"Princess Consort, be careful!"
The maid Cai Xia exclaimed in alarm. She turned and shielded Gu Qian Ying with her body, taking the whip that was flung towards them on her own back.
The whip struck Cai Xia's back, tearing through skin and flesh, leaving a bloody mess. Cai Xia's face instantly turned pale. In agony, she instinctively tried to dodge, but she held firm, protecting Gu Qian Ying, allowing the whip to fall mercilessly upon her.
She thought she would die on the spot.
However, as the whip fell for the second time, a jade-like hand forcefully pushed her away.
Gu Qian Ying caught the whipping whip with one hand, her palm gripping the dense needles on it, drawing blood. It was unclear if it was her blood or the blood from Cai Xia's wounded back that stained the whip, dripping onto Gu Qian Ying's dress. Her eyes, filled with a chilling cold, fixed on the old woman who had been wielding the whip, now frozen in fear.
The moment Gu Qian Ying stood up, she violently flung the whip she held. The old woman gripping the other end immediately fell to the ground, her plump body rolling twice with yelps of pain.
As for the other old woman who lunged at Gu Qian Ying, she missed as Gu Qian Ying rose. Gu Qian Ying dropped the whip, grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her to the ground. She then kicked out as she released her grip, sending the old woman flying half a zhang away, where she promptly fainted.
Lan Qing Qing stood to the side. Seeing Gu Qian Ying's ruthlessness, she flinched back in fear. Her gaze fell upon a figure about to enter from the door, and she immediately knelt softly, crying out to Gu Qian Ying, pleading, "Princess Consort, spare my life! I beg you, Princess Consort, let Qing'er and her wet nurse go."
Tears streaming down her face, Lan Qing Qing continued, "Princess Consort, Qing'er doesn't understand why you must kill us. But if someone must die for you to vent your anger, then let Qing'er do it. I hope Princess Consort will spare my wet nurse for Qing'er's sake, sob, sob."
Gu Qian Ying looked at her, her brows furrowed, and remained silent.
At this moment, after finishing her tearful plea, Lan Qing Qing stood up and lunged towards a golden-threaded pillar.
A figure suddenly appeared and blocked her. She crashed into his embrace and, looking up, began another tearful lament, "Brother Du, Qing'er... Qing'er..." Before she could finish, she slumped forward and fainted.
Du Chun picked up Lan Qing Qing and placed her on a soft couch not far away. He then turned and glared at Gu Qian Ying, "Princess Consort, your methods are too cruel!"
"What happened?"
Bai Qi pushed Nangong Mo in. The moment they entered, they saw the "battle" unfolding within. Nangong Mo frowned and asked coldly.
Gu Qian Ying turned around. Upon seeing Nangong Mo enter, she suddenly understood why Lan Qing Qing had suddenly shown weakness towards her. So that was it!
"Your Highness..." she was about to speak when Du Chun, full of righteous indignation, strode over, pointed at Gu Qian Ying, and yelled at Nangong Mo, "She, the eldest daughter of the Gu family, your newly married Princess Consort, Gu Qian Ying, wants to kill Qing'er and her wet nurse!"
Following Du Chun's words, Madam Shi, who had been watching the scene from behind a screen, immediately put on a deathly, distressed expression. "My child, I'm almost bullied to death by this woman... My child, after suffering such humiliation, this old woman... I can't live anymore."
Du Chun and Madam Shi, one shouting indiscriminately and the other putting on a dramatic performance of suffering, made for a truly spectacular scene.
Scanning the room, besides Lan Qing Qing who had fainted on the couch and the old woman lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless, there was also a plump old woman kneeling on the ground, trembling, still breathing.
Nangong Mo glanced at her. This plump old woman had a slight mark on her face.
He then looked up at Gu Qian Ying. His deep, cold gaze intensified as he saw her bleeding palm. He then noticed the whip on the ground, and his voice grew colder. "Bai Qi! Fetch a physician."
Physician Du Chun was present, but Nangong Mo asking Bai Qi to summon a physician was a clear warning to Du Chun that he had overstepped.
Du Chun's expression immediately turned unpleasant. However, there was indeed more than one physician in the manor. Physician Ji, who usually served as his apprentice and assistant, was also considered a physician.
Bai Qi went out and returned, followed by Ji Wu Yi, who carried a medical satchel. Ji Wu Yi had no background, being merely a commoner. Du Chun had brought him into the manor recently to assist him with tasks like dispensing and decocting medicine, as well as handling minor ailments for the household staff.
