The punishment room was rarely used on ordinary days. With so many court ladies, no maid would be foolish enough to provoke the future concubines. Therefore, the punishment room was nothing but a formality.
Su Mi’s heart was in turmoil as she followed Qin Yan into the punishment room, anxiously closing the door behind her. When she turned around, Qin Yan was already sitting on a small red stool. A table separated them, and his slender and jade-like hands rested on the table, his eyes fixed on Su Mi with an ambiguous expression.
Su Mi dared not meet his gaze and stood quietly by the door.
“Why do you always keep your distance from me? Are you really so afraid of me?” Qin Yan poured a cup of tea, but it was already lukewarm. He picked it up, then put it down again.
“Lord Qin, this lowly girl doesn’t dare.”
“Is that so?” Qin Yan gestured to the empty seat on the right side of the table. “Come and sit down.”
Su Mi was not a sly person. If it had been any other day, she would have sat down without hesitation. But today, Qin Yan had just said he wanted to punish her, and she remembered the scene on the carriage that day. Su Mi gritted her teeth and dared not comply.
“Thank you, Lord Qin, but I’m fine standing here.”
Qin Yan’s smile gradually faded from his face.
He stood up and walked slowly towards the desk, picking up a ruler and walking up to Su Mi with an indifferent yet unquestionable tone.
“Give me your hand; extend it.”
Su Mi looked at the ruler in his hand, about seven inches long and the width of two fingers, faintly shimmering with cold light, and swallowed a gulp. He wanted to hit the palm of her hand, just like the students who made mistakes in the school.
Although Su Mi was unwilling, she dared not disobey and slowly extended her left hand. Her right hand was injured, and if he hit it again, the scar would not heal.
As if he had seen through her thoughts, Qin Yan sneered and held the long ruler in his hand, bypassing her outstretched left hand and picking up her right hand that was hanging down.
The narrow and delicate palm of her hand, marked with several scars, was encircled by the thin and narrow ruler, and as it slid across her skin, a faint reddish color appeared. Su Mi’s body involuntarily trembled slightly.
Qin Yan’s fingertips wiped the edge of the ruler, and the deep pink color was left on his fingertips. “Why hasn’t your hand healed yet?”
Originally, it was healed, but these past few days, after applying medicine, it has cracked open again. Su Mi’s heart followed the ruler in Qin Yan’s hand, rising and falling, until she saw that he seemed to have no intention of punishing her, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
“Go sit over there.” Qin Yan said, casually throwing the ruler onto the desk. Seeing that Su Mi still hesitated, he frowned impatiently, “Do you think this lord has the patience to say it for the third time?”
“Yes,My Lord.” Su Mi hurriedly sat down on the wooden bed. Qin Yan’s impatient tone made her break out in a cold sweat, and she decided not to think about anything else in the future and just do as he said.
“Feng Bao, bring the Jade Skin Ointment.” Qin Yan called out to the door.
A response came from outside the door, and soon Feng Bao handed a small porcelain bottle with a jade lotus pattern through the door crack.
When Qin Yan turned around holding the bottle, he saw Su Mi with her head bowed, twisting the hem of her clothes in her hand, and obediently sitting on the wooden bed. Indeed, some people still need to be scared.
He approached and took out a plain white handkerchief from his sleeve, lifted the tea cup that had not been drunk earlier, and poured some tea water onto the handkerchief. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Give me your hand.”
Su Mi saw Qin Yan’s actions and guessed that he was going to apply medicine for her; although she felt unbelievable, she still obediently placed her right hand flat. Qin Yan then used the handkerchief soaked in tea water to wipe away the blood from the scar on her palm.
He lowered his eyelids, and with long and thick eyelashes, the warm tea water had a slight coolness and a bit of sting, but it didn’t seem too obvious.
“Have you seen enough?” Qin Yan looked up and met her gaze.
Su Mi blushed and lowered her head, only to realize that her hand had already been treated and wrapped in another white cloth.
“Thank you, My Lord,” Su Mi said, feeling embarrassed as she took the dirty cloth from Qin Yan’s hand. “I’ll take it out and throw it away myself.”
Qin Yan looked down at the woman before him with an air of superiority, enjoying her uneasy demeanor. Her blush made him even more eager to tease her.
