In Concubine Dong's palace, Dongfang Yi slapped Concubine Chu one after another. Helian Qi stepped forward to stop her.
"Enough. Doesn't your hand hurt?!" He frowned and murmured softly.
Hearing this, Dongfang Yi didn't turn around. Instead, she stared coldly at the woman in front of her and said, "Then use a whip!"
Concubine Chu's face paled upon hearing this. Then she widened her eyes and said, "You can't! The Empress Dowager won't allow you to do this. You'll kill me like this!"
She finally panicked. Thinking of what she had done to Dongfang Yi a few days ago, she was afraid that the woman in front of her would return the favors one by one. And now, there was no one to rescue her!
At this thought, her face became even more terrified. Then she crawled to Helian Qi's feet, grabbing the hem of his robe with both hands and pleading, "Your Majesty, you can't ignore your concubine. Your concubine did everything unintentionally. Your Majesty, please persuade Concubine Yi, no, please persuade the Empress!"
She finally uttered the words "Empress". If she didn't bow her head at this moment, I'm afraid no one could help her anymore.
Hearing her words, Dongfang Yi's sneer deepened. She thought that Concubine Chu finally knew the difference in status. It seemed that the person who had beaten her to the ground a few days ago wasn't her.
Thinking of this, she shouted again, "Bring the whip!"
She would never show any mercy to those she hated. No matter how much Concubine Chu begged, she wouldn't feel any compassion for her.
"Your Ladyship, we can't find a whip here for the moment," Donghua replied.
Concubine Chu obviously heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. But after hearing Donghua's next words, she gasped.
"But I have this!" Donghua continued. Then she took out her sword scabbard and handed it to Dongfang Yi.
This would hurt even more than a whip, and it would leave internal injuries.
Helian Qi knew that he couldn't persuade Dongfang Yi. He also knew that if he were to do it, he might be even more cruel. So he silently allowed her to do as she wished.
Dongfang Yi took the sword scabbard and tried it in her hand. She smiled and said, "Not bad! It fits well!"
Then she raised her hand and whipped down. The next moment, she heard Concubine Chu's wailing. Unlike Dongfang Yi, Concubine Chu didn't have the backbone. At this moment, she was in so much pain that she wished she could cry through the sky. But the woman beating her didn't show any mercy, and the man beside her didn't stop her either.
After a few whips, she lay on the ground, unable to move. There were red bloodstains on her back and shoulders, and there was also some blood on her face.
Dongfang Yi returned the sword scabbard to Donghua. Then she said to the man beside her, "I've vented my anger. Let's go!"
Helian Qi was a little surprised that she ended it so soon. But then he understood her difficulties. It was because Concubine Chu was the adopted daughter of Nangong Liuyun. It was still useful to keep her for the time being. And even if she was kept, she definitely wouldn't live for more than two months. When the Nangong family was exposed, her life would come to an end. So why be in such a hurry?
Thinking of this, he took the woman's hand in front of him and blew on it. Then he led her out of Concubine Dong's palace. He didn't forget to say to Donghua behind him, "Go and call Concubine Chu's servants. Invite the imperial physician to treat her. Don't let her die."
Then the two of them left gracefully. Concubine Chu, who was still lying on the ground, couldn't move her body, but her consciousness was still clear. She could hear all the sounds around her.
Seeing herself being so humiliated and treated like this, but the Emperor didn't show any sign of compassion. And that woman was like a queen...
Thinking of this, she bit her lips hard. While tasting her own blood, there was also a killing look in her eyes.
Why was the world so unfair to her? She refused to accept it!
On the other side, the two who had returned to the Empress's palace. Dongfang Yi found that the bandage on her arm was already soaked through with the seeping blood. Immediately, she frowned and wanted to call Donghua. But then she suddenly remembered that Donghua hadn't come back yet.
Helian Qi naturally saw what was on her mind. Immediately, he helped her sit down on the bed. Then he went to fetch the medicine box and said, "Don't move. I'll bandage your wound."
Then he slowly unwound the old bandage bit by bit. His movements were so skillful that he didn't hurt her at all.
"I didn't know you could treat wounds," she couldn't help asking. In her impression, the Emperor was always served and didn't need to know anything.
Helian Qi smiled softly and replied, "Before I became the Emperor, I was also a prince. I had to go to war. Sometimes in an emergency, I had to treat my own wounds..."
He said these words one by one, as if he didn't care about them at all.
But the speaker was unintentional while the listener was intentional. Dongfang Yi finally knew why there were so many scars on his back. It was because the wounds couldn't be treated in time. Just thinking of this, she felt heartache. She thought that when he went to the battlefield, he was only sixteen or seventeen years old. In her era, that was just high school. Students could be happy every day and didn't need to care about anything. But he had already shouldered the glory of a country.
After bandaging her arm, she couldn't help hugging the man in front of her. She buried her head in his neck and whispered, "You've really suffered all these years..."
Helian Qi was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't expect her to say such words suddenly. But then a warm feeling welled up in his heart. Then he held the back of her head and said, "I don't feel wronged. Because I've met you now, making me feel that all the past was worth it."
Inside the window, the red candles were flickering and the shadows of the two were intertwined, just like a beautiful landscape painting. Outside the window, the night was getting deeper, and another day had passed quietly...
Concubine Chu, who was carried back to her palace by the servants, was on the verge of death. After Doctor Fang from the Imperial Hospital came, he just prescribed some wound medicine and left, instructing the servants to apply it to their master every day.
But the servants all knew their master's temper, so none of them dared to go there casually. But at this moment, a maid suddenly appeared. She walked to the bedside, took the wound medicine, and said, "Let this maid do it!"
Concubine Chu vaguely saw a strange maid's face. Immediately, she couldn't help asking, "Who are you?!"
She was afraid that it was an assassin sent by someone to kill her, so she was so nervous now.
But the maid smiled softly. Then she bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Ladyship, this maid is Cuiping. I used to serve in Concubine Shu's palace. Now I'm here to serve Your Ladyship!"
Cuiping... Concubine Chu couldn't help murmuring and looking at her again.