He wore a blue robe made of the coarsest homespun cloth. He was slender and plain-looking, and remarkably, he was mute.
As he arrived, carrying his medical satchel, he bowed and lowered his head, approaching Gu Qian Ying and gesturing to her.
Gu Qian Ying glanced at Nangong Mo. Nangong Mo said, "Quickly let him examine your wound. We must not leave any scars."
Only when speaking to Gu Qian Ying did Nangong Mo utter such caring words.
Gu Qian Ying was momentarily stunned. She opened her palm, remaining silent.
Ji Wu Yi's movements in bandaging the wound were skillful. His method of treating wounds did not seem like that of a new physician, and his calloused hands gave Gu Qian Ying a sense of familiarity.
However, at that moment, after finishing bandaging her wound, Ji Wu Yi bowed again, picked up his medical satchel, and retreated. She didn't think much of it.
After Gu Qian Ying's hand injury was bandaged, Nangong Mo instructed Bai Qi to interrogate all the servants in Lanxi Pavilion to find out what had happened.
However, these servants were all people close to Madam Shi, and their accounts consisted solely of lies about how the Princess Consort had insulted and bullied Madam and Miss Lan.
Bai Qi frowned upon hearing this and discreetly glanced at his master, daring not to speak.
Nangong Mo's expression grew colder. "So, you're saying that my Princess Consort, out of boredom, deliberately came here alone, beat you all up, and even accidentally injured her own hand?"
He knew his own pampered little girl's character. Even if they hadn't seen each other for ten years, even if she had long forgotten him, he didn't believe, from the moment he entered, that Gu Qian Ying would stir up trouble for no reason.
Nangong Mo's question made the old woman kneeling on the ground and the two maids tremble. They dared not speak further.
It was clear that their Prince did not believe their words at all.
From behind the screen, Madam Shi, filled with rage, watched as Nangong Mo, upon entering, first showed concern for Gu Qian Ying's injured hand and even sent for a physician to bandage it. Meanwhile, Nangong Mo paid no attention to her, dismissing her words and disbelieving his subordinates. At this moment, she was beside herself with anger.
What was so special about Gu Qian Ying that her son liked her so much! It was enough to drive her mad!
"Ah Mo, are you happy only when this person makes me so angry that I die?" Madam Shi uttered this with all her might. As soon as she finished speaking, she curled up and began to cough violently, gasping for breath and nearly rolling her eyes.
Nangong Mo couldn't bear it any longer. He raised his hand and signaled Bai Qi to push him towards the bed.
He moved around the screen and came before Madam Shi. "Nanny, please don't be angry anymore. Just lie down. Leave the matter here to me."
Hearing his words, Madam Shi thought Nangong Mo's scales were definitely tipped in her favor, and her heart immediately rejoiced.
At that very moment, Lan Qing Qing coincidentally woke up. She rushed to Madam Shi's bedside and began crying to Nangong Mo about how Gu Qian Ying had bullied her. She embellished the story and, at the end, did not forget to inquire about Nangong Mo and Madam Shi's health.
Just then, Cai Xia, enduring the pain of her back wound, took a few steps forward and knelt on the ground, shouting, "A grave injustice, Your Highness! A grave injustice! Your Highness, today, your servant followed the Princess Consort to visit Madam Shi. As soon as the Princess Consort and your servant entered the hall, we were seized by two old mothers by Madam Shi's side and immediately subjected to torture. If your servant hadn't desperately protected the Princess Consort, the wound on my back would have fallen on the Princess Consort. Your Highness, the Princess Consort is of noble status, with delicate skin. She cannot compare to your servant's rough and thick flesh. If that whip had fallen on the Princess Consort, would she still have a chance to live! Your Highness, please uphold justice for the Princess Consort!"
"What!"
Without needing Bai Qi to push him, Nangong Mo pressed a button on the armrest of his wheelchair and turned around, his cold eyes filled with murderous intent.
With a slight tremor of his sleeve, the screen in front of him instantly cracked in two. The two halves separated, leaving a large gap, allowing Nangong Mo to clearly see Cai Xia's wound on her back.
When he entered earlier, he had not noticed the maid kneeling on the ground.
Looking at the scarred, bloody wounds on the maid's back, Nangong Mo understood how Gu Qian Ying's hand had been injured. Immediately, his face turned cold, his eyes filled with chilling frost, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop sharply, terrifyingly cold.
He spoke in a cold voice, "Bai Qi! Pick up the whip!"