Madam Zhou felt that Ye Qingxue's words were undoubtedly a provocation, so she brandished her whip and continued to strike.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The whip fell continuously, the sound of it striking again and again sending chills down one's spine.
As the three whips fell, Ye Qingxue cried out three times in succession, "Mother! Mother! Mother!"
Sweat dripped down her body, and Ye Qingxue's clothes were tattered, revealing obvious whip marks. Her skin was broken and bleeding, but she did not cry.
Every time Madam Zhou lashed out with the whip, she would call out "Mother!" with all her might.
His hands, hanging by his sides, were clenched into fists. The tip of the whip swept across the back of his hands and then his face, instantly drawing blood.
"I'll ask you one more time. Having committed such a grave mistake, you are no longer worthy to marry Prince Ding as his consort. Will you go before His Highness Prince Ding to beg for forgiveness and voluntarily annul the engagement?!" Madam Zhou asked in a deep voice, her sweat dripping down her face.
Ye Qingxue said without any hesitation: "Mother, I did nothing wrong, I won't go!"
Madam Zhou's whip continued to fall, each time with all her might.
"Smack!"
"Mother!"
"Smack!"
"Mother!"
"Smack..."
"Mother……"
"..."
Seventeen lashes, each one delivered with fury and hatred by Madam Zhou, each lash striking flesh, tearing Ye Qingxue's clothes, leaving mottled welts and a bloody mess.
Ye Qingxue, who hadn't shed a tear until now, suddenly went limp after the seventeenth lash and fell to the ground. She quickly braced herself with her hands and then spat out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing that Madam Zhou was about to raise the whip to strike her, her eyes sharpened, and she caught the whip with her bare hands. "The seventeen lashes are over. If you didn't kill me, you'll never have the chance to kill me again, Madam!"
From "Mother" to "Madam," it was a distance of seventeen lashes.
It is the distance between Ye Qingxue's expectations, longings, and pleas for her mother, and her gradual despair.
Madam Zhou was stunned. When she looked down, she saw her blood-stained cheeks and the frosty look in her red-rimmed eyes.
Ye Qingxue pulled the whip from Madam Zhou's hand with force. Madam Zhou, a pampered lady, was no match for Ye Qingxue, who had done plenty of dirty and tiring work.
Madam Zhou tried to grip the whip tightly, but Ye Qingxue pulled her so hard she stumbled.
After regaining her balance, Madam Zhou flew into a rage again: "If you're so unruly, why did you make a mistake? And if you made such a grave mistake, why don't you dare admit it? If I can't beat you to death, does that mean your elder brother can't?"
Ye Qingxue, whip in hand, slowly stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth: "You have no say in the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. Go and invite Madam Min over to speak."
She couldn't beat Ye Qingxue with her fists, she couldn't get her to listen to her scolding, and she still couldn't get Ye Qingxue to admit her mistake. Madam Zhou was so angry that her heart ached, her temples throbbed, and her vision blurred.
"Please, please invite Madam Min over!" Madam Zhou shouted angrily, already leaning against Hu Mama, unable to stand. It felt as if a thousand sharp arrows were attacking her heart. How could Ye Qingxue be such a wicked child!
In the front hall of the Marquis's residence.
The eldest princess and Madam Min had discussed everything that needed to be discussed, but Ye Qingxue and Xiang Zhou still did not come to apologize and request the annulment of the engagement.
As time went by, Madam Min gradually became worried. Could it be that Ye Qingxue didn't even listen to her mother?
Or did something unexpected happen that prevented the act of carrying thorns to apologize from taking place?
Although His Highness Prince Ding remained silent, he also had this to consider. If the matters in the Marquis's residence were not resolved properly, it would not only be bad for him to stay, but he might also bring trouble upon himself.
Let's go back first and wait for the Marquis's residence to send the details to his residence before making any further plans.
Thinking this, Prince Ding stood up, cupped his hands to Lady Min and said, "Now that today's matters have been discussed, I and my aunt, the Princess, will return first. We will send someone to your residence the day after tomorrow to arrange the betrothal."
Ideally, before the betrothal ceremony, Madam Min should resolve the issues in the inner quarters and replace his princess with Ye Yabing!
Otherwise, he wouldn't be so polite to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion.
Lady Min immediately rose as well: "This humble woman respectfully sees off the Princess and His Highness Prince Ding."
After confirming that they had left the Marquis's residence, Madam Min hurried to the backyard without stopping for a moment.
Granny Hu had already arrived and told her about the situation in the backyard, including the fact that Ye Yabing had been disfigured.
Madam Min abruptly stopped, grasped Hu Mama's arm, and asked in a trembling voice, "What? Second Miss is really disfigured?"
Hu Mama said tremblingly, "Madam, yes, this old servant saw it myself. The knife cut was very deep, and you could see the bone. I'm afraid... I'm afraid the Second Miss's face can't be healed. For this, Madam Zhou whipped the Eldest Miss seventeen times, but the Eldest Miss refused to admit her mistake."
Madam Min swayed suddenly, and Hu Mama quickly supported her. "Madam, don't worry. This old servant is ignorant and my words may not be reliable. If we can find a divine doctor, perhaps the Second Miss's face can still be saved."
Madam Min suddenly tightened her grip, pinching Hu Mama's arm until it ached, but she dared not utter a sound.
"If the Second Miss's face is truly ruined, I will have Ye Qingxue torn to pieces!" Madam Min said, each word seemingly spat out from between her teeth.
"Granny Hu, gather ten guards and head to Guanju Courtyard! Since even her mother can't do anything about her, I want to see if she's a match for ten guards!"
Hu Mama agreed and immediately instructed Hongzhu to go and call for help.
When Madam Min arrived at Guanju Courtyard, her procession was as grand as ever, even more so than that of Madam Zhou.
Taking a deep breath, Madam Min adjusted her hair and walked steadily to the doorway.
Madam Min was equally shocked when she saw the blood all over the ground.
What the servants told her was completely different from what she had seen with her own eyes. At this point, she finally realized that Ye Qingxue, who had been cautious and timid since returning to the Marquis's mansion three days prior, really could hit and kill people.
She really underestimated Ye Qingxue.
Ye Qingxue walked towards her and stopped about ten feet away.
Madam Min looked her over. Her clothes were tattered and stained with blood, her face was scarred, and her hair was disheveled. She looked disheveled and frail.
Passing Ye Qingxue, Madam Min looked at Dongbai and the others. The four maids blocked her view, so she couldn't see what was going on inside. She couldn't even see Ye Yabing or Granny Lai.
However, I saw Madam Zhou being helped to stand to one side, swaying precariously, waiting for me to uphold justice.
Taking a deep breath, and then another, Madam Min finally spoke: "Eldest Miss, I don't know what grievances you suffered that led you to commit a massacre in your own boudoir in the Marquis's mansion, not only seriously injuring your own sister but also killing Granny Lai!"
"If you have any troubles, you can tell me directly, and I will help you solve them. But are you expressing your dissatisfaction with me, or are you planning to rebel against the Marquis's mansion?"
"No need for crocodile tears!" Ye Qingxue said.
"My suffering is all your doing! You conspired with Ye Yabing to force-feed me the deadly poison of the Broken Moon Orchid, and then threatened me and Xiang Zhou with the antidote to go to the front hall to beg for forgiveness, all so that Ye Yabing could marry Prince Ding as his concubine!"
"I don't need you to solve my problems; you are my biggest problem. The one I need to solve is you!"
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