rarely injure the bones and muscles.
But the feeling of having your skin torn open is truly excruciating.
She smoked an unknown amount of cigarettes until she herself was panting heavily and her arms were sore, before she finally stopped.
Her chest heaved violently as she looked at the body on the ground, curled up in agony, trembling uncontrollably, its clothes torn and bloodstains seeping through its back.
The violent destructive urge in my heart seemed to have subsided a little.
She casually tossed the whip, which was stained with a few drops of blood, at Li Guiping's feet, her tone filled with a weary and disgusted condescending tone.
"Alright, I'll spare your life for now, since this is your first offense, as a lesson for you."
She took a breath and gave the order.
"Li Guiping, drag him away, he's a bad omen!"
"Yes, sir."
Li Guiping responded and bent down to pick up the whip.
He winked at the two eunuchs waiting outside the hall.
The two men immediately entered, expressionlessly lifted up the nearly unconscious Uya, and dragged her out.
Li Guiping also left and gently closed the palace door.
Inside the bedchamber, the faint sounds of a nanny's low, comforting voice and Tongjia's impatient scolding could be heard.
Li Guiping glanced at the direction where Wuya was dragged away, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
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Kunning Palace Dining Hall.
Jiang Nan leaned against the table, holding a small, white jade pendant, slowly polishing her pearly nails.
The rustling sound of the jade brush against the nail made the hall seem even quieter.
She was waiting for her son, Erhe, to come home from school so they could have a lively meal together.
Suddenly, Zhao Deyi's voice came from outside the hall. It was low, but every word seemed to reach her ears.
"Your Majesty, a message has arrived from Chengqian Palace."
Jiang Nan didn't even lift her eyelids, her gaze still fixed on her meticulously maintained nails, her tone as indifferent as water.
"Come in and give your answer."
"Yes, sir."
Zhao Deyi responded by lifting the curtain and entering, then bowed and reported to her.
"Your Majesty, a letter just arrived saying that after Princess Tongjia returned to Chengqian Palace, she was whipped for some trivial matter, and she is currently whipping a palace maid."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan paused slightly in her movements, then chuckled softly, her laughter filled with undisguised mockery.
"Ha, whipping palace maids? This is usually a despicable tactic used by those who are powerless and furious but helpless against their real opponents. What use is it other than bullying the weak and venting their pitiful resentment? It's just a pity for the palace maid in Chengqian Palace who was beaten, becoming her punching bag for no reason."
Zhao Deyi observed the Empress's expression and carefully considered his words before speaking.
"Your Majesty, shall we do something?"
Jiang Nan waved her hand, looking uninterested.
"What are you doing? I'm waiting for my son to have his meal; I don't have time for that. Besides, if she hits someone from her own palace, she can just find some excuse like poor service or disrespecting her master. Do you think I can stop her from disciplining her servants?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered that if she were a Manchu palace maid, she could not be dealt with arbitrarily.
He put down the jade pendant, looked up at Zhao Deyi, and his eyes held a hint of inquiry.
"By the way, was she beating an ordinary, lowly palace maid, or... one of the Eight Banners' carefully selected ones?"
Zhao replied hastily.
"Your Majesty, I heard that the one who was beaten was a head maid, the one who was personally promoted by Princess Tongjia after she entered the palace. Her name is Wuya and she belongs to the Plain Yellow Banner."
"Uya clan?"
Upon hearing this name, Jiang Nan raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.
Is it the Uya clan member she knows?
The future Consort De? The biological mother of that brat Yongzheng?
A glint of intense interest flashed in her eyes.
A playful smile appeared on his face.
"This is very interesting..."
She leaned forward slightly and gave Zhao Deyi instructions.
"Go and deliver a message to Chengqian Palace, asking Li Guiping to secretly look after that Wuya clan member, to make sure she isn't actually beaten to death, to treat her with good medicine, and to make it easy for her to see the Emperor if the opportunity arises."
Zhao Deyi was stunned, and tentatively asked.
"Your Majesty, if this servant dares to guess, you intend for this Wuya clan member to... climb the social ladder in the future, so that you can use her to deal with Princess Tongjia, and we can reap the benefits?"
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