Fairies Are Fierce

Chapter 9: Stingy Buns

After the rain, the wind blew the willows, and the magnificent Dan Emperor City shone brightly in the spring sun, with its scattered and intricate layout.

After the morning court session, the courtiers dressed in various official robes streamed out of the Zhengyuan Hall.

Left Hanchou, the Minister of Rites, stood alone under the white stone steps outside the hall, looking down with a bewildered expression at a purple-robed butterfly fluttering around.

Colleagues passing by would glance up, their eyes filled with teasing or sympathetic looks, but most officials, like Left Hanchou, were confused, not knowing why he was standing here, or why he was being punished by the princess.

In the early morning, as usual, Left Hanchou entered the palace for the morning court session before dawn. Because he had confidence in his nephew, Left Hanchou even hummed a tune on the way, thinking about what gift to prepare for his future niece-in-law.

When he arrived at the imperial city, Left Hanchou entered the Zhengyuan Hall with the other officials, only to unexpectedly find that Princess Longli was not present in the hall.

Princess Longli had been in power for nearly four years, and her governing ability was not well-regarded, but she was definitely diligent. In the past, she would always be the first to arrive at the Zhengyuan Hall, waiting for the courtiers and the young emperor to come.

But today was different. The young emperor, who usually arrived last, was already sitting properly on the dragon throne, while the pearl curtain beside him remained empty.

The entire court, including the civil and military officials and the young emperor, felt awkward.

Should they start the court session? They were afraid that Princess Longli would think the courtiers were disrespectful, so no one dared to take the lead.

Should they continue waiting? The emperor was already sitting on the dragon throne, so wouldn't it disrupt the ritual if they continued to wait?

Fortunately, Princess Longli did not forget that there was a morning court session today. Although she was late for a moment, she eventually arrived.

At that moment, Left Hanchou breathed a sigh of relief, but he never expected that as soon as Princess Longli entered the Zhengyuan Hall, before the eunuch could even call for the court session to begin, she sternly said, "If the child is not taught, it is the father's fault. Left Hanchou, go stand outside for me."

And so, Left Hanchou, the Minister of Rites, stood outside the hall, until now.

Left Hanchou had been an official for many years and was smooth in his dealings. He was considered a good person in the court, with a respectable position and a clean background. He didn't have any complicated factions, and he was relatively close to the princess among the courtiers.

Princess Longli's sudden action left the entire court pondering the deeper meaning behind it.

Of course, no one could figure out the reason behind it.

At first, Left Hanchou also wondered if the princess had some ulterior motive and was using him to make a show of strength.

But in the end, he realized that she really just made him stand there all morning, and everything else remained the same. After the court session, it seemed like she even forgot about him.

Since there was no deeper meaning, it meant that the princess was really punishing him.

But it was just a punishment of standing, which meant it wasn't a big deal.

"Children should be taught, it is the father's fault." This meant that the problem lay with his son.

Left Hanchou had several sons, and his second son, Zuo Yunting, was the most useless one, always indulging in a life of pleasure and often causing trouble.

After thinking it over, Left Hanchou felt that his second son must have done something foolish again and it reached the princess's ears.

Thinking of this, Left Hanchou's face darkened slightly, feeling that he needed to discipline his son properly when he got home.

Ling Quan had just arrived in the capital city and would participate in the selection of the imperial son-in-law tomorrow. At such a critical moment, how could he afford to cause trouble and ruin Ling Quan's perfect impression?

On the white stone imperial road, the courtiers gradually dispersed.

Left Hanchou stood alone outside the hall, neither leaving nor staying, his expression becoming more and more awkward.

Fortunately, in the end, an old man with a golden fish bag hanging from his waist walked out of the hall, accompanied by several officials. He kindly spoke from a distance, "Hanchou, go back. The princess was too engrossed in discussing state affairs just now and forgot about you."

Left Hanchou turned to look, and it was Li Jingsi, the current prime minister.

Li Jingsi held the highest position among the courtiers as the prime minister, and he had served three emperors, with a strong background and connections. Sometimes, he could even overshadow the princess, making him the most prestigious courtier in the Great Dan Dynasty.

Seeing Li Jingsi speak up, Left Hanchou quickly raised his hand in salute, "Thank you, Prime Minister. Today, it must be my foolish son who did something again and it reached the princess's ears. I apologize for embarrassing you. I take my leave."

Li Jingsi, who was in his twilight years, had white hair but a very good complexion. He gestured with his hand and watched as Left Hanchou left.

After Left Hanchou had walked far away, a court official by Prime Minister Li Jingsi's side whispered with a hint of teasing:

"Tomorrow, the Princess Chang will choose a husband. I heard that Zuo Hanchou also brought a nephew from Qinghe County, a thousand miles away. Hmph, trying to marry into the royal family, but doesn't even consider his own identity."

Li Jingsi walked ahead, his previous smile turning into indifference.

"Zuo Hanchou is a smooth talker. Whether he can be chosen as the princess's husband or not, he must show his loyalty. The King and the Zong family have urged for the marriage, and although the Princess Chang has agreed to choose a husband, from what I can see, she won't relinquish her power too soon. The husband is someone close to the princess, and the position is important. Have the candidates been arranged?"

