Chapter 197: 197 Reciting the

"My lord will know once you see it~"

Wei Youqing's face flushed red; watching as Ning Mu had already opened the scroll and was slowly unrolling it, her heart immediately leaped into her throat.

This Spring Palace Lady Painting was, after all, going to be displayed before him.

And as her voice fell, Wei Youqing lowered her head, hiding that face which was already as red as if it were engorged with blood beneath her thick, dark hair.

Then.

She began to unfasten her robes.

As the Ranshan worn on the outside fell away.

In an instant.

One could see a delicate, charming, and grandly scaled body displayed within this Cave Heaven.

A form-fitting, knee-length dress woven from semi-transparent silk.

Beneath the dress were exquisite curves that could not be concealed, along with that snow-white skin that invited infinite reverie.

On her feet, she wore a pair of black high heels.

Her long, plump legs revealed infinite scenery beneath the dress.

And that semi-transparent Mysterious Silk Silver Chain Pouch, along with the Mysterious Silk Pearl Underpants, set each other off and shone in mutual brilliance, displaying Wei Youqing's aesthetic and amorous swaying to the fullest.

But at this moment.

Ning Mu had no time to appreciate this rare and beautiful sight.

Because there was an even more wonderful scene flickering before his eyes.

Tsk.

Looking at this lady painting, Ning Mu's eyes suddenly lit up.

It's fantastic.

Although it is not as realistic as the spiritual sustenance in modern society.

But in this era, to be able to see such a wonderfully peerless painting, it is enough to see that Wei Youqing's brushwork is already very accomplished.

"A-Qing, do you wish to gift this to me as a token of affection?"

Ning Mu curled his lips into a faint smile, put away the Spring Palace Lady Painting, then took two steps toward Wei Youqing, lowered his head, and looked down at her to ask.

Wei Youqing's expression was filled with deep shame and trepidation.

She did not reply, but nodded.

That pretty face, covered in a blush, was hidden beneath her hair, feeling infinitely burning hot.

And just as she was feeling extremely nervous in her heart.

Suddenly, she felt a warm embrace descend.

"A-Qing, what virtue or ability do I, Mu, possess to receive such a heart of attachment from you? To have your loyalty is the favor of the heavens; I have no regrets in this life..."

Hearing these words, Wei Youqing immediately raised her head, and even the nervousness in her heart seemed to dissipate quite a bit.

One could see her beautiful eyes like stars and the moon, sparkling with light, looking at Ning Mu with a face full of admiration and worship.

【Notification: Your flowery words (not really) sweet talk... have moved Sub-system No. 3 Wei Youqing greatly; Wei Youqing's favorability toward you has increased, Loyalty Value has increased by 2 points, current Loyalty Value is 62%!】

Hmm? Ning Mu's gaze could not help but brighten.

After a moment of thought, he immediately hugged Wei Youqing's moving, beautiful body, and then began to recite affectionately.

"The carriage is far, the horses are restless. You travel east of the mountain, east and east again, how can I fly to chase the west wind? I wish I were the star and you the moon, night after night shedding light to shine brightly upon each other. The moon is temporarily obscured, the stars are always bright. I wait for the moon to return, the three and five nights together in fullness."

A casual bit of sweet talk could coax Wei Youqing's favorability to increase and raise her Loyalty Value by 2%.

Then if he brought out this deeply moving love poem, it should be able to increase Wei Youqing's Loyalty Value even more!

Thinking this, Ning Mu recited this very famous poem, especially that line "I wish I were the star and you the moon, night after night shedding light to shine brightly upon each other," which was almost on everyone's lips.

But to Ning Mu's surprise.

The notification of the Loyalty Value increasing that he had imagined did not sound.

Instead, Wei Youqing's sweet, soft, and glutinous voice rang out.

One could see Wei Youqing raising her head, her eyes shining, her little face overflowing with unspeakable agitation and excitement.

"I wish I were the star and you the moon, night after night shedding light to shine brightly upon each other... Ning-lang, this concubine understands your heart!"

"Ning-lang, rest assured, no matter how large the dark clouds are, they cannot cover this concubine's bright heart that wishes to shed light and shine brightly with Ning-lang night after night!"

Wei Youqing was resolute.

She was a model for the scholars of the world, so naturally, she could understand the meaning of this poem.

This poem compared herself to the moonlight, and Ning-lang was like the starlight.

But the dark clouds arrive, the moon is temporarily obscured, and the stars are always bright.

She felt that Ning-lang was hinting here that she was a Disciple of the Master, that their status and standing were unequal, and that in the future, there would surely be a layer of dark clouds hanging over their heads, separating them.

Therefore.

She expressed her heart resolutely.

Even if there were dark clouds covering the sky, she would still be with Ning-lang, night after night shedding light to shine brightly upon each other! Her heart was full of joy.

Ning-lang's literary talent had indeed been acknowledged by the Literary Saint.

