Mu Xingrou looked at Kong and Mu Rendong who were being forced to kneel on the ground, but said nothing.
"At least Miss Mu knows the rules. Since that's the case, this maid will take the liberty to teach them some rules. Someone, get to work!" Xiao Cui summoned two old maids. These two were from the palace, so they were quite skilled in dealing with such people.
"Miss Mu, please. Our mistress is waiting for you inside. If you make her wait too long and she gets unhappy..." Xiao Cui didn't finish her sentence, but Mu Xingrou knew what she meant.
So without the slightest hesitation, she followed Xiao Cui inside. "Xingrou pays respects to Your Noble Concubine. May Your Noble Concubine be in good health." After entering, Mu Xingrou knelt on the ground properly without even raising her head.
"What's this? Didn't anyone take care of you when you entered the palace, Miss Mu? It's only been a short while, yet you look so haggard." Although she said so, there was not a trace of pity in Lady Jing's eyes.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Noble Concubine. Xingrou is fine." Who else could she rely on? In the palace, she relied on Lady Hua, but Lady Hua didn't treat her well either.
"Alright, get up." Lady Jing noticed that Mu Xingrou was limping when she first came in. She supposed that Mu Xingrou must have suffered in some other palace.
"Do you know the two people outside?" Lady Jing stated the purpose of summoning her.
"Yes, they are my mother and younger brother from outside the palace." Mu Xingrou knew that they already knew the identities of Mu Rendong and Kong, but she still didn't quite understand why they had appeared in the palace and how they had known she was here.
To be honest, Mu Xingrou hadn't raised her head since she entered the room, so she didn't know that Mu Fengqie was also in this room. If she had known, her reaction would definitely have been different.
"Then tell me, what kind of punishment should they receive for speaking rudely to this noble concubine?" Lady Jing's voice was flat, as if it were a matter of little importance.
Hearing Lady Jing's tone, Mu Xingrou was very angry. Sure enough, the more noble a person was, the less they cared about others' lives. But she had to rescue Kong and Mu Rendong.
"Please spare their lives, Your Noble Concubine." Mu Xingrou knelt on the ground and pleaded. By now, her knees had gone numb and she could no longer feel them.
Lady Jing looked at Mu Xingrou for a long time without saying a word. Finally, she sighed. "Fine. Considering that it's their first offense and they don't know the rules, this noble concubine will spare them this time."
"Thank you, Your Noble Concubine, for your mercy." Mu Xingrou said excitedly as she knelt on the ground.
"However, although their death penalty can be waived, they still have to suffer some punishment." Lady Jing immediately shattered Mu Xingrou's beautiful fantasy. "They both spoke rudely to this noble concubine. Each of them shall receive twenty strokes of the cane as a warning."
Mu Xingrou didn't object after hearing this. After all, Kong and Mu Rendong were from the countryside. They were thick-skinned and tough. Twenty strokes of the cane were nothing. "Yes, thank you, Your Noble Concubine, for your mercy."
It was only then that she raised her head. But if she had known that Mu Fengqie was here, she would rather not have raised her head. Mu Xingrou stared at Mu Fengqie in shock, not understanding why she was here.
Seeing Mu Xingrou's shocked expression after seeing Mu Fengqie, Lady Jing curled her lips in amusement. "I forgot to tell Miss Mu. This is the princess of Tianlin Kingdom. Even the emperor has to show her some respect. Miss Mu, why don't you pay your respects quickly?"
Mu Xingrou knelt on the ground reluctantly and didn't move. Of course, she knew that Mu Fengqie was the princess of Tianlin Kingdom, but she had never thought that she would have to pay her respects to Mu Fengqie, who she had once looked down upon and bullied.
But now, seeing Mu Fengqie sitting high above her, she felt extremely unbalanced. Why did all the good things go to Mu Fengqie? What right did she have! She was just a bastard picked up by their family when she was a child.
Mu Fengqie looked at Mu Xingrou's ferocious expression but said nothing. After all, there was still Lady Jing here. She believed that the outburst of an enraged honest person could be quite astonishing.
"What's this? Does Miss Mu think there's something wrong?" Lady Jing saw that Mu Xingrou hadn't moved and asked.
"Xingrou wouldn't dare. Xingrou pays respects to the princess. May the princess be in good health." Hearing Lady Jing's voice, Mu Xingrou snapped back to her senses and properly paid her respects to Mu Fengqie. Even though she was extremely reluctant, she didn't dare to cause any trouble at the moment.
"I heard that it's quite lively here at Lady Jing's place today, so I came uninvited. Lady Jing won't blame me, will you?" A clear voice came from outside the door.
Hearing this voice, Lady Jing frowned. She didn't know why this person had come, but her expression remained unchanged. She slowly stood up and looked at the woman who entered.
"Pays respects to Your Imperial Concubine. May Your Imperial Concubine be in good health." Lady Jing paid her respects to Lady Hua as she entered.
"Oh~ I didn't expect it to be so lively here, sister. What did Miss Mu do wrong? Did it warrant such a big deal from you, sister?" As soon as Lady Hua entered, she saw the people in the room. Of course, she also saw Mu Fengqie, but she chose to ignore her.
Lady Hua didn't want to cause trouble for Mu Fengqie at the moment. Anyway, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. There was no need to rush.
"Your Imperial Concubine has misunderstood. This concubine didn't make things difficult for Miss Mu. It's just that Miss Mu's mother accidentally entered this concubine's palace, so this concubine summoned Miss Mu. Miss Mu had just arrived when Your Imperial Concubine came." As she said this, she glanced at Mu Xingrou. Although there was nothing in Lady Jing's eyes, Mu Xingrou still saw the threat in them.
"What do you say, Miss Mu?" Lady Hua glanced at Mu Xingrou, who was still kneeling on the ground. Her eyes were full of disdain. This woman was really good for nothing but causing trouble.
She really didn't understand why the nanny had kept this stupid woman. She was just ruining her mood. If she wanted to gain the emperor's favor, she could do it on her own. She didn't need anyone else's help at all.
She was the princess of Huaman Kingdom. Anyway, the emperor would take her into consideration. Since there was no empress in the palace yet, she had the highest rank in the palace. She didn't need to be afraid of these women at all.
"Replying to Your Imperial Concubine, what Lady Jing said is true. Xingrou just arrived." Although Mu Xingrou really wanted to tell Lady Hua, she knew that although Lady Hua was a princess of a foreign country, it was no use.
So what if she was a princess? The palace was full of daughters of the court officials. Would the emperor offend all the court officials in the court just for a princess of a foreign country? That was impossible.