An enraged Zhao Xiuyuan grabbed her throat, eyes narrowed as he said, “You’re as insignificant as an ant in my hands. Ji Yingying, I risked my life pleading to the sovereign in the royal court, which is why the Qingping Official spared your life. You ungrateful wretch!”

Ji Yingying looked at him with a cold smile, “Were you pleading for me in the royal court? Zhao Xiuyuan, you were merely using me to gain the sovereign’s approval. Just like before, when you used my color-matching skills to outdo your cousin and win your grandfather’s favor. Now you’ve used my life to become the Deputy Director of Nanzhao’s Textile Bureau. Who do you think you’re fooling?”

Her dark pupils reflected his face, distorted and twisted. Once, she had revolved around him – his smile would bring her joy, and his frown would set her scrambling like a startled cat to ease his worries.

Ji Yingying’s contempt pained Zhao Xiuyuan, and he spoke without thinking: “I should have known when you abandoned me to climb up the Yang family tree – you’re just a fickle woman who changes allegiances like the seasons.”

Fickle? Flirtatious? Ji Yingying gave a low laugh, “If that’s regarding you, I quite like that assessment. I only regret not seducing Third Young Master when I first met him. What a waste of time I could have spent with him.”

When he was at his lowest, when he had agreed to marry Fifth Miss Niu for the Zhao family’s sake, she had thrown herself into Yang Jingyuan’s embrace. Zhao Xiuyuan’s head exploded with rage, and he slapped Ji Yingying across the face. “You dare defy this official! Guards! Drag her out and give her thirty lashes!”

No one responded. Zhao Xiuyuan whirled around to find himself met with a sea of stares.

Ji Yingying’s words had hooked into the homesickness of every Tang person in the mixing room. Two or three days in Taihe wasn’t enough time for them to quietly settle here. Pairs of eyes filled with anger and contempt turned toward Zhao Xiuyuan.

The surrounding Nanzhao people also gave him strange looks. Was he a monkey on display? He was already the Deputy Director of the Textile Bureau, their superior – why weren’t they following his orders to drag Ji Yingying out for a beating? Why weren’t they rebuking these bold craftspeople who had stopped their work to glare at him?

Nanzhao’s sun was too bright, too intense. His Nanzhao official robes were woven thick and heavy, wrapped around him without letting air through, and fine sweat beaded on his back. Feeling stifled, Zhao Xiuyuan roared, “What are you all looking at? Didn’t you hear this official’s orders?! Get them back to work! Take this woman out for her beating!”

The people who had come with Zhao Xiuyuan exchanged glances. As they walked toward Ji Yingying, their expressions held the excitement of watching good theater.

“No need to drag me, I’ll walk myself.” Ji Yingying licked the blood from the corner of her mouth and stood up straight, supporting herself on the table. Ajin quickly moved to help her. She walked out slowly on tiptoe, and as she passed Zhao Xiuyuan, she laughed softly, “Did you think becoming an official would let you stand tall as a person? A crow can never become a phoenix. Your people despise you. The Nanzhao people see you as nothing but a dog. Look carefully – are you the high and mighty Deputy Director in their eyes?”

Looking at Zhao Xiuyuan’s hateful gaze, Ji Yingying laughed loudly, “I look forward to seeing your downfall!”

“All of you, get back to work! Anyone who dares look at this official again, I’ll gouge out their eyes!” Zhao Xiuyuan viciously shouted at the craftspeople in the mixing room.

The old supervisor of the mixing room called out weakly, “Hurry back to work! The sovereign has decreed that to care for everyone who’s come from afar, there will be meat at every meal for the first five days. Those who stay diligently in Nanzhao and contribute well to the dyehouse will eventually be granted freedom and a hundred mu of land.”

So they wouldn’t be confined forever within the fenced dyehouse. The temptation of freedom and land made the craftspeople lower their heads and return to work.

“Lord Zhao, they’ve all gone back to work.”

Like punching cotton! Zhao Xiuyuan saw his accompanying officials greeting him warmly and snorted, sweeping out, “This official will personally oversee the punishment!”

Ji Yingying was all show and no substance, a paper tiger. After a couple of lashes, she would surely cry out. He didn’t believe thirty lashes wouldn’t make her beg him for mercy.

