Her face remained expressionless, but inside she was already roaring with anger.
This expression again!
Every time she showed this kind of expression, she would do something beyond her capabilities, say something outlandish, and in the end, she would always end up in an embarrassing situation.
Even if it was a magnificent play, Xi Jin felt she had seen enough.
Therefore, she couldn't be bothered to look at Xi He again. She stood up and said to Xi Yin, "Little Yin, let's go. Sis will take you to see if there's anything to eat outside. Let's not disturb the Hall Master and the others while they're eating."
As she spoke, Xi Jin pulled Xi Yin and was about to leave.
But she didn't know that because of her, Xi He's fighting spirit was rekindled.
Xi He suddenly stood up and walked towards the dining table, saying, "Hall Master, the two children are hungry. Could the Hall Master please give them something to eat? If they go out like this, it won't look good if outsiders see them, right?"
Hearing Xi He's words, Shen Xiao Yan put down her spoon and looked at Xi He, examining her from head to toe.
Shen Xiao Yan's scrutinizing gaze was too obvious, and Xi He felt a chill run down her spine. "Miss Shen, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something wrong with me?"
Shen Xiao Yan clicked her tongue and exclaimed, "Do you know you were born in the wrong place?"
Shen Xiao Yan said this with extreme seriousness, which made Xi He stunned. She immediately retorted, "What do you mean?"
"Someone like you, with nearly a hundred schemes in your mind, who spends all day doing nothing but looking for opportunities in others' words, finding fault, and speaking with sarcasm, wanting to convey a hundred meanings with one word, is truly wasted in a place like the Holy Spirit Continent, which respects strength."
Shen Xiao Yan paused, then said very seriously, "You should go to a small world like Great Chu, you know? Spending your days scheming against other women in the backyard for a man, that's your true calling."
Xi He was so angry that her face turned red. She pointed at Shen Xiao Yan but could only utter the word "you" because she was too scared by Zhen Ling Rong's stern gaze to speak further.
Shen Xiao Yan, however, acted as if she hadn't seen it and continued, "Do you think what I said is wrong?"
After speaking, Shen Xiao Yan tidied the stray hairs at her temples and continued, "As a mother yourself, you don't find a way for your two children when they're hungry. Instead, you watch them try to find a way. That's bad enough, but you even use it as an excuse to badmouth them to your Hall Master. Oh my, you've truly opened my eyes!"
Shen Xiao Yan's words were like a series of slaps, hard and direct, landing on Xi He's face, making her almost unable to lift her head from the pain.
Biting her lip, Xi He still wanted to defend herself, "But there's food right here, and they don't eat much. Besides, you can't finish it all. Miss Shen, the Hall Master has given you such fine clothes, why are you still so petty, wanting to hoard all the Hall Master's goodness? It's just a meal, you're too concerned. A girl being so calculating isn't very likable."
"Slap!"
Zhen Ling Rong slammed the chopsticks in her hand onto the table and looked at Xi He coldly, "Do you think you're the only one with a mouth that can speak?"
Seeing Zhen Ling Rong angry, Xi He regretted speaking so quickly and saying something she shouldn't have. Just as she was about to explain, she heard Zhen Ling Rong say again, "Elder Lin, administer punishment."
Lin Xin didn't even look up. He held his chopsticks in his right hand and continued to pick up food. With his left hand, he raised it and threw something towards Xi He.
Shen Xiao Yan was puzzled as to why Lin Xin wasn't administering punishment, when suddenly a wooden hand appeared in front of Xi He.
Then she saw that Xi He's previously pretty and rosy face turned pale as a ghost the moment she saw the wooden hand.
What was going on?
As Shen Xiao Yan wondered if she should ask for clarification, she saw Lin Xin lightly wave his left hand, and the wooden hand that was suspended in front of Xi He fiercely slapped her across the face.
The thin piece of wood made contact with her delicate skin, producing a crisp sound.
Then Shen Xiao Yan saw a trickle of blood emerge from the corner of Xi He's mouth. On her left cheek, a red, swollen handprint had clearly appeared.