To be able to recite such a peerless work that would be passed down through the ages so casually.

It was just that he was a bit too amorous.

But then she thought, since ancient times, among all those with great talent, who was not an amorous scholar? Thinking of this, Wei Youqing's inner conflict was resolved.

She pursed her lips.

She slowly raised her hand and handed the Ruler in her hand to Ning Mu.

"Hmm? This is..." Ning Mu blinked, pretending to be confused as he looked at her.

Wei Youqing's face was as red as blood; she glanced at Ning Mu, then lowered her head and stammered, "My lord... to prove my sincerity to you, for seven consecutive days, I will recite the *Admonitions for Women* to show you that I am a person who upholds virtue and chastity. If I make a mistake in my recitation, my lord, my lord may punish me with this Ruler as much as you wish."

"Mm~ I beg for my lord's pity~"

After saying these last few words, Wei Youqing lowered her head in a delicate and charming manner.

Ning Mu picked up the Ruler, weighed it in his hand, and then said with a strange expression, "Why is A-Qing doing this?"

"Lord Ning, say no more; all of this is A-Qing's own will!"

Wei Youqing blushed, her eyes flickering with a touch of helplessness and bewilderment.

It was all forced by the System!

What other choice did she have?

Being so presumptuous and sudden, reciting some nonsense *Admonitions for Women*, anyone would be suspicious.

"The *Admonitions for Women* is divided into seven chapters: *Humility*, *Husband and Wife*, *Respect and Compliance*, *Wifely Conduct*, *Single-mindedness*, *Curved Compliance*, and *Harmony with Brothers and Sisters-in-law*."

"Lord Ning, today I shall recite the first section, *Humility*. If I make a mistake halfway through, Lord Ning may, may punish me as you see fit."

Wei Youqing looked at Ning Mu with a nervous expression.

Afterward, she gripped her transparent silk wrap dress, her small hands clenching until the knuckles turned white.

And under Ning Mu's expectant and strange gaze.

Soon.

Wei Youqing's emotionally charged recitation rang out clearly; her words were distinct, her articulation sharp, and her voice carried a hint of nervousness and shyness.

"Humility, Chapter One. In ancient times, when a girl was born, she was laid beneath the bed, played with a tile and brick, and announced to the ancestors..."

*Hoo. *

Wei Youqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

For this period of time, she had been diligently reciting every day, and finally, she hadn't made a fool of herself. The start was very smooth; she followed the text in her memory with ease, the clear, ringing sounds flowing from her alluring, bright red little mouth as it opened and closed, filling this Cave Heaven.

It was as if even this decaying and ancient Cave Heaven had added quite a bit of Confucian atmosphere because of her full-bodied reading voice.

But as she recited on.

Her mind suddenly went blank for a moment.

She could not be blamed for having a poor memory.

She was, after all, a person in the Academy known for her extensive learning and photographic memory.

Yet, she was disturbed by the current environment.

Plus, Ning Mu was staring at her with a wicked grin, his highly aggressive eyes seemingly carrying intense flames that infected her entire being, making her burn. In particular, he held the Ruler in one hand, constantly tapping and weighing it in the palm of his other hand.

He listened while shaking his head, as if he were truly listening to and examining a student's studies.

This contrasting and shameful scene made her heart uncontrollably panicked and shy; naturally, those familiar words in her mind suddenly became strange and unrecognizable, for no reason.

Causing her originally smooth recitation to suddenly stutter.

"... If there is evil, do not argue; endure, endure humiliation and bear disgrace, always as if in fear; this is called, this is called the humility of an inferior person."

"Sleep late and rise early, do not fear the dawn or the night; perform tasks, perform private tasks, do not refuse the difficult or the easy..."

After stumbling on "endure humiliation and bear disgrace," Wei Youqing immediately became nervous; while continuing to recite, she raised her eyes and secretly glanced at Ning Mu.

Upon looking, she noticed the swaying Ruler in Ning Mu's hand and his amused, half-smiling expression.

Her heart tightened instantly, and she stumbled again, pausing at the two words "this is called."

Under the tension in her heart, she made mistake after mistake.

Reciting up to "do not refuse the difficult or the easy," a flash of guilt and helplessness flickered in her eyes, and she simply closed her eyes and tentatively extended her palm.

"Let me count, that makes three mistakes in total?"

Ning Mu looked at her with a half-smile.

"Mm~ please punish me, Lord Ning~"

Wei Youqing was terrified; the palm she extended into mid-air, white as jade, was even trembling slightly.

It was not that she was afraid.

With her current Sitting Reflection Realm cultivation, it was merely a Ruler hitting her palm.

Even if hit for a whole day, it would not necessarily injure her in the slightest.

But this kind of psychological humiliation made it difficult for her to maintain her composure.

