Phoenix Reigns Over The Nine Heavens - Chapter 10

Before long, the respectful voice of the steward sounded again outside: “Your Highness, Prince Li has arrived.”

Yun Zishu got up leisurely and turned to instruct, “Leng Yue, go to the palace immediately and report to His Majesty that I am currently recuperating in the mansion. The eldest son of the Li family barged into the princess’s residence with his men, forcibly entered my bedchamber, and dragged me out of the bed with extreme roughness, causing me to fall unconscious.”

Leng Yue hesitated. “I’ll order someone else to go. The commander ordered me to protect Your Highness at all times.”

“You go in person; I have Leng Shuang here; it’s enough.” Yun Zishu said lightly, “You are quick on your feet, and when Si Cang sees you personally delivering the message, he will know that it was my idea and won’t worry unnecessarily.”

“Understood.”

Leng Yue quickly accepted the order and left.

Yun Zishu walked out of the bedroom at a leisurely pace and saw the eldest son of the Li family standing under the stone steps.

Dressed in a lake blue satin robe, the eldest son of the Li family was about twenty-two or twenty-three years old. He was indeed a handsome and dashing man, but at this time, his eyes were full of contempt and disdain when he looked at Yun Zishu.

“Why did Your Highness send Li Xue to the Dark Shadow Pavilion?” Li Xuan demanded in an accusatory tone, his condescension mirroring that of Madam Xiao. “What has Xue’er done to offend you?”

Yun Zishu replied indifferently, “Li Xue was sent to the Dark Shadow Pavilion for a reason.”

“Does the princess think she can bully others just because she is of noble birth?” Li Xuan flared up in anger. “Xue’er is so weak; how can she stand the environment of the Dark Shadow Pavilion? Are you deliberately trying to kill her?”

Noble status?

If he truly believed she was of noble status, would he dare to stand here and accuse her?

Everyone in the Great Yong Dynasty knew that the legitimate princess, Zishu, was of exalted birth. However, her mother died early. This legitimate princess grew up alone since she was a child without protection. As an adult, she was directly married off to Xiao Yunheng by the Emperor’s decree, after which she was further neglected.

Which of the civil and military officials in the court was not a clever person?

If the Emperor favors someone, how could they not see it? How could they not tell the difference between genuine favor and false favor?

They could even guess that the death of the Empress was shrouded in mystery, but the palace had always been a place of slaughter and intrigue—who would dare to uncover the truth?

Princess Yun Zishu was indeed a noble princess, but her lack of favor was equally real.

Therefore, the “noble status” that came out of Li Xuan’s mouth was undoubtedly a malicious satire.

Yun Zishu stood at the entrance of the hall, her eyes cold and mocking. “Does Young Master Li know what place this is?”

Li Xuan was stunned, then sneered. “Of course I know what this place is.”

Yun Zishu asked again, “Then do you know who I am?”

Li Xuan frowned and said impatiently, “So what if I know? Does the princess want me to kneel before you?”

“Leng Shuang.”

“Yes.”

In a flash, Leng Shuang darted behind Li Xuan and delivered a fierce kick to the back of his knee. Li Xuan was caught off guard and was kicked to the ground.

Thud!

The sound of his knees hitting the ground was jarring.

Overwhelmed by the sudden, intense pain, Li Xuan’s eyes suddenly went black. He fell to the ground without any power to resist, and it took him a long time to recover from the pain.

Yun Zishu leaned against the doorframe and waited patiently.

The back of his knee was kicked so hard that it almost broke, and his knee hit the ground with a piercing pain. Li Xuan’s legs felt like they were about to break, and the pain made his face pale and his forehead covered with cold sweat.

When he finally regained his senses, the pain intensified. His legs spasmed for a while before he managed to kneel with great difficulty. Cold sweat flowed down his cheeks, and he looked  embarrassed.

“It seems that Prince Li’s legs are capable of kneeling after all.” Yun Zishu looked at him calmly. “Have you learned your lesson now?”

Li Xuan looked up, his face pale, but his eyes stared at Yun Zishu fiercely. “You…”

“Disrespect towards me warrants a face slapping.”

Li Xuan’s pupils suddenly contracted. “How dare you–”

Following the order, Leng Shuang delivered a series of sharp slaps to Lin Xuan’s face, cutting off his unfinished words and making him disoriented.

After about twenty strikes, Yun Zishu raised her hand and said, “Stop.”

Leng Shuang stepped back.

His once handsome and charismatic face was now swollen like a pig’s head, with both cheeks puffed up and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“Yun… Yun Zishu…” Li Xuan covered his face in disbelief, hissing in pain. “You actually dared to hit me?”

“Would you like more?” Yun Zishu’s expression remained as calm as snow. “If you feel it’s not enough, I can certainly oblige.”

Leng Shuang was a martial arts practitioner, and her hand strength was more than enough to make him suffer.

Li Xuan stared at her with gritted teeth. Having suffered twice, he was already afraid, but his anger was rising, and it was difficult to suppress it.

He simply couldn’t believe that Yun Zishu, who had always been used to swallowing her anger, would suddenly become so ferocious. It was simply incomprehensible!

She not only dared to send Li Xue to the Dark Shadow Pavilion but also dared to let people hit him?

Damn it, he won’t let her go!

He raised his hand to gently touch his cheek, immediately wincing in pain. Li Xuan’s eyes were cold and gloomy. “Yun Zishu, you are going too far!”

“You were the ones who bullied me first,” Yun Zishu said lightly. “From Li Xue lying about being pregnant; to the maid pushing her into the lake and framing me; to Madam Xiao and Xiao Yunheng accusing me without hearing the full story—when your family ganged up to bully me, why didn’t I see anyone stand up for justice?”

“Xue’er is gentle and weak, and it is impossible for her to have the heart to harm others!” Li Xuan said angrily, but he did not dare to scold again. “How has she offended the princess to make you so eager to get rid of her?”

Truly a member of the Li family—their skill in shifting blame is impressive.

Yun Zishu was too lazy to waste her breath on him. Looking at Li Xuan’s face, which was too horrible to look at, she felt a slight sense of satisfaction and said coldly, “Get out.”

Li Xuan supported himself on the ground and stood up with difficulty. He gritted his teeth and said, “Even if you are a princess, since you have married into a family, you should abide by the rules of the family, abide by the virtues of women, and be familiar with the three obediences and four virtues.”

“It seems that Young Master Li has not learned his lesson.” Yun Zishu clicked her tongue. “Leng Shuang, take him to the backyard and lock him up. Put the black iron shackles on him. I want to see how long it takes for his mouth to learn some restraint.”

“Yes.”

“How dare you?!” Li Xuan took a step back in fright. “Yun Zishu, you have no right to imprison me privately. This is against the law. If the Emperor finds out, you won’t be able to get away with it!”

Yun Zishu waved her hand dismissively.

Leng Shuang immediately had him taken away, ignoring his hysterical and impotent screams.

“Yun Zishu! Yun Zishu! You will regret it! You will definitely regret it!”

Regret?

Yun Zishu lowered her eyes and stepped over the threshold. She did indeed regret—regretting that in her past life, she had failed to see these people’s true colors.

However, there was no medicine for regret in this world, and she didn’t have much time to dwell on the past.

She has a lot of things to do in this new life, so there is no need to linger in unpleasant memories.