The handprint continued to swell outwards, and in a very short time, it became red, swollen, and translucent, revealing the fine blood vessels on her face.
Shen Xiao Yan swallowed and didn't know what to say.
Just now she had said that Xi He should engage in palace intrigue, and now, the method of palace intrigue had appeared on her.
Wasn't speaking out like this a form of punishment for concubines or maids who made mistakes in palace intrigue novels?
Although it looked a bit funny, Shen Xiao Yan absolutely refused to admit that watching Xi He get beaten made her feel good.
Now she really admired herself. Bringing Xi He here was indeed the right decision. If she hadn't brought Xi He and the other two, how would she have had such an opportunity to teach Xi He a lesson!
Zhen Ling Rong didn't stop, and Lin Xin didn't stop either. Although the slaps were very slow, both the sound and the force were considerable.
In just a moment, Xi He's face was swollen like a pig's head.
Xi Jin and Xi Yin stood not far away, watching this scene. Their eyes were not filled with pain for Xi He, but with utter disdain.
If she could, Xi Jin really wanted to rush forward and ask clearly why she had to be so reckless.
She was clearly always at a disadvantage, and she already knew Xi He's position in Zhen Ling Rong's heart. Why did she keep on testing fate and acting foolishly?
She would never admit that Xi He was doing it for her and Xi Yin. Xi He was doing it for herself.
For her own purpose, she used her and Xi Yin as bargaining chips.
Now, it was her own doing.
Xi Jin thought this, but she didn't feel any relief.
No matter how much she disliked it, Xi He was still her mother. In the eyes of outsiders, everything Xi He was doing was for her younger brother.
Even if Zhen Ling Rong and the others disliked Xi He, they probably thought the same way.
If she still wanted Zhen Ling Rong to have a place in her heart, she and Xi Yin couldn't just stand there and watch.
A flash of impatience flickered in her eyes, and Xi Jin still stepped forward and knelt down.
Xi Jin lowered her head, so that her emotions couldn't be seen, but her words were full of pleading and reluctance.
"Please, Hall Master, spare my mother's life. What she said just now was too much. I apologize to Miss Shen on her behalf. I beg Miss Shen to intercede for my mother. We are both daughters, and no matter how wrong our own mother is, she is still our own mother. As daughters, we can't just stand by and watch her get beaten, can we? Moreover, my mother has already been punished."
Xi Jin's words were half true and half false, making her seem sincere and doing what a filial daughter should do, which naturally garnered some favor from others.
Of course, this did not include Shen Xiao Yan and the others.
Shen Xiao Yan watched Xi Jin with great interest, but did not speak, while the crisp slapping sounds continued.
Xi Yin looked at Shen Xiao Yan, then at Xi He, then at Xi Jin, and finally couldn't help but say, "Big sister, why are you begging her? She won't pity you. Besides, even if you plead for mother, mother may not appreciate your efforts. I advise you not to be wishful thinking."
Xi Yin's words sounded like those of an ignorant child, making people want to laugh, but also making them feel that he was too protected and too naive.
However, Shen Xiao Yan did not miss the fleeting calculation in his eyes.
She thought, how could a child with such a mother, raised in such an environment, be truly so simple and naive?
It turned out that it was just a pretense.
It's just that she wondered if Xi He knew the true nature of her two children. If she didn't, then it would be even more fun later.
Thinking this, Shen Xiao Yan looked towards Zhen Ling Rong.
Zhen Ling Rong looked at Shen Xiao Yan helplessly and nodded at Lin Xin.
Lin Xin, however, was indifferent.
People like Xi He could be played with for a while if one wanted to, but if one didn't want to play anymore, they could be discarded or even killed; it was all insignificant.
Since Shen Xiao Yan wanted to play now, let her play to her heart's content.
Even though a cornered rabbit would bite, people like Xi He could be killed by the handful before they could even open their mouths. What was there to be afraid of?
Although the wooden hand stopped moving, Xi He's face had long since lost its reaction. She just stared blankly at the ground in front of her.
