Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 233 - She Must Retake the Exam

Chapter 233: Chapter 233 She Must Retake the Exam!

Chapter 233 -233 She Must Retake the Exam!

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“What an unexpected visit, my humble abode receives so many guests.”

Murong Man spoke without expression, yet a sense of foreboding arose within her.

Indeed, Murong Dan, who had been hiding her face with a sleeve, suddenly lowered her hand, revealing a cheek reddened from a slap, evidence of distinct finger marks still visible.

She had never laid a hand on Murong Dan!

Heartbroken, Murong Dan wept to Yun Weiwei:

“All I did was suggest that we call for a court physician for Sister Man, and she lost her temper. Not only did she berate me, but she also harshly slapped me several times. She took my goodwill for insolence; I am truly aggrieved. Sister Yun, as the family head, you must stand up for me.”

Yun Weiwei remained as fragile and delicate as ever, supported on both sides by her maids.

Upon hearing the words, she tenderly dabbed Murong Dan’s face with a handkerchief, and Murong Dan winced with a soft hiss of pain.

“How pitiful you are, sister Dan. How could the concubine strike you so viciously? She is your own sister, who came specially to visit you, yet you respond with nothing but beatings and scolding. Why such a violent temper? Could it be that the concubine still resents the Prince for making you kneel as punishment that day?”

Yun Weiwei was so malicious, actually trying to implicate the Second Prince, to make it seem that her animosity was towards him, and that was why she struck Murong Dan.

If the Second Prince found out, how would she have any chance of regaining his favor?

Murong Man immediately said, “I’ve never resented His Highness, the miscarriage was due to my own poor health, that child and I were not meant to be. How could I blame others for fate?”

She spoke with a righteous air, causing Yun Weiwei’s eyes to narrow—she had underestimated Murong Man.

If the Prince heard this, he might very well find Murong Man sensible and discreet.

Indeed, Murong Man was her greatest enemy.

She had bled too much from the miscarriage and had been left without proper nourishment or tonics for some time. Yet, looking at her now, she only appeared slightly thinner, which made her chin seem even more delicate and worthy of pity.

Although Murong Dan was also quite beautiful, the innate dignity that Murong Man possessed could not be matched by Murong Dan; otherwise, the Second Prince would not have taken to her behind Murong Jiu’s back.

Yun Weiwei could not be certain whether the Second Prince would be captivated anew by Murong Man upon seeing her now.

Yun Weiwei said gravely, “But striking sister Dan is wrong. You are siblings after all. Now that she has gained His Highness’s affection, should you not be happy for her? Why resort to jealousy and violence? His Highness needs tranquility to recover from his injury, and he has state affairs to attend to. We of the inner court should live harmoniously and peacefully, not distract His Highness with our troubles!”

In her few months as the Crown Princess, she had cultivated her own dignity.

She pointed at Murong Man and declared, “And you, Concubine Murong, have been unreasonable and disruptive, unsettling our household. Today, you shall be slapped thirty times as a warning to others!”

Murong Man swiftly backed away, “I did not hit her; she’s using self-harm to frame me!”

“Sister Dan was fine when she entered your courtyard, but emerged with a swollen face. There were servants who witnessed it, your excuses are futile! Seize her and slap her mouth!”

Murong Man’s attempts to evade were to no avail. The robust old women brought by Yun Weiwei held her down, making it impossible for her to struggle, and her mouth was gagged with a filthy handkerchief. Then, burning pain exploded across her face.

One slap after another, with great force. After just a few, Murong Man felt a buzzing in her ears.

By the time the thirty slaps were given, she could barely hear, and her cheeks were swollen high, turned an angry purple.

“Just like a pig’s head!”

She could faintly hear someone say this, but Murong Man was no longer able to discern clearly; she was thrown to the ground as Yun Weiwei and her entourage walked away in triumph.

Murong Dan lingered at the end.

