Chapter 199: Hold on, don’t die
She felt a pain in her heart and felt like she was falling into an abyss.
"Mother, I am the victim!"
"Shut up! You dare to lie in front of our ancestors? You've brought shame upon the royal family!"
Concubine Li stopped looking at her and turned to Emperor Defeng, saying, "Your Majesty, it was my poor parenting that allowed Zhen'er to do such a thing that went against moral principles. I dare not say a single good word for her! Her behavior is unworthy of a royal wife. Your Majesty, please punish her by sending her to the royal temple to reflect on her mistakes!"
When Xiao Wanzhen heard this, her body shook violently and she almost fell down.
Royal temple, is that where people stay?
If she, a princess, were to be sent there, wouldn't her life be worse than that of a slave?
What's more, she didn't do it at all, so why should she bear all this?
"Mother, how can you be so cruel!"
Concubine Li said in a resolute tone, "You did something wrong, so you should be punished."
Emperor Defeng looked at Lu Wenyuan and said, "Lord Lu, what do you think of this explanation?"
Lu Wenyuan hurriedly saluted, his tone terrified. "The princess is a precious treasure. How could she go to a place like the royal temple? Although the princess has made mistakes, fortunately, she hasn't made a serious mistake yet. This kind of punishment is really too much."
Right now, the Lu family is the victim, so it might be acceptable to give Qiao a little help, but if they really take advantage of the situation and send the princess to the royal temple, they would be unable to weigh their own weight.
After hearing this, Emperor Defeng's expression eased slightly.
"Then what do you think is the best way to deal with this, Lord Lu?"
Lu Wenyuan declined repeatedly and tactfully kept silent.
Empress Sun said slowly, "Your Majesty, Zhen'er was simply confused for a moment. I also feel that sending her to the imperial temple is a bit too harsh. Why not let her reflect on her mistakes in her own princess residence? I believe that after this incident, she must have realized her mistakes."
Emperor Defeng pondered for a moment, "The Empress is still too merciful. Pass on my decree. From now on, your princess title will be stripped away and you will be confined to your home for six months. You are not allowed to interfere in any affairs of the Lu family."
After hearing this, Concubine Li finally felt relieved.
The reason why she had that attitude just now was certainly because she wanted to sacrifice her own family for the sake of justice, but she didn't really want to put her daughter to death.
Only by proposing a severe punishment would she have a chance to get the emperor to give her a lighter punishment.
Xiao Wanzhen's eyes were blank and she spoke numbly.
"Your son accepts my command and thanks you!"
Zhao Shuning kept his head down, so quiet that his presence barely felt.
Xiao Wanzhen stared at her with a dark gaze, full of resentment.
"Father, I am willing to accept the punishment. But what about her? How should we deal with her?"
Zhao Shuning kowtowed again, "I have committed a heinous crime. I know I cannot escape punishment. I will leave it to the Emperor to decide!"
Emperor Defeng looked at her indifferently, "Zhao's behavior is immoral and she is unworthy of being an imperial edict. From today on, her imperial edict is revoked and she is not allowed to enter the palace without a summons."
Zhao Shuning felt relieved.
It's worth it to exchange a body with a royal decree for a life!
But then, Emperor Defeng said, "Zhao is so audacious and reckless, defying the imperial authority. She refuses to change despite repeated admonitions. Severe punishment will not deter the people. Men, take her away and give her thirty lashes. Her life or death is at her mercy."
Zhao Shuning's face turned pale in an instant.
Thirty strokes of the cane can break bones or even take someone’s life!
Can she survive these thirty lashes?
A trace of panic flashed through Zhao Shuning's heart.
She was quickly dragged away and unceremoniously pressed against the bench.
The heavy board fell, and severe pain instantly exploded in the buttocks.
She gritted her teeth to prevent herself from screaming.
Then came the second and third pains, waves of pain that seemed to tear her flesh apart.
She didn't know how long it had been before she felt her consciousness begin to blur, her vision went dark, and the only sound in her ears was the clattering of the board against flesh.
She gripped the edge of the bench tightly, her nails digging into the wood.
Hold on, don't die.
As long as there is breath, there is hope!
This strong belief supported her and allowed her to persevere.
When the last board fell, she was numb with pain, but at least she was still alive.
Emperor Defeng looked at her indifferently, "You are lucky. Marquis Xuanping, if you don't properly control the people in your mansion, you won't be so lucky next time."
Chu Dingfeng and Chu Yian turned pale and immediately knelt down to apologize.
Emperor Defeng was about to leave when the candle that had been lit again in the hall exploded again.
There was a "bang" sound, not loud, but hard to ignore, and it became the fuse that ignited the anger in Emperor Defeng's heart.
"I allocated so much money to organize this ancestral worship, and this is how you buy things? You can't even afford a candle. Where did all my money go?"
Xiao Yanqing and officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Taichang Temple all knelt down.
"Father, it is your fault that I have failed to perform my duties..."
First it was Xiao Wanzhen, then it was Xiao Yanqing, neither of these two siblings is worry-free!
"You are indeed incompetent. Then take a break and calm down before returning to work!"
Xiao Yanqing's face turned pale instantly.
Emperor Defeng said this and left.
Xiao Yanqing stood up from the ground after a while, his face gloomy.
He also felt angry towards Xiao Wanzhen.
If she hadn't caused this incident and displeased her father, how could she have suffered such a disaster?
Besides, they had left a long time ago, so there was no further incident.
Xiao Wanzhen didn't care about Xiao Yanqing's thoughts at all. She was staring at Zhao Shuning with resentment, wishing she could rush up and hit her with a few more boards to beat her to death.
He is still alive after all this, he is indeed a scourge that will last for thousands of years!
After everyone left, Chu Dingfeng and Chu Yian stood up from the ground.
Looking at the woman who was only breathing her last breath, Chu Dingfeng's face was filled with disgust.
"This woman is a nuisance! Why didn't you beat her to death just now?"
There was no trace of pity in Chu Yian's eyes, only endless regret. He regretted that he had brought such a person into the Marquis' Mansion.
If he hadn't brought her back, what would the situation of the Marquis' Mansion be like now?
Thinking of the particularly eye-catching woman standing in the crowd just now, regret was like a maggot in his bones, tormenting him severely.
Zhao Shuning is paying the price for his actions, and so is he.
They are all reaping the fruits of their own actions.
Chu Yian paid money to have Zhao Shuning carried back, and he did not do anything at all.
Whether she can get through it depends on her own fate.
Zhao Shuning raised her head with difficulty, only to see her man leaving without looking back, without a single word of concern for her injury.
At this moment, she felt cold to the bone.
A skirt appeared in her sight. Zhao Shuning looked up and saw a strange face.
The man looked down at her, and his tone was condescending.
"Zhao, the Empress, mindful of the life-saving acupuncture you once performed on her, intervened and saved your life. From now on, there is no further karmic connection between you and the Empress. You will take care of yourself."
After saying this, the palace maid turned and left.
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