Everyone looked shocked.
They were to be beaten to death with sticks right away!
No one dared to plead for mercy. Everyone lowered their heads, trying to make themselves less noticeable.
"Sister... isn't this... a bit too harsh..." Xu Xin, who had been intimidated by Chu Qing's aura, suddenly came up with an idea. She thought that if she pleaded for those who were to be beaten to death with sticks, she might gain a reputation for being kind - hearted.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. So Xu Xin tentatively spoke up.
The suffocating silence was broken. Everyone looked at Xu Xin in unison.
Feeling everyone's gazes, Xu Xin immediately straightened her chest and put on a pitying expression.
Chu Qing looked up at Xu Xin and said unhurriedly,
"Sister, do you know that there are people from your courtyard among them?"
Xu Xin cursed the bitch in her heart, but on her face she looked just and solemn. "Sister, I'm not pleading for my maids. I just think that punishment is necessary since these people have done something wrong, but it shouldn't be so... bloody..."
"Oh?" Chu Qing slightly raised her slender eyebrows and chuckled softly.
"Sister, do you know what they said?"
Xu Xin shook her head. She really didn't know.
"These girls said that I'm sickly and lack charm, so I can't keep the prince. They also said that I'm always listless and do nothing, unworthy of my position. Oh, and that maid from your courtyard praised you to the skies. The general idea was that you should be the principal princess of the Ning Palace. Well, finally..." Chu Qing pointed her slender finger at the maid who had just refused to admit her fault and continued, "Someone even said that I look like a seductress and might have had an affair with someone long ago."
Everyone gasped when they heard the first thing Chu Qing said. The more they heard, the more frightened they became!
They really didn't want to hear these words come out of their mistress's mouth!
Those who heard these words felt that they might be the next ones to be beaten to death with sticks!
Wei Ju was also surprised that Chu Qing could say these things with her own mouth.
Did she not care? Or was her tolerance incredibly high?
Judging from her personality, the former was surely impossible.
Then the latter was really terrifying.
Seeing that everyone looked like they had heard nothing, Chu Qing curled her lips and continued looking at Xu Xin.
"So, sister, do you really want to be the principal princess? But my status was personally requested by Prince Ning from the emperor. If you want it, you'll probably have to ask Prince Ning first, and then Prince Ning will have to ask the emperor to revoke the edict. It sounds a bit troublesome, but it shouldn't be too difficult."
Xu Xin opened her eyes wide. She never thought that Chu Qing would blatantly expose the things that everyone knew but kept hidden in the dark in front of everyone.
"I didn't know this person would say such absurd things! I've never thought about these things! I hope sister will investigate clearly!" Xu Xin had to swallow her unwillingness and eagerly spoke up to prove her innocence.
Chu Qing slowly stood up and no longer looked at Xu Xin.
"So, sister, do you still think my punishment is too harsh?"
"I was wrong. I hope sister will enforce the law impartially!"
"Does anyone else want to plead for them or think my punishment is too harsh?"
Chu Qing scanned everyone one by one. Everyone shouted that they hoped the princess would enforce the law impartially.
"Concubine! Don't you want me anymore?"
Seeing that Xu Xin no longer pleaded for her, the maid named Xiaocui panicked.
"Absurd! You spoke rudely and tried to sow discord between sister and me. Do you still expect me to plead for you?" Xu Xin stared angrily at Xiaocui, afraid that she would say something inappropriate. Xu Xin continued fiercely,
"Why aren't you dragging her out to be beaten to death with sticks?"
"Wait~ What's the rush?" Chu Qing narrowed her eyes and said leisurely, "I've always been fair. I'm not a ruthless killer. The crimes these people committed vary in severity, so the punishments should also be different. Steward, you can say it."
She gave the power of punishment to Wei Ju, who nodded in understanding.
"Except for the second - class maid Biyu, who will be beaten to death with sticks, the others will all be beaten fifty times with sticks and expelled from the palace!"
It turned out that the one who refused to admit her fault and had illusions was a second - class maid named Biyu.
The name was nice, but her mind was thinking about things she shouldn't.
Looking at these people lying prostrate on the ground, looking hopeless, Chu Qing noticed a very thin figure.
She remembered that only this maid hadn't said anything and had even told the others to keep their voices down.
"Wait. That girl in the light - yellow dress, come here."
The girl looked up in surprise. Seeing that Chu Qing was pointing at her, she stood up tremblingly, walked up to Chu Qing, and then knelt down again.
"What's your name? Which courtyard are you from?" Chu Qing's tone was very calm. No one knew what their princess was going to do.
Did she come up with another way to punish people? Everyone shivered and continued to stay obediently, with their heads down and silent.
"Reply to the princess. My name is Liuxin. I'm a rough maid who does the laundry." The maid named Liuxin replied respectfully.
"I remember that when you were with them, you didn't say anything and even tried to stop them. Why didn't you plead for yourself and ask me to spare you?"
"Reply to the princess. I didn't really stop them. I just told them to keep their voices down because I was afraid it would spread. I didn't plead for myself because I know I ignored the rules of the mansion. Although I didn't slander the mistress, I was with them and didn't stop them when I heard them. So I'm willing to accept the punishment. I made a mistake, and I admit my guilt." Liuxin lowered her eyes, looking pale.
Although she wouldn't be beaten to death with sticks, being beaten fifty times with sticks would almost kill her. Naturally, she was afraid. But she knew that as a maid, she should obey the rules obediently. Before, she had taken chances and wanted to get along well with others, so she had ignored the rules.
After hearing what this little girl said, Chu Qing couldn't help changing her opinion of her.
She had deliberately said that she had stopped them, but she didn't take advantage of the situation. Instead, she very frankly explained what she had done.
Everyone has their own destiny. Those born in a lower position always learn how to be obsequious and adaptable. As a low - level servant, Chu Qing could actually understand her actions.
But as she said, a mistake was a mistake, and punishment was necessary.
However, she suddenly wanted to take this maid under her wing.
"Rough maid Liuxin, although you didn't slander me, you didn't stop others when they were slandering me. So, I'll punish you..." Chu Qing glanced at Liuxin's thin body and swallowed back the forty strokes she had originally wanted to say.
"I'll punish you to be beaten thirty times with sticks. If you can endure it, you'll serve me from now on."
Everyone was in an uproar.
But then they took another look at her thin body that seemed to be blown away by the wind, and silently retracted their envy. While being beaten fifty times with sticks would take most of a person's life, being beaten thirty times would be enough for her.
If she could survive, it would be her fortune.
If she couldn't, it would be her fate.