"Li Xiang, rest assured. Among the young talents who have come to the capital this time, there are nearly twenty people who can be of use to Li Xiang. Regardless of appearance or talent, they are all outstanding individuals. The selection of the husband will definitely come from among them."

Li Jingsi nodded slowly, but before he could speak, another official from the southern four counties frowned and said,

"Yesterday, my nephew came to the capital. I asked him if there were any outstanding individuals among those who came from the southern four counties. He said that over thirty people came from the southern four counties, and their backgrounds and talents are difficult to compare. But in terms of appearance, Zuo Lingquan from Qinghe County is unmatched. He is described as having 'phoenix-like eyes and sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes and white teeth, skilled in writing and proficient in martial arts,' and his character is not bad either. This Zuo Lingquan seems to be Zuo Hanchou's nephew."

Li Jingsi furrowed his brows upon hearing this, but quickly returned to normal and shook his head.

"The Zuo family of Qinghe County is half farmers and half merchants, deeply rooted in the south. Their foundation in the capital is shallow, with only one Third Grade attendant. Princess Chang is acting as the regent for the emperor, and she already faces many obstacles. Choosing a husband is an opportunity to win over a faction, and she won't casually choose based on appearance. Moreover, you all have talented and beautiful individuals under your command. Are the young talents from the half of the country inferior to a small Qinghe County?"

The surrounding officials thought about it and stopped speaking, following Li Jingsi as they left the palace.

---

On the east side of the imperial city, inside the Fu Yan Palace where Princess Longli resided.

Over a hundred palace maids remained silent, each in their respective positions, creating an eerily quiet atmosphere in the spacious palace.

The personal maid, Leng Zhu, stood outside the carved wooden door of the sleeping chamber, perplexed as she tried to listen for any movement inside, but heard nothing at all, which only deepened her confusion.

Last night, the princess had instructed her to return to the Fu Yan Palace first, and Leng Zhu had been waiting in the hall for the princess to return and retire for the night.

However, what she didn't expect was that when the princess returned, she was drenched and her hair was disheveled, as if she had been mistreated without any pity.

Her complexion was even more terrifying. Leng Zhu had accompanied the princess since childhood, and this was the first time she had seen such a frightening expression on her face.

Leng Zhu thought something had gone wrong and wanted to ask, but the princess remained silent, slamming the door and starting to throw things around, muttering words like "shameless" and "bastard."

With such a fiery temper, Leng Zhu didn't dare to provoke her further and spent the night in a side chamber. She didn't dare to wake the princess until it was almost time to go to court, and finally gathered the courage to knock on the door.

After the princess woke up, she didn't immediately wash up and rush to the Zheng Yuan Hall like usual. Instead, she stood behind the desk, held a brush for a long time, and then with a fierce look in her eyes, wrote a letter and sent it to the Qihuang Valley.

It was strange to write while standing, and Leng Zhu couldn't help but ask why she didn't sit down to write. As a result, she was punished to stand until now.

After dispersing from the morning court session, the princess had to go to the imperial study to help the young emperor review the memorials. She couldn't stay in her chamber all the time.

After waiting for a long time, Leng Zhu finally gathered the courage to speak up.

"Your Highness, it's time to go to the imperial study."

Inside the sleeping chamber, Princess Longli Jiang Yi, dressed in court attire, stood by the bookshelf, flipping through martial arts manuals she hadn't looked at in years. There was a flicker of excitement in her eyes, and her face alternated between pale and flushed.

Jiang Yi was a practitioner, so being spanked with a ruler wouldn't hurt her.

But practitioners were still human, and being spanked still hurt.

Last night, that shameless scoundrel had pinned her down and spanked her more than twenty times. Even after returning to the palace, her bottom still burned, and it was obvious that it had turned red.

As the daughter of a noble family, Jiang Yi had never been spanked before. Moreover, as the eldest princess who held political power behind the scenes, being spanked by a man was an indescribable humiliation. She lay on her bed, unable to dispel her resentment, and only managed to fall asleep in the early morning.

When she woke up in the morning, although the pain had subsided, her bottom was as smooth and tender as a peeled egg.

But that unforgettable memory couldn't be erased. Jiang Yi didn't want to sit down even now, afraid that it would be uncomfortable again, and the scene of humiliation would come back to her mind.

Hearing Leng Zhu's call, Jiang Yi put down the martial arts manual and turned to leave the palace gate, heading towards the imperial study.

Along the way, the gorgeously dressed Jiang Yi had a cold expression on her face, and her killing intent was almost written all over it. Leng Zhu and the other palace maids kept a distance of nearly ten steps, only daring to quietly follow behind.

After walking for a while, Jiang Yi suddenly stopped.

Leng Zhu quickly stopped as well and cautiously asked, "Princess, what's wrong?"

Jiang Yi took a deep breath, suppressing her anger and humiliation, before speaking.

"Tomorrow, at the Qiyun Terrace, there will be a selection of consorts. You go and arrange something for me. There's someone who needs to be 'taken care of' properly..."

Jiang Yi raised her hand to dismiss the other palace maids, then leaned in close to Leng Zhu's ear, gritting her teeth as she made her arrangements.

Leng Zhu listened attentively, her expression somewhat puzzled. She opened her mouth as if to ask for the reason, but seeing the princess's expression, she wisely remained silent...

(End of this chapter)