The book servant pressed down hard on Zong Zhengheng’s shoulders, forcing him to kneel on the ground, unable to move.
Lu Wenzhou then leisurely strolled forward.
He placed the tip of his boot on Zong Zhengheng’s shoulder, pressing down with force, and bent over, taunting:
“Second Miss Qiao, I truly cannot afford to offend. Since it was she who put this mask on you, I naturally dare not remove it—”
He paused, adding more pressure with his foot:
“In that case, you should take it off yourself.”
Zong Zhengheng stared at him fiercely, showing no trace of fear or submission.
Lu Wenzhou grew furious under that gaze:
“What, unwilling? Then I, this young master, will not be polite.”
Zong Zhengheng remained silent.
Lu Wenzhou was completely enraged.
He kicked Zong Zhengheng in the chest—
“Thud!”
With a dull thud, Zong Zhengheng’s body fell backward but was firmly restrained by the book servant and pulled back upright.
Lu Wenzhou: “Will you take it off or not?”
Zong Zhengheng still did not utter a word.
Another kick.
And another.
Kick after kick landed heavily on his chest, shoulders, and abdomen.
The dull thuds struck the hearts of everyone present, even causing the faces of the young masters watching nearby to pale slightly.
Zong Zhengheng’s body swayed, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes never lowered even slightly.
Finally, someone could no longer bear to watch.
“Brother Lu, isn’t that enough? When Second Miss Qiao arrives later, she’s likely to throw a fit.”
But Lu Wenzhou seemed not to hear, delivering another kick.
He had lost his reason, angered by this male concubine’s “lack of appreciation.”
Since childhood, few had dared to disrespect him like this.
A male concubine, snatched into the mansion, dared to act tough in front of him?
“Just a male concubine, utterly ignorant of rules! I, this young master, am merely teaching him a lesson on behalf of Second Miss Qiao, letting him know what rules are—Second Miss Qiao should thank me!”
As soon as the words fell—
“Oh?”
A voice came from not far away, carrying a hint of laziness and amusement:
“Lu Wenzhou, how would you like me to thank you?”
The young masters who had been leaning against the corridor pillars, arms crossed and watching the spectacle, straightened up upon hearing the voice.
Lu Wenzhou’s mind, clouded by rage, felt as if doused with a bucket of ice water, instantly clearing up.
He hurriedly withdrew the foot that had been pressing on Zong Zhengheng’s shoulder.
Sweat beaded in his palms, and his heart raced uncontrollably—a fear of being dominated by Qiao Shuyi since childhood.
But he still forced himself to stand firm, unwilling to show weakness in front of everyone.
Zong Zhengheng knelt on the ground, slowly raising his head.
The sunlight was blinding, and Qiao Shuyi was walking toward him against the light.
Her skirt trailed gracefully, her steps unhurried.
As he watched her figure, a thought arose in his heart—
Why did she only come now?
The moment this thought surfaced, he himself was stunned.
But what followed was a feeling he was unwilling to admit even to himself—
He felt relieved.
Once, when he was being bullied, he had also hoped for someone to appear.
Back then, he had wished most for his father, the emperor, to see him being mistreated and come to his rescue.
But later, he understood that his father’s eyes held no sons, only power and those who could be used as pawns.
The only one who could save him had always been himself.
Yet now, he found himself longing—
He yearned for that madwoman who had bullied him, humiliated him, locked him in the Water Dungeon, and whipped him to come save him.
He lowered his eyes, forcefully suppressing the absurd thought.
Qiao Shuyi had already walked up close.
Lu Wenzhou struggled to meet her gaze, stubbornly insisting:
“Qiao Er, it’s just a male pet, I merely…”
Before he could finish.
Slap!
A resounding slap landed fiercely on his face.
Lu Wenzhou covered his cheek, as if unable to believe what had just happened.
Qiao Shuyi gently shook her wrist:
“Lu Wenzhou, your father is my father’s dog, and you are nothing more than my dog. How dare you bully someone who belongs to me?”
As her words fell.
The other young masters fell silent, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Lu Wenzhou covered his face, his lips trembling, but no sound came out.
His legs even felt a little weak.
Qiao Shuyi turned around and, in the dead silence, slowly knelt down.
Because Zong Zhengheng was wearing a mask, she cupped his jaw with both hands.
Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with pity and heartache.
