Phoenix Reigns Over The Nine Heavens - Chapter 32

Yun Zishu opened her eyes and stared at the ornate beams of the bedchamber, her mind momentarily blank. It took a while before she finally sat up on the bed.

“Your Highness is awake?” Leng Yue, who had just returned to the inner chamber, found Yun Zishu sitting up. She couldn’t help but blame herself, “Did the noise outside wake up the princess? This subordinate deserves punishment—”

“It’s fine.” Yun Zishu said calmly. “Is Xiao Yunheng making a fuss to see me?”

Leng Yue’s expression shifted slightly: “That’s what the steward said. Maybe he was afraid of offending Your Highness’s consort, so he didn’t dare to neglect him too much.”

Yun Zishu hummed in acknowledgement, “It seems that I didn’t make myself clear enough.”

Leng Yue signaled the maids to enter and serve, adding, “This consort is restless even when he is injured. He has been making a lot of noise since early in the morning. It’s really outrageous.”

Yun Zishu fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then, as if recalling something, let out a mocking laugh: “Madam Xiao and Xiao Yunheng used to love saying this phrase the most.”

Leng Yue was taken aback.

“They would frequently say that I am outrageous, improper, and even inhuman.” Yun Zishu rose, allowing the maids to dress and style her. “They scolded me for being vicious, petty, and intolerant. They liked to use family rules to lecture me.”

Leng Yue pursed her lips and said coldly, “Madam Xiao is the inhuman one! The entire Xiao family is inhuman! Your Highness must teach them a proper lesson in the future.”

Yun Zishu smiled faintly: “Naturally, I must teach them a good lesson.”

After changing her clothes, washing up, and putting on makeup, a maid brought in a bowl of bird’s nest porridge. Yun Zishu leisurely finished the entire bowl before getting up and leaving for the northwest courtyard.

Worried that Xiao Yunheng might be hungry, she also ordered people to prepare a bowl of plain porridge and a plate of green vegetables for him.

Xiao Yunheng was lying on the bed, throwing a tantrum: “I want to see Yun Zishu!”

“What do you want to see me for?” Yun Zishu walked in, looking at his pale, livid face and smiled mockingly, “Do you want me to pity your current state?”

Xiao Yunheng suddenly raised his head and stared at her angrily: “Yun Zishu—”

“I just got up, and I’m not in a good mood right now.” Yun Zishu’s eyes were cold. “You’d better not test my patience.”

Xiao Yunheng’s face turned green with rage, but he had no choice but to suppress his anger: “You said that as long as I entered the Princess’s mansion, you would release Li Xuan and Li Xue. I just want you to keep your word.”

Yun Zishu hummed indifferently: “Li Xue also claimed that I pushed her into the lake, causing her to miscarry. Why didn’t I see Young General Xiao holding her accountable for that?”

“You!” Xiao Yunheng roared in anger, “She has already been punished for this matter, and I have also paid the price. What else do you want?”

Without a word, Leng Shuang wiped the only chair in the room clean and brought it over for Yun Zishu.

“Not much.” Yun Zishu smiled and sat down in the chair. “I will have Si Cang release them, so you can rest assured.”

If Li Xue is not released, how can the next good show be staged?

Xiao Yunheng’s expression improved slightly after hearing this. His gaze fell on the meal placed on the table—just a bowl of plain porridge and a plate of vegetables.

His face couldn’t help but turn green again: “The prestigious princess’s residence serves this to an injured person?”

“Be grateful you’re even getting this. At least it’s not spoiled food,” Yun Zishu said, her tone indifferent and merciless. “If you don’t want to eat it, then go hungry.”

Does he really think he was the prince consort, deserving of lavish meals and attentive service? If it weren’t for his injuries, he wouldn’t even get vegetables.

Xiao Yunheng hadn’t eaten since last night. If he starved himself again for a little bit of integrity, he was afraid that he wouldn’t have the strength to argue with her.

Suppressing the displeasure in his heart, Xiao Yunheng softened his tone and said, “It was my fault in the past. If you are willing to return to the Xiao family, I will definitely treat you well in the future. The wife will be the wife, and the concubine will be the concubine. I will never let Li Xue be placed above you again.”

Yun Zishu looked at him in disbelief as if she had heard a joke: “Are you dreaming?”

Xiao Yunheng’s face darkened.

“Still, ‘wife is wife, concubine is concubine’? This princess is planning to choose two consorts recently. Why don’t you give me some advice?”

Xiao Yunheng couldn’t believe it. “What did you say?”

Yun Zishu was afraid that he would not understand, so she enunciated each word clearly: “I have nothing to do recently, and I plan to choose two handsome young men to serve in the mansion, just like you did before.”

“You’re ridiculous!” Xiao Yunheng was furious. His violent struggles abruptly tugged at the wounds on his back. His face contorted in pain, turning pale. His voice even began to tremble:  “What… What woman is as unchaste as you? It’s absurd! Absurd!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he collapsed onto the bed, shaking all over from pain.

Damn Yun Zishu!

How dare she entertain such a preposterous idea?

Yun Zishu raised an eyebrow: “You can have concubines, but I can’t?”

Xiao Yunheng gritted his teeth in anger: “Of course you can’t!”

“Too bad, I insist on having them.” Yun Zishu straightened her sleeves, as if she were deliberately trying to anger him to death. “I will choose tomorrow, and will notify you so you can come and see for yourself.”

“Yun Zishu, you are a woman, and a woman should abide by the three obediences and four virtues–”

“I’m a princess. I can do whatever I want.” Yun Zishu sneered, “What can you do about it?”

Xiao Yunheng’s face was ashen, and he was so angry that his whole body was shaking: “If you dare to cuckold me, I will certainly inform the Emperor and have you punished for unchastity.”

“Guard!” Yun Zishu ordered coldly. “The consort has committed insubordination and lacks discipline. Teach him a lesson.”

“Yes.”

Leng Shuang stepped forward and, without mercy, delivered a series of slaps. Before Xiao Yunheng could react, a flurry of crackling sounds echoed through the room. The barrage of strikes made Xiao Yunheng see stars, his face soon became red and swollen.

“Yun Zishu, you… you…”

Yun Zishu sighed: “You really didn’t learn from your mistakes. Just because I agreed to let you into the mansion, you thought this princess had compromised with you? Wrong. This princess intends to trap you here and deal with you properly. In the future, I can have you beaten as I please and control you as I wish. No one outside would dare to say a word against me.”

Xiao Yunheng hissed in pain, “You…How dare you?”

“Again.”

Leng Shunag raised her hand once more, delivering another ruthless barrage of slaps. As a trained martial artist, her strikes were naturally heavy. This round of blows split the corner of his mouth with blood trickling down, while both cheeks swelled grotesquely—a pitiful sight.

“Let’s see if you will remember this lesson.” Yun Zishu rose to her feet, casting a cold glance at Xiao Yunheng. “The consort may also skip his evening meal tonight.”

With those words, she turned around and walked out without looking back.

Beaten and trembling with rage, Xiao Yunheng had no time to vent his fury before Yun Zishu strode away, never glancing back. His anger blazed uncontrollably, with no outlet, until his organs seemed to ache with pent-up frustration. 

Damn Yun Zishu! Was she truly aiming to defy the heavens?