Chapter 92: The Emperor’s Reprimand
“Why has the palace maid come again!”
When Yang Hui was summoned, she was fantasizing about how those three lowly maidservants would be kicked out after the end-of-month exam, and her own good days ahead.
She had just been fantasizing for a short while when she was called to the front hall, told that the Emperor had sent a palace maid again.
“You should ask her!” Duke Ding’an’s Wife was also full of anxiety, gritting her teeth and whispering lowly, “What did you do at the National Academy again!”
She hadn’t done anything, Yang Hui glared angrily with wide eyes, and at a glance saw those two people who had already been summoned and were standing in the hall…
“It’s them!” Yang Hui shouted, “It’s them who did it!”
Duke Ding’an coughed heavily, “Silence!”
Yang Hui was not afraid of her father and wanted to continue shouting, but one of the palace maids standing in the hall looked over with a stern face.
“Miss Yang, please wait a moment.” she said, “Please wait until I have carried out His Majesty’s instructions, then you may speak.”
Yang Hui instantly did not dare to speak.
Duke Ding’an’s Wife glared at her, then pushed her forward.
The palace maid smiled again, looking at Yang Hui: “But Miss Yang need not worry, this time it’s not to teach you etiquette, it won’t delay your rest or going to school.”
Yang Hui, with her arm twisted by her mother, did not dare to speak, lowered her head, bit her lip, and stood forward.
“His Majesty has words for Miss Yang of the Yang Family.” the palace maid said solemnly.
Duke Ding’an and his wife in the hall hurriedly bowed in respect, since it was not a formal imperial edict and the words were not for them, there was no need to kneel to receive the decree.
The Misses Yang of the Yang Family all knelt together: “Your subject listens respectfully to the imperial instruction.”
The palace maid lowered her eyes looking at them: “Extend your hands.”
The three raised their hands.
The three eunuchs standing behind the palace maid came forward, took out a wooden board, and struck down heavily on each of the three’s palms.
Yang Hui let out a sharp scream, caught off guard.
Liu Chan let out a low cry, but immediately clenched her teeth.
Mo Zheng had no big reaction, lowered her head and let the wooden board strike her palm.
Accompanied by the slapping sounds of strikes, the palace maid’s voice rang out clearly.
“I let you be lady-in-waitings, to attend to reading, read well, do not disgrace the words ‘reading’.”
……
…….
The palace maid left, and Yang Hui’s cries echoed through the hall.
Duke Ding’an’s Wife held her, directing the maidservants gathered around to apply medicine, blow, and soothe, comforting her repeatedly.
“It doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt.”
“Only ten strikes, those eunuchs all used skillful force, no bleeding or broken skin.”
Yang Hui suddenly raised her hand, crying and shouting, “It’s all swollen, swollen, swollen!”
Duke Ding’an’s Wife hurriedly pulled her back, “Good girl, don’t move, don’t move.” Then urged the maidservants, “Quickly apply ice.”
Mo Zheng and Liu Chan did not cry out.
Mo Zheng held Liu Chan’s hand, asking concernedly, “Are you alright?”
Liu Chan nodded: “I’m fine.” Then pursed her lips with a smile, “When I was little, I was often spanked on the palms.” But as she spoke, her eyes reddened, “But, it was always for not reading well, never so groundlessly…”
“What groundless!” Duke Ding’an paced back and forth in the hall, and hearing this, angrily shouted, “What exactly did you two do to anger His Majesty?”
“Uncle.” Mo Zheng said to him, “Perhaps it’s not us who angered His Majesty, but the Princess who angered His Majesty.”
What? Duke Ding’an frowned.
“It’s because of you!” Yang Hui stood up raising both hands, glaring hatefully at the two, “Who let you fawn over Princess Wuyang and Princess Nangong, helping them cheat, reported by Princess Pingcheng, right? His Majesty got angry, right.”
At this point, she wailed loudly again.
“What does it have to do with me, it has nothing to do with me, why hit me together.”
Duke Ding’an’s Wife hurriedly hugged her, “Good child, don’t cry.”
Duke Ding’an roughly understood, frowning at Mo Zheng and Liu Chan.
“You are muddled.”
“Letting you be lady-in-waitings is the Emperor and Empress granting face to Princess Wuyang and Princess Nangong, and also face to you, how could you go help Princess Wuyang and Princess Nangong?”
“Although nominally their lady-in-waitings, you should be like A Hui, putting Princess Pingcheng first! She is the apple of the Emperor and Empress’s eye!”
At this point, his gaze fell on Mo Zheng, even more annoyed.
“The Empress originally did not like you—”
Mo Zheng, who had been listening with lowered gaze, lifted her head: “Why does the Empress not like me?”
Duke Ding’an’s face stiffened, then he raised his brows and shouted: “…What why, think about it, originally only her daughter had a lady-in-waiting, to resolve your identities, I repeatedly requested, His Majesty let you be lady-in-waitings for the other two princesses, she, how could she like you—”
“Just because of this? The Empress is the mother of the nation, the princesses all call her Mother Empress, she should treat them as her own—” Mo Zheng asked puzzled.
