While drowsy, Xu Hengyi, serving as a backrest, fidgeted like a monkey, moving from time to time.
Itchy.
His whole body was itchy.
Xu Hengyi couldn't explain why, but as soon as Xie Jiang leaned against him, he started feeling itchy.
It was like bugs crawling on him.
Terribly uncomfortable.
And yet, that scoundrel Xie Jiang wouldn't let him move! He was a living person, not a stone!
He had tried his best, but…
It was tiring to stay still in one position for so long!
Domineering! Fierce! Brutal!
Unreasonable!
Xie Jiang impatiently stroked down his thigh, about to pinch him hard to warn him against moving, when his hand suddenly felt as hot as lava splashing on it.
Sensing something, Xie Jiang opened his eyelids and glanced towards the main hall. The moment he saw Yi Yancheng, he quickly retracted his hand.
It was a conditioned reflex, his body reacting faster than his mind.
At the same time, he shot up and sat straight, appearing exceptionally well-behaved, but with a hint of guilt beneath his composure.
Xu Hengyi jolted violently, his every hair standing on end.
Despite being in the Shangyi Pavilion within the Imperial City, for some reason, it felt as if he were being stared at by a fierce beast.
He turned his head and saw Xun Geng and Yi Yancheng emerging from the hall.
Did Young Master Yi just glance in his direction?
Surely Young Master Yi wasn't looking at him? Surely Young Master Yi wasn't looking at him? He must be looking at Xie Jiang.
He was definitely looking at Xie Jiang.
It was too terrifying.
How could a human have such an gaze?
More terrifying than Prince Yu.
Yi Yancheng casually withdrew his gaze, and only then did Xie Jiang, still dazed, react.
What was she feeling guilty about? What was there to feel guilty about? Not only had she done nothing, but even if she had, so what?
She was just too indulgent with him, unwilling to let him get angry, which was why she cared so much, fearing he might misunderstand.
Men needed to be coaxed; it was fine to spoil them a little.
One couldn't always demand that they be sensible and obedient.
They weren't mass-produced; everyone had their temper.
Seeing that Young Master Yi and Prime Minister Xun had come out, Xu Shuo patted Lu Yuqing and Yue Lin. The three of them quickly got up and tidied their clothes. As Xie Jiang and Xu Hengyi also stood up, the five of them stepped forward together to pay their respects.
Xun Geng looked at them with surprise, "Hm? Why are you four here?"
Xie Jiang's presence at Shangyi Pavilion wasn't strange. The matters concerning the affiliation of the four southern continents couldn't be settled in a short time.
It was said that His Majesty had been meeting with the envoys from Nanyang these past two days.
But Yue Lin, Xu Hengyi, and the other two appearing together at Shangyi Pavilion was indeed peculiar.
Before Yue Lin could answer, Prince Yong hurried out from the side hall.
After waiting for half the afternoon and finally getting someone out, there were still so many civil and military officials waiting for an audience in the side hall. Missing this opportunity meant who knew when they would get another chance.
Although Prince Yong relied on his status as the Emperor's uncle, he dared not boast that their matter was more important than that of the civil and military officials present.
But he had to use his status to cut in line.
Prince Yongan and those few uncivilized royal descendants were also carried out and placed in the courtyard.
For a moment, screams and cries of pain echoed continuously.
Xun Geng quickly understood the reason why Yue Lin, Xu Shuo, and the other two were at Shangyi Pavilion.
"...In a place of pleasure like Chunse Manyuan, disputes over romantic rivals happen every day. It was merely a few arguments, and Marquis of Nanhai dealt such a cruel blow to them..."
"If it weren't for timely medical attention, they might not have been saved. Several fine children, their lives were almost lost at the hands of Marquis of Nanhai..."
As Prince Yong spoke, the royal descendants lying in a row in the courtyard moaned more vigorously.
Three parts fake, seven parts true.
It was genuinely painful.
That person named Xie was not human!
"Hearing is false, seeing is believing. Young Master Yi can personally witness the cruel blows dealt by Marquis of Nanhai. Since Prime Minister Xun is also here, please ask Prime Minister Xun to speak a word of justice..."
As prime minister, Xun Geng had the right to inquire about all state affairs, no matter how trivial, including imperial family matters.
Xie Jiang felt it was far from enough. Their cries weren't tragic enough. She decided to help them and stepped on one of them nearby.
"Ahhh—"
A pig-like scream suddenly pierced the sky, startling a flock of birds.
Everyone looked over at the sound.
Prince Yong pointed at Xie Jiang and exclaimed in anger, "What are you doing!"
The leg, already broken, had just been reattached and fixed. With Xie Jiang's stomp, several crisp cracking sounds followed, and the swollen, deformed calf was broken into several more pieces.
"Ahhh ah ah ah ah ah ah ah—"
This was from the pain of the person whose leg was stomped on.
"Ahhh ah ah ah ah ah ah—"
This was from the shock of those nearby.
The people nearby, perhaps remembering the brutal torment of last night, felt their existing pains worsen. Six or seven of them simultaneously cried out in terror.
These people had either broken arms and legs or ribs and hip bones. They could only move when carried. Startled by Xie Jiang, they all recoiled like worms.
In their eyes, Xie Jiang was a demon crawled up from hell. Xie Jiang's terrifying gaze swept over them, as if she had fixed her eyes on them and intended to chew their bones one by one.
Prince Yong pointed at Xie Jiang and roared, "Are you trying to silence them in front of me, Prime Minister Xun, and Young Master Yi!"
This scoundrel wasn't just stepping on the broken leg of that descendant; she was trampling on his face and authority!
Prince Yong was initially just jealous of Xie Jiang's youthful vigor and passion, and that she had caught the favor of the Hua Jin Hua Fu sisters. He felt that her heavy-handedness towards Prince Yongan and the others was too disrespectful of the royal family!
Prince Yong naturally had to teach this foreign barbarian a lesson!
He hadn't expected Xie Jiang to be so arrogant and overbearing, showing him no respect at all. Prince Yong had truly come to hate Xie Jiang now.
"Wasn't Old Prince Yong insisting that Prime Minister Xun and Young Master Yi personally see how severely they were injured? I felt their performance was superficial, and what if Prime Minister Xun and Young Master Yi thought they were faking? Wouldn't that be a waste of Old Prince Yong's efforts? So, I kindly helped them, so that Prime Minister Xun and Young Master Yi could directly understand their injuries."
"As you two can see, they are indeed not lightly injured, and I am the one who did it."
"They were shouting that they wanted to teach me a lesson. I think they might have been living in a well for too long, so what's wrong with letting them broaden their horizons?"
Xie Jiang seemed to feel she had done nothing wrong, calmly and frankly stating to Xun Geng and Yi Yancheng.
Prince Yong's vision went black. He had never met such an arrogant and presumptuous person in his life! If not for his usual good health maintenance, he would have burst a blood vessel from Xie Jiang's provocation by now!
"Listen to what she's saying! Prime Minister Xun! Young Master Yi! You two are pillars of the court, and His Majesty entrusts all matters of the court, big and small, to you two. Today, this villain Xie Jiang is so unrestrained! Committing violence in public! Almost taking the lives of these children! Since you two have witnessed it with your own eyes and heard Xie Jiang, this little villain, admit it! Please give these children justice and severely punish this villain!"