Phoenix Reigns Over The Nine Heavens - Chapter 19

Madam Xiao knelt outside for an hour.

Yun Zishu sat by the window, watching her the entire time—observing the shifts in her expressions from anger to gloom to resentment. She looked at the painful expression on her face as she knelt. Finally, when the sun neared its zenith, she pushed open the window and asked lightly, “Xiao Yunheng was beaten with fifty strokes by the court staff yesterday. How are his injuries?”

Madam Xiao looked up, and the moment she saw Yun Zishu, a dark fury flashed in her eyes. She instinctively tried to stand up, but having never knelt for so long before, her legs were in excruciating pain. With a thud, she fell back to her knees.

“I advise you to kneel with a little more sincerity.” Yun Zishu rested her cheek on her hand, her voice indifferent. “I suffered nearly two months of grievances in the Xiao family. Xiao Yunheng favored his concubine and disregarded me, his legal wife. He spent every day cozying up to that concubine. For me, this is an immense disgrace.”

Madam Xiao suppressed her anger and said with her eyes lowered. “It was Yunheng’s fault in the past. I have come here today to apologize. I hope that Your Highness will be magnanimous.”

“Magnanimous?” Yun Zishu smiled faintly. “Lord Li said the same thing. No wonder you’re family.”

Madam Xiao was so angry that her heart ached, but she dared not refute her words. Instead, she changed her approach and said, “Your Highness, the princess is very tolerant. This subject knows she was wrong and will treat Your Highness well in the future. I hope the princess will forgive us this once.”

Yun Zishu sighed. “Just because you admitted you’re wrong, I have to forgive you?”

Mrs. Xiao was choked by this sentence, her face alternating between shades of flushed and pale.

“If I’m not mistaken, it was General Xiao who sent you here, right?” Yun Zishu’s lips curled up slightly as she looked at her mockingly. “Aren’t you secretly vowing and cursing in your heart that once I return, you’ll make me pay for this in the future?”

Madam Xiao was shocked and quickly denied it: “Why does Your Highness say that? How would I dare to entertain such thoughts?”

“Whether you have such thoughts or not, I will not return to the Xiao family again. You should go back.” Yun Zishu said. “Xiao Yunheng has been beaten with fifty strokes. The matter of you and Xiao Yunheng offending me ends here. I will not pursue it further, and you should no longer pester me in the future.”

Madam Xiao’s face changed. “How can that be? The princess and Yunheng have already been married—you are rightfully husband and wife”

“He and Li Xue are the real husband and wife.”

Madam Xiao’s face was stiff and pale. Suppressing her anger, she said, “Your Highness, not only will the general not agree to this matter, but even the emperor will not agree. We were at fault before, but Yunheng has already been punished, and I have personally come to apologize to Your Highness. Is that still not enough? I don’t know what we must do for Your Highness to be willing to return to the Xiao family.”

Yun Zishu let out an ‘oh’ and said in a nonchalant tone, “So, Madam Xiao lowering herself to apologize like this must have been quite the ordeal for you?”

Madam Xiao replied, “That’s not what I meant!”

“I’ve already said that I will no longer have any relationship with the Xiao family from now on, and I will not hold Xiao Madam and Xiao Yunheng accountable for their previous offenses against me,” Yun Zishu said. “However, I do not like Xiao Yunheng and have no intention of maintaining a marital relationship with him. I hope Xiao Madam will not come to embarrass me again.”

Madam Xiao nearly lunged forward to slap her.

This little b*tch is really taking an inch and wanting a mile!

Is she taking advantage of the fact that she has the upper hand to make things difficult for her? She really doesn’t know what’s good for her.

Just wait.

Did she really think the Emperor would tolerate her being so willful?

She took the initiative to come to apologize today to demonstrate the family’s attitude towards the royal family, lest they truly be accused of the crime of “disrespecting the monarch.” It was certainly not for Yun Zishu’s sake. If she continued to cause trouble, once the emperor’s anger was provoked, who knew who would suffer the consequences?

“Your Highness.” A guard approached from outside, knelt on one knee, and saluted, “A message has been relayed from Commander Si: should Li Xuan need to be subjected to torture?”

Madam Xiao’s face turned ashen. Torture?

The great punishment of the Dark Shadow Pavilion?

“Your Highness!” Madam Xiao pleaded, her face deathly pale. “This… this must not happen!”

Yun Zishu let out a light, mocking laugh. “Li Xuan attacked me yesterday. Does Madam Xiao know about it?”

Madam Xiao was horrified. “Your Highness, please forgive him! This subject apologizes on his behalf! I beg Your Highness to spare him this once! I… I guarantee that he will never dare to be rude to Your Highness again, Your Highness…”

“Tell Commander Si that although it is true that Li Xuan offended this princess, he did not cause any serious injuries. Just give him a small punishment as a warning.” Yun Zishu ordered.

Madam Xiao was just about to breathe a sigh of relief.

The guard asked respectfully, “To what extent should the minor punishment be, Your Highness?”

Yun Zishu said, “One hundred lashes, no food or water for three days.”

“Yes.” The guard took the order and left.

Madam Xiao collapsed on the ground. A hundred lashes and three days without food or water?

Isn’t this going to kill Li Xuan?

“What’s wrong, Madam Xiao?” Yun Zishu smiled faintly. “Are you scared? Actually, this kind of punishment is nothing in the Dark Shadow Pavilion. Madam Xiao has never witnessed real torture, have you? The Dark Shadow Pavilion is best at cutting off pieces of people’s bodies, roasting them while cutting, and feeding them to the people who are being tortured so that they can taste what their own flesh tastes like.”

“Another form of torture is to strip the prisoner naked, wash the body clean, and then use a dagger to carve bloody gashes into their body. Oil and salt are rubbed in, and they are roasted over a fire. The punisher listens to their screams while roasting, as the sizzling sound of searing flesh fills the air, and the aroma of roasting meat wafts out…”

Thud!

Madam Xiao, her face as white as a sheet, went limp and suddenly fainted, losing consciousness.

Yun Zishu paused mid-sentence, then she raised her hand. “Send Madam Xiao back.”

“Yes.”

Madam Xiao was carried out. Just beyond the main gate, she gradually regained consciousness. Once awake, she struggled to stand on the ground: “I want to see Her Royal Highness the Princess! I want to see Yun Zishu!”

“Since Madam Xiao is already awake, please go back on your own.” Granny Lin let go of her hand and signaled the Xiao family servants waiting outside to take their madam back. “We will not escort you further.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and walked back, signaling the guard to close the main gate.

Madam Xiao watched the gate of the princess’s mansion close in front of her eyes, trembling with rage.

You wretch!

That vile b*tch, Yun Zishu, really deserves to die!

The maid behind her asked cautiously, “Madam, shall we go back?”

Madam Xiao turned her head to look at the maid who had spoken, and her heart sank. She thought of her husband’s repeated instructions that no matter what grievances she suffered, she must bring the princess back, but she had messed things up.

How should she explain upon returning?

But then it occurred to her—that little wretch Yun Zishu was deliberately putting on airs to humiliate her. If Yun Zishu refused to return to the Xiao family, what could she do?

She had already knelt down, and had already spoken words of apology and submission. What else could she do?

Should she really dash her head against the ground in front of her?

Okay, keep being stubborn, but don’t come crying and begging to return to the Xiao family when the time comes.

Madam Xiao thought coldly for a moment, turned around, and walked onto the carriage. “Return to the mansion.”