Qing Zhu followed behind Nan Shu, carrying a thick stack of Buddhist scriptures. Peeking out from behind the papers, she exclaimed, “Miss, you’ve actually copied so many these past few days!”
Nan Shu herself held a pile as well. Unable to calm her mind, she could only keep copying until she grew weary.
Normally, she would deliver them to Fahua Hall herself, but today there were too many items, so she had to bring Qing Zhu along.
The two walked on the bluestone path, surrounded by silence, with only the rustling of wind through bamboo leaves.
On their way back after delivering the scriptures, as soon as they stepped out of the hall, Nan Shu nearly collided with someone ahead. She quickly halted, only to notice a palanquin parked on the palace path outside the hall.
It was Princess Leyang punishing a palace servant.
It had rained all night, making the path slippery. The eunuch carrying the palanquin had slipped, causing the procession to tilt and jolt Leyang.
Leyang was the daughter of the Grand Princess, with a father who was a Cavalry General. Not only was her family background prestigious, but she herself was also notoriously fierce.
Since the Grand Princess was Yan Pingxiao’s aunt and held his deep respect, Leyang often threw her weight around in the palace. She carried a whip with her, and anyone who offended her would suffer a lashing that no one could endure.
Yet no one expected her to be so bold as to punish servants in the sacred grounds of the Buddhist hall.
The palace path was bustling with people coming and going, but others knelt obediently by the palace walls, not daring to attract misfortune. The procession blocked the area in front of the hall entrance, no wonder the passing palace servants dared not proceed.
Leyang, dressed in luxurious lake-blue robes, raised a hand to rub her temples and said indifferently, “If you can’t even handle the simple task of carrying a palanquin, sending you back to Zhong Province Hall won’t be settled with just ten lashes.”
The poor eunuch, after receiving ten lashes, still had to express gratitude: “This humble servant thanks the Princess for your leniency.”
Leyang forced a slight smile. Having just left Ciyuandian in a foul mood, the eunuch had unfortunately crossed her at the peak of her irritation.
After the ten lashes were delivered, Leyang naturally wouldn’t let him continue carrying the palanquin. She was about to randomly point to another eunuch when her gaze was drawn to Nan Shu in the distance.
The woman wore a deep blue palace dress, her almond-shaped eyes lowered modestly as she knelt to the side. Only her delicate jaw and fair, tender cheeks were visible, but even from her profile, it was clear she was a beauty.
Leyang had seen many beauties in the capital, but she had never encountered a woman of such striking appearance in the palace.
Where did this seductress come from? Probably another one trying to seduce my cousin.
She whispered a few words to her maid Chunlan, who immediately turned her gaze toward Nan Shu.
Nan Shu was kneeling properly beside Qing Zhu when suddenly, a shadow fell over her, followed by Chunlan’s voice: “You there, the Princess wishes to see you.”
Nan Shu unconsciously clenched her sleeves and approached Leyang: “Your subject pays respects to the Princess.”
Leyang furrowed her willow-leaf eyebrows, her voice icy: “Which palace do you belong to?”
“I am Consort Rong’s cousin.”
“Consort Rong?”
Leyang’s red lips curved slightly, but there was no trace of warmth in her eyes. Those old women, unable to win my cousin’s favor themselves, yet bringing in seductresses from outside the palace.
She suddenly tightened her grip on the whip beside her.
If I ruin her face, she won’t be able to seduce my cousin.
She brought this upon herself by crossing my path. The whip has no eyes—if it strikes her, she has only herself to blame for her misfortune.
Leyang curled her lips coldly. Nan Shu only felt a gust of wind rushing toward her face. She instinctively looked up and saw Leyang’s whip lashing toward her face.
“Ah!”
Nan Shu instinctively tried to dodge, hurriedly closing her eyes and turning her head away, but the expected pain never came.
When she tremblingly opened her eyes again, she saw a tall figure standing in front of her.
At that moment, Nan Shu’s breath caught in her throat.
Yan Pingxiao tightly gripped the whip with his right hand, blood slowly dripping from his palm onto the ground along its lines.
The crowd fell silent, staring dumbfounded at the scene.
After a moment, Leyang seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly knelt on the ground: “Cousin…”
The man’s tone was flat and unemotional: “With such skill, in my opinion, you should be assigned to serve in the Judicial Prison.”
“Leyang wouldn’t dare…”
He threw the whip in front of Leyang. Bloodstains still remained on the whip, making Leyang’s heart tremble with fear.
“Since you enjoy whipping so much, stay here and whip until your whip breaks.”
Yan Pingxiao glanced indifferently at Nan Shu and said coldly: “Follow me.”
He strode away without looking back at anyone else.
Nan Shu stood frozen in place until Tang Shunfu nudged her. Only then did she realize Yan Pingxiao was still waiting for her ahead.
She bit her lip and followed.
“Who taught you your manners, Miss Nan?”
Seeing her constantly lowering her head to avoid his gaze, Yan Pingxiao spoke with cold mockery.
Nan Shu glanced up at him, then quickly lowered her head again, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum: “Thank you, Your Majesty…”