A middle - aged couple and a charming young girl of fifteen or sixteen rushed over in a hurry. They were dressed in coarse cloth and had calloused hands. Seeing the crushed millet, they were filled with rage. When they caught sight of the luxurious carriage, the words they wanted to scold lingered on their lips and then faded away.
A flash of white shadow darted among the tender green seedlings.
A head popped out of the carriage. After squinting at the distance for a while, the person couldn't help but shout angrily and kicked the middle - aged woman closest to him.
"It's all your fault! You scared my rabbit away! If I don't teach you a good lesson today, I won't be a Cui!"
Cui Xian took a whip from the carriage and lashed it directly at the middle - aged woman. The whip cut through her skin, and blood flowed. The woman fell to the ground, wailing.
Thinking of Cuizong, who had died a tragic death last night, and his unborn child, he whipped with increasing enthusiasm and greater force.
The woman's husband tried to stop him but was knocked to the ground by Cui Xian's personal guards. A group of them surrounded him, punching and kicking. He didn't even have a chance to resist, and his cries for help gradually faded.
"Stop hitting! Stop hitting! Please spare their lives! I'm begging you!" the daughter pleaded loudly, tears streaming down her face instantly.
Li Jingyun was startled by the whip and let out a scream. Then she remembered her parents' exhortations that as a princess of the Tang Dynasty, she should be knowledgeable and resourceful, just like Princess Pingyang, her third aunt. She managed to hold back and quickly jumped out of the carriage, shouting, "Stop!"
But who would take the words of such a little girl seriously?
Especially Cui Xian himself. Seeing the middle - aged woman wailing under his whip, with no part of her body intact and the whip stained with blood, he became even more arrogant and insolent.
Li Jingyun was really anxious. She quickly ran over. The young girl, who was watching her parents being beaten black and blue but was powerless and could only plead with tear - filled eyes, grabbed Li Jingyun. "Don't go over. You're still so young. If you get beaten and disfigured, it will be a lifelong disaster. What will you do in the future? It's not worth it for my parents."
She could tell that the clothes Li Jingyun was wearing were made of good materials. Since she was so well - nurtured, she must come from a wealthy family, and perhaps some of her elders were officials.
But seeing that the man had already gone crazy with rage, anyone who went over would surely get whipped.
It wasn't worth getting hurt for their family.
Li Jingyun was both angry and anxious. She clenched her fists tightly. If this continued, they would surely lose their lives!
She looked back at her sixth and eighth brothers. Why weren't they getting off the carriage? What were they waiting for?
They were really calm!
"Go up and pull them apart!" Li Jingyun pointed at those people and shouted. The guards she had brought from the palace immediately stepped forward, pulled Cui Xian and his men away, and rescued the poor middle - aged couple.
Cui Xian pointed his whip at Li Jingyun. "Who's little brat are you? How dare you interfere in my business!"
"Who do you think she is?" Li Yin couldn't stand it anymore. After getting off the carriage, he kicked Cui Xian to the ground and shielded his younger sister behind him.
Li Zhen also got off the carriage and taunted, "Cui Shiu, what do you think will happen if I report what happened today to our teacher?"
"You! You guys!"
Cui Xian was completely stunned. He didn't recognize Li Jingyun. He had only met Li Yin a few times and barely remembered who he was. But he was very familiar with Li Zhen's face as he saw him every day in the Hongwen Academy.
This was Li Yin, the Prince of Shu and the sixth prince, and that was Li Zhen, the Prince of Yue and the eighth prince.
And this little girl protected behind them?
Her identity was obvious. She was the owner of the villa, Li Jingyun, the youngest daughter of the current emperor and the most beloved Princess Chengyang.
He had come here today just to take a look at the cement floor of the villa. He never expected to meet these siblings in this remote and desolate place.
Truly, even the best may stumble.
Li Jingyun was so angry that her little face turned red. Everyone respected her in the palace. When had she ever seen such a thing?
"Go and call a doctor quickly to treat them and apply some medicine!" Li Jingyun hurriedly ordered.
Immediately, a smart guard ran off.
The couple's daughter checked on her parents' conditions and kowtowed to Li Jingyun and the others. "Thank you all for saving them! Thank you! Otherwise, my parents would surely have lost their lives!"
Seeing the injuries of her parents, Li Jingyun's eyes turned red, and she almost shed tears.
How could there be such a person in the world? Not only did he crush the millet seedlings, but he also beat the people like this?
In her small world, it had always been like in the palace. Her parents were easy - going, her elder brothers and sisters doted on her, and the palace servants and eunuchs were respectful and did things properly.
The previous times she had left the palace had also been smooth. She never expected to encounter such a thing today!
Cui Xian calmed himself down. Seeing Li Yin, the eldest among them, he thought that surely the younger siblings would listen to him. If he could handle Li Yin, this matter would be over.
"Prince of Shu, today's incident was my oversight, but it's really not a big deal. It's all the fault of these troublesome commoners for showing up at the wrong time. I was just so angry that I wanted to teach them a lesson. They're just lowly commoners. It's my fault that I scared the princess and your highnesses. Here's some money as my apology."
As Cui Xian spoke, he took out a shiny piece of gold from his pocket and presented it with both hands.
Riding horses for hunting and trampling on the commoners' fields was something that Li Yin, Li You, and Li Ke had all done. Judging from Li Jingyun's reaction, she probably didn't know about it, right?
Li Ke, the wise prince who was always praised for his bravery, had once been scolded by the emperor for this very thing and had almost been convicted.
"No, Sixth Brother, you can't accept it! We can't take this money!" Li Jingyun was even more anxious. "How can they be lowly commoners!"
"Hong Xuan, remember this face. He's from the second branch of the Boling Cui family, the younger brother of Cui Tian," Li Yin said, trying to soothe his angry younger sister while the piece of gold was still held up in Cui Xian's hand.
Only now did he realize how despicable his own actions had been from an outsider's perspective. The grain yield in the areas that had been run over by carriages or trampled by horses would surely decrease.
Taking this as a warning, he vowed never to repeat such a mistake in the future.
Li Jingyun's little brain started to work at full speed. So he was related to Cui Tian?
Li Zhen, who loved to stir up trouble, said, "I'm going to tell everyone about this in the Hongwen Academy. His behavior is so despicable. Not only did he trample on the fields, but he also beat people. Tsk tsk tsk."
"What do you mean? What you've done is no more noble than mine..."
Cui Xian was cornered and wanted to expose what Li Yin and the others had done before, but Li Yin had already unsheathed his sword and pointed it at him.
Cui Xian swallowed hard and took back his words.
He felt contempt in his heart. Li Yin was really good at pretending in front of his younger sister. If he had the guts, he shouldn't have done those things.
"Us? What have we done?" Li Jingyun stared at Cui Xian and Li Yin with a pair of innocent big eyes.
"Nothing. It's nothing."
Cui Xian swallowed hard and held back his words.
The precious sword was less than three inches away from him. He was afraid that Li Yin would really kill him in a fit of anger.
Just then, the village head came over with several young and strong laborers, carrying axes and hoes. Among the crowd was a delicate and slender girl of about twelve or thirteen, in the prime of her youth.