When she knew that Xi Jin and Xi Yin were reluctantly coming to support her, she finally reacted. It seemed she didn't have to be beaten anymore.
Xi He hadn't cried while being beaten earlier, not because she was particularly strong, but mostly due to shock and disbelief, which made her forget to cry.
Then it was numbness.
Now that it had finally stopped, sorrow welled up within her, and tears instantly streamed down her cheeks.
The scalding tears touched her swollen cheeks, making her gasp in pain. The tears that flowed from her eyes again were forced back with all her might.
It hurt so much!
Xi Jin and Xi Yin supported Xi He and naturally saw her like this, their hearts filled with even greater loathing.
It was simply deserved.
She clearly knew the consequences, but she insisted on throwing herself at it.
Such a person was simply asking for abuse.
Xi Jin even felt a hint of disappointment. Why didn't the Hall Master just beat her to death?
This way, she and Xi Yin would no longer have to be ashamed of her!
Realizing what she had just thought, Xi Jin lowered her head with some guilt.
This was the first time she had had such a thought, after being disgraced by Xi He so many times.
Although she quickly realized that thinking like this was wrong, she still couldn't help but wonder if the Hall Master would treat her and Xi Yin better if Xi He really died, considering they were two orphaned children.
She didn't ask for anything else, just for things to be like they were before!
Unfortunately, these were things she could only think about. She absolutely couldn't bring herself to kill Xi He.
Xi He, however, did not know that her own daughter was thinking of killing her at this moment. If she knew, she didn't know if she would be able to bear it and die immediately.
After watching the three figures disappear, Shen Xiao Yan withdrew her gaze with a lack of interest.
"They can't even play for long before they can't take it anymore."
Zheng Wei felt helpless upon hearing this.
He had come to understand that after Shen Xiao Yan had become more intimate with Zhen Ling Rong, she had become even more mischievous. This sly and mischievous temper was probably inherited from Zhen Ling Rong.
However, he didn't dare to say this.
Otherwise, not only Zhen Ling Rong, but Shen Xiao Yan and Shen Xiao Ming would also argue with him.
Sighing inwardly, Zheng Wei simply continued to eat earnestly.
In fact, having such a wife wasn't bad, was it? At least life had become much more interesting.
Watching his wife throw little tantrums and tease people every day was simply the most wonderful thing.
After the meal, Zhen Ling Rong decided to take Shen Xiao Yan and the others out for a walk.
Shen Xiao Yan's eyes darted slightly, and she immediately understood her intention.
Was she thinking of going out for a stroll?
It would be best to encounter Long Xuan and then crush her with power, to tell her what a blatant slap in the face was.
Although this matter seemed a bit unethical, Shen Xiao Yan wanted to say... she liked it.
Unexpectedly, as the group was walking towards the door, they heard the sound of the door opening. They turned around and saw Xi He and the two children coming out again.
However, Xi He was wearing a hat that covered her swollen face, which looked like a pig's head.
Seeing this, Zhen Ling Rong frowned and said, "What are you doing?"
Xi He sensed Zhen Ling Rong's displeasure and quickly pleaded, "It's the first time for the two children and I to go out, so we're naturally uneasy. We want to stay by the Hall Master's side at all times for a sense of security."
Her words were sincere, as if Zhen Ling Rong would be mistreating her subordinate if she didn't agree.
Zhen Ling Rong naturally wouldn't fall for this. She waved her hand and was about to tell them to stay.
Unexpectedly, Lin Xin suddenly spoke, "Since they want to follow, let them follow. It will also broaden their horizons, so that people don't say that you, Hall Master, are narrow-minded."
Hearing this, Zhen Ling Rong looked at Lin Xin suspiciously, not understanding his intentions.
However, Lin Xin simply stood with his hands behind his back, looking confident. Zhen Ling Rong didn't say any more and walked out, holding Shen Xiao Yan's and Shen Xiao Ming's hands.
Since they were rushing to be humiliated, she had to fulfill their wishes, otherwise, how rude would that be!
The group went out one after another and walked along the small path by the door.