At Minister Cheng's order, Steward Wang was slightly stunned for a moment before reacting and backing off.
The old lady showed no particular emotion on her face.
Mrs. Liu began to sob pitifully. "My lord, you know very well that Zhiyue has been in poor health since childhood. Now you want to punish her with the family law. Aren't you afraid that her frail body won't be able to bear it?"
Cheng Zhiyue also took a half - step backward in fear. Then she defended herself, "Please, Father, make a fair judgment. Although I stayed in Prince Qi's Mansion last night, nothing improper happened between the prince and me!"
Minister Cheng was so angry that he waved his sleeve and didn't even look at her. He coldly asked, "So, do you want me to invite Prince Qi here for a confrontation?"
Cheng Zhiyue was extremely shocked. She originally thought that all she needed to do was act coquettishly, show some weakness, and sincerely apologize, and this matter would be settled. But she underestimated her father after all and didn't know how feudal and old - fashioned he was.
Before she could reply, Minister Cheng changed his words. "Or should I find an old maidservant to check your virginity now?"
Mrs. Liu was crying uncontrollably. "My lord, how can you say such things about Zhiyue!"
Minister Cheng let out a cold snort.
At this moment, Cheng Xiran stepped forward inappropriately. "Father, last night, younger sister drank too much. It's inevitable that she lost her mind. I hope Father can forgive her this time, considering that she and Prince Qi are already betrothed."
It was obvious that she was adding fuel to the fire!
Hearing this, Cheng Zhiyue seemed to think of something and began to bite back at her. "Cheng Xiran, you also drank a lot last night. How can you prove that the prince didn't keep you in the mansion but sent you back to the newspaper office obediently?"
Everyone present focused their gazes on her.
In response, Cheng Xiran let out a soft laugh. She calmly replied, "If younger sister has doubts, we might as well call an old maidservant to check our virginity. I'm not afraid of being ashamed. Isn't the truth revealed by such a check?"
Cheng Zhiyue was left speechless, which clearly showed that she had a guilty conscience.
Minister Cheng already understood and became even angrier. He was furious at Cheng Zhiyue for disgracing the family.
Steward Wang had already presented the family law, a whip more than three meters long.
Mrs. Liu could only plead with the old lady. "I beg you. In the future, I'll do anything for you. I only hope that you can save Zhiyue this time, considering that we're both mothers. She has a weak body and can't withstand the beating!"
Seeing her cry so heart - wrenchingly, Cheng Xiran didn't feel any sympathy at all. Instead, she thought Mrs. Liu was even more detestable.
The old lady said coldly, "In my opinion, you also deserve to be beaten! The reason why the second girl is so unruly today is entirely because of your so - called good mothering! Since she has committed a serious mistake and violated the family rules, she should be punished. Don't try to play the victim here."
"My lord, you can't do it..."
Before Mrs. Liu could finish her sentence, Minister Cheng raised the long whip and whipped it down. She rushed towards Cheng Zhiyue in a hurry and blocked the whip for her. Perhaps Minister Cheng had used too much strength. The whip tore the skin on Mrs. Liu's back, and blood oozed out.
"If you don't get out of the way, I'll beat you too!"
Minister Cheng's eyes were already filled with anger. Judging from the current situation, he seemed to be on the verge of madness.
"My lord, what will Prince Qi think if he knows about this? Now Zhiyue and he are already as one. If you beat Zhiyue, aren't you also embarrassing Prince Qi? After all, he is from the royal family and the biological son of the empress dowager. What will the empress dowager think if this gets to her ears?"
Mrs. Liu's words successfully made Minister Cheng put away the whip.
"Go to the ancestral shrine and copy the Tao Te Ching a hundred times. You're not allowed to eat until you finish copying. After that, you'll be confined to your room for half a month to reflect on your mistakes!"
After leaving this sentence, Minister Cheng strode away.
Only then did Mrs. Liu breathe a sigh of relief. Cheng Zhiyue looked at her mother, who always protected her, with a bit of pity. The mother and daughter hugged each other tightly.
Cheng Xiran had no feeling for this scene of mother - daughter affection. But for some reason, she always felt a bit of a sour nose. It wasn't that she was envious of Mrs. Liu and Cheng Zhiyue colluding with each other. Instead, she thought that if her mother were still alive, she would also be a happy child now, a child protected by someone, and a child who didn't have to worry about her own livelihood.
"Xiran, come with me."
The old lady's words pulled her thoughts back from afar.
Cheng Xiran responded with an "um" and then followed her. The grandmother and granddaughter went to the back yard together.
Along the way, she heard her grandmother sigh several times.
Cheng Xiran guessed on her own. "Grandmother, are you feeling sorry for younger sister?"
The old lady gently shook her head. "I'm thinking that your father always favors your younger sister. I also know that even if it were you today, even if you had the support of the empress dowager, your father would still teach you a good lesson. That's just the kind of person he is."
It turned out that her grandmother knew everything but had never said anything.
"Grandmother..." Cheng Xiran felt extremely aggrieved.
The old lady softly comforted her. "Don't worry. Even if the whole world is against you, I'll stand behind you and support you. Besides, I definitely won't let this matter go so easily."
She paused for a moment and then continued, "After all, it was Zhiyue's fault for doing something so out of line. I can't just let her get away with it so easily."
Cheng Xiran didn't ask her what she was going to do.
It seemed that the morning's incident had passed like this. She spent the whole morning accompanying her grandmother and didn't hear any rumors. Originally, she planned to return to the newspaper office before lunch, but as soon as she left the Cheng Mansion, she was stopped by Zuo Yan. "Miss, the prince asked you to stay in the mansion for lunch and wait for him to pick you up."
This aroused her curiosity. "Why? Is he playing some kind of trick again?"
Zuo Yan smiled. "He just said that you should stay in the mansion and not wander around. He didn't say anything else."
In that case, she had no choice but to obey obediently. So she replied and went back to the mansion.
During lunch, Father Cheng was also there. And almost for the first time, he began to pick up food for Cheng Xiran. But Cheng Xiran didn't feel flattered at all, although she still had to put on an act on the surface.
Cheng Zhiyue had already been punished in the ancestral shrine. Mrs. Liu sat there alone like a wilted flower.
Cheng Xiran kept thinking about Helian Duo in her heart, wondering why he had asked her to stay in the mansion. But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't figure it out.
Until there was suddenly a commotion outside, and Steward Wang walked in with a look of embarrassment on his face.
Minister Cheng showed his displeasure. "What's going on outside?"
Steward Wang hesitated for a while before speaking. "My lord, there are some commoners surrounding the mansion outside..."
"What exactly happened?" The old lady asked with a straight face.