“Sister, how does it feel to be framed? Remember when you broke Father’s inkstone and blamed me? I knelt for an entire night.”

Murong Dan didn’t care if she could be heard; just saying it out loud made her feel better. Before leaving, she ruthlessly stepped on Murong Man’s hand.

Just like the times when she was a child and, along with her aunt, had to kneel and scrub the floors for Lady Wang, Murong Man would step on her hand like this.

Back then, Murong Man was not yet famous, not yet celebrated as the First Talented Lady of the Capital City, not yet the center of everyone’s attention.

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And Murong Dan was her sister, born of a lowly foot-washing maid, which had filled the then Murong Man with disgust.

For the sake of earning a living under the main wife Lady Wang, Murong Dan’s aunt had no choice but to carry her daughter along to curry favor with Lady Wang, living more like a maid of Murong Man than her sister.

Murong Man learned from Lady Wang and secretly beat her, not just once or twice.

Latter on, when Murong Man became known as the First Talented Lady, she curbed this behavior for the sake of maintaining a good reputation.

But Murong Dan would forever remember the humiliation she endured.

The sound of footsteps receded into the distance.

Writhing in pain on the ground, Murong Man clenched her teeth to prevent herself from crying out; she didn’t know if she would go deaf. At that moment, she wished she could burn down the Prince’s Mansion and all those who bullied her inside it.

After what felt like an eternity, a faint voice reached her ears.

“Concubine! Concubine! How could someone have beaten you like this! I’m going to find His Highness!”

Guard Shi was very angry and, unable to contain his volume, helped Murong Man to sit up on the steps before rushing to find the Second Prince to seek justice for Murong Man.

Murong Man hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.

She did not want the Second Prince to see her in her current state, and even if she had to find him, it would have to be after the swelling went down.

She tried to speak, but the slight movement caused her pain, and tears fell.

“Concubine, don’t speak; just write what you want to tell me!”

Guard Shi picked up a small twig from the ground and handed it to Murong Man.

Murong Man did not take it but extended her finger and wrote a few characters in the palm of Guard Shi’s hand.

Instantly, Guard Shi’s face turned crimson with embarrassment, and he no longer dared to look Murong Man in the eye.

Seeing this, Murong Man deliberately took her time and wrote a little more in his hand.

“You don’t want me to tell His Highness? But someone bullied you so badly, they are really too mean and hateful! Yet, you are right, we should first apply medicine to you. Such a delicate face must be so painful.”

“Go quickly.”

Murong Man wrote.

Guard Shi nodded and immediately went to prepare the medicine for her.

Enduring the pain, Murong Man watched his anxious retreat, a hint of scheming flashing in her eyes.

She could not tolerate it anymore; Yun Weiwei and Murong Dan would certainly become more and more presumptuous. She had to regain the Second Prince’s favor sooner.

This Guard Shi was a very useful pawn.

…

Kai Xuan had an astonishing appetite.

Only three days since his arrival at the Prince Mansion, his bowl had been replaced from palm-sized to the size of a washbasin.

Not only did he consume fresh sheep milk daily, but he also ate raw meat.

Every time he buried his head in the bowl to drink milk, Murong Jiu would worry he’d fall in.

Originally, she wanted to feed the little wolf cooked meat, but her third brother said that Kai Xuan was a wolf; they shouldn’t erase his wild nature, or it wouldn’t be different from raising a dog.

When her third brother gave her the wolf, he also provided a Beast Servant, skilled in animal care, to be primarily responsible for Kai Xuan’s five meals a day and the grooming of his fur.

After Kai Xuan finished the raw meat, the Beast Servant would clean his teeth thoroughly so that by the time he came to Murong Jiu’s side, there was no longer any unpleasant smell.

Apart from eating, drinking, and relieving himself, the little wolf stuck to her every moment, as if taking on the duty of protecting her.

There was a snake in her courtyard preparing to hibernate, and Kai Xuan dug up the soil, found it, and killed it.