Song Jiuchen looked at the folded paper in his hand, then walked over. Mo Sen respectfully presented it with both hands.
Taking it, he opened it and saw several lines of delicate, elegant handwriting. The bold opening almost made Song Jiuchen unable to believe his eyes!
It was not a plea for leniency; the content was as follows:
【Song Jiuchen, surprised that I’m addressing you directly by name, aren’t you?
So I’m waiting for you to punish me again.
Or, after Lord Mo is dismissed, I’ll end it myself.
That way, I won’t have to bear any more guilt over your favor.】
This was the method Shen Qingyao had suddenly changed to before putting pen to paper. She felt that rather than using excuses to plead her case, it would be better to speak honestly from her heart.
After reading it, Song Jiuchen’s deep gaze lingered on the last sentence.
Perhaps it was the phrase “end it myself” that struck a nerve, but his brow suddenly furrowed, his anger turning to gloom.
Negligence and concealment are serious crimes—what does that have to do with you?
He then folded the letter and strode purposefully toward the high seat.
After sitting down, he glared darkly at Mo Sen. It must have been this dog who begged that woman to plead for him.
Hmph!
“Mo Sen,” he said coldly.
“Your subordinate is here. Please punish me, Your Highness.”
“Ha!”
Song Jiuchen sneered, “If you were truly willing to accept punishment, why would you beg someone to plead for you?”
Mo Sen’s heart skipped a beat. He raised his head, his face stained with blood, and explained, “Your Highness, I truly have no intention of evading punishment. I just didn’t want to be dismissed outright. I originally planned to come and plead guilty after ensuring Miss Shen was properly cared for. If you don’t believe me, ask Physician Hua.”
“Is that so?”
Song Jiuchen curled his lips coldly, then narrowed his eyes and asked, “And what if Shen Qingyao hadn’t been saved? Afterward, did you want me to see a cold corpse?”
“This…”
Mo Sen’s eyes flickered, and he quickly lowered his head to avoid the question. “Your… Your subordinate…”
Unable to argue, he simply prostrated himself on the ground, unmoving. “Your subordinate is guilty.”
Song Jiuchen stared at him, then turned his head aside and issued a stern order, “You, step back as well.”
Ye Zhao and Ye Yu looked up, knowing he meant them, and immediately stepped back to stand beside Mo Sen. Ye Se also moved to stand with them.
Song Jiuchen glanced at them, then slowly asked, “Because of Shen Qingyao, I’ve punished two officials. Do you all secretly resent her? And resent me for being unfair?”
The three of them paled and quickly knelt to deny it. “Your Highness, please be discerning. We do not.”
Ye Zhao continued, “Your Highness’s judgment was not wrong. You once said that the original facts of a matter are not important; what matters is whether the actions of those involved constitute disloyalty, deceit, or harboring malicious intent toward you.
Lord Liu’s crime stemmed from his ineffective and potentially harmful meddling. Lord Mo’s crime was his failure to fulfill the duties assigned by Your Highness. Both exhibited disloyalty and deceitful behavior. Neither Your Highness nor Shen Qingyao is to blame.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the other two chimed in unison, “Yes, that’s right.”
Mo Sen immediately explained, “Your Highness, I do not resent Miss Shen, nor do I believe Your Highness was unfair. I… I truly only begged Miss Shen because I didn’t want to be dismissed.”
Song Jiuchen gazed at him with a deep expression. Considering there were still matters to attend to, he couldn’t be bothered to reprimand him further. After a moment of silence, he said, “Given that Shen Qingyao is unharmed and you discovered and handled the situation promptly, dismissal can be avoided. However, punishment is unavoidable. Go and receive fifty military lashes yourself. Let this be the last time.”
Upon hearing this, Mo Sen was overjoyed and hurriedly expressed his gratitude. “Yes, thank you for your mercy, Your Highness.”
After speaking, he immediately stood up and retreated backward out of the room.
