in2ebook Chapter 10 Standing Punishment
Chapter 10 Standing Punishment
Why did Xu Jiaojiao seem a little absent-minded, unlike other women who would secretly glance at him with adoring eyes?
Zhao Yunzheng unexpectedly thought of his pet cat.
When the cat first saw him, it cowered in fear, its fur standing on end, and huddled in a corner of the room, not daring to look him in the eye.
Xu Jiaojiao at this moment looks remarkably similar to the cat spirit back then.
Yes, Xu Jiaojiao was just a lowly concubine, insignificant and timid, so it was right that she dared not look directly at his imposing presence.
Perhaps Xu Jiaojiao isn't as scheming as people imagine.
Having figured things out, Zhao Yunzheng withdrew his gaze: "Get up, everyone."
Everyone stood up one after another.
Before Xu Jiaojiao could even stand up straight, a sweet, coquettish voice suddenly rang out: "Your Highness, you're finally back! I've missed you so much!"
As the sound rang out, a colorful cloud seemed to fly past Xu Jiaojiao's eyes.
Zheng Antong ran so fast that she bumped into several people kneeling next to her.
Everyone had just stood up and most of them hadn't even settled down yet, so in an instant, a huge crowd of people bumped into each other in a chaotic mess, and the scene became quite disorderly.
Xu Jiaojiao was naturally not spared from being affected.
She was knocked off balance and stumbled forward two steps.
Just as she stood still, the colorful cloud that had flown past flew back and landed straight at her feet.
Meeting Zheng Antong's aggrieved and resentful gaze, Xu Jiaojiao choked back a sob: "???"
She straightened up and slowly raised her eyelids to survey the crowd.
well...
Prince Chen turned aside with an aloof and cold demeanor, making it clear at a glance that he did not want to be touched by Zheng Antong.
The princess looked at her with a cryptic gaze, as if to say, "If you dare to help her, I'll chop off your paws."
As for the others, they tacitly stepped back, wishing they could avoid the eye of the storm.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Xu Jiaojiao's forehead.
Well, the hot potato has landed on her...
After a moment, she chuckled dryly, "Well, the ground is cold, not suitable for sleeping. Why don't you go back to the courtyard to sleep, Sister Zheng?"
A faint snicker came from the crowd.
Zheng Antong was both annoyed and angry, and her pretty face turned completely red.
Zhao Yunzheng then added at the opportune moment, "That makes sense. Guards, Consort Zheng is unwell. Help her back to the Millennium Courtyard to rest. She need not attend tonight's welcome-home banquet."
Zheng Antong felt wronged and burst into tears.
She simply missed the prince so much that she couldn't help herself and wanted to hug him.
She knew that the prince disliked being touched, but she never expected him to be so cruel as to prevent her from even attending the welcome-back banquet.
It's all because of what Xu Jiaojiao said!
If it weren't for Xu Jiaojiao telling her to go back to sleep, she wouldn't have made such a fool of herself, leading the prince to send her back to Millennium Courtyard.
Zheng Antong glared hatefully at Xu Jiaojiao, then knelt on the ground, tears welling in her eyes, and pleaded, "Your Highness, I know I was wrong, please don't send me back, I beg you..."
The princess also offered timely words of comfort: "Yes, Your Highness, Sister Zheng was just unable to control her emotions; it's not a big mistake. Please don't be angry."
Although Zhao Yunzheng never took these women in the inner quarters to heart, he never made things difficult for them either.
He glanced at Zheng Antong indifferently: "Since the Princess Consort has said so, then you may rise."
Upon hearing the words, Zheng Antong burst into laughter through his tears.
The farce passed just like that, and Yingying Yanyan followed Zhao Yunzheng, surrounding him as he walked towards the backyard.
Along the way, the princess, concubines, and mistresses all tried their best to speak with Zhao Yunzheng.
From Xu Jiaojiao's perspective, she could clearly see the throbbing veins on Prince Chen's forehead and his forced smile that he was about to give up.
To be honest, Prince Chen endured quite a bit of hardship along the way.
Knowing her lowly status, Xu Jiaojiao wisely refrained from approaching him.
Competing for favor is inevitable, but trying to get close at this point will only annoy people.
Rather than putting in a lot of effort for nothing, it's better to enjoy the scenery along the way and relax.
