Outside the Golden Hall, the sound of caning resounded one after another. Inside the hall, the court officials prostrated themselves deeply, not daring to raise their heads.
They were terrified that the crazy and tyrannical emperor, who acted without following the rules, might see their faces. What if he thought their eyes were ugly or their noses were hideous and then had them dragged out to be caned and dismissed from office?
Jun Wuyuan listened to the commotion with a smile on his lips for half the time before he took steps towards the Zichen Hall to watch another good show.
However...
The curve of Jun Wuyuan's lips flattened. His eyes, cold and full of confusion, stared fixedly at Ling Shan, who had fallen asleep beside the couch.
How audacious!
How lawless!
He seriously suspected that it had been too long since he last picked up his sword. Otherwise, how could this stupid goose dare to fall asleep beside his couch?
Liang Jiusi also wondered if this maid was really not afraid of death. Or did she think that, because of her beauty, she wouldn't anger the emperor like that ugly imperial censor just now and lose her life?
[Such a fearless one. She actually dares to sleep beside my couch. Will she strip naked and climb onto my bed next time?]
Jun Wuyuan's face darkened. A cold glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes as he approached step by step and stretched out his foot.
[I'd rather kill wrongly than let anyone go. The one sent by that old hag must be scheming. She actually wants to get close to me step by step and devour me. She is extremely guilty and deserves to be... ]
"Mother, don't... don't leave... Wuwu... Don't leave Shan'er... Mother, don't leave..."
A black boot suddenly stopped. Almost immediately, a similar scene flashed through his mind.
Once upon a time, he had also cried and begged his mother not to leave him alone.
The little girl curled up at his feet showed a pale and embarrassed little face.
She sobbed and pleaded softly in pain. Her nose was red, looking extremely pitiful.
The killing intent in Jun Wuyuan's eyes instantly burst like a bubble. He stared fixedly at her.
"Mother—"
Jun Wuyuan looked down and saw that this audacious stupid goose was actually hugging his leg and mistaking him for her mother?
[This stupid goose has a bad brain. Does she not want her hands anymore? How dare she mistake me for her mother?]
"Mother, Shan'er will be good. Don't be angry... Mother, don't leave—"
Ling Shan's hand trembled, and she secretly gritted her teeth and tightened her grip.
Ouch.
Jun Wuyuan didn't know what she was dreaming about, but he only felt that the hands hugging his legs were tightening desperately, as if trying to hold onto the most precious treasure in the world.
[Damn it. Has this stupid goose used all her strength? I should just kick her away!]
Ling Shan: "......"
Ling Shan, as if trapped in a nightmare, was extremely uneasy. She stiffly moved closer, and her fingers began to fidget.
The embarrassing and absurd scene of her pulling down his belt last time immediately flashed through his mind. Jun Wuyuan's eyes instantly darkened.
[I knew it. This stupid goose doesn't forget to seduce me even in her dreams. That old hag has really gone all out this time. It's time for her to shed some blood!]
With a thud.
Jun Wuyuan's face was cold. A hint of coldness flashed through his eyes as he mercilessly pulled out the foot that was being hugged.
Ling Shan rolled with the force and fiercely hit her wrist against the footstool.
A pained cry woke Ling Shan from her deep sleep. A sharp pain struck.
In just a moment, cold sweat broke out on her smooth and terrifying forehead, along with a purple and blue bump. She looked extremely pitiful.
"Your servant is guilty. Please forgive your servant, Your Majesty. Your servant was so stupid that she fell asleep even while being punished.
Please forgive your servant this time. Next time, unless your servant is dead, she will never be so muddled and disrespectful again."
The anger in Jun Wuyuan's eyes instantly turned into a cold smile. He stared fixedly at Ling Shan, whose elegance was still hard to hide even when she was kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.
[She's scolding me for being untrustworthy in a roundabout way. Interesting. This is the first time I've seen someone seduce me like this.]
The tense string in Ling Shan's heart relaxed slightly.
Liang Jiusi stood behind and looked at Ling Shan, who was kneeling respectfully, in surprise. He was amazed.
This Miss Ling Shan had escaped another disaster?
"Your Majesty, breakfast is ready."
Liang Jiusi guessed the emperor's intention and timely offered a way out.
Sure enough, Jun Wuyuan took another very faint look at that slender waist and then withdrew his gaze.
"Get out and watch the peach orchard!"
—
Ling Shan returned to the peach orchard with her "injuries." Yang Qiyuan still stood calmly under the bamboo house, as if she didn't know what had happened.
"Your servant pays respects to Nanny."
"Go and tidy yourself up."
Yang Qiyuan's voice was flat. After casually glancing at Ling Shan, she withdrew her gaze and walked towards the vegetable garden.
Ling Shan responded. When she turned around, the weak and pitiful look on her face disappeared completely, leaving only calmness and indifference in her eyes.
Did it hurt?
It definitely did.
But compared to her life, these injuries were nothing.
The bamboo house was simple, not as magnificent as the palace, but it had all the necessary facilities and had a unique charm.
What surprised Ling Shan the most was a jar of ointment placed on the table.
Ningzhi Ointment was a rare and precious medicine in the harem for reducing swelling and removing scars. She had only seen it in the Cining Palace before.
Empress Dowager Wang attached great importance to the looks and fair skin of these beautiful women. Whenever they had a scratch or a bruise, they would use Ningzhi Ointment to take care of themselves, for fear that their beauty would be flawed.
Unexpectedly, Nanny Yang was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. It was a pity...
Ling Shan put away the unopened Ningzhi Ointment and took out a used jar of it from the "dowry" she had brought from the Cining Palace. She carefully applied it with the help of a bronze mirror.
Ling Shan didn't dare to use anything that hadn't passed through her hands.
In this man - eating harem, only by being careful could one stay safe for a long time.
The woman in the bronze mirror had bright eyes and white teeth. The purple and blue bruise on her forehead was terrifying, but it didn't reduce her beauty at all. Instead, it added a bit more fragility and charm.
This face couldn't have the slightest flaw, or how could she catch Jun Wuyuan's attention?
Ling Shan believed that during these dangerous times.
If her face wasn't at least passable, Jun Wuyuan wouldn't even give her a chance to respond.
Similarly, if Jun Wuyuan wasn't extremely handsome.
She wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to survive.
Calculating, there should be some movement from the Cining Palace.
Three days passed in a flash. Ling Shan didn't see Jun Wuyuan again and focused all her attention on the peach orchard.
The injury on her forehead looked scary, but after carefully taking care of it for two days, it had improved a lot.
As for the injury on her wrist, fortunately, she didn't need to do any heavy work. Taking care of the flowers, plants, and vegetables every day, it was also recovering well.
Strangely enough, today was supposed to be the big day when Jun Wuyuan would come to inspect the vegetable garden and decide her fate.
But unexpectedly, before dawn, Yang Qiyuan actually asked her to go to the palace for a visit.
Since coming to the Taiji Palace, this was the first time Ling Shan had been allowed to go out to "do something important."
After Ling Shan happily and excitedly left the Taiji Palace, the expression on her face under the slightly dim starlight immediately turned cold.
This trip of hers, seemingly an important assignment, was actually just another test.
Without a doubt, something unexpected was about to happen!