The Ninth Princess Reigns Supreme [Transmigration] - Chapter 3

Liu Li dazedly recalled the scene in the original story where Ning Zisheng was so scheming and deep that she eliminated all the people who stood in her way without revealing her emotions, and finally became the empress.

Looking at the negative favorability on the panel again, she couldn’t smile.

Especially the information sent by the system was not only cold and icy, but also sarcastic, just like the customer service of a certain treasure in modern times.

[System Prompt] Dear, the favorability of the real dragon and heavenly woman of this world towards you has successfully reached -100. Congratulations on successfully obtaining the [Must Die] achievement. Please continue to work hard!”

…Liu Li thought, why don’t you just kill me now.

••••

As soon as the servant Jiao’er, who had caused the trouble, came back, she came to receive her punishment.

She was not a bad-hearted person, but she was young, and coupled with the fact that she had always followed the original owner in rampaging in the palace, relying on the emperor’s favor, she was arrogant and reckless towards others.

Obviously, the original owner was not well-disciplined, making the servant disrespectful, and she even dared to push the princess into the water!

Jiao’er’s entire face was flushed, probably because she was frozen in the pool just now. She knelt respectfully in front of Liu Li, not daring to lose her manners: “This servant knows her mistake.”

Liu Li did not speak, but just stared at her coldly.

Jiao’er hurriedly kowtowed again: “Please punish this servant severely.”

Yu’er stood by, not daring to speak. However, she knew that although the county princess had a spoiled and willful temperament, she had always been very kind to them. She would definitely not be willing to punish Jiao’er, and at most would just reprimand her.

But what she didn’t expect was that Liu Li nodded, lightly stroking the hollow carvings on the wooden chair, and said coldly: “Very well, then I will punish you severely.”

She then turned her head to ask Yu’er: “Jiao’er attempted to harm the princess. According to the law, what should be her punishment?”

This charge was a serious one. Even though it was unrelated to Yu’er, it frightened her and turned her face pale: “According to the law… she should be drawn and quartered.”

“Considering that you have worked hard even if you haven’t made any great achievements, drawing and quartering will be spared,” Liu Li said. “Guards!”

Liu Li now lived in the palace. Although she was a county princess, due to the emperor’s special care, her life was even more comfortable than a princess. In addition to the four personal servants, Jiao Yan Yu Di, there were also cleaning servants and several guards in the outer hall.

The guards outside the door immediately came in with their heads lowered, clasped their fists and knelt down: “Please give your orders, County Princess.”

Liu Li said coldly: “Drag Jiao’er down and give her one hundred strokes of the rod.”

Jiao’er was already slumped on the ground, her legs weak, and she was completely frightened. One hundred strokes of the rod was tantamount to death by beating! She never expected that the county princess would actually want to kill her.

The two guards then received their orders and left. One restrained Jiao’er, and the other found a rosewood long bench and a rosewood rod.

In an instant, Jiao’er was pressed onto the wooden bench, unable to move, crying: “County Princess, spare me!”

The Emperor bestowed the Yanluo Palace to County Princess Chun Ning. It was a prime location in the entire imperial palace, and palace people often came and went, passing by here on their way to do errands. Liu Li precisely aimed at this point, and deliberately had the guards carry out the punishment at the palace gate.

“Do it.”

With Liu Li’s order, the guards swung the rod mercilessly.

Jiao’er had delicate skin and tender flesh, and had never suffered such physical pain. After a few strokes, she cried out for her parents and screamed for mercy, rolling back and forth. The guards only listened to the county princess’s orders and naturally remained unmoved.

Yu’er stood by, feeling extremely distressed. She opened her mouth, wanting to plead for Jiao’er.

But Liu Li was determined to beat Jiao’er to death, and as soon as she opened her mouth, she raised her hand: “If you plead for her, you will be beaten along with her.”

Yu’er had no choice but to shut her mouth.

The palace servants and eunuchs passing by outside the door saw all this after hearing Jiao’er’s painful cries; although they were curious, they did not dare to offend County Princess Chun Ning, and only dared to whisper to each other.

“That’s County Princess Chun Ning’s personal servant, right? I wonder what she did to be punished like this.”

“This county princess is really hard to serve…”

Jiao’er’s cries gradually weakened, and she seemed to be about to faint, but the guards had only counted to forty.

Liu Li knew what was going on in her heart, calculating that if they continued to beat her, she would really die. She then said: “Stop, bring her in.”

The guards obediently stopped and, one on the left and one on the right, lifted Jiao’er’s arms and brought her into the hall, making her kneel in front of Liu Li.

“County Princess, County Princess…”

Jiao’er’s eyes were dark, and she lay prostrate at Liu Li’s feet. The twelve-year-old girl had never seen such a scene before. She had just thought that the county princess was really going to kill her, but she stopped the guards before she fainted.

Liu Li gave the guards a look: “You may all withdraw for now.”

She then bent down, took Jiao’er’s hand, not minding that it was covered in dust, her delicate almond-shaped eyes full of pity: “Does it hurt?”

Jiao’er choked back tears: “County Princess, County Princess…”

“I did this, and you must be very surprised,” Liu Li sighed, tidying Jiao’er’s messy hair bun. “The four of you have been by my side since childhood, like our own sisters. How could I bear to see you suffer?”

Jiao’er’s eyes were misty with tears: “Then…”

Liu Li said earnestly: “It’s also my fault for not teaching you well. Being willful on weekdays is fine, but how could you do such a thing to the princess? Fortunately, the Ninth Princess is kind and does not pursue the matter, otherwise the entire Duke of Chu’s mansion would be implicated by you!”

These words were extremely serious, and even Yu’er knelt down with her, not daring to raise her head.

