"Father! Please have mercy on them!" Xiong Jingfei loudly shouted, without lifting herself from the ground. She kept herself in that position and will stay in that position until the right timing.
Silence finally took over Xiong Jingfei"s courtyard. Those who were screaming stopped. Those who were doing the dragging stopped. Each one of them held their breath, petrified to make the tiniest sound. They didn"t need to make any sound or voice their fear.
Xiong Jingfei knows. They were begging her on the inside to save them. She was probably the only person in the Xiong manor, who may be able to persuade Xiong Guozhi.
"Do you know what you are asking me to do?" Xiong Guozhi asked. He wasn"t raging anymore nor using his thunderous voice.
Instead, he had on his General in command tone. The one that is used to command thousands of men into war. The voice that made thousands willing to obey him without questioning his orders. The one he uses when stabbing his enemies right in the heart, and also the one that screams victory when victory is achieved. It was, indeed, a terrifying voice.
Xiong Changchang and Xiong Jiayi thought they already heard the worst coming out of Xiong Guozhi, but they thought wrong. It was much more terrorizing than what he was using on them earlier. Right now, the only person bearing all this pressure of his was the Eldest Miss of the Xiong manor.
"Yes!" Xiong Jingfei yelled, covering up the s.h.i.+ver going down her spine. She pressed her hands against the cold dirt ground to stabilize her, still shaking hands.
"M-m-master, please spare us!" One of the maids spoke up. She tirelessly sat on the ground after the struggle with one of the guardsmen.
"Please master! We are begging you!"
At once, all the maids cried out and went back down on their knees to beg Xiong Guozhi. The eldest Miss alone might not be able to convince him, so if maybe they all did together. Xiong Guozhi might learn what mercy is.
"Please have mercy on us!"
"Master, please forgive this once for the sake of the Eldest Miss!" Xu Song shouted, immediately replicating Xiong Jingfei"s position.
"Please have mercy upon them this once!" All of Xiong Jingfei"s maids followed suit and begged for forgiveness to those who deliberately came to hurt them today.
"Father! I"m begging you!" Xiong Jiayi cried, getting down on her knees with the rest of the maids. At this point, she is no the Second Miss of the Xiong Manor. She is someone who will receive the same punishment as everyone else. There was no need for her to hold her head high in the sky.
Meanwhile, Xiong Changchang stood up straight and tall. Unwilling to put herself on the ground to beg with the lives she put at risk. She will never put herself beneath anyone else. Even if her father punished her to death, she would never kneel along with these lowly servants. She was their master! They are only tools for her to discard whenever she wants.
There was a tinge of happiness sparkling in Xiong Changchang"s eyes. She was thrilled to see the ever so proud Xiong Jingfei on her knees, begging like those lowly servants! Now, who is the person who is disregarding her ident.i.ty! Who is the person who doesn"t know she is a n.o.ble lady with high upbrings!
She wanted to laugh out loud at Xiong Jingfei"s stupidity. The Xiong Manor can easily replace each and every one of these lives on the ground. Most of these maids were citizens from a different country. They were forced against their will to live here after their nation lost to them. To Xiong Changchang, they weren"t worth protecting. No one was to her!
"Hmph," Xiong Changchang lightly scoffed. She doesn"t believe her father will really make his guards whip her ten times. He will surely not kill his own daughter. Her life was worth much more than these lowly servants!
After she made that small scoffed, her entire body became extremely cold. This time of the year was no longer as warm, but it wasn"t chilly enough. Not sufficient to cause gooseb.u.mps on her arms. Xiong Changchang quickly rubbed the feeling away, but it wouldn"t go away.
The coldness was getting worse. As if it was sweeping right into Xiong Changchang"s skin. Xiong Changchang"s eyes searched for where that aura of death was coming from. When she spotted it, Xiong Changchang took a step back and grabbed onto the guardsmen"s right arm.
Which startled him, seeing as she was struggling earlier just to get as far away as she can from him. Apart of him wanted to fling her off him, but kept his composure remembering who she was.
"W-w-what do..." Xiong Changchang stuttered, unable to finish her sentence staring at the death aura straight for her. She kept staring at Xiong Jingfei, whose face was still facing the ground.
Although, Xiong Jingfei was glaring at her from the corner of her eyes. As if she was challenging Xiong Changchang to continue her disrespect towards them. Xiong Jingfei was literally telling her, she couldn"t be more obvious about how she felt towards those who reside in their household. She was daring Xiong Changchang to continue it! Testing if Xiong Changchang will put her life on the line to challenge her patience.
Xiong Changchang clamped her mouth shut. Telling herself right now was not the time to provoke Xiong Jingfei, seeing as she has the upper hand to lessen her punishment.
"Silence!" Xiong Guozhi shouted, instantly shutting every single voice and whimpers. He turned to fully face Xiong Jingfei, and asked, "Are you asking me to break the rule carried out by the Xiong family through every generation?"
"No, father." Xiong Jingfei calmly replied. Now!
She lifted her head from the ground to stare straight into his eyes. Earlier, like how did with Xiong Changchang, there was no waver or doubt in her eyes. She meant what she is going to say, and will not backtrack on her words.
"Our greatly respected Emperor has shown mercy onto our enemies generations after generations. Father, why mustn"t we follow our Emperor"s footsteps? We should show others we also have mercy as well."
Yang Zheyan is one to not show mercy onto others, but he knows what compa.s.sion is. While Xiong Guozhi does not even know the meaning of forgiveness. To him, those who break the rules must be punished!
Xiong Guozhi was stumped. He didn"t have anything to rebuke on what Xiong Jingfei said. Even if he did, it"d mean that he was going against the Emperor"s teaching. He didn"t want others to think he was placing himself higher than the Emperor!
He shook his head. It was a shake of anger but disappointment. Xiong Jingfei was able to find a loophole to lessen the punishment. If anything, to have none upon anyone of them. It was a shame that she was born a woman, and will be leaving him soon. If only she were born as a man. Then one day, she would be the one taking over his position.
Just as Xiong Guozhi opened his mouth to put down his final judgment. A high pitched voice, along with others, came rus.h.i.+ng all at once towards Xiong Jingfei"s courtyard.
Xiong Jingfei closed her eyes to calm herself down before opening them to glare at her gate, welcoming the unwelcomed guest.