“Since you’re a candidate, do you know what the emperor looks like?” he asked.
Su Mi had just put away the cloth and was still feeling embarrassed, so she shook her head in confusion. She hadn’t been chosen, so how could she have seen the emperor?
“Well then, let me tell you,” Qin Yan continued. “He’s terrifying to look at, with brows like eight knives and a nose like a wide field. Despite being old enough to wear a crown, he’s weak and frail. Do you believe me?”
Su Mi didn’t know what to say. If she believed him, it would be disrespectful to the emperor. If she didn’t believe him, it would offend Qin Yan. She hesitated for a moment, then looked up to see that Qin Yan was clearly teasing her.
Not just once, but several times, he said things that made her unable to advance or retreat, and the most annoying thing was that her heart would occasionally race like a drum.
‘My Lord, I am just a humble merchant girl.I dare not answer what you ask.”
Su Mi never felt that her identity was humble, but she felt suffocated. If he teased her because he liked her that would be one thing, but he just wanted to bully her.
Thinking about it this way, Su Mi felt even worse. When Qin Yan was applying medicine for her, she was filled with joy. How come she feels sour now? In just a few moments, she felt like she had fallen from the sky to the ground because of his words.
Su Mi was uncomfortable, so she lowered her head, almost burying it in her collar.
She heard footsteps, thinking that Qin Yan was angry and had left. But the next moment, her chin was firmly pinched and lifted up into a pair of eyes that seemed to have a dark vortex.
“Someone said you were humble?” Qin Yan’s slender peach-blossom eyes were slightly narrowed, with a hint of killing intent in them.
“No one said anything, but I know that’s what you think.” Otherwise, why would he be nice to her one moment and then tease her the next?
Su Mi blinked with a layer of moisture in her eyes; her eye circles were slightly red. With her pearl-white teeth biting her cherry-red lips, she looked both delicate and stubborn, with a trace of grievance. It didn’t seem like she was angry, but more like she was acting spoiled.
For a moment, Qin Yan was stunned by Su Mi’s gaze. Was she angry with him? But when did he ever say she was lowly?
After a long moment, Qin Yan let go of her and spoke calmly, “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Su Mi spoke from the heart and regretted it immediately after. She had expected him to punish her, but he let it go so easily. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Qin Yan walked to the door with a flick of his sleeve, changing the subject: “Why didn’t you explain things to Shen Mama about what happened in the courtyard?”
“I was afraid she wouldn’t believe me and it would cause trouble,” Su Mi replied.
Qin Yan snorted. What kind of trouble could he not handle?
“You don’t have to endure it anymore. You won’t see those people again.”
Su Mi didn’t have time to appreciate the meaning behind his words, but she heard the last sentence, and her heart sank halfway.
She understood Qin Yan’s meaning. Her hand injury might not pass the medical examination, and she would not be able to enter the palace. She would not see these court ladies and maids again in the future. In fact, if she married Li Xiuyuan in the future, she would never have a chance to see even him again.
As Su Mi watched Qin Yan walk to the door and grasp the latch, she couldn’t help but call out, “My Lord.”
“Hmm?” Qin Yan didn’t turn around, but his hand stopped moving.
Su Mi got off the bed and walked towards the door. Qin Yan had helped her many times, and she never dared to make many requests. But this time, she inexplicably summoned up a lot of courage.
As Su Mi approached, she tugged at Qin Yan’s sleeve and whispered, “My Lord, can you help me get into the harem?”
“What?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Yan’s eyebrows furrowed, and he turned his head to look sharply at Su Mi. His intimidating aura made Su Mi afraid, and she unconsciously added another sentence.
“I really don’t want to marry my brother-in-law.”
It turned out that this was what she was afraid of.
Qin Yan’s expression returned to normal, and he began to open the door latch.
“If anyone asks about the injury on your hand, just say I punished you with a ruler.”
“Okay.” Su Mi knew he was leaving and let go of the sleeve she was holding onto. In fact, she guessed that Qin Yan wouldn’t help her.
As Qin Yan’s cuff loosened, he turned his head slightly, glanced at the crease that Su Mi had pulled up, and glanced back behind him with a casual tone.
“Don’t trouble yourself unnecessarily.”
“You won’t have another chance to marry someone else.”