After my soul traveled to ancient times, I don't want to be cannon fodder

Chapter 152: The Caning and the Scheme

Apart from anything else, at least they will no longer go without food because of their low status. As long as they go to the cafeteria at the fixed meal times, they can eat nutritious and healthy meals.

...

A quarter of an hour later.

Su Xin returned and reported, "Your Highness, I have checked and found that three people left the mansion yesterday. Among them was the maid Xiao Nu who was in charge of sweeping the floor. The other two were Jin Xiu who was in charge of the garden, and Zhu Zi who was in charge of the kitchen's loads."

"Among them, Jinxiu said her mother was seriously ill and she had returned to the old house in Qingliu Lane to visit her. Zhuzi and Xiaonu were a bit hesitant, saying they were visiting relatives, but they couldn't say which relatives they were visiting or where they were."

"The three of them are waiting in the courtyard now. Would Your Highness like to see them?"

Zhong Ning put a spoonful of red rice porridge into his mouth expressionlessly, chewed it carefully before swallowing it. Upon hearing this, he said lightly:

"I'll disappear for now. Order someone to check if Jinxiu has really returned to Qingliu Lane. Keep her under good care and we'll deal with her later."

"As for the other two, they will be beaten with thirty sticks and expelled from the house!"

"Your Highness means that they are hidden pawns?"

"Well, although I don't know who Zhuzi belongs to, I've confirmed that it was my servant who passed on the news that I left the palace to burn incense today."

Upon hearing this, Su Xin's face immediately turned pale. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Your Highness has been tolerant of them in the past, but they want to kill you. This is truly despicable. I will order them to be beaten to death!"

"No need to kill them all, just give them thirty strokes of the cane and drive them out of the house!"

"Your Highness, you are too merciful. They committed such a grave mistake and nearly put Your Highness to death. How can you let them off so easily? In my opinion, they should be beaten to death, and their families should be punished and expelled from Kyoto."

Su Xin frowned and suggested that in the past, if the masters in the palace encountered such traitorous servants, they would deal with them in this way.

Zhong Ning was silent for a moment, then said:

"I am being merciful. Today's incident has injured many people. Her crime is unforgivable. I will order her to be beaten in the open space in the front yard and let all the servants watch. The little slave will be beaten with fifty sticks. If she is still alive, she will be sold directly. She will be beaten with thirty sticks on the pillar and expelled from the mansion!"

"Besides that, thoroughly investigate everyone in the mansion to see if there are any other hidden agents who have actually reached out to my house."

"Yes, slave, let's do it now!"

Su Xin walked out of the palace with a cold face and ordered the guards to drag the two of them to the open space in the front yard. When she passed by Jinxiu, she squinted her eyelids and said coldly:

"You'd better really go back to Qingliu Lane to visit the patient, otherwise, when the truth is found out, you will be in trouble too!"

Jinxiu was so frightened that she quickly knelt on the ground, "Sister Suxin, my mother is really sick. I didn't lie. I really went back to visit her."

"Don't worry, someone has already gone to investigate whether it's true or not, and they'll report back soon. As long as you have a clear conscience, His Highness won't blame you!"

"Get up! His Highness has ordered all servants to watch the execution. By the way, I'll also tighten your skin. Don't forget who you've been fed to survive!"

After saying that, he went straight to the front yard.

Jinxiu bit her lip, a trace of guilt flashing in her eyes.

She did go to visit a patient, but she also went to see someone by the way, someone she had been thinking about day and night. She did not betray the princess's mansion, so there was no need to worry.

However, I’m afraid that she can no longer hide the fact that she is having an affair with a man outside her family.

From the front yard came the sound of the imperial cane being struck, and the screams of ghosts and wolves howling. All the servants turned pale when they saw this scene.

Your Highness is usually kind and gentle, but he can be so strict sometimes.

But when they heard Su Xin's explanation that these two were spies placed in the mansion by others and that they had caused His Highness to be nearly killed during this trip, everyone lost their sympathy for the two men who were beaten to pieces.

Some even started spitting and cursing at the two people who were being tortured.

When the other hidden players saw this scene, they couldn't help but tremble with fear, fearing that the board would hit them the next moment.

Although the master's orders are important, his life is also important.

Moreover, Her Royal Highness the Princess is very tolerant towards servants. As long as you do your job well, you will have many benefits. Your nephews and nieces can go to school for free, and the mansion also provides delicious meals.

There are other rewards during festivals and holidays.

He really couldn't bear to give up such a wonderful life.

It's not easy to meet such a master in one's lifetime. As long as he stops working for others, or directly tells Her Royal Highness the Princess, can he save his life?

However, I dare not try this kind of thing lightly.

They are also afraid that their lives will be in danger if they tell the truth.

Not sure, take another look!

.......

This is the Fuguogong Mansion.

As soon as he returned home, Chen Yan was slapped hard by his old father. The slap was so hard that Chen Yan's face became red and swollen.

Chen Yan covered his face and knelt on the ground to defend himself: "Father, what happened today was my fault, but I don't regret plotting against Princess Zhaohua. What I regret is that I underestimated this woman."

"Are you tired of living? How dare you plot against the princess? What on earth do you want to do?" Duke Fuguo roared angrily. He really didn't want to believe that his son would give up his good life and actually seek death.

"Son, I want to marry Princess Zhaohua!" Chen Yan knelt down, his back straight, and looked at the face of Duke Fuguo, and said firmly:

"So my son set up this trap, intending to be a hero and save the beauty. Only in this way can he possibly make Princess Zhaohua fall in love with him."

"But my son never expected that Princess Zhaohua herself was a skilled warrior and had the Imperial Guards nearby to support her. That's why my plan failed."

"Stop talking nonsense here! You want to marry the princess? Do you think I'm stupid?" Duke Fuguo felt his head pounding at the moment, pacing back and forth in the study.

"A few days ago, you had a huge fight with Prince An in the Music Bureau over a girl named Fu Ying. Now you tell me you want to marry the princess?"

Chen Yan was silent for a moment, then continued, "My son did this for the sake of the family and Ying'er!"

"Now, my Fuguo Mansion holds military power on the western front. Although I may be rich and worry-free for a while, since ancient times, which monarch could tolerate an overly powerful minister holding military power for long?"

"The Emperor won't be at ease, but if he marries the princess, we, the Duke of Fuguo, will be members of the royal family. With our own people in power, their vigilance will at least be much less!"

"Oh!" Duke Fuguo sneered, "Now that you've failed to gain anything, and have already offended Princess Zhaohua, isn't it a foolish dream to dream of marrying her now?"

Thinking of his failed plan, Chen Yan's face darkened. He took a deep breath and then continued, "That's another thing my son wants to talk about."