Liu Xin was startled when she heard Chu Qing's words.
After recovering, she immediately kowtowed to express her gratitude.
"Thank you, Princess!"
Seeing the joy on her face, Chu Qing gently lifted the corners of her mouth. Whether Liu Xin could escape this disaster depended on her luck.
"Princess, shall we take them to the Meditation Hall for punishment?" Wei Ju asked in a low voice.
Chu Qing glanced at the crowd, whose expressions had obviously relaxed. Then she calmly said in a loud voice, "Right here. Everyone will watch the punishment to serve as a warning."
Wei Ju was stunned for a moment and then turned around to make preparations.
Sure enough, he had underestimated the princess just now.
Hearing that she had to stay here to watch others being beaten with a cane, Xu Xin frowned involuntarily. She didn't want to watch such a violent and bloody scene. So, in a very gentle tone, she said, "Sister, I'm a bit tired. Can I go back first?"
"Bring a chair for the concubine princess," Chu Qing ordered the servant. Then she turned to Xu Xin with a smile and leaned closer. "It's better for you to stay, sister. Didn't I say before that I would help you establish your authority? Otherwise, if a servant dares to ride roughshod over you one day, I won't support you."
Humph! Only you would dare to ride roughshod over me!
"Thank you for your kindness, sister," Xu Xin gritted her teeth and could only curse in her heart.
Seeing Xu Xin's reluctant thanks, Chu Qing felt extremely happy.
...
At this time, the rain was pouring down even harder, and the caning began.
Before long, screams filled the air.
The blood of some people had mixed with the rain and flowed down in winding paths. No one knew whose feet it had reached.
Those servants who had previously underestimated Chu Qing regarded her as a night demon on this night.
What they saw and heard reminded everyone that ignoring the rules and despising the princess would lead to such a fate.
Slowly, the groans faded away. Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Chu Qing walked to the center gracefully. With a solemn expression, she said in a loud voice,
"That's all for today. I've said enough. I'm not a harsh person. However, there can be no circle without a compass. You should understand that once you enter the Ning Prince's Mansion, you are part of it. You must abide by the rules of the mansion, for everyone represents the face of the mansion. Although our positions are different, our actions all represent the Ning Prince's Mansion. We rise and fall together. Even if you do well, if I'm not presentable, the Ning Prince's Mansion will be criticized by outsiders. Conversely, even if I manage the mansion with all my heart and soul, if there are one or two of you with bad conduct or who ignore the rules, the mansion will still be criticized. Our prince is the famous Ning Prince of the Great Yan Kingdom, respected by thousands of people. You surely don't want to hold him back, do you? Therefore, my actions today are to tell you that the prince has dedicated himself to the Great Yan Kingdom and assisted the emperor whole - heartedly. He is the pride of all the people! I must ensure that when the prince returns to the mansion after working hard outside, he won't be troubled by any trivial matters and can relax and rest completely. Can you understand my good intentions?"
Silence. Dead silence.
The serious expression on Chu Qing's face cracked slightly. She suddenly began to doubt herself. Could it be that after being reborn, no, after being reborn three times, her ability to inspire people had regressed?
Back then, when her late husband, the emperor, had just passed away, the only heir was still young. The vassal kings in the fiefdoms were eager to seize power. Even the prince's father, the Guangling King, was itching to take action at that time. However, she had joined forces with the Shangguan family, whose influence spread far and wide, and several senior officials with great power. She had convinced those wavering old foxes and several old - fashioned officials in the court. Finally, they had agreed to let her hold the reins of government behind the curtain for eight years!
Of course, the fact that her own son had been on guard against her after she thought she had retired completely after eight years would not be mentioned for now.
She shouldn't be unable to win over these people, right?
Well... she shouldn't be...
The more she thought about it, the more exhausted Chu Qing felt.
Just when Chu Qing was about to give up this long talk with everyone in the rain in the Ning Prince's Mansion, the once - silent crowd finally made a sound.
"Your servant (your slave) is willing to swear allegiance to the Ning Prince and the princess to the death. We will never let the prince and the princess worry about us!"
