Chapter 345: Chapter 346: Backing Up Shao He to Serve as a Warning to Others

As Liang Rou was cursing with gusto, she was suddenly kicked out and sprawled on the ground, falling face-first in a most degrading manner. Her maid hurried over to help her up.

“Miss, are you alright?”

“Do I look alright to you? Help me up quickly!” Liang Rou got up angrily, her eyes scanning her surroundings with fury.

Upon seeing the person who had retracted his leg, the other young ladies from aristocratic families immediately made way, retreating to either side and bending over to pay their respects, “We’ve seen the Fifth Prince, Master Yan.”

Liang Rou’s spirit deflated instantly upon seeing the newcomers; her previous arrogance and bluster vanished as she bowed her head, not daring to make a sound.

“You are excused from the formalities,” Pei Huaian said with a smile.

Pei Huaian was adorned in a deep blue brocade robe, his waist bound with a belt of the same color, from which hung a jade pendant. His head bore a golden crown, and he looked elegant and refined, appearing gentle and scholarly.

But anyone present dared not look down upon him–the royal majesty demanded respect!

“This humble girl pays homage to Your Highness, the Fifth Prince,” Liang Rou said, her anger present, but she still bowed respectfully in the presence of the prince.

Pei Huaian ignored her and instead turned to the person beside him, asking, “Master Yan, do you know the crime for insulting an Imperial Court Official?”

“For groundlessly slandering an official, the lighter punishment is thirty beatings with a rod, while the severer one is execution by beheading to serve as a public warning,” Yan Ze’s cold voice rang out, causing Liang Rou’s face to turn deathly pale in an instant.

In a panic, Liang Rou couldn’t help but glare fiercely at Shao He, her eyes filled with venomous resentment.

“Your Highness, you’ve misheard. I wasn’t insulting an official. She is just a female doctor, and whatever I said earlier was just a joke,” Liang Rou stammered out her defense, trembling.

For some reason, Shao He felt a twinge of amusement. Just moments ago, Liang Rou had been flaunting her high spirits and arrogance, yet now she had been reduced to such a state–a truly despicable act.

“You are just a female doctor?” Pei Huaian asked, his face brimming with a smile.

“Seems she is also an Imperial Physician,” Shao He added nonchalantly.

“You wretch, how dare you impersonate an Imperial Court Official! Such outrageous audacity!” Liang Rou shrieked, her gaze fixed on Shao He, filled with a wish to tear her to pieces.

Shao He scoffed, “Whether I’m impersonating or not could easily be verified by asking The Emperor, couldn’t it?”

She turned to face the Fifth Prince. “Your Highness, please take my side. She has framed me and repeatedly insulted me.”

If someone else could help, why should she expend her effort to resolve this trouble herself? Who would take the hard road when the easy one lies before them?

Seeing her casual demeanor, Pei Huaian chuckled indulgently. But when he turned his gaze to Liang Rou, the friendly curl at the corner of his mouth turned into a chilling look of murderous intent.

“Ah Mo, take Miss Liang away for a public flogging with thirty strokes as a warning to others.”

“No, no, you can’t.” Liang Rou couldn’t believe that the Fifth Prince would actually order her to be beaten in public.

Ah Mo waved his hand and two guards entered from outside, dragging Liang Rou towards the exit as her maid attempted to intervene but was stopped by Ah Mo’s sword.

“If you don’t want to die, stand there and don’t move.”

Frightened by the threat, the maid dared not advance and could only look outside with concern.

The other young ladies from noble families were terrified into a pallor; they had never witnessed such a sight before.

Pei Huaian’s purpose in doing this was, firstly, to bolster Shao He and warn Liang Rou against provoking her, and secondly, to admonish the other noble daughters to cease their bullying of Shao He, or else they would meet the same fate.

Liang Rou kept crying and begging for mercy, “Your Highness, I was wrong, I’ve made a mistake!”

Regardless of how she begged, she couldn’t avoid her punishment. With each strike, her cries echoed, and the surrounding onlookers stopped to watch the spectacle.

Parents with children hurried away. After twenty strikes, Liang Rou was already gasping for breath.

“I, I acknowledge my wrong… In the future, I will never dare… to do it again… Ahh!”

After thirty lashes, Liang Rou had passed out. Pointing towards the people outside, Pei Huaian declared, “Henceforth, if anyone else dares to come and cause trouble, they will first be subjected to thirty lashes.”

The remaining daughters from official families nodded fearfully, all they wanted now was to quickly leave this place of trouble.

“Haven’t left yet?” Pei Huaian’s stern voice prompted the nervous crowd.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.”

The crowd dispersed quickly. Ah Mo glanced at the people outside and reported, “Master, Miss Liang has fainted. What should we do with her?”

“Take her back personally, and inform Old Master Liang of the reason. If his daughter repeats such behavior in the future, the consequences won’t be merely a flogging,” Pei Huaian ordered.

“If he doesn’t want the entire Liang Mansion to suffer alongside her, he’d better discipline his daughter. Otherwise, I don’t recommend stepping in for him,” Pei Huaian added.

“Understood.” Having received the order, Ah Mo pinched his nose as he approached Liang Rou and waved to the guards to lift her onto the carriage.

The crowd had dissipated, and few patients remained. Shao He asked someone to pour a cup of tea. “Please wait a moment; I’ll come over after I sort things out.”

Shao He continued to attend to the patients while Yan Ze nudged Pei Huaian with his elbow, “Well done. Have you had your eye on her for a while? I knew there was something between you two from the start, yet you denied it, trying to play it cool.”

“Initially, it was indeed for her medical skills and the child that I approached her, but in the time since, I’ve genuinely wanted to keep her by my side,” Pei Huaian admitted.

“Since my mother’s passing, I’ve never been so determined about anything or anyone. But with her, I want to use every means at my disposal, every strategy, to make her stay,” he confessed.

Pei Huaian was willing to reveal the child’s identity also for this reason–he feared that in a blink, Shao He might vanish from his sight.