Song Jiuchen instructed Ye Yu, “Send someone to summon Liu Hui.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Ye Zhao, personally locate and bring Shen Qingyao’s maid here.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
With two of them dispatched, only Ye Se remained. Song Jiuchen fixed his gaze on him. “Is Shen Qingyao truly recovered?”
Ye Se quickly nodded. “Yes, she is. While eavesdropping, I heard her explaining the reason for her fright last night—it was because she had just woken up and was caught off guard. She also said she’s no longer afraid.”
Song Jiuchen fell silent and asked no further questions.
He opened the letter written by the woman again, focusing particularly on his own name. As his eyes settled on it, his expression shifted unpredictably.
This woman truly has nerve, daring to address me by my name directly?
Then, he slightly furrowed his brows, a mix of disdain and amusement.
Still, her handwriting is quite elegant!
At the Punishment Mansion, Shen Qingyao had already washed up and changed her clothes.
Prison attire, though it was new.
As a prisoner, she ought to wear it. She even wanted to return to the quiet room, believing that being imprisoned should look the part. Besides, this was a man’s room, and it wasn’t appropriate for her to stay here indefinitely.
She turned to Li Shun, who was stealing glances at her from the side, and asked, “Officer Li, may I return to the quiet room? Could you escort me there?”
Li Shun was still thinking to himself how beautiful she looked even in prison attire. Startled by her question, he paused briefly before replying, “Lord Mo hasn’t returned yet. Let’s wait until he comes back. There’s no need to rush.”
Shen Qingyao thought for a moment. “Then, may I go to the corridor to look outside?”
“Of course, please go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Upon reaching the corridor, Shen Qingyao leaned against the railing and took a deep breath. She first glanced at the scene below, then gazed into the distance, finally taking in the full view of the entire Southern Prince’s estate.
Tsk!
Calling it the Southern Prince’s estate is an understatement—it should be called the Southern Prince’s palace. It’s enormous!
Then again, his status is comparable to one of the Seven Warring States, so it’s only natural for the scale to be different.
“Officer Li, how many concubines does your prince have?” she asked casually.
She knew Song Jiuchen hadn’t married and had no consorts, but she was unaware of his concubines, as taking concubines wasn’t a grand affair widely known to the public.
Li Shun, also looking into the distance, replied to her question. “To this day, His Highness has not had a single woman.”
Huh?
Shen Qingyao quickly turned to look at him, her eyes flashing with surprise. Could it be?
That guy is already in his twenties, yet he has no women by his side?
Doesn’t he need to satisfy his physical needs?
Oh… now she understood.
She quickly turned her face away, stifling a laugh. He must rely on self-pleasure to take care of it, haha!
“Miss Shen, what about you?”
Li Shun suddenly asked her, “Why were you imprisoned in the Punishment Mansion by His Highness?”
Shen Qingyao quickly suppressed her laughter. “Oh… as for me, my situation cannot be discussed. It involves His Highness’s private affairs. If you wish to know, you may ask His Highness directly.”
Li Shun: !!
Did he have the courage for that?
“Huh?” Suddenly, Shen Qingyao pointed downward and asked, “Isn’t that Lord Mo over there?”
Li Shun had already seen it and, without answering her, hurried down. His master was being supported back, clearly having been beaten.
Shen Qingyao could see it too, her narrowed gaze fixed on Mo Sen, who was being held up by two guards.
Beaten to this extent?
It seemed his official position was secure.
That was good.
She breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, she would have felt somewhat guilty, after all, he had genuinely cared for her when looking after her.
After a moment of silence, a faint smile curled at the corner of her lips—a gesture of gratitude toward someone for heeding her advice.
She accepted this favor, because one thing was one thing.
Looking into the distance again, she gazed at the golden hall under the setting sun, and a thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
If she hadn’t lied that day and had honestly refused him with the truth, would all these later events have happened?
And also…
Shen Qingyao lowered her eyes, another doubt arising in her heart.
Was his concern for her genuine, or was it merely a pretense, hiding some other purpose?