"In thе рrinсe's mansiоn, саn sеrvаnts talk back tо thеir masters? I wаsn't awarе thаt Хuаn Qing Рrinсe's Mаnsion operated bу suсh rules." Shе sneеrеd, hеr tоne suddеnlу turning соld.
"Whаt nonsеnse are уоu spоuting?" Linlang widened hеr eyеs. "I am not уоur sеrvаnt. Му mаster is the рrinсess соnsоrt. Who dо yоu think уou arе, dаring to сlaim me as уour servant?"
"Наhаha." Нan Yan loоkеd аt her, аs if hеаring sоmе аmusing jokе, аnd laughеd to hеrself. Mufеng felt а сhill in hеr heаrt. Surе еnоugh, Han Yan's nеxt words immediatelу slappеd the maid's оwn faсе: "Didn't yоu keep saying your master is the princess consort? Then you are also a servant of Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion." She curled her lips. "As a servant of the prince's mansion, you only acknowledge the princess consort as your master. Do you even have the prince in your eyes?!" When she spoke the last sentence, her tone suddenly sharpened, startling even the gate guard.
"I... I naturally acknowledge the prince as my master... Don't talk nonsense." Linlang hadn't expected Han Yan to say this and momentarily panicked. This Zhuang Hanyan actually seized the loophole in her words to make an issue. As a servant of the prince's mansion, not regarding the prince as master in one's heart showed insufficient loyalty. A servant with divided loyalties, once discovered harboring such thoughts, would be expelled from the mansion.
Han Yan looked at her. "Is that so? Since you are the prince's servant, and I am currently staying here as the prince's guest, yet you mock me. Throughout the world, there has never been such a wicked servant as you. You speak of loyalty to the prince, but your actions actually bring shame to Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion. Outward compliance but inner defiance—is this the way of you Western Rong people, or..." She gave a strange smile. "Do you have ulterior motives? What exactly does Western Rong intend to do?"
Linlang had never suffered such a loss before. She felt each of Han Yan's words was an aggressive interrogation, and she couldn't refute them. Worse, it escalated to the entire Western Rong issue, which concerned her country. If this spread back... Thinking of this, she immediately grew tense. "I didn't, don't talk nonsense. I just... I just..."
"You just momentarily offended me. It's your personal problem, unrelated to Western Rong, right?" Han Yan kindly reminded her.
Mufeng watched with bated breath. Linlang seemed to grasp at a lifeline and immediately nodded repeatedly.
"Then, do you admit this is a mistake you personally committed?" Han Yan straightened up and asked.
Earlier, Linlang had been somewhat flustered by Han Yan's repeated mentions of "Western Rong." Seeing that she could now avoid involving her country, even if all blame fell on herself—as the princess's person, Han Yan couldn't do much to her—she nodded. "Yes, I was wrong. I offended you, miss."
Han Yan pursed her lips. "Very well. Since you've apologized to me, I'll forgive you."
Linlang was stunned, looking up at Han Yan in disbelief. She hadn't expected Han Yan to let her off so easily. She thought perhaps Han Yan just wanted to scare her—after all, she had no standing to oppose the princess. It seemed she was just a paper tiger, not worth fearing—and she began to feel somewhat contemptuous toward Han Yan. Still, she said, "Thank you...""However." Before Linlang could finish her words, she heard Han Yan continue: "Rules cannot be disregarded. In our Great Dynasty, those who make mistakes must be punished as a warning to others. According to the prince's household regulations, drag her out and give her thirty heavy strokes."
Linlang was stunned, unable to believe her ears. "What did you say?"
"Or do you think this punishment is too light?" Han Yan smiled innocently. "No need to thank me too much. If you wish to voluntarily increase the punishment, I have no objections." After saying this, she instructed Mufeng: "Go call someone."
Linlang shrieked, "You're insane! I am the princess's personal maid. How dare you strike me? How dare you disrespect the princess? You have such audacity, such audacity!" As she spoke, she lunged forward. Unexpectedly, Han Yan sidestepped, leaning back to avoid Linlang's grasping hands. In the blink of an eye, the Plum Blossom Thorn in her hand was pressed against Linlang's neck. She whispered in Linlang's ear, "Overestimating yourself."
Then she turned her head and coldly said to Mufeng, "Assaulting the master, one hundred strokes. Mufeng, if you dawdle any longer, you'll be punished too."
Mufeng immediately strode away. He dared not doubt Han Yan's words. If Han Yan said she would punish him, she would surely do so. Even if she couldn't punish him openly, he would inevitably end up being "punished" one way or another.
Though Linlang now dared not move, shocked that Han Yan possessed martial skills, she continued to scream, "How dare you! Let me go!"
"How dare I?" Han Yan said coldly, "You keep invoking the princess and the Western Rong as if you represent them. Who do you think you are? You're merely a servant. Do you truly believe you can represent the princess and the Western Rong? Don't be so foolish. The Western Rong and the princess do not need a lowly maid to speak for them. I might as well tell you this: your Western Rong is nothing but a defeated nation now. Your princess is merely a gift sent to the Great Dynasty to sue for peace, a means to protect your country. She is just an object—what right does she have to claim nobility?"
A loud "crack" echoed in the room as a vase was shattered.
Linlang stared dumbfounded at Han Yan. At that moment, she suddenly realized she could not utter a single word in response to the woman before her. No matter what she said, Linlang could not refute her. This woman, who had always been quiet, seemingly easy to bully and never angered, was indeed not angry. Previously, Linlang had thought this woman of the Great Dynasty was weak or simply wanted to avoid trouble. But now she realized she was wrong. The reason Han Yan had not dealt with them before was because she simply disdained to.
"Drag her out and beat her," Han Yan said coldly, turning her back.
Two sturdy maids walked over, one in front and one behind, grabbing Linlang and forcing her onto a long bench. Two servants holding long boards hesitated and glanced at Mufeng. Everyone knew this was the maid of the Western Rong princess, who was to become the Xuan Qing Prince Consort in the future. If they made enemies of her now, and the future princess consort sought revenge later... Mufeng glared at them. "What are you looking at? Strike!"
The servant gritted his teeth and brought the board down with a resounding "thwack."Linlang immediately let out a miserable scream. In Western Rong, no one had ever dared to treat her this way. As Irina’s personal maid, people usually scrambled to flatter her, let alone subject her to such physical torment as today. Yet the cause of all this was simply because she had spoken ill of Han Yan. She had never expected Han Yan to actually dare to strike her—did she truly not fear offending the princess?
Han Yan looked at Linlang with a faint, ambiguous smile, her gaze profound, silently conveying: "Now you know I meant what I said."
After a few more strikes, Linlang’s screams were as piercing as a pig’s squeal, unbearably shrill. Such cries were impossible to ignore, and those inside the room naturally did not miss them. Sure enough, with a creak, the study door was suddenly pushed open, and Irina stepped out.
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