Here, Prince Qing had just returned to his mansion, his anger still unvented, when Leng Ruo Shuang rushed to the edge of the blade, blocking him at the main entrance.
"Your Highness, you're finally back. This consort hasn't seen you in ages."
Leng Ruo Shuang immediately hugged Prince Qing's arm, speaking to him in a sweet, cooing voice.
Her mother was dead, and she was now left with no one to rely on. She had thought carefully over the past few days. If she didn't hold onto Prince Qing's leg tightly, her life would be very difficult.
Unexpectedly, Prince Qing quickly pushed her away and slapped her across the face. The pain caused Leng Ruo Shuang to raise her hand and cover the cheek Prince Qing had hit. Before long, blood began to seep from the corner of her mouth.
"You slut, you dare to show your face to me? Don't think I don't know what you did a few days ago. Without my permission, you dared to privately use the mansion's carriage, went to Prince Leng's mansion to provoke Leng Ruo Li, damaged the reputation of Prince Qing's mansion, and abused my maids within the estate, arbitrarily assigning their destinations. Who gave you so much authority? I agreed to your mother's request to let you live a slightly better life in Prince Qing's mansion because of a transaction I had with her. But you truly think you are the mistress of Prince Qing's mansion. I'm telling you, you cheap woman, compared to the prostitutes in the pleasure houses outside, they are not as cheap as you."
Upon hearing Prince Qing's words, Leng Ruo Shuang froze instantly.
Then, Prince Qing slapped her twice more on the other side of her face, leaving Leng Ruo Shuang stunned on the spot.
Seeing Leng Ruo Shuang's dazed expression, Prince Qing felt much better. The anger he had bottled up at Prince Leng's mansion had finally eased a little.
He continued, "Although your mother made a deal with me, the Valley Master of Ghost Valley whom she invited for me has caused me immense trouble. Even though she is dead now, I must vent my anger on her daughter, or I will go mad from rage."
"No, Your Highness! That was a transaction between Liu Ru Yi and you, it has nothing to do with me. Your Highness, you cannot involve me in a losing transaction between Liu Ru Yi and you. I am innocent." As Leng Ruo Shuang spoke, she immediately knelt at Prince Qing's feet, begging him with nauseating words, even attempting to hug his leg.
But she was kicked away by Prince Qing.
"Today, I demote Leng Ruo Shuang to a maid, revoke all her allowances for food, clothing, and living, as well as her residence. Zuo Qing, throw her into the large courtyard where the criminal slaves are held."
Prince Qing smiled sinisterly, the blood-red demon in his eyes slowly emerging.
"No, Your Highness, please! Punish me however you wish, just don't throw me into that courtyard where the criminal slaves are held. Wuwu..."
Leng Ruo Shuang immediately scrambled to her feet, enduring the pain in her chest, and hugged Prince Qing's leg again, desperately pleading with him.
She regretted it now. If only she hadn't competed with Leng Ruo Li for Prince Qing, hadn't schemed against Prince Qing, and hadn't harmed Leng Ruo Li, would her current fate be different?
Even if she wasn't Leng Jin Yu's biological daughter, if she had been a little kinder to his daughter, Leng Ruo Li, she wouldn't have ended up so helpless and despairing.
"Zuo Qing, drag this woman away quickly! I never want to see her again," Prince Qing roared.
Following that, Leng Ruo Shuang, filled with despair, was roughly carried away by Zuo Qing.
Once Prince Qing's ears were quieted, he immediately returned to his room, removed his trousers, and, following Jun Mo Han's instructions, squeezed a small amount of ointment and applied it to himself.
The moment he spread the ointment on his swollen and red areas, he felt a wave of coolness and comfort. The burning pain and itchiness in his red and swollen spots immediately subsided.
He hadn't expected the ointment he bought from Leng Ruo Li to be so effective. It worked instantly, far better than the medicines prescribed by the imperial physicians.
He suddenly felt that spending one hundred thousand taels of gold for such an effective ointment was quite worthwhile.
Alas, this made Prince Qing feel much more at peace.
...
Meanwhile, after Zuo Qing threw Leng Ruo Shuang into the gate of the criminal slave courtyard, a group of men and women, clad in rags and reeking of filth, rushed towards her.
"Wow, we haven't had a new person in this courtyard for a long time. Today, His Highness has sent us a fair-skinned, beautiful woman with tender skin. Today, we are in for a treat, haha..."
The group of men and women, with their yellow teeth, laughed heartily and surrounded her tightly, as if watching a monkey in the zoo.
As they spoke, they reached out their dirty hands to touch Leng Ruo Shuang's face, hands, and feet. Some of the disgusting men even groped her chest.
"Ah!!!"
"Get away from me!"
"Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"
"Please, don't touch me!"
At this moment, Leng Ruo Shuang, consumed by fear, curled herself into a ball, hugging her face with her hands and burying her face between her legs, trying to avoid the touch of these disgusting men. However, her actions had the opposite effect, further igniting the men's and women's desire for conquest.
Just as Leng Ruo Shuang was about to fall into despair, a middle-aged woman suddenly shouted to stop them.
"Stop it!"
"You'll scare the young lady if you do this!"
The woman reprimanded them sternly, looking at the crowd.
Leng Ruo Shuang, caught in despair, initially thought she was seeing a glimmer of hope upon hearing the woman's words. However, what the woman said next plunged her into an abyss.
"You smelly men, if you really want this beautiful girl, you can carry her into the house and perform for us properly. We haven't heard those screams of excitement for a long time, haha..."
"Yes, yes, our days in this courtyard are so dull and boring. Now that a new girl has finally arrived, we must have some fun." Another woman chimed in.
"Haha, Cui Lan, you're absolutely right. We must have a good time, otherwise my life is simply too monotonous and tedious."
At this moment, a middle-aged man echoed the words of these two women, as what they had said perfectly met the men's desires.
So why should they be polite?
After speaking, two men carried Leng Ruo Shuang into the dilapidated old house.
Before long, the entire criminal slave courtyard could hear Leng Ruo Shuang's cries, along with the clamor of men and women clapping their hands.
At this moment, Leng Ruo Shuang was completely despairing. She had become an outlet for the men and women.
It wasn't until late at night that they let Leng Ruo Shuang go. By then, Leng Ruo Shuang was on the verge of death from their torment. Her entire body was covered in blood, especially her... bleeding profusely...