Chapter 84: Impressive might, different degrees of punishment (2) (1/2)

Sometime during all this, the unconscious Helian Zuixiang had woken up, but she was dumbstruck upon seeing Lady Xu slap her own son. It wasn’t until she saw the justice court’s people and Official Ouyang that she had an inkling of what had happened.

Finally, Lady Xu’s hands ran out of strength and Han Yuqi’s face swelled as red as a pig’s. Lady Xu fell to her knees and said, “Esteemed wangfei, look…it’s swollen! It’s really swollen…”

“Raise your head and let me see,” Han Yunxi said coldly.

No matter how much Han Yuqi feared pain, he still had to bear it as he hastily lifted his head. Seeing his red, pig-like face, Han Yunxi narrowly avoided laughing out loud. Thankfully, she held it back.

“Mm, I suppose that counts as swollen,” she said mildly. Lady Xu and Han Yuqi sagged in relief at these words, finally relaxed. But Han Yunxi continued to talk.

“This takes care of offending one’s superiors. But the crime for threatening this wangfei…” She didn’t finish speaking, but looked towards Official Ouyang.

What?

He’d been beaten to this point, but she was still condemning him? And now she was asking about the crime of threatening her. Official Ouyang was surprised by the turn of events, his heart skipping a beat. He never expected this woman to be so hard to deal with. Lady Xu and Han Yuqi were both too dazed to recover at first. How could it be like this? What did Han Yunxi want to do?

Silence descended upon the courtyard. The servants were so frightened that they scarcely dared to breathe, afraid to utter a noise. Everyone had heard Official Ouyang say that threatening Qin Wangfei was a capital offence!

“Official Ouyang, the Han Family’s eldest young master brought so many servants with him to threaten this wangfei and even wanted to steal her things. He’s already put wangfei’s safety in peril. How should he be dealt with, according to the law?” Han Yunxi asked seriously.

With a thump, the surrounding servants all fell to their knees. It was over, they were all going to suffer now! The courtyard was already surrounded by people who rushed over upon hearing the news, including all of the household servants. Hidden amongst them was Third Madame Li and her daughter Han Ruoxue[1].

Madame Li was around 30 years old but well-preserved, retaining much of the beauty of a young bride but with an extra, lingering charm. Her daughter, Han Ruoxue, resembled her greatly, and her bright, luminous eyes were especially bewitching. Neither of them said anything, but watched on calmly. Compared to the Xu mother and son pair, the Li mother and daughter appeared far more steady and sedate.

In the silent courtyard, Official Ouyang found himself in a hard spot. “Esteemed wangfei, this…this…”

He couldn’t finish before Lady Xu shouted and wailed her heart out. “Yunxi! You’re really going to be so ruthless?”

“Yunxi…Yuqi’s the eldest son of the Han Family and its heir! He’s the Han Family’s hope! Your father’s already like that, but do you want to ruin the Han Family’s last hope?”

“I’m begging you, have mercy on him just this once!” Lady Xu could only pretend to be pitiful as she cried. There wasn’t time to attend to her image.

Han Yuqi started crying as well as he entreated, “Big sis, I’ll do whatever you tell me to. Just spare me this once, I won’t dare try anything next time.”

It had to be said that the Xue mother and son suffered a drastic decline in standing before the eyes of the Han household. In comparison, Han Yunxi rose to awe-inspiring heights! With even the Xu pair begging her, how could any of them disrespect or not fear her in the future? Han Yunxi smiled coldly in her heart. She was waiting for Han Yuqi’s exact words since she just wanted to scare this duo. How could she really make a fuss all the way to the justice courts? How could she truly sentence Han Yuqi to death?

If that happened, she’d be seen as cold and ruthless: a evil, poisonous woman with no feelings towards her own brother.

Not to mention, Han Congan was already useless now. The Han Family needed someone to prop it up. As a woman who married into another family, she was still an outsider no matter how much power she held. Lady Xu had the strongest backing. With her here, her clansmen wouldn’t covet the Han Family properties. Seventh Madame’s family was too poor and weak, so she didn’t have the power to manage the Han Family’s internal and external affairs.

Han Yunxi examined Han Yuqi closely for a long time before relenting. “All right. For father’s sake, I’ll exempt you from the death sentence. But you still need to be punished!”

At these words, the Xu duo felt as if they’d gotten a general amnesty. Lady Xu’s heart sank back down into her chest, while Han Yuqi, who was only outwardly fierce, nearly fainted from fright. Luckily, his mother held him up and pinched him by the waist to keep him awake. They’d been humiliated enough, so if he fainted away now, he’d never be able to lift his head in the Han house in the future!

“Many thanks to esteemed wangfei for her mercy! Many thanks to esteemed wangfei for her mercy!” Lady Xu thanked over and over again, though her eyes were filled with hate each time she bowed her head. She was a person who enjoyed high position and lived in comfort, an ambitious and proud woman who was the mistress of the house. For the sake of her son, she had to act humble and meek today and cry to beg Han Yunxi for mercy. How could she not be filled with loathing?

This rude lass with a father and no mother, did she think she was a phoenix just because she flew onto a branch?

Don’t think that just because you saved the crown prince’s life, the empress dowager and empress will forgive you. Don’t think that just because you’ve married into the Duke of Qin’s, Grand Concubine Yi will accept you. Don’t think that just because you’re Qin Wangfei, you have the right to manage Han Family affairs!

She and Yuqi had endured this time and ate a big loss. As long as Han Yunxi couldn’t get a handle on them, what else could she do? If a living punishment was inescapable, then that was that. As long as nobody died, it was just some physical pain. What else could Han Yunxi do to Yuqi?

Han Family affairs were still determined by her and her son. Han Yunxi shouldn’t think about taking an iota away from the Han house, much less protect Seventh Madame!

The speechless Official Ouyang finally had room to speak and flattered, “Esteemed wangfei is generous and lenient, that is the Han Family’s blessing!”