“Zhi Gui, I’m late.”
Zong Zhengheng looked at her, momentarily at a loss for words.
Was her heartache genuine?
He didn’t know.
But he was kneeling here, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his entire body in pain, and her hands were so warm, so soft, so carefully cradling his face—
He found himself not wanting to think about those things anymore.
“Zhi Gui, you are mine. No one but me can bully you. I saw earlier that he kicked your right shoulder with his right leg. Tell me, how do you want him punished? I’ll listen to you.”
Behind them, Lu Wenzhou trembled upon hearing this.
“Qiao Er!” he shouted, forcing himself to stand firm, though his voice had already changed tone, “Don’t push it too far! It’s just a male pet—”
Zong Zhengheng listened to Lu Wenzhou’s clamor.
He knew exactly who Lu Wenzhou was.
The Lu family, a prominent clan of Jinzhou, was Qiao Nanyu’s right-hand man.
Lu Wenzhou’s father was Qiao Nanyu’s top strategist, deeply trusted and relied upon.
Even if Qiao Nanyu doted on his daughter, he would never allow her to harm the eldest son of the Lu family over a mere male pet.
That was why Lu Wenzhou dared to act so recklessly.
That was why those people earlier dared to stand by and do nothing.
Just a male pet.
In everyone’s eyes, he was nothing more than a male pet.
He looked at Qiao Shuyi, waiting for her to speak.
What would she do?
Slap him again? Or let it go?
At most, this was all she could do.
Qiao Shuyi looked at him, waiting for a moment, but he remained silent.
She sighed softly:
“Zhi Gui, since you don’t know how to punish him, I’ll take care of it.”
She stood up, turned around, and looked at Lu Wenzhou.
Her gaze still carried a hint of a smile, but Lu Wenzhou felt a chill run down his spine.
“An Yi.”
A dark shadow swept in from nowhere, landing silently by her side.
Qiao Shuyi raised her hand, her finger pointing into the distance—
Pointing at the page boy behind Zong Zhengheng, who wished he could bury himself in the ground.
“Kill him.”
An Yi’s figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he was behind the page boy.
The page boy’s pupils dilated in terror, his mouth opening to scream—
A dagger lightly swept across.
Blood splattered.
The boy fell to the ground, lifeless.
The surroundings were eerily silent.
The other young masters turned pale, and one even stumbled backward, bumping into a pillar behind him.
Lu Wenzhou’s pupils dilated in shock as he retreated step by step.
“Qiao… Qiao Er…”
“What do you want to do? If you hurt me, my father won’t let you off! Even if my father serves under Prince Jin’an, you can’t just harm the family members of his subordinates—Prince Jin’an would lose the respect of his people!”
Qiao Shuyi walked toward him step by step.
She stopped, looked up at his terrified face, and smiled sweetly.
“I never hurt people without reason. Today, everyone here saw clearly who provoked me.”
She turned slightly and looked at An Yi:
“Hold him down.”
An Yi stepped forward silently, grasped Lu Wenzhou’s shoulder, and pressed down lightly—Lu Wenzhou knelt on the ground.
Qiao Shuyi turned back and met the gaze of Zong Zhengheng, who had already stood up.
The corners of her lips curved, her eyes carrying a hint of triumphant pride, as if saying: Watch closely, I’m going to avenge you.
Then, she withdrew her gaze and extended her hand toward An Yi.
An Yi placed a dagger into her palm.
Qiao Shuyi gripped it and looked down at Lu Wenzhou kneeling at her feet.
Her hand rose.
The blade fell.
“Ah—!”
The dagger pierced straight through Lu Wenzhou’s right thigh, the tip emerging from the other side, blood gushing like a spring.
Quickly.
Qiao Shuyi expressionlessly pulled out the dagger.
Then—
Again, her hand rose and the blade fell.
The left thigh, similarly pierced through.
“Ugh—!”
Lu Wenzhou’s body convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground, unable to move.
Blood pooled across the floor.
Several young masters nearby had long turned pale with fear; some even turned their heads away, unable to watch any longer.
But Qiao Shuyi merely stood up slowly and handed the dagger back to An Yi:
“He’s too noisy. Gag him.”
An Yi took the dagger, tore off a piece of his clothing, and stuffed it into Lu Wenzhou’s mouth.
The screams abruptly ceased, leaving only muffled whimpers.