Chapter 374: Lady Leng fainted

Gu Huanghou's eyes were filled with killing intent.

She tried to take advantage of this perfect opportunity to pin a charge of high treason on Ye Qingran and then execute her!

"Enough! All of you, get out!" the Donglin Emperor said in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, Ye Qingran's conduct is grossly disrespectful; she deserves to be executed!" Gu Huanghou shouted sharply.

"Shut up!" the Donglin Emperor said, his anger evident without raising his voice.

"To execute a Profound Venerable—when did our Donglin Country ever gain such capability?"

Gu Huanghou gritted her teeth, and facing the furious Donglin Emperor, she could only swallow the words at her throat.

"What Ye Qingran said is correct; Ling'er, as a royal princess, ought to keep her promise and bear the responsibility of setting an example."

"Father Emperor, I don't want to!"

Dongfang Ling'er cried out.

"You have no choice! If you refuse, I will exile you to the Eastern Wasteland!"

Dongfang Ling'er's eyes were practically bursting with rage.

Exile to the Eastern Wasteland?

The Eastern Wasteland is the most backward and impoverished place on the Xuanmiao Continent, inhabited by many ruthless and wicked people. Therefore, the Central Region, Beimingzhou, Nan Yin Zhou, and even the Xi Ji Shengyu like to use the Eastern Wasteland as the final destination for exiles.

Day after day, the Eastern Wasteland became synonymous with exile and barbarism.

She absolutely did not want to go to the Eastern Wasteland!

She would die!

Seeing Dongfang Ling'er stop resisting, Ye Qingran lifted her chin and said to Mu Qingrou, "You give the Thirteenth Princess that slap."

Mu Qingrou could hardly believe her own ears.

Let her go hit the Thirteenth Princess?

"Why should I hit just because you tell me to?"

"Either you slap the Thirteenth Princess, or I'll beat you to death—pick one."

That's pretty vicious.

Xia Zhimeng stood there, dumbfounded.

She felt that today, Ran-jie was especially tough!

It felt like breaking free of all constraints, rolling up one's sleeves and getting straight to work.

Anyway, watching it felt satisfying!

"Mu Qingrou, I agree to you hitting her." Compared to letting Ye Qingran do it, Dongfang Ling'er would rather have Mu Qingrou do the hitting.

Saying that, Dongfang Ling'er also gave Mu Qingrou a meaningful look.

Mu Qingrou's eyes flashed; she quickly understood the meaning. Besides, she could hit lightly, thereby earning a favor from the Thirteenth Princess.

"I'll hit her then!"

Only then did Mu Qingrou agree, walking up to Dongfang Ling'er and preparing to strike, when Ye Qingran's voice drifted over leisurely: "The lighter you hit, the harder I'll hit you later."

Mu Qingrou's whole body stiffened.

"Ye Qingran, don't go too far!"

"You can try."

Mu Qingrou's pupils trembled as she recalled Ye Qingran's strength as a Profound Venerable; she shrank back. If Ye Qingran used full force, with her cultivation, she could hardly withstand it—she might really be beaten to death!

Fear flashed in her eyes.

"Mu Qingrou, don't listen to her! She's just trying to scare you!" Dongfang Ling'er looked uneasy, afraid Mu Qingrou would strike too hard.

"Hit her!"

"Thirteenth Princess, sorry!" Mu Qingrou changed her mind on the spot, raised her hand, and delivered a solid slap to Dongfang Ling'er's face.

Dongfang Ling'er didn't even have time to brace herself before being sent flying by Mu Qingrou's slap!

She scrambled up from the ground, seeing stars, her face burning with pain, tears streaming down.

"Thirteenth Princess, does it hurt a lot? Want revenge?"

Dongfang Ling'er's eyes lit up.

At this moment she wished she could beat Mu Qingrou to death!

"That lowlife, daring to use such force!"

"Perfect, Mu Qingrou owes me that slap—you can repay it for me."

