"Your Highness!" Caiyu called out in a soft, tender voice, and the straight back she had just now instantly slumped.
Seeing Song Yinghuai step in so timely, she guessed that he must have been watching in the dark for quite a while and only stepped forward to stop things when he saw her face was about to get hurt.
Although she had been frightened by his suddenly cold expression yesterday, compared to Nanny Li, she would rather believe that Song Yinghuai was the one who wouldn't harm her.
Not only did Caiyu slump her back, but she also tilted her body and leaned her shoulder against the left side of Song Yinghuai's thigh for support.
How tiring!
Nanny Li, having been rebuked by Zhu Xiao, tightened her thin, mean lips even more. "General Zhu, this old servant was only following the order of the former princess to teach this maid some rules. Your Highness was also in the Evening Fragrance Hall yesterday and heard everything clearly. This old servant also reported to Your Highness before coming to the Lotus Sound Pavilion today. There's nothing improper about my actions."
With a person leaning against his leg, Song Yinghuai originally wanted to take a step forward without caring. But unexpectedly, as if Caiyu had guessed his thought, she simply slipped her arm between his legs and hung onto his left leg like a koala on a tree. Her whole body went limp, as if she had fainted from exhaustion.
Song Yinghuai's eyebrows twitched. He let his wide robe sleeve fall to the front left to block Caiyu's "indecent" clinging posture, and then slowly said:
"Mother asked you to teach rules. Did she ask you to beat and abuse the maids in my courtyard?"
Song Yinghuai didn't frown or look cold. His words were gentle and slow. However, with years of battlefield experience and the innate aura of the royal family, the oppressive feeling of a superior came with his simple rhetorical question like a heavy black cloud, as if it would press down at any moment, with thunderstorms about to pour down.
Nanny Li was shocked upon hearing this. She quickly knelt on the ground and defended herself. "Your Highness, please see clearly. This old servant wouldn't dare. I didn't beat or abuse Caiyu. I was just teaching her rules as usual..."
Zhu Xiao couldn't help but interrupt again. "If you didn't beat and abuse her, where did the blood on Miss Caiyu come from? When I taught the soldiers in the Yan Army how to practice martial arts, I never made the soldiers bleed. All you need to teach a maid is just some etiquette and rules. How did the blood seep out?"
He was standing behind Song Yinghuai, and he could clearly see the blood seeping through Caiyu's back.
Naturally, he also saw clearly and happily how Caiyu wrapped her arms around Song Yinghuai's left leg and refused to let go.
How could there be such a clever and audacious little maid who dared to act like a rascal in front of the prince?
It was really interesting. He liked it very much.
Nanny Li's mouth twitched, and she cried out in injustice. "Didn't this maid make a mistake yesterday and was punished by the princess with bamboo strips on her back? Your Highness was there at that time. Today, when she was learning the rules and didn't do well, this old servant whipped her a few more times..."
"What happened yesterday, I've already made it clear to Mother in the Evening Fragrance Hall. It was my fault. Mother punished the wrong person."
Song Yinghuai said calmly, "You were the one who beat her yesterday. You heard clearly what I said to Mother in the Evening Fragrance Hall. Why are you still saying it was her fault today?"
Nanny Li's scalp went numb. She felt as if her usually calm and easy - going master had changed into a different person. He suddenly stared at her and wouldn't let go of a single word.
Her heart was pounding like a drum. "Your Highness, please calm down. It was this old servant's slip of the tongue. It wasn't Miss Caiyu's fault. This old servant said the wrong thing."
But Song Yinghuai didn't let it go. He noticed that the arm wrapped around his left leg tightened, and he squinted his eyes slightly:
"I usually don't interfere in the affairs of the mansion. I didn't know that this was how you taught the servants. Just now, you said that you were just teaching Caiyu the rules as usual, and you've already knocked her out... Then how do you usually punish the servants who make small mistakes? Do you just beat them to death?"
"I remember that since I was separated from the capital and established my own mansion at the age of ten, I haven't set such harsh rules in the mansion."
