"It's too late, escort her away..." Xue Zining said coldly.
Xuesong and Xuefeng stepped forward to take Xue Ling away.
Xue Ling was stunned. She quickly turned to Xue Yuanzhao and said, "Yuanzhao Gege, help me..."
Xue Yuanzhao glanced at her, and though he had knelt down, he said, "Your Majesty, Xue Ling is mischievous but certainly has no intention of offending Your Majesty. I implore Your Majesty to spare her this once."
"Attempting to injure someone who is meant to be朕? Is that not an offense? Xue Yuanzhao..." Xue Zining's expression was as cold as frost.
"I... I was merely disciplining the servant by your side. Who knew you would all step forward to stop me?" Xue Ling felt very wronged.
"Xue Yan is my family, and harming my family is unacceptable."
Xue Yan was startled by these words. Her gaze became a little teary, and tears rolled down her cheeks. It turned out that in His Majesty's heart, she was considered family.
"Yuanzhao Gege, I didn't mean to..." Xue Ling realized that besides her Yuanzhao Gege, no one else here would help her. She could only cling to this last straw.
"Your Majesty, if you must punish Princess Xue Ling, please allow me to take the punishment," Xue Yuanzhao suddenly said.
"Xue Yuanzhao, think carefully," Xue Jingyun suddenly spoke. He would no longer interfere with how his A Ning handled matters, but was this Xue Yuanzhao being so insensible?
"Yes," Xue Yuanzhao replied.
"A Ning, don't be polite; he is willing to accept punishment," Xue Jingyun's voice was as clear and cold as frost.
"Thirty strokes with the staff," Xue Zining declared, then walked to Xue Jingyun's side and said, "Let's return to the sleeping quarters to bandage your wounds."
One stroke after another landed on Xue Yuanzhao's body. Xue Ling wept uncontrollably beside him.
But until the end, Xue Yuanzhao did not utter a single word. He merely gazed in the direction of the disappearing figure, his eyes never blinking.
"Your Highness Yuanzhao, the thirty strokes are complete," Xue Feng said coldly.
Xue Yuanzhao stood up, his body swaying. Xue Ling quickly went to help him, but he pushed her away and said in a voice colder than she had ever heard, "Xue Ling, I have repaid the debt I owed you. From now on, take care of yourself."
Xue Ling's body trembled, and she took a step back, unable to believe him. "Yuanzhao Gege, you..."
Xue Yuanzhao only left his retreating back, limping away.
Xue Ling clenched her fists tightly. She was unwilling, so unwilling.
"Unwilling?" Her whole body trembled. "Who is it? Come out and stop playing tricks."
A figure emerged from the shadows, a large black cloak obscuring their entire body, even their face. "You... Who are you?"
"You don't need to know who I am. Do you want Xue Zining to die?"
Xue Ling's body trembled, and she took a step back. "You... Who exactly are you?"
"You just need to say yes or no?" The voice of the man in black was ancient.
"Who are you?" Xue Ling suddenly lunged at the man in black, but she only grabbed a cloak. Suddenly, a voice came from within. Startled, she quickly let go. The cloak fell to the ground, and a crow flew out from inside.
She was so frightened she almost sat on the ground. "What... What is this?"
The crow did not fly away but landed on a nearby tree. "If you want it, come outside the palace tonight..."
Xue Ling was greatly surprised. The crow could speak?
Xue Zining returned to her sleeping quarters and quickly summoned Qing Yi. Qing Yi looked at the wound on Xue Jingyun's hand and said helplessly, "Your Majesty, for such a minor injury, please don't trouble me. It's a waste of talent."
Finally, under Xue Zining's insistence, Qing Yi reluctantly bandaged Xue Jingyun's wound.
As Qing Yi was leaving, he suddenly sniffed the air in Xue Zining's direction and asked, "Your Majesty, did you encounter anything else today?"
Xue Zining shook her head. "No."
Qing Yi frowned. "Then I must be overthinking things."
Xue Zining paid it no mind. Xue Jingyun watched Qing Yi's retreating back, his gaze flickering slightly.
"Yan Zhao, from now on, you are not allowed to injure yourself like this," Xue Zining said.
"If I am not capable, then it will be A Ning who gets hurt," Xue Jingyun sighed softly.
Hearing this, Xue Zining said with some guilt, "I won't be rash anymore."
She should have just kicked Xue Ling and sent her flying.
Xue Jingyun smiled and reached out to stroke her head. "You promised not to be rash anymore."
Xue Zining nodded. "I won't."
However, she still could not remain calm about the person who had injured him.
Xue Jingyun knew that his A Ning would not necessarily listen. Well, he was here after all.
Whatever she wanted to do, she could do.
"Yan Zhao, are you angry?" Seeing his silence, Xue Zining felt a little guilty.
"How could I be angry with A Ning?" He smiled helplessly.
She rested her head on his chest. "It's good that you're not angry."
"A Ning, it will be the Qixi Festival in a few days. I'll take you out to see it."
Xue Zining was startled and looked up, her eyes clear and bright. "Okay, I've never been before."
Xue Jingyun smiled. He still preferred the happy A Ning.
At night, Xue Ling dismissed her maids and quietly left the palace.
In the bamboo forest outside the palace, she saw the cloaked man from the palace earlier that day.
However, this time she was sure that there was someone inside the cloak, not just a crow as in the daytime.
"Princess Xue Ling has arrived," the cloaked man said, his back to her.
"What exactly do you want?" Xue Ling asked.
The cloaked man's ancient voice sounded, "I told you earlier, I only want Xue Zining's life. Coincidentally, you also dislike her."
Xue Ling was stunned. "I have a grudge against her, but I never thought of taking her life. Besides, she has many experts around her, and I can't do it."
"Princess Xue Ling, do you not know that Xue Yuanzhao used to like Xue Zining?"
Xue Ling's body trembled. "You... You are talking nonsense..."
"If you don't believe me, you can go ask Xue Yuanzhao, and then come back to me..."
"You..." Xue Ling saw the cloaked man disappear before her.
Xue Ling quickly stepped forward and found that there were faint footprints where the cloaked man had been standing.
She returned to the palace, contemplating the words of the cloaked man. Regardless of whether it was day or night, she went to Xue Yuanzhao's room. Just as she was about to knock, a voice came from within.
As if possessed, she poked a hole in the window and leaned closer.
Inside, Xue Yuanzhao revealed his back, covered in bloodstains. He was applying medicine to himself. Even at the peak of his pain, he only let out a muffled groan.
Xue Feng had not held back. These thirty strokes were equivalent to one hundred strokes normally.
However, he did not utter a sound. Since he had said he would bear the punishment, he would endure any penalty, no matter how severe.
Xue Ling could not believe that thirty strokes would result in such a state.
Thinking of this, her heart filled with jealousy and hatred for Xue Zining. Xue Zining had not caused any harm to Xue Jingyun, yet she was so cruel to her Yuanzhao Gege. It was too much of an abuse.
"Come out..." Xue Yuanzhao felt someone outside and quickly put on his clothes. With a wave of his hand, the window was opened.
Xue Ling stood there blankly.
Xue Yuanzhao's gaze turned cold, and he said sternly, "Princess Xue Ling, what are you doing here?"
Xue Ling bit her lower lip and said, "Yuanzhao Gege, you were injured because of me, so I came to see you."
"It's not necessary, go back," Xue Yuanzhao said coldly.