Chapter 173.1: punished to feed the horses
Pei Qianhao, who was currently looking down from the second floor of the hotel, had a dark expression on his face as he heard what Su Xi-er said. I shouldn’t have asked her how this Prince’s skin is.
I gave her a chance to flatter me, but this was what became of it. There were so many words she could have used, but what came out of her mouth was…
The imperial guard saw Prince Hao standing on the second floor and immediately bowed. “Paying respects to Prince Hao, this subordinate has something to report.”
Pei Qianhao didn’t reply, looking at Su Xi-er instead. “Go and feed the horses in the stable. You are not allowed to return to your room to rest until night falls.”
The imperial guard’s eye twitched. Of course she was punished. He then looked at Su Xi-er and saw that her expression was calm. She nodded lightly before turning on her heel and walking towards the stable at the back of the inn.
The imperial guard’s gaze continued to follow Su Xi-er as he sighed to himself. Why does she always offend Prince Hao. Isn’t it enough to be punished once or twice? Feeding the horses is already a light punishment.
Nobody would dare say that Prince Hao’s skin is like that of a noble’s daughter. On second thought, why were they talking about his skin in the first place? Even if Su Xi-er is bold, she wouldn’t randomly bring up Prince Hao’s skin, right?
Could it be that Prince Hao brought it up? When the imperial guard thought of this possibility, his eye couldn’t help but twitch as his expression became strange.
It was only when he heard a cold voice that he realised Prince Hao was already standing next to him.
“As an imperial guard of the Prince Hao Residence, your skills haven’t improved, but your progress in your ability to think about nonsense has improved daily.”
The imperial guard immediately bowed after being chided by Prince Hao. “This subordinate knows my mistake. I will definitely be careful in the future.”
“There is no ‘in the future’. This Prince will not punish you in Nanzhao; instead, receive punishment by yourself after you return to Beimin.”
Receiving punishment by oneself was an unwritten rule at the Prince Hao Residence. As long as Prince Hao gave the words, an imperial guard had to go to the storage room and pick up a whip or a pole before asking another imperial guard to lash them at least twenty times. If Prince Hao said that someone must receive a harsh punishment, that number would be changed to forty.
The imperial guard knew that he was wrong and didn’t make any complaints. He nodded immediately. “This subordinate will receive punishment by myself when I return to the Prince Hao Residence. This subordinate was just going to report that Prince Yun was seen boarding a horse carriage that is now on the way to the gate of Moon County.”
Pei Qianhao’s eyes narrowed slightly. Prince Yun is more sensible this time. He should have stayed in the capital city and settled all the matters with the beggars anyways. Otherwise, when the monarchs from other nations arrive in a few days, Prince Yun will lose face and become a joke.
“Go and watch Su Xi-er; don’t let her sneak out.” Pei Qianhao suddenly instructed the imperial guard.
The imperial guard’s face was solemn. I must be meticulous with anything to do with Su Xi-er. Therefore, he bowed immediately and replied with an affirmative before turning on his heel towards the backyard.
Pei Qianhao stood inside the inn with bright eyes. Yun Ruofeng’s departure was a weight lifted from his shoulders. In the next few days, I still have some important things to do.
Moon County was quiet and peaceful, but Nanzhao’s imperial palace was a different story.
~~~
Ning Anlian sat on the head seat, her chest continuously rising and falling as she clasped her hands together in front of her pale face.
To put it negatively, she looked terrifying, and no one dared to go near her. Even the main palace maid, Piao Xu, only stood on one side quietly without talking.