As Su Xiaoqi and Du Yiyi saw, a bullying incident far beyond imagination was unfolding in the adjacent private room.
Two girls, both elaborately dressed and clearly from wealthy families, were lifting their skirts and each extending a foot to step on a girl who was hunched over on the ground.
The girl's clothes had been stripped down to her undergarments, over which she wore a tattered burlap shirt.
She closed her eyes in despair, her lips pressed together, tears streaming down her face. It was the Princess of Huian.
The two girls’ feet rested on the burlap shirt covering Princess Huian, showing no concern that they might leave footprints visible to Princess Huian’s maids or leave any evidence behind.
“Arch it up, who told you, you slut, to lie down?” a girl in a jade green skirt berated Princess Huian in the official dialect of Shuntian and Yingcheng.
The other girl, wearing a scarlet skirt, also pressed down harder with her foot on Princess Huian.
Princess Huian had just tremblingly arched her back when both girls stomped down on her again.
“Ah…” Princess Huian, suddenly stepped on, lost her balance and fell to the ground. Her mouth landed on something placed on the floor: a plate of furnace ashes.
As she fell, she got a mouthful of ash.
It choked her into coughing uncontrollably, and for a long time, she couldn’t lift herself up.
The girl in the scarlet skirt, however, was extremely displeased and raised her foot to kick her, but was stopped by the girl in the green skirt.
“Don’t kick too hard. This slut’s skin is very tender from being pampered. It will leave marks, and it won’t be good if it’s discovered.”
The girl in the scarlet skirt sneered upon hearing this, her tone exceptionally malicious, “Fine, if it doesn’t leave marks, that’s easy enough. Just wait and see.”
As she spoke, she withdrew her foot, lowered her skirt, and sat cross-legged on the soft cushion on the floor. She picked up a bamboo tube from the side, glanced inside, and then moved it to Princess Huian’s mouth.
“Ugh…” A pungent, fishy smell wafted out, causing Princess Huian to immediately retch.
“Slut…” The girl in the scarlet skirt raised her hand to strike her.
The girl in the green skirt shot her an impatient glare, “What are you doing? I told you not to touch her face, why can’t you listen?”
“Oh, sister, what are you afraid of? Didn’t I give her a kick last time? Afterward, when her room attendant found out and asked her, she didn’t even dare to breathe a word.
When that old woman pressed her urgently, she only dared to say she had fallen accidentally. When that old woman complained to our Princess Consort, she dismissed many maids, even sending away her most trusted maid, Xiangcao.
I’ve disliked that stinking girl for a long time. She’s been egging on this slut every day, making her bolder. Several times she almost exposed our activities.”
“You have a point. After Xiangcao was sent away, no one suspected anything, and our actions have indeed become much more convenient. But we still can’t be careless; her status is still significant.”
The girl in the green skirt said, she took the bamboo tube herself, brought it to Princess Huian’s face, shook it vigorously, and then laid it horizontally.
With the vibration, a fleshy, wet thing crawled out.
The creature was plump and tender, about the size of a woman’s little finger.
“Ugh, no, no, please don’t!” Princess Huian was utterly terrified, hugging the leg of the girl in the green skirt and crying incessantly.
Her cries turned into tears and snot, which smeared onto the green-skirted girl’s leg. The girl immediately flew into a rage, glaring at her with fiery eyes.
The girl in the scarlet skirt took the opportunity to urge her to quickly feed one to her.
“I heard this thing is very nutritious. Eating one, tsk tsk…”
The girl in the green skirt was tempted, and coupled with her intense hatred, she forced Princess Huian to eat it.
“No, no…” Princess Huian was so scared she could only cry loudly, but she resolutely refused to eat this.
The girl in the scarlet skirt found it amusing, covering her mouth and shaking with laughter. The girl in the green skirt beckoned her to come and help. One held down Princess Huian’s head, while the other propped up the bamboo tube. They watched as the wriggling worms crawled out one by one along the bamboo tube’s wall, their heads peeking out from the opening.
“Ah…” Princess Huian cried out helplessly, but she thought that this time, like many times before, no one would come to her aid.
She despaired and closed her eyes, letting them bully her, tears falling down her cheeks like rain.
Suddenly, with a loud crash, the door of the private room was kicked open.
This was followed by two muffled groans and the sound of heavy bodies falling to the ground.
Princess Huian dared not open her eyes; such things had happened many times before.
Whenever these two sisters saw her closing her eyes, they would deliberately wait.
When she thought they had spared her, she would quietly open her eyes, only for them to suddenly attack her, causing her to have nightmares throughout the night.
So, even after a long while and still no worms falling, she still didn’t open her eyes to check.
She didn’t dare.
She could only hope that time would slow down, allowing her to feel slightly better.
Yet, she also hoped they would finish quickly, so she could be released sooner.
Princess Huian did not wait, and the hand holding her chin also loosened.
Su Xiaoqi removed the veil from her head and saw Princess Huian with her chin raised, her body stiff, waiting to be abused.
She knelt there like a lamb led to the slaughter, like a statue.
Su Xiaoqi frowned, feeling an immense pain in her heart.
She couldn’t fathom how much pain and helplessness Princess Huian must have endured to be like this.
Who would want to be treated like a plaything, without dignity or respect?
She glanced at Du Yiyi, who also had concern etched on her face. The two exchanged a look and simultaneously kicked the girls who had been knocked unconscious and laid on the ground by Zhang Yu.
She stepped forward, pulled Princess Huian up, and whispered close to her ear, “Your Highness, it’s me, let’s go.”
Hearing the familiar yet strange voice, Princess Huian opened her eyes, looked at Su Xiaoqi, and then resolutely shook her head, “No, don’t, I can’t leave. If I leave, they will be even more excessive next time.”
Du Yiyi’s eyes widened in disbelief, as if she didn’t recognize her.
Su Xiaoqi, however, understood the sorrow of those accustomed to being bullied.
They were truly afraid, because the harm inflicted by their tormentors was too profound.
It was so deep that they had completely forgotten they could seek help, and they were so utterly disappointed that they didn’t believe anyone would come to rescue them from this hell.
“Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you.” Su Xiaoqi hugged her, gently patting her back.
“I, I’m scared, I’m so scared.” Princess Huian cried, turning into a tearful mess.
Su Xiaoqi glanced at the private room door that Zhang Yu had closed again. She personally helped Princess Huian take off her clothes and put on her own.
Du Yiyi, watching, picked up the tattered cloth clothes and threw them onto the girl in the green skirt.
Princess Huian watched, her heart trembling with fear. She quickly dodged, desperately burrowing into Su Xiaoqi’s embrace.
Su Xiaoqi continued to coax her, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. We are here now, no one here dares to bully you.”
Princess Huian cried until she was gasping for breath, choked and unable to speak.
Su Xiaoqi signaled Du Yiyi to take her to the carriage, while she surveyed the two girls lying side by side in the room, as well as the maids and attendants they had brought, who had also been knocked out by Zhang Yu.
She instructed Zhang Yu, “Leave some things for them, so they know who did it.”
Zhang Yu was confused. She recognized the two lying on the ground; their identities were not low.
“Master, if I’m not mistaken, the one in the green dress is Prince Ning’s only daughter, and the one in the scarlet dress is the son-in-law’s niece. They are also cousins.”
“With such powerful backgrounds, we cannot afford to offend them. You should leave some things belonging to people they can afford to offend,” Su Xiaoqi whispered to Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded, thinking that her master was indeed worthy of being paired with the Master; her heart was truly black.