“You, Prince Ning, though the Emperor holds you dear, you must know that I am from the Empress’s family. If you dare lay a hand on me, the Empress will surely not spare you.”
Originally, he had intended to curry favor with the villain, but Prince Ning had come to disrupt and stop him. To his surprise, Leng Mingye had said the same. He dared not act recklessly toward Leng Mingye, but Prince Ning was someone Sun Fengyu did not take seriously. No sooner had he spoken than Prince Ning’s men stepped forward, cracking their knuckles and shouting at him.
Though he had his own men, Sun Fengyu still involuntarily retreated, while warning Prince Ning.
“Is that so, Sun Fengyu? As the young master said, I have tolerated you repeatedly only because I wished to avoid trouble. Yet you took it as fear, not only mocking me but even hurling insults. If that’s the case, I truly wish to know—how far can you push the Emperor’s authority? If I beat you, what can the Empress really do to me?”
The fear in Sun Fengyu’s expression was evident. Prince Ning had previously tolerated him only out of reluctance to waste energy. Seeing him so arrogant, and worse, so disrespectful to the villain, Prince Ning could no longer hold back. With a cold retort, he signaled Qingfeng with his eyes.
“You—”
Only when he saw Qingfeng approaching did Sun Fengyu realize the gravity of the situation.
Though the Emperor and Empress appeared to favor Prince Ning, the reality was quite different. It was precisely because Sun Fengyu knew this that he dared to provoke Prince Ning.
But Prince Ning’s words were reasonable. In a conflict between the two, how would the Emperor choose between his son and Sun Fengyu? How would the Sun family be viewed? The stakes forced Sun Fengyu to reconsider.
Yet before he could speak, Qingfeng’s fist struck.
“You dare hit me? Prince Ning, aren’t you afraid the Empress will punish you for this?”
Though Sun Fengyu tried to dodge, Qingfeng’s punch landed squarely on his eye, leaving a black mark. Prince Ning watched indifferently, making no move to stop it. Sun Fengyu’s two attendants, though willing to intervene, were swiftly immobilized by acupressure.
As Qingfeng advanced again, Sun Fengyu, filled with regret for his arrogance, clutched his injured eye and glared at Prince Ning.
“Punish me? Sun Fengyu, I think there are things you still don’t understand. No matter how insignificant I may seem in the Emperor’s eyes, I am still his son, born of his most beloved concubine, Lady Hui. The entire Daqi Empire answers to the Emperor. By mocking and insulting me, you are directly challenging the Emperor’s authority. If I were to report your words and actions to the Emperor, what do you think he—and the Empress—would do? Qingfeng.”
Prince Ning inwardly scorned Sun Fengyu’s bluffing but maintained a calm smile. Seeing Sun Fengyu’s hesitation, he lightly instructed Qingfeng.
At his command, Qingfeng stepped forward again—this time not just punching but beating Sun Fengyu to the ground, kicking and striking him mercilessly.
“Such disrespect toward Prince Ning deserves a beating. But for Wanwan’s sake, show some mercy. A lesson is enough, alright?”
Sun Fengyu, a mere relative of the Empress, dared to disregard Prince Ning. Wanqing found his character increasingly repulsive. Yet, considering the oddity of his arrival, she watched coldly as he writhed under Qingfeng’s blows, feigning a plea for mercy. Her eyes held no sympathy, only schadenfreude.
At the villain’s words, Prince Ning smiled faintly and called Qingfeng to stop. Sun Fengyu rose, both eyes blackened, his face bruised, and his lip split.
Prince Ning sipped his tea calmly before setting it down and fixing Sun Fengyu with a cold gaze. With a flick of his sleeve, a surge of energy followed.
“Naturally. This time, for Wanwan’s sake, I’ll let you go. Next time, if you disrespect me again, the consequences will be far worse. Know your place—this is your lesson. Now, get out.”
As he spoke, a strand of Sun Fengyu’s hair drifted to the floor, severed by the unseen force.
“You… Qing’er, I’ll take my leave.”
Sun Fengyu hadn’t expected Prince Ning to act so decisively. Though seething with rage, he could only grit his teeth and endure.
Despite his pain and humiliation, he dared not retaliate. Glaring at Prince Ning, he forced an apologetic grimace toward Wanqing on the bed before turning and leaving, clutching his face.
“I always thought Prince Ning was reserved and indifferent, but now I see otherwise. You are still the same Prince Ning, even with your leg ailment.”
Watching Sun Fengyu flee, Leng Mingye took a sip of tea and smiled at Prince Ning.
“You flatter me, young master. No matter how incapable I may be, I am still the Emperor’s son. To let an outsider bully me—would that befit a member of the royal family?”
Prince Ning smiled faintly. Though he preferred to avoid direct conflict with the Empress, he had his principles. Sun Fengyu’s initial mockery had displeased him, but his arrogance in front of Wanqing was intolerable.
A lesson was necessary to teach him his place.
“Indeed. Regardless, my Leng family remains part of the imperial household. What is Sun Fengyu? Without the Empress’s protection, crushing him would be as easy as an ant. And to bully this little fool—if you hadn’t acted, I would have taught him a lesson myself.”
Leng Mingye nodded in agreement, raising his teacup to Prince Ning as if toasting.
“Well said. Let us drink to that. As long as I, Leng Yufeng, am here, no one will harm even a hair on Wanwan’s head.”
Prince Ning raised his cup in return, and both drank.
Noticing Wanqing’s gaze, though he didn’t understand her connection to Leng Mingye, he saw a flicker of helplessness and a silent plea in her eyes.
“Wanwan, rest well. I won’t disturb you further. Qingfeng, bring out the gifts I prepared for her. This is a specially procured Tianshan snow lotus, along with century-old ginseng and other herbs. Please accept them. Young master, since Wanwan has just awakened, perhaps we should let her rest. Don’t you agree?”
With a smile, he instructed Qingfeng to present the gifts. After Chunhong accepted them on Wanqing’s behalf, he turned to Leng Mingye.
“Agreed. Little fool, rest well. If you need anything, have Hongyan find me. Prince Ning, shall we take our leave?”
Leng Mingye rose, gesturing for Prince Ning to precede him.
As they prepared to leave, Wanqing smiled faintly. “Then, brothers, take care. Forgive me for not seeing you out—Chunhong, Hongyan, escort them.”
“Rest easy. We’ll be going now.” Prince Ning reassured her before following Leng Mingye out.
Just as they reached the door, a maid rushed in and knelt before Wanqing’s bed. “Second Miss, please, I beg you—save our young lady!”
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