NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29: Beat Him Heavily for This Prince
Chapter 29: Beat Him Heavily for This Prince
Seeing Prince Ming, everyone knelt and bowed.
Xiao Heng, who had the Emperor’s verbal order exempting him from kneeling even in an imperial audience, only clasped his hands in greeting.
Qiao Nian hadn’t even knelt before Prince Ming supported her.
His large hand was burning hot, and as he held her, he could clearly feel her body trembling.
He hadn’t expected that she, who had so calmly faced Lin Ye’s beating in front of everyone, was actually shaking this severely.
Qiao Nian didn’t know why Prince Ming, who had left with the abbot, suddenly appeared, but at this moment, she was still grateful for his appearance.
Lin Ye had beaten her mercilessly, and she had long since been unable to stand steadily. If Prince Ming hadn’t appeared in time, she might have collapsed back to the ground in front of everyone.
“Thank you,” she said softly, her voice so faint that others couldn’t hear.
But Prince Ming heard it clearly.
These two soft words were like two needles, piercing deep into his heart.
This made his anger surge even more.
He immediately glared at Lin Ye, “The Young Marquis really has some nerve. In this sacred Buddhist place, you dare to so brutally beat someone under my protection. It seems the Marquis’s household truly doesn’t take this prince or even the Emperor seriously!”
This huge accusation left Lin Ye stunned on the spot. He hurriedly kowtowed, “This subject wouldn’t dare!”
“Wouldn’t dare? In a Buddhist sacred place, you injured someone like this. What wouldn’t you, Young Marquis, dare to do?” Prince Ming immediately ordered, “Come! Beat him heavily for this prince! Beat him until he can’t get up!”
“Yes!” The attendants immediately obeyed, pushing Lin Ye to the ground.
Then they picked up the brooms nearby and started beating Lin Ye’s back hard.
The dull thuds made everyone’s hearts race with anxiety.
At this moment, a figure rushed towards Lin Ye without hesitation, throwing herself on his back, “Don’t beat my brother! If you want to beat someone, beat me instead!”
It was Lin Yuan.
The attendants carrying out the punishment were at a loss, unsure whether to continue beating.
Qiao Nian, watching this scene, silently averted her gaze.
Sometimes she really admired Lin Yuan, who always managed to rush out to protect Lin Ye and everyone in the Lin family at critical moments.
That’s why!
Her silence three years ago made Qiao Nian resent her so much.
Prince Ming quietly lowered his gaze to look at Qiao Nian.
Seeing her pale lips trembling slightly, his heart began to quiver as well.
So, steeling his heart, he spoke in a deep voice, “Since Miss Lin insists, this prince will grant your wish. Continue!”
The attendants, having received the order, immediately raised their brooms high.
Unexpectedly, three voices rang out simultaneously.
“No!”
“You can’t!”
“Wait!”
It was Lin Ye, who had now turned to protect Lin Yuan in his arms, and the Xiao siblings.
At this moment, they were no longer silent.
Xiao Qingnu’s eyes were slightly red, looking even more pitiful than when Qiao Nian had slapped her, “Your Highness, today’s matter has nothing to do with Miss Lin. Please don’t implicate the innocent.”
Prince Ming didn’t even look at her, chuckling softly with utter contempt, “What are you to dare speak so boldly before this prince?”
“My sister was disrespectful. Please forgive her, Your Highness,” Xiao Heng stepped forward, clasping his hands in a bow. Though his words were respectful, his attitude was neither servile nor overbearing, seemingly ready to stand on equal footing with Prince Ming.
His gaze fell on Qiao Nian, half-leaning against Prince Ming, and something dark flashed in his eyes. He spoke in a deep voice, “However, I ask Your Highness to reconsider. Otherwise, if this matter reaches the Emperor’s ears, I’m afraid…”
“Are you threatening this prince?” Prince Ming raised an eyebrow slightly. Although he feared his father, if anyone dared to ride roughshod over him, even his father’s presence wouldn’t matter!
Meeting Prince Ming’s piercing gaze, Xiao Heng returned it equally fiercely, “This subject is only considering the bigger picture.”
Since Prince Ming was ultimately going to marry into the Marquis’s family, they couldn’t make things too ugly.
But unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Prince Ming sneered, “General Xiao really has a grand perspective. With such a grand perspective, why were you silent earlier? Were you struck dumb?”
When Qiao Nian was being beaten earlier, was his mouth sewn shut?
Hearing Prince Ming ask this, Qiao Nian’s heart began to ache uncontrollably.
But she had already given up on Xiao Heng, had long since realized that Xiao Heng didn’t like her.
Why did her heart still hurt so much?
She gently bit her lip, hating her own uselessness. Something moist welled up in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
Xiao Heng instinctively observed Qiao Nian’s expression, but from his angle, half of her was hidden behind Prince Ming, their posture intimate, making him feel increasingly irritated.
His tone became more aggressive, “As for who’s right and who’s wrong in today’s matter, everyone can see for themselves. The Young Marquis disciplining his own sister, though he went too far, is ultimately a family matter of the Marquis’s household. This subject has no right to interfere, and I’m afraid Your Highness doesn’t either.”
Xiao Heng’s use of family matters as an excuse indeed put Prince Ming in a difficult position.
Even as a prince, he had no right to interfere in others’ family affairs.
Moreover, another important reason for him to marry Qiao Nian was to establish a connection with the Marquis’s family. If he went too far today, it might…
Seeing Prince Ming fall silent, Xiao Heng cast a glance at the attendants.
As a military general, decisive on the battlefield, just one look from him was enough to frighten the attendants into dropping their brooms.
At this moment, Lin Yuan was crying non-stop in Lin Ye’s arms, “Wuwuwu, Brother, are you okay? Wuwuwu, it’s all my fault… I don’t want this hairpin anymore, I don’t want the night pearl either, I just want Brother to be alright, wuwuwu…”
As Lin Yuan spoke, she was about to remove the hairpin from her head, but her hand was firmly held by Lin Ye, “Don’t be foolish. What Brother gave you is yours. Even if you don’t want it, no one else can touch it!”
Everyone knew who this “no one else” referred to.
Qiao Nian took a deep breath, her body beginning to tremble more violently, though it was unclear whether due to her back injuries or Lin Ye’s words.
Prince Ming became increasingly worried about Qiao Nian’s injuries. He glared at the others, “This prince indeed can’t interfere in the Marquis family’s affairs, but Qiao Nian is someone this prince has chosen. You’ve touched my person, so you must pay the price!”
He then commanded sternly, “Pull Miss Lin away, and beat him hard for this prince!”
“Yes!” The attendants responded, immediately pulling Lin Yuan away.
Lin Yuan resisted, crying and struggling, but couldn’t break free from the grip of two attendants.
Lin Ye was once again pressed to the ground, being beaten heavily.
Prince Ming didn’t continue watching, but turned and picked up Qiao Nian, who could no longer stand, carrying her in his arms as he strode towards the temple exit.
Watching this scene, Xiao Heng’s eyes almost shot fire.
In front of everyone, where was Prince Ming taking Qiao Nian’s reputation?
He wanted to step forward to stop them, but was held back by his own sister.
He turned back to see Xiao Qingnu shaking her head slightly at him, and he realized that he indeed had no right to chase after them now.
But could he just watch her fall into another man’s arms in the future?
Xiao Heng suppressed the jealousy flooding his heart, clenching his fists tightly.