Duke Ding’an’s Wife could no longer listen, and scolded: “You still dare to discuss the Empress! It’s exactly because you have no manners, are bold and reckless, that the Empress does not like you.”
As she spoke, she glared fiercely at Duke Ding’an, be careful what you say! Don’t speak the truth!
Duke Ding’an stiffened his face and nodded along: “Exactly, with your temperament, how could the Empress or His Majesty like it?”
Mo Zheng let out an “oh” and lowered her gaze, saying no more.
Liu Chan listened with even redder eyes, lifted her foot and walked out: “I want to go find my father, the princess stole my question, yet I am punished, the Empress and Emperor even dislike me for it, I don’t understand this reasoning…”
As she spoke, tears fell pattering.
Mo Zheng followed her: “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have disobeyed her after Princess Pingcheng stopped us, I implicated you Miss Liu to suffer injustice, I’ll go apologize to Mister Liu, then we go before the Emperor and Empress to explain clearly!”
Must not let that old pedant surnamed Liu know!
That old pedant is also one who doesn’t care, he really would dare make a fuss to see the Emperor and Empress!
Must not let her go see the Emperor and Empress!
Duke Ding’an hurriedly lowered his voice and followed to persuade, “No no, this is a small matter, let me speak to Mister Liu…”
Duke Ding’an’s Wife also released Yang Hui, quickly stepping forward to pull Mo Zheng: “Don’t make trouble” “It’s late, must not go out again” “This is His Majesty’s imperial instruction” “Aunt will go explain to His Majesty and the Empress” “Don’t worry, won’t let you suffer injustice”
Yang Hui stood in place raising her hand, seeing her father speaking pleasantly to those two, her mother even holding that Yang Luo in her arms speaking softly, suddenly felt her hand hurt even more, and wailed loudly again.
How was she so unlucky!
She was clearly the family’s precious jewelry everyone cherished, no one in the Capital City dared bully her, on her birthday the Emperor even sent her gifts, the Emperor liked her very much.
How suddenly everything changed?
……
…….
“Let me see.”
Night was deep, Yang Luo who had originally been asleep got up in her nightclothes, held Mo Zheng’s hand and looked.
That evening after school, the Liu Family master and disciple and Yang Luo had moved out of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, back to living in the alley.
Although Liu Chan was persuaded not to go find her father that night, Mo Zheng could not be stopped.
Night was deep, she quietly left Duke Ding’an’s Mansion without a sound, came to see Yang Luo, and told her what happened that evening.
Yang Luo couldn’t care about anything else, immediately grabbed her hand and held it before her eyes to look.
Mo Zheng watched Yang Luo almost pressing her eyes to her own hand.
“No harm, actually just putting on a show of reprimand.” she said with a low laugh, then added, “Fortunately you moved out in time, otherwise might have been hit together.”
Yang Luo couldn’t laugh at all, looking at her red swollen palm: “This is called putting on a show? This is really striking with cruel intent, really hit.”
If really just for show, three strikes would suffice, yet struck ten times.
Such a small matter.
Although not really struck on her hand, to her, this strike was also on her.
The Emperor, does he despise her this Miss Yang of the Yang Family so much?
Yang Luo’s tears slowly slid down.
“Don’t cry, really doesn’t hurt.” Mo Zheng said, “His Majesty is worried the two princesses would be led astray by us, not read well, take crooked paths, although we are wronged, but parents love their children unreasonably, the Emperor is no exception.”
At this point she smiled again.
“And the Empress originally doesn’t like me…”
Yang Luo lifted her head and asked: “The Empress? Doesn’t like?”
Mo Zheng nodded: “Duke Ding’an let it slip, but when I asked again, he didn’t dare say.” Saying this she smiled, “Probably afraid of gossiping about the Empress behind her back, if found out, would also be spanked on the palms.”
Yang Luo did not laugh at her joke, her expression dazed: “Yes, the Empress must not like…”
Mo Zheng gently patted her hand: “Don’t think about it, don’t worry, accompanying a monarch is like accompanying a tiger, being lady-in-waiting to the princess inevitably encounters trouble, I’ll be careful to guard against in the future, not get caught in mistakes…”
“No, guarding won’t help.” Yang Luo murmured.
Mo Zheng was stunned for a moment, then raised her brow with a smile: “Miss Yang doesn’t believe in my abilities?”
Yang Luo looked at her, under the dim night light, her brows and eyes in male disguise as a youth carried some sharpness.
“A Sheng, you taking punishment for me is not because you lack ability, because of my background.” she said softly, “I have a secret I’ve kept from you.”
Today’s spanking wasn’t in vain, not applying medicine was right, Mo Zheng looked at her red swollen palm, then lifted her head with helpless brows and eyes: “Miss, you have another secret.”