For Zhao Yunzheng, although these women would gather around and chatter incessantly after each trip back to the mansion, he still couldn't get used to it, and felt that the road back to the main courtyard was incredibly long.
But what is Xu Jiaojiao doing?
She was spacing out again, and almost got lost a few times!
If you were afraid just now, what about now?
The woman's expression didn't show any fear; it was more like she was having fun, making her completely out of place compared to the other women.
Zhao Yunzheng felt inexplicably depressed!
He couldn't help but think of Consort Ru in the palace.
I still remember that Consort Ru was also so cunning back then, making herself stand out from the crowd and bewitching my father, the emperor, who was completely infatuated with her.
If it weren't for Consort Ru's viciousness back then, the Empress Dowager wouldn't have...
Zhao Yunzheng's face suddenly darkened.
He dislikes women who are scheming, and especially hates vicious and despicable women.
Xu Jiaojiao, you better not be that kind of woman!
As perceptive as the Princess and Zhou Yingyue were, they immediately noticed his unusual behavior and shut their mouths.
Suddenly, Zhao Yunzheng stopped and turned to look at Xu Jiaojiao.
Just as Xu Jiaojiao was marveling at why the flowers were blooming so red, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
Noticing Zhao Yunzheng's gaze, her throat tightened, and she immediately forced a weak yet shy smile: "Your Highness~~~"
Zhao Yunzheng: "..."
He was so angry he laughed.
This woman changes her expression so quickly!
This made Zhao Yunzheng even more upset.
He said in an unfriendly tone, "You, stand here for three hours before you can leave!"
Completely unaware of how she had offended Prince Chen, Xu Jiaojiao was like, "???"
In an instant, all eyes fell on Xu Jiaojiao.
There was astonishment, mockery, surprise, and fear, but no concern whatsoever.
After speaking, Prince Chen turned and left.
Zheng Antong followed beside him, glancing at Xu Jiaojiao with schadenfreude.
The princess also looked at Xu Jiaojiao with hesitation, completely puzzled as to why the prince would suddenly make trouble.
Logically speaking, today was the first time that Madam Xu and Prince Chen had met, and she had never seen the prince so angry at a woman he had never met before.
The princess looked Xu Jiaojiao up and down, secretly wondering whether she should let Xu perform a dance tonight.
No matter how you look at it, it seems like Xu's move has gone awry, but the princess is unwilling to give up just like that.
She withdrew her gaze, took a half step back, and lowered her voice to say to Granny Wang beside her, "The matter of selecting new concubines for the household should be done as soon as possible."
There are currently no outstanding maids in the manor. Although it is unknown why Madam Xu angered the prince, she is beautiful and may have a chance to turn things around.
It's important to know that beauty is always a woman's weapon, no matter the time.
Watching everyone walk away, Lianye raised her head in fear, her face full of concern: "Master, are you alright?"
Xu Jiaojiao grinned and said, "It's alright."
Prince Chen simply made her stand; he neither hit nor scolded her. What could possibly have happened to her?
Lianye, however, was worried: "Your Highness has just offended Consort Zheng and is now being punished by the Prince to stand. I'm afraid that when Consort Zheng returns, she will embarrass you."
Xu Jiaojiao was well aware of her difficult situation.
The meaning behind the princess summoning her was all too clear: she was someone the princess had promoted, and before she had gained sufficient power, she naturally couldn't disobey the princess's wishes.
Furthermore, once she gains the emperor's favor, given the personalities of the two concubines and the two secondary consorts, the first one to cause her trouble will definitely be Zheng Antong.
Since a falling out is inevitable sooner or later, I might as well take this opportunity to show my loyalty to the princess.
Moreover, as things stand at the moment...
Although Zheng Antong comes from a good family, she is the simplest-minded and most naive of the four. Fighting with her is always easier than with the others.
Xu Jiaojiao comforted Lianye: "It's alright, we'll deal with whatever comes our way."
People always have to move forward.
If you're afraid of everything, how can you possibly succeed?
Looking at Lianye's cheeks and neck, scratched by Zheng Antong, Xu Jiaojiao frowned with heartache.
Upon their first meeting, Zheng Antong immediately launched an attack. If Lianye hadn't protected her, her face would probably have been scratched to pieces by Zheng Antong.
She will avenge this!