Nanny Li was already sweating profusely at this moment. She stammered and couldn't say a word.
Song Yinghuai said, "I've been practicing Buddhism and meditating in the mansion. Buddha is kind - hearted and always forgiving. But you use sticks and whips to act on behalf of the master's authority, which goes against Buddha's teachings. You often impose punishments, which is challenging my beliefs."
One accusation after another was thrown at her. Nanny Li's face changed drastically. Her legs were shaking, and she didn't dare to be stubborn anymore. She bowed down and kowtowed:
"Your Highness! This old servant never had such thoughts. Just now, this old servant was too angry and used too much force on Miss Caiyu. This old servant knows her mistake. Please punish this old servant! Please punish this old servant!"
This sudden turn of events made everyone in the Zhaonan Studio stop what they were doing. They looked at Nanny Li, who had been so overbearing just now, suddenly turned into a pitiful old woman pleading.
If Caiyu weren't pretending to be unconscious, she really would have stood up and cheered.
She only knew today that her own eloquence was nothing compared to Song Yinghuai's.
Facing Nanny Li's plea for mercy, Song Yinghuai still looked calm and amiable. He said:
"Buddha said that anger is the deepest sin. Among the three poisons, nothing is more serious than this. When a single thought of anger arises, millions of barriers open, harming others and oneself. Can you understand what Buddha means, Nanny?"
Nanny Li looked up blankly. "This..."
She was just an old woman who didn't know many characters. How could she understand Buddhist principles?
She wanted to make up a few words to get by, saying that she understood, but she was afraid that Song Yinghuai would ask what essence she had understood. That would be completely deceiving the master.
Helplessly, she had to tell the truth. "This old servant hasn't understood yet."
"It doesn't matter." Song Yinghuai didn't show any anger at all. "Buddhist principles are indeed a bit profound. So you can kneel here and slowly comprehend them. Until you have an epiphany, you won't get angry so easily anymore. You're getting old, Nanny. Getting angry easily is not good for your health. Mother still needs you to take care of her. You can't just fall ill casually. I'm doing this for your own good."
"Yes, yes..." Nanny Li didn't understand the Buddhist principles, but she understood exactly what Song Yinghuai meant.
Song Yinghuai wanted her to kneel in the Zhaonan Studio and reflect until he was satisfied.
Song Yinghuai moved his left leg and said to the person hanging on his leg and pretending to be dead, "Haven't you woken up yet?"
Caiyu cursed in her heart. She had been pretending to be unconscious. If she woke up right now that things were over, it would be too inappropriate.
Did Song Yinghuai have to wake her up at this moment?
Caiyu hung on his leg and insisted on not waking up. She even swayed a few times and then collapsed on the ground completely, only with both hands desperately clinging to his ankle.
Song Yinghuai let out a silent laugh and said to the stunned Zhu Xiao, "Lao Zhu, come and carry her back."
Caiyu's back stiffened instantly.
Zhu Xiao had entered the mansion wearing a hard armor. If she were to lie on him, not only was her back already injured, but she would also get new injuries on the front?
Caiyu quickly struggled to sit up from the ground. She put a fair hand on her forehead weakly and looked around blankly:
"Where... is this?"
"Hey, Nanny Li, why are you kneeling on the ground? This maid can't bear it... Please get up quickly."
Nanny Li's face turned ashen. If looks could kill, Caiyu would probably have been stabbed into a sieve by her.
Seeing that she finally deigned to wake up, Song Yinghuai urged, "Hurry up and go. Do you also want to keep kneeling?"
"Okay." Caiyu quickly replied and followed Song Yinghuai away.
In the courtyard, Taoyao hesitated. "Nanny, should we still slap the faces of these little maids from the Lotus Sound Pavilion?"
Nanny Li knelt on the ground and flew into a rage. "Slap what? You blind and deaf little wench! Didn't you hear His Highness say that harsh punishments are not allowed?"
"Get out of here, all of you!"