Before going to bed, Wen Qianyue was still preoccupied with this matter and couldn't fall asleep. The wind blew outside, making a racket. It wasn't until someone closed the doors and windows that it got a bit better. Finally, she felt a bit drowsy in the second half of the night.
Wen Qianyue didn't sleep soundly. Unlike usual, she rarely dreamt of the time when she was in danger during the support mission in Jingzhou.
The splitting pain surrounded her, making it hard to breathe...
A rustling sound rang in her ears. The sound of falling snow gradually became clearer, like countless tiny pieces of ice colliding with each other.
Wen Qianyue suddenly opened her eyes. She didn't even notice that her body was still trembling. There seemed to be a layer of frost on her eyelashes, and her throat was dry and tight.
"Someone, bring me some tea."
Hearing the voice, Lihong walked in slowly, with an unwilling look on her face.
Wen Qianyue moved her fingers. The quilt was as heavy as if it had been soaked in ice water. It was pressing on her body, but it couldn't block the cold seeping from her bones.
After drinking some water, she felt a bit better. Feeling cold, she looked down and found that most of the quilt had fallen to the ground at some point. The incense burner with burning charcoal was also nowhere to be seen.
The window was wide open. The snow was still falling outside. The sound, mixed with the cold wind, rushed in together, like countless tiny silver needles, stabbing her all over and making her body ache.
She remembered specifically telling someone to close the doors and windows tightly before going to bed.
Her gaze fell on Lihong. "Did you open the window?"
Lihong nodded. "Last night, I thought it was stuffy in our room, so I took the liberty to open the doors and windows."
If there was charcoal burning in the room, it would indeed be a bit stuffy with the windows closed tightly. But if that was the only concern, one could simply open a small crack for ventilation.
Wen Qianyue lowered her head and smiled. "Did you also order the charcoal in the room to be removed?"
"Yes."
After getting the answer, the smile faded from Wen Qianyue's eyes. She calmly stood up and put on the thick cloak beside her.
Seeing that she didn't get angry, the smug look in Lihong's eyes almost overflowed. She went down and boasted to the people in the courtyard for a long time.
The servants in Guanyun Courtyard were in awe of her.
"I think our girl here in the courtyard is different from the one in Bingqing Courtyard. If we make any mistakes, she naturally won't be able to scold us. As long as we stick together, we can handle her," Lihong said complacently.
"Yes, yes, yes. It's still Lihong who is amazing."
Wen Qianyue saw all this.
In the afternoon, she had a chair moved to the courtyard and summoned all the servants in the courtyard.
Lihong came reluctantly. Seeing such a big commotion, she asked, "Miss Wen, what are you doing?"
Wen Qianyue smiled and sat down. "You'll know in a while."
There were several strong men behind her. They were the guards specially selected and sent by Yue Heng. They looked quite intimidating.
The servants in Guanyun Courtyard looked at each other, unable to guess what their new mistress was up to.
Then, Wen Qianyue raised her hand, and the guards behind her took action. Two of them stepped forward and grabbed Lihong.
"What are you doing?" Lihong exclaimed in horror.
Wen Qianyue didn't even lift her head or give an extra look. "Just teaching a disobedient servant a lesson."
One of the guards dragged Lihong to the middle and forced her to kneel down. The other one carried a bucket of water and poured it directly on her head.
Lihong choked and shouted, but she couldn't break free from the restraint.
The servants in the courtyard were as silent as cicadas in winter. They immediately understood what this was all about.
Last night, Lihong took the charcoal stove from Miss Wen's room and put it in her own room. She also deliberately opened the window of Miss Wen's room. They all knew...
Lihong said that Miss Wen was a guest in the mansion and would surely be too embarrassed to mention to the prince what the servants had done. It was most important to make herself comfortable.
The snow that started last night didn't stop until noon today. The sun came out, shining on the snow. It was the coldest time. The water that fell on the ground quickly froze.
"... I'm from Bingqing Courtyard. How dare you touch me..."
Lihong came out of the room. She was lazy and rarely served. The clothes she was wearing were not thick. After being poured with cold water, she shivered all over.
Wen Qianyue sipped her hot tea and said, "Oh? Why don't I dare to touch you?"
"Who gave you the confidence?" Finally, she raised her head, with a calm look in her eyes. "Meng Ruxue?"
Wen Qianyue thought she had been quite tolerant of these people. If it were her old temper, these people would probably be dead by now.
Alas, it was really because she was too kind - hearted that she indulged these people to be so presumptuous.
"However, considering your young age, I'll just punish you with fifty cane strokes first."
Fifty cane strokes? Was this considered a light punishment?
The Prince of Huainan in the mansion didn't care much about things. Although his reputation was not good outside, he was actually not strict with the servants... Meng Ruxue, in order to gain a good reputation, naturally wouldn't treat the servants harshly.
These people were used to being lax in the mansion.
Wen Qianyue had lived here for so long. How could she not see this?
It wasn't that she didn't care. She just needed an opportunity to give them a good warning and let them know their place.
The cane hit the flesh, which was soaked in salt water. With each whip, the skin was torn open and the flesh was lacerated. In a short while, it was bloody and mixed with the water on her body before, flowing down and staining the surrounding snow red.
Lihong's shrill screams made many people break out in cold sweat.
Fortunately, they hadn't had a chance to do anything yet. Otherwise, this would be their fate.
Seeing that she had achieved the desired effect, Wen Qianyue smiled with satisfaction.
She was never a gentle mistress. In the palace, if you were kind to others, those people would only think you were easy to bully.
Only when they felt afraid would they know what to do and what not to do.
The news that someone was beaten in Guanyun Courtyard quickly spread throughout the mansion. When people from other courtyards asked about it, the people in Guanyun Courtyard stammered. Thinking of the bloody scene at that time, they didn't dare to say a word.
The person involved, Wen Qianyue, was admiring the red plum blossoms that she had ordered to be picked in the courtyard. Against the snow scene outside, they looked extremely beautiful.
"Miss, it's cold now. The window in the room is open. You'd better warm your hands with the hand - warmer."
Wen Qianyue raised her eyes and looked at the maid. She had some impression of her. Her name was Suye. She was quite smart, but she had been bullied badly by Lihong before.
"You can serve in the room from now on," Wen Qianyue intended to promote her.
She didn't want to use Lihong anymore. She would surely find a reason to send her away sooner or later.
Suye was slightly stunned. A look of joy appeared on her face. She immediately knelt down. "Yes, thank you, Miss."
"Your Highness has really good taste. These red plum blossoms are obviously the best ones blooming outside," Yue Heng flattered his master without a hint of embarrassment.
However, he hit the wrong spot.
Wen Qianyue was fiddling with the flower branches. "These are just some randomly cut ones that I told the servants to pick."
"... Hahaha." Yue Heng wasn't embarrassed at all. "It must be because of Your Highness. You make these flowers look good."
Wen Qianyue looked at him amusingly. "Come on, stop joking."
This scene actually looked quite strange to others. A general nearly forty years old was trying his best to please a young woman in her twenties.
"Axiao, I think Miss Wen and General Yue are busy. How about we come another day?" Meng Ruxue's delicate voice came from outside.