Dongfang Ling'er was overjoyed.

The intense pain made her temporarily lose her reason. Although this slap was ordered by Ye Qingran for Mu Qingrou to deliver, the one who actually struck was indeed Mu Qingrou; she hated Mu Qingrou to the core and was determined to retaliate.

Mu Qingrou, meanwhile, went rigid.

Only then did she realize she had fallen into Ye Qingran's trap! Watching the Thirteenth Princess step step approach her, fear showed on her face.

Just now, because she feared Ye Qingran would strike her hard, she had put all her strength into it.

So Dongfang Ling'er would definitely not let her off.

"Princess..." she pleaded with her eyes at Dongfang Ling'er, hoping she would show mercy.

But how could someone blinded by hatred easily come to their senses?

Pa—

The exceptionally crisp sound echoed through the Jin Luan Hall.

"Thirteenth Princess, I didn't hit that hard just now, did I? You're being excessive!" Mu Qingrou, whose eyes were red from being struck, took advantage of Dongfang Ling'er's inattention and returned a slap with her backhand.

How could Dongfang Ling'er tolerate that?

Thus, the two of them traded slaps on the Jin Luan Hall floor, going all out.

One is an Imperial Clan princess, the other is the daughter of a steward family of Wuji Hall; both have noble status, yet now they look like two shrews, wrestling together, pulling each other's hair, scratching each other's faces with their nails, swearing, and while the onlookers stare in shock, they are mostly amused.

Such an amusing incident doesn't happen every day.

"Mother, you're really amazing!"

"Does this count as dog‑biting‑dog?"

Mo Xiaohu and Fu Qianchen watched eagerly from the side.

"Enough!" Donglin Emperor seemed on the verge of having his lungs explode.

A princess fighting someone in full view—what a disgrace!

In the end, he and Mu Yuanzheng intervened personally, finally pulling the two combatants apart.

Both were bleeding from the head, in a sorry state, and their faces were utterly ruined.

The farce ended awkwardly like that.

Ye Qingran and Lin Xueyan each returned to their own places.

Compared with Lin Xueyan, whose clothes were disheveled, hair a mess, and face still bearing bloodstains, Ye Qingran's hair was not a single strand out of place. The widening gap between them made onlookers feel a sudden bewilderment. Looking at Lin Xueyan, then at Ye Qingran, one couldn't help but think the two had somehow swapped identities.

Ye Qingran looks more like the one who just returned from the Summit of the Hunt!

Lin Xueyan now feels as if sitting on a bed of needles.

Before attending the banquet, the Emperor Sovereign emphasized that she must not embarrass the Summit of the Hunt.

Just now, she lost to Ye Qingran, which was a loss of face. If she could, she would really like to walk away. She cannot bear the complicated gazes coming from all directions.

It makes her feel like thorns on her back, utterly uncomfortable!

No!

She must regain the stage in public, proving she is superior to Ye Qingran!

Lin Xueyan clenched her fist, pondering ways to prove herself.

"Ah, not good, Lady Leng has fainted again!"

At that moment, a gasp rose from the Lin Family table.

There, Lady Leng, seated beside Leng Feng, supported her forehead with one hand, swayed, then collapsed onto the table, knocking the wine jars off the table onto the floor with a crisp clatter.

Lady Leng is a distinguished guest; her sudden collapse made Donglin Emperor instantly uneasy!

"Quick, summon the Imperial Physician!"

"Qian'er, Qian'er..." Leng Feng, cradling her, whispered her name.

Lady Leng's eyelids trembled, her complexion turned ghastly, and her whole body was icy.

"Madam..." even her maid was frightened to tears.

Although in recent years Lady Leng's old illness flares up from time to time, each episode is especially terrifying. The doctor said that if each onset isn't treated promptly, she might never wake up again!

"When Lady Leng's old illness flared last time, wasn't it Lin Xuewei who revived her? Let her try again!"

Someone shouted that, and all eyes fell on her!