“The emperor loves my mother and me, and it is inevitable that people will be jealous,” Liu Li said slowly. “You are my servant, and it’s fine if you implicate me. My father, the Duke of Chu, is an official in the court, conscientious and diligent. Even trivial matters may lead to villains impeaching him, let alone…attempting to harm the emperor’s bloodline? If something happened to the Ninth Princess, the entire mansion, from top to bottom, would all die!”

Jiao’er was stunned by what Liu Li said, and immediately felt extremely guilty. She never imagined that she would cause such a big trouble. She struggled to kowtow a few times, terrified: “It was this servant who was momentarily out of her mind. This servant is ashamed of the county princess, ashamed of the Duke’s mansion! County Princess, please kill this servant!”

At this moment, she was truly seeking death wholeheartedly.

“Alright,” Liu Li helped her up. “I have raised you for so many years, not to let you die for your own stupidity. Beating you is to make you remember this lesson. The palace is not like the Duke’s mansion. We must be cautious in our words and actions. If you are so reckless again in the future, I won’t be able to protect you.”

Jiao’er was grateful and overflowing with words: “Your Highness…Your Highness is benevolent, this servant is extremely grateful.”

“Yu’er,” Liu Li gave her a look. “You take Jiao’er down to apply medicine. Jiao’er doesn’t have to go out these days, so take a good rest and recuperate.”

Yu’er accepted the order, thinking that the county princess was simply like a different person. It seemed that she had truly encountered an opportunity and had a thorough understanding.

On the system panel that only Liu Li could see, such information was displayed:

[Jiao’er, Yu’er: favorability towards you +50.]

In fact, what Liu Li said just now was all nonsense. What implicating the Duke’s mansion and everyone would die… was purely made up.

First of all, Ning Zisheng was the destined by heaven, the real dragon and heavenly woman, so how could she be so easily taken down? In the original story, so many bosses failed to kill her, and a small servant like Jiao’er didn’t have that kind of luck.

Secondly, considering how unpopular Ning Zisheng was, it was uncertain whether the emperor even remembered that he had such a daughter, and it was absolutely impossible for him to blame Liu Li for her sake.

Finally, Ning Zisheng was keeping a low profile and biding her time in her youth, and her wings were not yet fully fledged. She currently did not have the ability to overthrow the Duke’s mansion.

But the system had already told her that the negative favorability of the destined by heaven, the real dragon and heavenly woman would lead to County Princess Chun Ning’s [certain death], so Liu Li had to do something to salvage the situation.

Jiao’er needed to be punished for her mistake. After all, if the servants caused trouble, it was Liu Li who would take the blame. Therefore, this kind of thing must never happen a second time.

However, Jiao’er was the personal servant who had been with the original owner day and night. If she was really beaten to death directly, it would probably chill the hearts of the other servants.

Moreover, Liu Li was a normal law-abiding citizen in modern times. How could she be so cruel and want a twelve-year-old girl to die as soon as she came here?

Therefore, giving a slap and then a sweet date, both kindness and power, can not only let Jiao’er and other servants know the seriousness of the matter, but also show Liu Li’s generosity and tolerance as a master.

The reason why Liu Li deliberately punished Jiao’er at the palace gate was to make this incident in Yanluo Palace become gossip for the palace people. Presumably, it won’t be long before it can be spread to Ning Zisheng’s ears.

Her calculation was to let Ning Zisheng know her attitude in advance, so as to pave the way for her to come to the door to apologize.

Killing two birds with one stone can also be considered a good move.

••••

In the Biyu Palace, Ning Zisheng knelt in front of the couch, pulling the brocade quilt up, so that the woman on the couch could be warmer.

But even so, the palace was still bitterly cold. Not only did the windows leak wind, but the warm stove and charcoal basin that every concubine and imperial child should have were nowhere to be found here.

“Jiu’er.” The woman on the couch struggled to get up. It was Ning Zisheng’s mother, named Chu Yan. “Why is your hair wet? Go and wipe it dry quickly, lest you catch a cold.”

“It’s okay,” Ning Zisheng said softly. “Mother has old illnesses, so be careful not to catch a cold.”

“Whose cloak is this?” Chu Yan noticed something was wrong. She reached out and touched it. Ning Zisheng’s clothes inside were soaked. She was shocked. “What’s going on? You fell into the water?”

Ning Zisheng grabbed the corner of the cloak and did not speak.

Chu Yan was also a perceptive person. Knowing that she must have suffered grievances, she smiled bitterly: “It’s mother who has been a burden to you.”

“Don’t say that,” Ning Zisheng helped her lie down again. “I’ll go change my clothes.”

All the palace people in the Biyu Palace had run away. Only a small palace servant who had once been favored by Chu Yan stayed behind. Her name was Xiao Rui. She was about the same age as Ning Zisheng and was simple in nature and had always been loyal.

Xiao Rui had just gone to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to collect next month’s share, which was still pitifully small. Hearing Chu Yan say that Ning Zisheng might have fallen into the water, she hurriedly went into the inner room to see.

“Your Highness?”

Ning Zisheng had just taken off her wet clothes: “Mm?”

“Your Highness,” Xiao Rui didn’t go in at the door. “I’ll boil water for you to take a bath.”

“Okay.”

Xiao Rui moved quickly. Before long, she pushed the bathtub into Ning Zisheng’s boudoir – Ning Zisheng never liked others to serve her, so she stood at the door and talked to Ning Zisheng.

“Your Highness, how did you fall into the water?”

Ning Zisheng said lightly: “Slipped.”

She was already used to the palace’s bullying of the weak and fearing the strong. Now that she was in a difficult situation, she naturally had to endure it. If she mentioned it too much, it would only increase her troubles.

It’s just that County Princess Chun Ning’s attitude towards her, after thinking about it, was really strange.