Chapter 25 Punishment
Zhong Min abruptly stopped in her tracks, barely even moving. Even without turning back, she could already sense the hostility in Xiao Mingzheng's tone. For a moment, she didn't know what she had done to offend him again. She could only sigh inwardly and obediently turn her head back.
"Does the prince have any other instructions?" A man of insight is a wise man. She secretly warned herself that for the time being, she would treat this master like a god. When she could escape and ascend to heaven in the future, she would not have to treat herself so badly.
Xiao Mingzheng gave Zhong Min a strange look, then raised his eyebrows and asked, "You really didn't touch anything on the table?"
"No, I really didn't move!" She instinctively spread her hands. Zhong Min was stunned by this question. She clearly hadn't moved just now, so Xiao Mingzheng couldn't have failed to notice. Could staring at her from a distance count? That was ridiculous!
Seeing Zhong Min doing that familiar gesture in an unruly manner again, Xiao Mingzheng frowned with a hint of disgust, but did not say anything. Instead, he glanced at the plate of pastries on the table, and finally shifted his gaze to Zhong Min as a reminder.
Seeing this, Zhong Min finally realized that Xiao Mingzheng wasn't referring to the report, but the plate of cakes. No way, she laughed bitterly in her heart. How could a dignified prince be so stingy? He took eating a few of his cakes so seriously?
"Ahem, so the prince is referring to the cakes!" She could only say with a little embarrassment: "That servant did move a little."
"It's not just one piece, it's three pieces missing." Although Xiao Mingzheng didn't eat much of this, Uncle Li would always put some out before he came every day, so he was quite familiar with Uncle Li's habits.
Seeing that Xiao Mingzheng even knew how many pieces she had eaten, Zhong Min was speechless. Xiao Mingzheng was too scary, even knowing such an insignificant thing. It seemed that working for such a person required a certain level of honesty.
"Your Highness is right. When I came in just now, I saw a plate of pastries. I didn't know how long they had been there, and I was afraid someone might have tampered with them, so I tried a few pieces first." She laughed dryly and explained to Xiao Mingzheng, "It's just a poison test."
Well, she was discovered. Fortunately, she only stole a few cakes. If she had really touched any documents in his room out of curiosity, she would never be able to clear herself of suspicion even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
"You don't need to eat three pieces in a row to test the poison, right?" Xiao Mingzheng asked casually without thinking too much. After he finished speaking, he suddenly felt that he seemed to have said too much today. Then he changed his mind and thought that Zhong Min was indeed too special. It was right for him to pay more attention to her abnormality.
Zhong Min naturally had no idea what Xiao Mingzheng's intentions were. After a pause, she could only answer honestly, "Actually, testing for poison is only one reason. There's another reason. That's because I didn't have dinner today, so I was a little hungry. That's why I tried two more pieces."
It really felt unfair. When Luo Jiaxing brought her here, she was busy dealing with the two old women and had no time to eat. After she came here, Mr. Li probably thought she had already had dinner, so he didn't even mention this important matter.
She was not a greedy person. If she was not really hungry, she would not touch these cakes, making people look like she had never seen the world.
After hearing Zhong Min's final explanation, Xiao Mingzheng felt that Zhong Min was extremely courageous. However, it was obvious that her boldness was not deliberate at all. Instead, it seemed natural that she should be like this.
He naturally believed that this last explanation would be correct. It was just a few pieces of cakes, not a big deal. However, Xiao Mingzheng subconsciously felt that if he did not take care of it, the maid would feel more justified in doing anything in the future and would not know what the rules were.
So, after a moment's silence, seeing Zhong Min looking at him as if awaiting the final judgment, Xiao Mingzheng said, "Go make some tea first. When you're done, go find Uncle Li to receive your punishment."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Min knew that Xiao Mingzheng wasn't truly distressed about the cakes; rather, he was making it clear that no matter how big or small the matter was, no one should break his rules. Well, after all, it was she who had broken the rules here. Since everything in the study couldn't be touched, then the cakes should be included in the list.
"Yes!" She did not resist too much. Firstly, she was indeed in the wrong. Secondly, no matter what, Xiao Mingzheng was still a man. He would not think of such perverted methods to punish herself like Concubine Zheng.
Following Xiao Mingzheng's instructions, Zhong Min went to the tea room to brew a cup of hot tea for Xiao Mingzheng and then continued to wait in the room. Xiao Mingzheng's subsequent reaction completely confirmed Zhong Min's thoughts. Apart from occasionally asking her to grind ink, pass paper, and other normal errands, he did not say or do anything else.
That's right, she said to herself. After all, he is a man who does great things. He would not be as bored as Concubine Zheng and bother a maid of her status for no reason.
About an hour and a half passed before Xiao Mingzheng finished the work at hand. He read for a while before leaving the study and went back to his residence with the two attendants at the door and the guards waiting downstairs.
After Xiao Mingzheng left Mo Garden, Zhong Min extinguished the lights in the study and went downstairs to find Mr. Li. She knew exactly what kind of person Xiao Mingzheng was, so even though he was gone, it was better to honestly accept the punishment as required to avoid further suffering later.
After knocking on the door, she soon heard the voice of Mr. Li asking her to come in. After pushing the door open and going in, Zhong Min was very glad that she had come here honestly and proactively. It was obvious that Mr. Li already knew about it and was prepared.
That's right, what kind of person is Mr. Li? You can tell at a glance that he and Xiao Mingzheng are old master and servant. He must have been with his master since childhood. Loyalty is needless to say, and more importantly, he understands his master's thoughts very well. Not to mention a brief order, even a glance or a raised hand can immediately guess the master's correct thoughts.
Just now, at the study door, Zhong Min had secretly peeked through the crack in the window. When Xiao Mingzheng and his men left, it was clear that Old Man Li had personally escorted them to the pavilion. Although it wasn't a few steps away, Xiao Mingzheng's succinct personality made it more than enough for him to instruct Old Man Li on how to punish her.
"Take these and go back to the house to accept your punishment. I will check it tomorrow." Mr. Li didn't explain much and just stuffed a bunch of things into Zhong Min's hands.
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