After all, from childhood to adulthood, she had always been the one envied and jealous of others, the genius in the mouths of her teachers, and the pride in the eyes of her peers.

With her ability, only she had ever replaced teachers to punish other fellow students.

When had she ever been physically punished?

And with such a highly humiliating punishment as hitting the palm?

She was an Imperial Academy Libationer.

Yet she had been punished with a Ruler.

This huge psychological gap left her feeling dazed and humiliated.

"You made three mistakes in a row; just hitting the palm won't do."

Ning Mu smiled half-heartedly, looking down from above at Wei Youqing, whose expression revealed shyness, timidity, and helplessness.

"Then, then tell me, Lord Ning, how should I be punished..."

Wei Youqing stammered, her eyes flickering as she asked, her soft whispers as low as a mosquito's.

"Mm~ three punishments; to ensure fairness, how about one strike on each of three different parts?"

Ning Mu looked at Wei Youqing with a smile, weighing the Ruler, then suddenly stopped abruptly. He reached out a hand, lifted Wei Youqing's chin, and revealed her delicate, pretty face—which was already flushed with unbearable shyness beneath her hair—forcing her to meet his gaze.

As their eyes met, Wei Youqing immediately dodged and glanced elsewhere, her eyes swimming with timidity and confusion.

Then she gave a soft "mm," emitting a nasal sound like the low hum of a mosquito.

"Then, obediently lie down."

Ning Mu smiled.

He immediately stepped back two paces, clearing the space.

The protrusion on the stone wall at this end of the Teleportation Array was the very spot Liu Qingmei and Tong Yuyue had both leaned against just moments ago.

Now, there was a successor.

Wei Youqing was stunned for a moment, not understanding Ning Mu's meaning.

But immediately after.

She saw clearly the intent behind Ning Mu's meaningful glance.

She could not help but blush, and with shy, lotus-like steps, she slowly walked over; the distance of two paces felt to her as long as an eternity, as remote as the ends of the earth.

Until she lay upon that protruding stone wall, exposing that plump, full, and curvaceous arc to the Ruler without reservation.

She seemed not to have even reacted yet.

Slap—suddenly.

A loud, crisp sound, one that stirred the heart and struck deep into the flesh, rang out within this empty Cave Heaven.

"Ugh~"

Wei Youqing subconsciously covered her lips, a muffled groan escaping from her throat.

Her pretty face was instantly suffused with a rosy glow, as if draped in clouds.

That exquisite, plump, and undulating body also swayed like rippling waves under the punishment of the Ruler.

A very strange feeling rose in her heart.

'So, this is what it feels like to be punished by the Ruler~'

Wei Youqing's eyes were incomparably shimmering; she bit her lip, struggling to suppress the trembling within her heart, and cast her gaze toward the interior of the Teleportation Array, yet her eyes, though filled with light, held a trace of distraction.

For some reason.

She was actually looking forward to the next punishment.

The way the Ruler struck her buttocks, setting off surging waves, left her heart in a state of restless agitation.

"Second strike, kneel down."

"Ugh~"

Following Ning Mu's sudden command.

Wei Youqing seemed startled by his seriousness, and immediately followed suit, turning around, her knees softening as she knelt on the ground with great submissiveness.

Just as she had recited in the *Admonitions for Women*: endure humiliation and bear disgrace, always as if in fear.

She tilted up her flushed, delicate cheeks, her timid gaze filled with flickering rays of light.

"Lift it up yourself!"

Ning Mu looked down from above and issued the command again.

"Ugh~ This student has erred; as a woman, and an Imperial Academy Libationer at that, to be unable to recite even the most basic *Admonitions for Women* correctly, I truly deserve to be punished. Please... please, my lord, punish me!"

This time.

Wei Youqing had clearly cast aside many of her psychological burdens.

She had actually taken the initiative to speak and request her own punishment.

As she spoke those words with shyness and a sense of enduring humiliation, her flushed cheeks were covered in a brilliance like sunset clouds.

Her eyes were even more remarkably expressive.

As her voice fell.

She blushed and strictly followed Ning Mu's instructions.

Seeing Ning Mu holding the Ruler, walking to her side, and waving the Ruler in the air.

She could not help but feel inexplicably nervous.

Would it be broken from the beating!

The Ruler looked light, but it was designed specifically for punishing students who made mistakes; no matter how light the force was controlled, the pain and aftereffects were unavoidable.

If it were beaten until swollen, wouldn't it grow even larger? She felt that not only could she not see her toes when looking down, but even bending over was already obstructed by her knees.

Slap! Slap! Just as Wei Youqing's mind was flying with wild thoughts, thinking of this and that.

Suddenly.

Two consecutive, exceptionally crisp sounds rang out by her ears, going straight into her mind.

At first listen, it sounded like one.

But if one listened carefully, those with deep Cultivation Points would definitely be able to tell that they were two strikes that had occurred almost one after the other in an instant...

(End of chapter)