Chapter 328 Pleading

Chapter 328 Pleading

Emperor Xingyuan was glad to see Xin You return, but he was not pleased after hearing her words.

"He Qingxiao had the audacity to deceive me. I merely sentenced him to thirty strokes of the court rod, considering he saved you."

The girl kneeling on the cold floor stayed upright, her eyelashes quivered slightly upon hearing this, tears streaming down: "Therefore, I only ask to share Lord He's punishment. I was the one who begged him to keep the secret temporarily. If Lord He is to blame, I am even more so. If Lord He alone bears the punishment while I remain untouched, I could never forgive myself."

As she spoke, her straight back bowed down: "I humbly beg Your Majesty to grant my wish."

Emperor Xingyuan watched as the girl's tears fell one by one onto the golden bricks, his emotions were mixed: just moments ago, she was so resolute in rejecting the title of Princess of Xia, why is she so tearful now?

Yet, seeing her like this, Emperor Xingyuan's heart melted: "Enough, summon the Changle Marquis back."

The eunuch who received the imperial decree hurried to the Meridian Gate.

The process of administering the court rod to a minister had its own protocols, supervised by the eunuch Sun Yan and the Jinlin Guard Commander Feng Nian.

By the time the eunuch arrived, He Qingxiao had already endured three strokes, and the fourth stroke was about to descend.

"Stop!"

At the eunuch's command, the soldier in charge of the execution halted, instinctively glancing at Feng Nian.

The eunuch quickly approached Feng Nian and Sun Yan: "By His Majesty's decree, Changle Marquis He Qingxiao is to proceed to the Qianqing Palace at once."

Feng Nian was momentarily taken aback, his gaze was complicated as he looked at the young man lying on the ground.

His pants had been removed, his face pressed against the ground, appearing utterly humiliated, yet his unflinching brow made him seem like the unflappable Northern Commissioner.

"What are you waiting for? Help Lord He up!" After a moment's hesitation, Feng Nian ordered the soldiers.

Several soldiers hurriedly helped He Qingxiao up.

He Qingxiao refused assistance, silently putting on his clothes, and followed the eunuch who had come to deliver the decree to the Qianqing Palace.

Feng Nian watched the tall and straight figure, sighing regretfully in his heart: only three strokes had been delivered.

"Commander Feng, let's go." Sun Yan walked past Feng Nian.

In the Qianqing Palace, the eunuch reported: "Your Majesty, Commander He of the Pacification Office has arrived."

"Let him in."

Xin You looked towards the door and saw He Qingxiao enter.

Unlike the disheveled figure in her vision, his crimson official robe did not show much dirt, but a strand of hair fell to the side of his face after removing his official hat, a sight not usually seen during imperial audiences.

He Qingxiao also saw Xin You.

Their eyes met, and he saw her slightly red eyes and the remaining tears, instantly understanding why the court rod punishment had suddenly stopped.

Summoning all his self-control to look away, He Qingxiao slowly knelt and saluted: "This guilty official greets Your Majesty, greets Princess Royale."

Emperor Xingyuan, seeing his movements, thought to himself that Feng Nian acted quite quickly, and he glanced at Xin You, feeling inexplicably guilty.

Xin You naturally noticed that He Qingxiao had already received the court rod, though she did not know how many strokes.

Her eyes welled up, and tears fell like rain.

He Qingxiao's expression froze, feeling both lost and confused.

Was Ayou crying because of him?

This discovery stirred his heart, yet it felt almost unreal.

The Ayou he knew was clever and courageous, seldom showing weakness or tears.

Xin You, who had been watching He Qingxiao, noticed his confusion, and her initial guilt and heartache turned to helplessness in an instant.

Lord He was too honest. Tears were cheap; shedding more to spare him pain was a fair trade.

"Ahem," Emperor Xingyuan cleared his throat. "Changle Marquis, in light of your merit in saving Ayou, the remaining court rod punishment is hereby waived."

So, it was Ayou who had pleaded for him after all.

He Qingxiao tightened his fists and bowed his head. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy."

"Let this be the last time," Emperor Xingyuan warned, his voice cold. "You may leave now."

"Your servant takes his leave now."

He Qingxiao slowly stood and retreated step by step.

Emperor Xingyuan looked at Xin You. "See? He’s fine."

Xin You wiped her tears. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Emperor Xingyuan hesitated but couldn’t resist. "Ayou holds Changle Marquis in high regard."

He almost said 'cares,' secretly suspecting his daughter liked that scoundrel.

Xin You raised her eyes to meet Emperor Xingyuan's gaze, her eyes clear and her expression calm. "Lord He saved my life. Whether as Miss Kou or Young Master Xin, I risked my life for strangers without regret. How could I ignore my savior in danger?"

At this, she showed a hint of suspicion. "Does Your Majesty think I have romantic feelings for Lord He?"

Emperor Xingyuan felt instantly embarrassed.

He had been too crude—how could he judge Ayou by ordinary standards?

"Ayou, you misunderstand. I didn’t mean that. Oh, since you’re back, why not stay for dinner before leaving the palace?"

Princess Zhaoyang, knowing Xin You's reluctance, politely declined on her behalf. "The palace is full of rules, and today has been exhausting. Let Ayou rest at my place. She can visit the palace anytime later."

Emperor Xingyuan thought it made sense and didn't insist.

After leaving the palace gate, Xin You and Princess Zhaoyang boarded the carriage, which soon caught up with He Qingxiao as he walked.

Princess Zhaoyang kindly told the coachman to stop. "Ayou, go ask Changle Marquis if he has a carriage. If not, let him ride back to the marquis’s residence in this one."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Xin You got off the carriage and walked towards He Qingxiao. "Lord He."

He Qingxiao stopped and watched the young woman in a simple dress approach quickly, his gaze lingering on the faint redness at the corners of her eyes.

For the first time, He Qingxiao felt ashamed.

He actually felt joy that Ayou had shed tears for him.

In comparison, the pain from the injury and the humiliation of being stripped and beaten in public seemed insignificant.

"Miss Xin—" He Qingxiao hesitated for a moment, "or should I call you Princess?"

He was still unsure what agreement the father and daughter had reached.

"There’s no need for 'Princess,' Lord He. Just 'Miss Xin' is fine," Xin You said, unable to discern the extent of his injuries from his expression. She pursed her lips and asked, "Was I too late?"

Early this morning, when Lord He stopped her outside the alley, they had already agreed on their story. When questioned, Lord He would admit he had learned her identity during their journey south.

If not for this trip south, once it was revealed that Miss Kou was Miss Xin, it would be difficult for Lord He to deny knowing her true identity and gain the trust of that person. If he admitted it, the crime of deceiving the emperor would not be easily forgiven.

The journey south, where he saved her from drowning, was the perfect chance to acknowledge this.

Seeing her concerned gaze, He Qingxiao couldn't help but smile, "Just three hits."

After a pause, he said softly, "Even thirty lashes, I could endure. Miss Xin shouldn't have pleaded for me."

"Jinlin Guard Commander Feng Nian is not friendly towards Lord He. With him supervising the punishment, thirty lashes could easily take half a life."

Thirty lashes at full force could kill someone. Feng Nian wouldn’t dare to take Lord He's life, but he could easily make him suffer.