Ling Feng had just been demoted from a marquis to a sixth-rank official. When He Guozhang reprimanded him, he must have brought this up. Ling Feng was always concerned about his reputation, so being insulted like this made him extremely angry. In addition, he had always disliked Ling Xiao, and today, when he had the opportunity to teach Ling Xiao a lesson, Ling Feng would not be lenient.
Fearing that Ling Feng might do something excessive to Ling Xiao, Ling Qingwan quickened her pace and almost ran to the ancestral hall.
"stop!"
Ling Feng was just raising his hand when he saw the whip hitting Ling Xiao, when Ling Qingwan suddenly came over and shouted at him to stop.
Ling Xiao was naked from the waist up, kneeling on the ground, his back was covered with bloodstains, about a dozen of them, and it was shocking to see. Ling Qingwan's legs went limp, and if Qiao'er hadn't supported her in time, she would have fallen to the ground.
Being beaten like this would hurt even a body made of iron. Ling Qingwan tightly grasped Qiao'er's hand and suppressed her heartache for Ling Xiao.
Ling Qingwan sorted out her thoughts and walked up the stairs. She was stopped by the servant at the door. She glared at the servant fiercely, scaring him so much that he shuddered all over.
He probably could never have imagined that the second young lady, who looked petite and weak, could have such a fierce and determined look.
"Let her in." Ling Feng snorted unhappily.
The servant reacted and moved away as if escaping. Ling Qingwan went straight up the stairs, walked in front of Ling Xiao, and blocked Ling Xiao firmly.
"Wanwan, I'm fine, don't worry about me." Ling Xiao was afraid that Ling Qingwan would be implicated, so he grabbed Ling Qingwan's hand and tried to pull her away.
As a result, Ling Qingwan grabbed Ling Xiao with her backhand, her body motionless, staring at Ling Feng intently.
Ling Feng put away the whip and took a few steps back.
"Are you here to speak for your brother again?" Ling Feng glanced at Ling Qingwan with disdain, then turned to look at the rows of tablets in front.
"Today, he contradicted the young master of the father-in-law's family in the street, causing the father-in-law to come and scold me, saying that I did not discipline my children well. You two answer me in front of our ancestors, should I discipline him? If I don't discipline him again, and someone talks about me some other day, it will be the Ling family that will be embarrassed."
Ling Feng's voice rose, his energy sank into his dantian, and was extremely loud. Everyone was silent, except Ling Qingwan, who stood up straight, raised her head high, and stared at Ling Feng closely.
"My brother contradicted Uncle He to help me vent my anger. That person bullied his relatives and he was in a difficult situation. Even if he made mistakes, it is understandable."
Ling Qingwan knew that Ling Xiao had done nothing wrong emotionally, but it had violated the rules of respect and inferiority. If Ling Feng insisted on hitting her, Ling Qingwan would not be able to stop him. Even if Ling Feng had a personal grudge, Ling Qingwan had no evidence to refute it.
As the saying goes, a wise man never suffers a loss in front of him, so Ling Qingwan had no choice but to admit that Ling Xiao was wrong.
"Uncle He is the younger brother of the current queen. So what if he says a few words to you? Is it your brother's turn to vent your anger?" Ling Feng yelled in anger.
Ling Xiao wanted to speak, but Ling Qingwan pulled him and signaled him not to speak yet.
"Father feels that Father-in-law He came to scold you and made you lose face, but have you ever thought about why Uncle He insulted me in public for no reason? Have you ever reflected on it?" Ling Qingwan's eyes were cold, without any emotion at all.
After hearing what Ling Feng said, Ling Qingwan just felt funny. His daughter was insulted because of his mistake, and he had the nerve to say it was natural. Such a cold-blooded person naturally can't be a good official. Ling Qingwan now thinks that the emperor's decision to demote Ling Feng is very correct.
“You…!” Ling Feng was so angry that he pointed his finger at Ling Qingwan and couldn’t utter a word for a long time.
Ling Qingwan just stood there motionless, looking at Ling Feng coldly.
Finally, Ling Feng suddenly threw the whip at Ling Qingwan's feet.
"There are still three whips left. You and your brother have such a deep affection for each other, so please beat the rest for me." After Ling Feng said this, he stood with his hands behind his back and stepped aside.
He knew that Ling Qingwan couldn't do it, but he insisted on asking Ling Qingwan to do it. He didn't do it on purpose to embarrass Ling Qingwan, but to give her a warning and let her know who has the final say in the Ling Mansion.
"My sister was reckless. I apologize to father on her behalf. These three whippings should have been done by father. If my sister were allowed to do it, it would break the rules and go against your original intention." Ling Xiao knew that Ling Qingwan was in a dilemma, so he spoke up immediately to smooth things over for Ling Qingwan.
Ling Qingwan frowned.
The servant beside him picked up the whip and handed it back to Ling Feng. As soon as Ling Feng took it, Madam Pu came running over.
"Master, there's news from General Shen, informing the prince and the young lady to go to the general's mansion." Nanny Park reported to Ling Feng.
Ling Qingwan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Ling Feng had no choice. He couldn't afford to offend He Guozhang, and the same was true for General Shen. Before the three whips could be given, Ling Xiao and Ling Qingwan got up and went to the general's mansion.
On the way, Nanny Park hurriedly took out the golden wound medicine from her pocket and stuffed it into Ling Qingwan's hand.
"Fortunately, the young lady had foresight and asked me to report to General Shen. The master was really merciless. The prince must have been in so much pain after being beaten with those whips!" Nanny Park muttered to herself.
"Grandfather asked us to go to the General's Mansion. It was Wanwan..." Ling Xiao was shocked.
Ling Qingwan was calm and thoughtful in her actions, which really impressed Ling Xiao.
"Let's get on the carriage first." Ling Qingwan said softly. What she was most concerned about was Ling Xiao's injury at the moment.
Ling Feng didn't feel sorry for Ling Xiao, as he really used all his strength when he whipped him a dozen times.
The carriage was already waiting at the door. After the two got on, Ling Qingwan asked Ling Xiao to take off his shirt so that she could treat his injuries.
"This..." Ling Xiao was embarrassed.
"If you don't treat your wound in time, it might get inflamed when you get to the General's Mansion, and it will be even harder to heal. You still have to go to the battlefield to fight, you don't want to be delayed by something like this." Ling Qingwan was helpless. Ling Xiao was really dull.
But it is precisely because of this dullness that Ling Xiao has been able to maintain an innocent heart until now, being upright, kind and gentle.
After Ling Qingwan's reminder, Ling Xiao weighed the pros and cons again, and finally took off his clothes awkwardly, turned his back to Ling Qingwan, and let her heal his wounds.
Ling Xiao's back was already torn and it hurt just looking at it. Ling Qingwan felt extremely distressed. Her nose felt sore and she tried hard to hold back her tears.
"Look at you. Grandfather and I have told you more than once not to be abrupt. He An is not an honest man. He is lawless because he has a sister who is the queen. You humiliated him in the street, and he will definitely not let you go." Ling Qingwan was not blaming Ling Xiao. She was anxious. Anxious that Ling Xiao was seriously injured in order to vent her anger.
"I don't care how powerful He An is. I just know that he bullied my most precious sister, so I want to pay him back." Ling Xiao was very stubborn, looking up with a look of unwillingness to admit defeat. "But even though I got whipped more than a dozen times, He An was not much better. You didn't see how I beat him. I still showed mercy. Otherwise, he would have been crippled long ago."