Consort of a Thousand Faces

Su Xi-er could tell that Pei Qianhao was furious from the anger that was emanating from his whole body. Where did his anger come from? Is it because I was talking to Yun Ruofeng? She quickly rejected this theory.  

 

Pei Qianhao held her by her waist as he brought her into his horse carriage. Shortly after, the entourage continued forward.

 

It was strangely quiet in the horse carriage. After Pei Qianhao got in, he stopped paying attention to Su Xi-er and simply let her sit there in silence.

 

Naturally, Su Xi-er didn’t take the initiative to talk to him either. She sat against the wall of the horse carriage and observed the streets through the gap between the curtains.

 

Lotus Flower County hasn’t changed much from before. Under the new policy, Nanzhao is to be governed by virtuosity. It seems that Yun Ruofeng didn’t remove this part of the governance. How about other parts of the new policy?

 

Logically, He must have removed some things from the new policy. Otherwise, Yun Ruofeng wouldn’t have been able to subdue the rich and powerful.

 

“Su Xi-er, do you admit to your crime?” Pei Qianhao asked coldly. From the time that she had gotten on the horse carriage, she had been absentmindedly staring out the window, showing not the slightest inclination to beg for mercy.

 

Did she completely forget that she had slapped me?

 

Su Xi-er answered respectfully, “This servant admits that I have committed a crime. Prince Hao, does your face still hurt?”

 

Her first sentence was expected, but the second sentence was surprising. Should I say that my face hurts, or that it doesn’t? If I say that it hurts, it will sound like I’m weak to the point a single slap can hurt me - impossible. If I say that it doesn’t hurt, isn’t it the same as admitting that I should let her off with a simple punishment since it’s a minor matter?

 

No matter how I answer this, Su Xi-er will be the one at an advantage. What a clever mouth!

 

A subtle glint flickered across Pei Qianhao’s eyes, “Does it matter if it hurts or not? Don’t tell me that you want this prince to give you a slap? This prince doesn’t have a hobby of hitting women.”

 

Su Xi-er replied, “You won’t personally hit a woman, but you will punish them.”

 

This soft counterattack was just right.

 

Pei Qianhao curled up the corners of his mouth, his tone raised. “This prince can make an exception for you. I haven’t tried hitting a woman personally. Come here and raise your head.”

 

He is asking me to come forward and raise my head high for him to slap? Is he really going to slap me? I was impulsive in slapping him, but I don’t regret it. After contemplating for a moment, Su Xi-er quietly walked forward, her head raised high and eyes closed. If he wants to slap me then let him.

 

After waiting for a long time, she still hadn’t felt the slap. 

 

Suddenly, the smell of a man wafted into her nose. Su Xi-er opened her eyes quickly, only to see a handsome face up close.

 

She leaned back and tried to move backwards quickly, but her back touched the frigid wall of the horse carriage: there was no room to retreat.

 

“You had your eyes closed, so how can this prince hit you? You clearly looked like you wanted to be kissed.”

 

“What does this servant have to do to make Prince Hao satisfied?” Am I supposed to kneel on the ground and pretend that I’m begging to be slapped? It was clearly him who asked me to come forward and raise my head. He didn’t say if I could close my eyes or not.

 

“You should have already seen how a servant is flogged.” Pei Qianhao’s reminded her with a flat tone.

 

Su Xi-er immediately understood. Someone being flogged needs to be prostrated to the ground with their heads raised high as they receive the planks. So this is what he meant.

 

But how would he slap me if I’m prostrated on the ground with my head raised? Wouldn’t he find it awkward? Or...

 

She suddenly thought of another possibility.

 

“When you slapped this prince, why did you not think about how you would be punished? What you were like yesterday reminded me of the woman I met in the woods beside the Palace Side Quarters.” His eyes were deep and unreadable, with a trace of playfulness.

 

He is mentioning the woods near the Palace Side Quarters again. I won’t admit that it was me. Slapping him is one thing, but knocking him out is another.

 

This time, Pei Qianhao didn’t wait for Su Xi-er’s answer. He used his hands to control her body, and used the strength in his legs to pin her to the floor of the carriage.

The imperial guard who was driving the horse carriage felt a jolt in the carriage and his expression changed. What is Prince Hao doing in the horse carriage? Why did the carriage suddenly shake?