Mo Bei paused, then suddenly shoved the door open. Before her eyes, Yelü Qianxiao was being pinned to the ground, while a young eunuch at the side kept forcibly stuffing rancid food overgrown with mold into his mouth, laughing mockingly all the while.
“Ugh!” Hua Rong, off to the side, began retching again; this time, she even bent at the waist, her long hair falling forward to hide her unreadable face.
But it was not over yet.
The Huayi youth seated high in the center was vicious despite his young age. In his hand, he held a long thorny vine, and with crack after crack, he lashed it across Yelü Qianxiao’s rigid back, grinning from ear to ear as he laughed, as if there were no greater pleasure in life than this.
“Wuu, don’t hit Xiaoxiao. The food stinks, it stinks!” The man kept shaking his head, his pleading voice like that of a gravely wounded beast, his pupils holding a fragility that could drown a person.
Mo Bei’s heart suddenly clenched. She tightened her fists and endured it, the sense of helplessness surging in her throat making her recall what her elder brother had often said when she was little—
When you do not possess enough strength, you cannot protect the people you wish to cherish.
The current her had no way of charging up, dragging everyone aside, and giving them a few lashes in return.
The only consequence of doing so would be to be dragged out and beheaded on the spot as a warning to others.
She was not stupid enough to gamble with her own little life.
Since she could not fight, then taking the beating together should be fine!
Without thinking further, her movements came faster than her nerves could react.
With a boom, Mo Bei rushed forward and tightly hugged Yelü Qianxiao’s body, using her slender arms to block one lash after another.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes.
She counted silently in her heart, thinking: Don’t let me find out who you are, or else I’ll make sure your entire family never sleeps peacefully again!
She, Mo Bei, had never been some kind soul to begin with. If someone kicked her once, she would be sure to claim ten kicks back!
The other party clearly had not expected a eunuch to rush out. After being stunned for a long while, he roared, “You damned slave, you—” Before he could finish, the Huayi youth was frozen in place by Mo Bei’s sharp gaze.
Those large eyes were clear in black and white, and within their impossible-to-ignore calm clarity lay coldness and killing intent.
“Impudent! Who allowed you to look at this prince like that!” Crack! Another lash fell, tearing through clothing and biting into skin.
Mo Bei turned her head. Though it was a lowly posture, when she did it, there was an air of arrogance.
Instead of growing angry, she smiled, thin layers of sweat seeping from her forehead.
Beads of sweat fell onto Yelü Qianxiao’s neck. He lifted his eyes, and within his deep peach-blossom eyes, a glimpse of that lovely face was reflected.
The Plum Blossom Needles beneath his long sleeves stirred restlessly. He clenched his teeth tightly, the taste of blood spreading through his entire mouth.
No. He could not make a move!
If he resisted now, ten years of forbearance would be destroyed in an instant.
But why was this eunuch protecting him?
For the first time in his life, Yelü Qianxiao could not see through a person.
He simply stared at him in a daze, watched his complexion gradually turn pale, watched his thin lips curve slightly, watched his warm and unyielding smile.
For a moment, only this one figure remained in his blue eyes, incomparably clear.
After beating for a while, the youth seemed to lose interest. He viciously added two more kicks, then turned and flicked his sleeves. “Xiao Panzi, Xiao Qizi, we’re leaving! Leave this trash for another day!” A prey’s wildness had to be worn away bit by bit for it to be interesting. Next time, when he got something new, he would use it on this fool!
It was just that yesterday truly had been a pity.
He had ordered people to force-feed this fool some aphrodisiac, yet he had actually missed the chance to watch the show. It was all Father Emperor’s fault for insisting on testing him on poetry at night.
Sigh! The youth sighed as he walked, when suddenly something caught beneath his foot with a clatter, and his pretty face went straight toward the white wall.