While silently breathing a sigh of relief, Chu Qing couldn't help but sigh that fortunately, the Ning Prince's Mansion was located in a remote place. Otherwise, if this simple rally to win people's hearts was spread out in a few words, people might think that the Ning Prince's Mansion was going to rebel.
Wei Ju beside her was on the verge of tears. The Ning Prince had always been reluctant to manage the mansion, so almost all the affairs, big and small, in the mansion had been handled by him. He had always thought that as long as everyone in the mansion could do their jobs and not cause trouble, that would be enough.
Who would have thought that the princess's words had completely expressed what he had always been vaguely thinking and wanting.
Actually, although the Ning Prince was famous outside, he was kind and generous to everyone in the mansion. Therefore, everyone was naturally loyal to him.
Wei Ju had always felt that something was missing. Now he finally understood. What they lacked was someone who could unite their hearts towards the prince.
"How are those who were punished?" Chu Qing was quite satisfied with the current state of the crowd. Her eyes shifted to the several blood - smeared figures.
"Reporting to the princess, Bi Yu has been beaten to death. Among the others who received fifty strokes, a maid named Zhu Er has died. The rest couldn't bear it and fainted, but fortunately, they are still alive. The maid named Liu Xin has also fainted, but she is still alive."
After hearing this, Chu Qing's eyes darkened. She said indifferently, "Order that Bi Yu's body be thrown directly into the mass grave. As for Zhu Er, bury her. After all, she was born and raised by her parents. If there are parents to support in her family, give them some silver for a living. As for those seriously injured, they have suffered physical pain after speaking their minds. Find some doctors to have a look. If they can be cured, cure them. After they recover, expel them from the mansion and let them go. As for Liu Xin, find a good doctor to take care of her. After she recovers, send her directly to my courtyard."
Hearing Chu Qing's final decision on those people, Wei Ju sighed slightly. The princess was still soft - hearted, but she had grasped the degree very well.
Seeing that everyone was still waiting for her order in the rain, Chu Qing sent them away.
Glancing at the wet backs of the crowd, Chu Qing grabbed Wei Ju, who was about to turn around and go to work.
"Ask the kitchen to boil more ginger - sugar water. Since there aren't many people in the mansion, two bowls per person should be enough. Order everyone to drink it. After all, they have been caught in the rain. Some are in good health, while some are weak. I can't take care of everyone individually. So, it's better for everyone to drink. Although it's almost summer, it's still cool on rainy days. It won't do any harm to dispel the cold. Those who don't drink will still be fined their monthly allowance. The cost of boiling the ginger - sugar water can be directly deducted from my treasury."
Seeing that Wei Ju wanted to say something, Chu Qing waved her hand to interrupt him and continued, "And for that young servant whose ribs were broken by a horse, find a good doctor to treat him. All the silver for inviting doctors these days can be taken from my treasury. I'll ask Lv Luo to send you the key early tomorrow morning. Oh, and inform everyone that they will all have a day off tomorrow. The kitchen should supply food as usual."
"Your old servant thanks the princess on behalf of everyone in the mansion for your kindness," Wei Ju's voice trembled slightly.
Chu Qing smiled faintly. "Go and get busy! I've talked so much that I'm really exhausted. I'm going back to rest!"
With that, Chu Qing turned around neatly, waved her hand, and left with Lv Luo.
Watching Chu Qing's somewhat dashing back, Wei Ju was extremely excited. Their prince had good taste! He had married the princess back home early!
...
As soon as she returned to her room, Chu Qing collapsed on the couch as if all her bones had been removed.
Just after she had asked Lv Luo to get some food, the meatball, which hadn't appeared for a long time, suddenly made a sound.
"Master! You were really excellent today! You're a master at brain - washing!"
"What is brain - washing?"
"Well... it's probably... controlling people's thoughts?"
"Tsk, I don't have that much ability."
"And master, your last orders were a classic example of beating someone and then offering a carrot!"
Chu Qing tilted her head and thought for a moment, then lowered her eyes.
"Even though I've been in the highest position, I'm still used to putting myself in others' shoes."