An Xin's lips twitched.
She bent down and crawled through the dog hole in a very unladylike manner.
An Xin didn't mind at all, but she was bothered that the hole was called a dog hole! Seeing that she crawled through safely, An Xin also bent down and quickly crawled over.
Shen Suya, unafraid of death, leaned closer and laughed, "So, how did it feel to crawl through the dog hole?"
An Xin brushed the dirt off her clothes, ignored her, and walked straight ahead.
Concerned about the several hundred taels of silver, Shen Suya hurriedly followed, asking, "Do you know where they live? Do you know who bullied them?"
An Xin ignored her and continued walking forward.
Shen Suya grabbed her and said angrily, "Are you mute? Why aren't you saying anything! Which direction is the palace in? Besides, how long does it take to walk fifty li?"
An Xin frowned. How easy would it be to find horses and carriages around here?
Shen Suya said smugly, "I'll add another hundred taels to hire a carriage, is that a deal?"
"make a deal!"
"Great!" Shen Suya put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Soon a horse galloped over, and Shen Suya stepped forward, grabbed the reins, and said with a smile, "Let's go."
An Xin asked, "Where's the carriage?"
Shen Suya pointed to the horse and said, "The horse is here, but the carriage is gone."
An Xin: "..."
As An Xin mounted her horse, just as she was about to pat its rump, Shen Suya climbed up and said warily, "Don't try to renege on your promise. Let me tell you, you owe me six hundred taels now. You think you can just abandon me and run away? No way!"
An Xin yanked the reins, spurring the horse's belly, and shouted "Giddy up!" The horse suddenly bolted, and Shen Suya nearly fell off. She hurriedly grabbed An Xin, yelling in a mixture of fear and anger, "You should have given me a heads-up! Did you want to kill me?! Let me tell you, princes are subject to the same laws as commoners!"
An Xin frowned. This woman is really quite the talker!
"Shut up!"
"You want me to shut up?! You have no idea, your parents were bullied to death by that person, your father was forced into a dangerous situation and almost died, your mother was slapped in public and pelted with rotten eggs, those people are utterly wicked..."
An Xin's heart sank. Who was so brazen as to target her parents? Weren't they protected by Yan Zhen's people? There was no reason for her parents to be bullied. How could Yan Zhen not know what was happening here? Why had he never said a word to her? And why did he allow those people to bully her parents?
An Xin was annoyed by her own thoughts. She did not want to rely on Yan Zhen's power. However, in this world, many things are beyond one's control, such as power. It is definitely not something she can easily obtain just because she wants it!
"Tell me who that person is?" An Xin asked in a low voice.
The woman behind him remained silent.
An Xin was annoyed: "Speak!"
Shen Suya stuck out her tongue and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Didn't you tell me to shut up?"
An Xin: "..."
...
Chapter Ninety-Four: The Reversed Punishment
As soon as An Xin dismounted, she heard a cold shout: "Let's see who dares to save him!"
An Xin suddenly looked up and saw the Duke of the State with his hands behind his back, his expression stern. Within the crowd, she vaguely saw a figure lying on the ground.
An Xin's heart sank suddenly, and she walked straight over.
"Offending me deserves five hundred strokes of the cane! An Youwei, I'll spare you three hundred strokes for the sake of the Right Chancellor. Do you accept that?"
A murmur rippled through the crowd, but no one dared to step forward.
An Xin pushed through the crowd expressionlessly. The person lying on the ground was covered in blood, and the large patches of blood stung her eyes.
"Your humble servant...is satisfied..." An Youwei's weak voice struck An Xin's heartstrings. Shen Suya, standing to the side, stuck out her tongue as she looked at An Xin's extremely unpleasant face.
An Xin walked over slowly, and suddenly stepped out from the circle formed by the crowd, which seemed particularly abrupt.
"Who dares to challenge me!" A cold shout rang out. An Xin remained expressionless as she walked straight up to An Youwei, then squatted down, her fingers touching the bloodstains on his body. She said calmly, "Father, what have you submitted to?"
The person, whose consciousness was already fading, suddenly trembled, and said in a plaintive voice, "Xin'er... is that you...?"
An Xin whispered, "It's me, Father. You've suffered so much."
An Youwei relaxed slightly, but could no longer utter a word.
Duke Xu Chongyan narrowed his eyes coldly, staring at An Xin standing in the center of the room, and sneered, "So it's Miss An."
An Xin slowly raised her eyelashes, her gaze cool and indifferent as she met Xu Chongyan's eyes. Even Xu Chongyan was startled by her cold and composed gaze, and his eyes narrowed even more.
"The Duke of the State punishes a court official with a cane. Who does he think he is?" An Xin's calm eyes showed no anger whatsoever. She simply asked that question. How dare he? Who does he think he is?
Xu Chongyan sneered: "An Youwei offended me, so I punished him. Even if the Emperor came, I would still be in the right."
An Xin said calmly, "You say my father offended you? May I ask, Duke, how did my father offend you?"
Xu Chongyan sneered, "Everyone has witnessed that your father openly opposes me, which is an offense!"
An Xin, expressionless, leaned down and asked, "Father, have you become an enemy of the Duke of Junguo?"
An Youwei shook his head weakly.
An Xin sneered, "That's strange. My father said he wasn't your enemy, but you insist he was. Is the Duke of the State a mind reader?"