Reminded by Nanny Zhao, Song Nanxin immediately came to her senses and quickly said, "Yes, yes, yes. It was all that little bitch Song Yihuan's doing. It has nothing to do with me."
After regaining her composure, she rolled her eyes and smiled smugly.
"Thanks to that unlucky maid. With this incident, I'd like to see if Song Yihuan still dares to have any improper thoughts in the future. It's time for her to know that the only way out for her is to listen to me obediently and help me have a child as soon as possible."
After Rongzhi was dragged away, she was taken to the utility courtyard for a caning.
The place where the punishment was carried out was not far from Tinglan Courtyard, where Song Yihuan and Song Yixuan lived.
The arm-thick wooden stick struck Rongzhi's thin body again and again. She let out heart-rending wails in pain. The sounds pierced through the night and were carried by the wind to Tinglan Courtyard.
Song Yixuan turned pale with fright. He ran into Song Yihuan's room and clung tightly to her waist, his body trembling.
Song Yihuan covered her younger brother's ears and called for Chunxing. "Go and find out what's going on outside. Why is there such a commotion? When will it stop?"
Chunxing answered and walked out. She came back soon. Song Yihuan asked, "How is it?"
Chunxing sighed. "I heard that a maid beside the princess tried to climb into the young master's bed to have an affair with him, but was stabbed by the young master with his sword. The princess ordered her to be beaten twenty big boards and then expelled from the mansion."
Song Yihuan's heart sank. Although it was summer, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. Her fingertips ached with cold.
If she hadn't swapped with her elder sister in time that day, all that awaited her would probably have been death.
Chunxing didn't notice the change in her expression. She sat down beside her and said to herself, "It seems that all the previous rumors about the young master are true. He won't show mercy to those women who have ill intentions and try to get close to him. Unlike the marquis, humph."
Ji Lingchuan and the Marquis of Ding'an were indeed two extremes.
Ji Lingchuan was chaste and reserved. He never showed any courtesy to women other than his wife.
The Marquis of Ding'an, on the other hand, would do anything to get the women he fancied. But after getting them, he didn't cherish them. He soon got tired of them and left the poor women and their children struggling to survive in the marquis's mansion.
The shrill wails stopped after a while. Song Yihuan knew that the maid should have finished being beaten and been expelled from the Prince Ning's Mansion.
In a trance, Song Yihuan seemed to see her own future from that woman.
Ji Lingchuan was a decisive and ruthless person. When the truth was revealed one day, would she end up like that maid, with her throat cut by his sword?
Just thinking about it made her shiver. She always felt as if there was a sword hanging above her head, ready to fall at any time.
Song Yihuan lowered her eyes and looked at Song Yixuan, who was already asleep in her arms. She bit her lips hard.
She knew that she shouldn't stay in the Prince Ning's Mansion any longer. She should find an opportunity to leave quietly with Xuan'er.
But how could a weak woman like her compete with the huge prince's mansion and the marquis's mansion?
I'm afraid that before they even ran out of the capital, they would be caught. In that case, death would also await them.
In order to save her own life and for Xuan'er, she had to be more and more careful in the future.
One wrong step would lead to eternal damnation. Only by surviving could there be hope of breaking free from everything.
That night, Song Yihuan lay with her eyes open, staring at the bed curtain above her head, unable to fall asleep.
What happened in Jingtao Courtyard last night left a knot in the heart of the Princess of Prince Ning. As soon as dawn broke, she sent out invitations to some of her friends to come to the mansion for a small gathering.
These noble ladies in the capital brought their young sons and grandsons with them when they came. Among them were Lady Meng, the biological mother of Song Nanxin, and Song Nanzhe, Song Nanxin's younger brother.
Ji Lingchuan was the commander of the Xuanjia Army and the General Weiyuan bestowed by the emperor. He was always known as the "God of War". At first, the children were intimidated by his dignity and sat there obediently, not daring to even breathe loudly.
After a while, they found that he was not as terrifying as they had imagined, so they pestered him to tell them stories about how he fought against the enemies on the border.
Watching a group of children surround the tall and handsome man in the middle, while the man had a cold and serious expression, the Princess of Prince Ning's gloomy mood finally cleared up. She covered her lips and laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten up. Pointing at him, she said,
"Chuan'er, they say that one should start practicing martial arts from a young age. Why don't you take these kids outside and teach them a few moves? Maybe you can really find some martial arts prodigies."
The children in the room responded one after another, "Eldest Young Master, we also want to learn martial arts!"
Song Nanzhe grabbed Ji Lingchuan's sleeve and shouted, "Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, Zhe'er wants to watch you wield the big knife!"
This call of "brother-in-law" suddenly made Ji Lingchuan think of a graceful figure. He remembered the scene when she bumped into his arms in the Guanyin Temple that day.
His fingers moved slightly. Ji Lingchuan got up and said to the little kids around him, "Come with me."
Looking at Song Nanzhe who was chasing after Ji Lingchuan, the Princess of Prince Ning also thought of Song Yihuan and Song Yixuan, the siblings living in the Prince Ning's Mansion.
She looked at Lady Meng, the Marquis of Ding'an's wife, and sighed, "Lady Meng is really blessed with a full house of children and grandchildren. I'm really envious of you."
The Prince of Prince Ning and the Princess of Prince Ning only had Ji Lingchuan as their only son. There were concubines in the mansion who had given birth to children before, but for some reason, those children were not lucky enough to grow up. They all died young one after another. Gradually, the issue of offspring had become a heartache for the Princess of Prince Ning and the Prince of Prince Ning.
If it weren't for this, the Princess of Prince Ning wouldn't have acquiesced to Rongzhi sneaking into Ji Lingchuan's room.
Lady Meng knew the situation of the Prince Ning's Mansion. Hearing this, her heart skipped a beat. She smiled calmly and said, "Your Highness is overpraising me. Speaking of which, Yihuan and Xuan'er have been staying in the Prince Ning's Mansion for some time. I wonder if they have been well-behaved in your mansion? Have they not disturbed the prince and the princess?"
"Not at all." The Princess of Prince Ning said with a smile. "I quite get along well with your younger son. That's why I envy you."
Lady Meng also covered her lips and laughed. "Before, when Xin'er told me that she wanted to invite her younger brother and sister to stay in the mansion, I was worried that it would be inappropriate. I didn't expect these two children to catch the princess's eye. It's their good fortune accumulated over three lifetimes."
Hearing this, the other noble ladies all cast envious looks at Lady Meng.
The Princess of Prince Ning was the younger sister of the current empress dowager. Now that the new emperor was not yet of age, the empress dowager was regent. The imperial government was in the hands of the empress dowager. The Prince Ning's Mansion was even more unattainable.
With Ji Lingchuan's status, he could marry any woman he wanted. But unexpectedly, the empress dowager had betrothed the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Ding'an's Mansion to him.
The Marquis of Ding'an's Mansion was among the middle-ranking noble families in the capital. This marriage was a high match. The Marquis of Ding'an's Mansion had also risen in status because of this. If things went on like this, it was possible that the title would be promoted further.
"By the way. I came here today to take Yihuan and Xuan'er back to the marquis's mansion. Xin'er is married. There is no one in the mansion who can talk to me. I'm really bored. I also want to thank the prince and the princess for taking care of them these days."
"Take them back?" The Princess of Prince Ning frowned. A sickly and pitiful little face appeared in front of her eyes. She hesitated.