Chapter 536 - 539: Punishment
Li Ji waited for a moment, but nothing more came.
He couldn’t help but ask.
"And then?"
Hua Manman looked utterly baffled and asked back, "And then what?"
Li Ji frowned. "That’s it?"
Hua Manman nodded.
"Yes."
She found his reaction very strange.
’Logically, any normal person would be shocked and disbelieving upon hearing that I’m a woman disguised as a man.’
But the man before her was completely unfazed.
Li Ji had long known she was a woman through his Mind Reading Technique, so of course he wouldn’t react strongly to what she had just said.
He asked patiently.
"What does this have to do with you running away?"
Hua Manman explained in a low voice, watching his expression for any change.
"I’ve actually always been a woman.
But because my grandfather was worried that the family title would have no heir,
he had me disguise myself as a man and be enfeoffed as the Princely Heir, with the identity of the eldest legitimate grandson of the Yu Royal Mansion.
I don’t want to live this kind of life.
I want to live openly as a woman, just like my younger sister.
I argued with my grandfather about this many times,
but he would never budge.
I had no other choice but to run away.
The reason I was injured from falling off my horse was because I had a falling out with my grandfather and wanted to run away from home.
On the way to Shangjing, I also kept looking for chances to escape, but unfortunately, I never succeeded.
Today, I deliberately sent Ban Ren away to create an opportunity to escape."
At this point, she silently lowered her head, revealing a small, vulnerable nape that made her look helpless and pitiful.
Li Ji watched her calmly for a long time before speaking.
"Is that the entire reason?"
With her head still lowered, Hua Manman gave a soft sound of affirmation.
"Yes."
Li Ji reached out, gripped her chin, and forced her to look up.
Their eyes met.
Hua Manman flinched, chilled by the coldness in his eyes.
"Look me in the eye," Li Ji said, "and say it again. Tell me you’re not lying and not hiding anything."
Hua Manman’s lips parted as if she wanted to speak, but in the end, not a single word came out.
It was as if two little people were arguing in her mind.
The one on the left, representing her intuition, was shouting excitedly.
’Say it! Tell him everything! He’ll definitely help you!’
But the one on the right, representing reason, sneered.
’What’s your relationship with him? Why should he help you?’
The little person of intuition retorted.
’If you don’t try, how will you know he won’t help?’
The little person of reason scoffed disdainfully.
’Only an idiot would pin all their hopes on someone else. What if he sells you out? You’ll have nowhere to turn!’
The little person of intuition stomped its foot in frustration.
’You’re thinking the worst of people! There are more good people in the world than bad!’
The little person of reason rolled its eyes.
’You’re the one who’s too naive. You think the Regent King is some good guy? The very fact that he’s climbed to his current position proves he’s no saint. Maybe he’s just trying to trick you. The moment you show all your cards, he’ll turn on you without a second thought.’
The little person of intuition immediately shot back.
’You said it yourself, he’s the Regent King! He’s incredibly powerful. If he really wanted to harm you, he would have done it already. Why would he waste his breath talking to you here?’
The little person of reason snorted.
’Who knows? Maybe he just enjoys this cat-and-mouse game.’
...
Hua Manman’s mind was a battlefield, torn by indecision.
Li Ji had always known this woman had a flair for the dramatic, but the bickering of the two little people in her mind was still giving him a headache.
But he still waited patiently.
’I want to see what choice she makes in the end.’
After a long while, Hua Manman finally spoke.
"Can you give me a little more time? I need to think about it."
She truly didn’t know what to do.
Reason told her she should keep her secrets and not trust anyone lightly.
But her intuition told her she could try trusting the man before her.
They both had valid points.
Hua Manman was caught in a dilemma, nearly dying from the indecision.
Li Ji wasn’t too disappointed by this. After all, she wasn’t trying to play dumb and brush him off anymore, which was already a big step forward.
He released her chin.
"I can wait. I just hope the answer you give me won’t be a disappointment."
Li Ji stood up, walked to the cell door, and then stopped.
He turned to look back.
"Why aren’t you leaving?"
Hua Manman was surprised. "I can go?"
"If you want to spend the night here," Li Ji said, "that’s also an option."
Hua Manman scrambled up from the ground. "No, thank you! I much prefer the free sky outside!"
She trotted after the Regent King, and the two of them left the Jingzhao Mansion together.
News of the heirs of the Vassal Kings collectively hiring prostitutes quickly spread throughout Shangjing.
The affairs of nobles had always been a favorite topic of gossip among the common people, and since this latest news was of a scandalous nature, it sparked even more speculation.
Many commoners treated the incident as idle gossip to discuss over tea.
Some even wove the incident into vulgar storybooks, using their literary flair to describe the salacious details in vivid clarity.
Hua Manman didn’t yet know that she had become one of the protagonists in these vulgar storybooks.
When she returned to the Yu Royal Mansion, she was immediately reprimanded by Mr. Du.
Although the Regent King had publicly claimed the princely heirs had gone to hire prostitutes together, Mr. Du knew in his heart that the Heir of Prince Yu had surely used it as an opportunity to sneak away.
To make sure the Princely Heir learned his lesson, Mr. Du took out a heavy disciplinary ruler.
"This ruler was a gift from Prince Yu.
Before our departure, Prince Yu instructed me that if the Young Master caused trouble, I was to use this ruler to discipline him.
Young Master, hold out your hands!"
The ruler was made of brass and looked quite heavy.
Hua Manman was unwilling to hold out her hands. "I was wrong. I won’t do it again."
Mr. Du, who was usually all smiles, was exceptionally cold and merciless today.
He ordered his men to hold the Princely Heir’s hands down on the desk.
The ruler fell viciously, striking Hua Manman’s palms.
The pain made her face turn pale.
It struck ten times in a row before stopping.
Bloody welts had been raised on Hua Manman’s palms.
Mr. Du said coldly.
"Young Master, please remember today’s lesson. If you make the same mistake again, it won’t be solved with just ten strikes to the palm."
Hua Manman replied in a trembling voice, "I understand."
She returned to her room, and Jiao Gui hurriedly found medicine for her.
Applying the ointment was painful.
Hua Manman grit her teeth and didn’t make a sound.
Jiao Gui watched her with concern.
"Young Master, are you all right?"
"I’m fine," Hua Manman said. "You can go. I want to be alone for a while."
Jiao Gui could only leave in silence.
Hua Manman sat by the window, looking down at the wounds on her palms, feeling incredibly wronged.
’I’m not Lu Man! I have nothing to do with the Yu Royal Mansion, so why should I have to suffer for her?!’
Just then, she heard a sound from the other side of the courtyard wall.
She followed the sound with her eyes and saw a small head shakily poke up over the top of the wall.
...
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