The crowd’s attention was drawn to the soldiers running in formation toward the grounds and the woman tied to the post. The working Tang people cast varying looks of comfort and sympathy toward Ji Yingying. In their few days at the dyehouse, after the officials’ kind words of instruction, they would always be warned by pointing to the posts erected in the yard. Though the sovereign treated them well, those who violated the rules would be tied there for a whipping.

After several days, this was the first Tang person to be punished by whipping. And a young woman at that.

Being the sovereign-appointed Deputy Director of the Textile Bureau, the dyehouse clerk had someone bring a chair for Zhao Xiuyuan. He recognized Ji Yingying and was somewhat surprised. Yang Ji-shi had offended the White Prince yesterday, and today she had angered the Deputy Director into ordering her whipping. Did she have a death wish?

Zhao Xiuyuan sat in the chair, his temper finally settling. Officials and commoners were indeed different. He looked around and said, “Have them all stop and come watch the punishment! Remember this lesson!”

Indeed, both the sovereign and White Prince had ordered the kind treatment of these Tang people. Finally having someone to make an example of would serve as a warning to the others.

The overseers and soldiers herded the craftspeople to gather around.

“My lord, shall we begin?” the clerk asked with a smile.

Zhao Xiuyuan didn’t answer, instead asking Ji Yingying arrogantly, “If you can show remorse, this official will consider this your first offense and reduce the punishment.”

Ji Yingying burst out laughing, “Are you reciting lines from a play?”

Someone in the crowd recognized Zhao Xiuyuan and muttered, “He used to be just the Zhao family’s second young master. Such an act he’s putting on!”

Zhao Xiuyuan forcibly restrained himself from standing up to demand who had spoken, and said through gritted teeth, “Begin!”

He didn’t believe Ji Yingying could endure it.

“Wait!” Matron Zhuo entered with several subordinates. She bowed to the clerk and, without even looking at Zhao Xiuyuan, said, “Sir, this old woman oversees the women in the dyehouse. Why was I not informed of this whipping?”

“Matron Zhuo, I hear Yang Ji-shi defied the newly appointed Deputy Director Zhao of the Textile Bureau. These are Lord Zhao’s orders,” the clerk said amiably.

She was just a matron managing the dyehouse women’s affairs – even the clerk hadn’t objected. What right did she have to interfere? Zhao Xiuyuan said darkly, “She spoke defiantly to this official. This official must teach her a lesson.”

Matron Zhuo gave Zhao Xiuyuan a slight bow and said, “Deputy Director. The sovereign and White Prince have decreed that the Tang people have just arrived, and it’s understandable if they have complaints and resentment. If Yang Ji-shi has defied you, letting her apologize should suffice. Thirty lashes would leave her half-dead if not killed outright. We’d have to trouble ourselves getting her treatment, needlessly delaying her work. The loss would outweigh the gain.”

“This official is the Deputy Director of the Textile Bureau, assisting the Director in managing all Tang craftspeople. Today, this official will make an example to show them the consequences of disobedience!” Angered by an old matron’s gentle opposition, Zhao Xiuyuan couldn’t contain his rage. He stood up and took the whip from the executioner’s hands, looking at Ji Yingying as he said, “This official will personally carry out the punishment!”

Before Matron Zhuo could persuade him further, he raised the whip. The long whip whistled through the air toward Ji Yingying.

Ji Yingying closed her eyes. She heard a collective gasp. When the expected pain didn’t come, she opened her eyes in surprise.

A seven-foot-tall warrior had stepped in front of her, catching the whip’s end with one hand. Across from him, Zhao Xiuyuan’s eyes widened, his delicate features twisting strangely into a mask of shock, anger, and fear.

The crowd parted as Sheng Fengze strode in. Ji Yingying turned her face away.

“Greetings to the White Prince!” The Nanzhao people bowed in unison.

“Your Highness…” Zhao Xiuyuan released the whip, calling out to Sheng Fengze.

Before he could continue, Sheng Fengze kicked him away. Without a word, he reached toward Chi Hu, took the sword handed to him, and walked to the post to cut the ropes.

“Thank you,” Ji Yingying said without looking at him, thinking, I’m not thanking you for sparing me the whipping, I’m thanking you for kicking Zhao Xiuyuan flying.

Her body suddenly lifted into the air, and she cried out in surprise, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck. Their eyes met, and she saw her reflection in Sheng Fengze’s pitch-black eyes.

Sheng Fengze raised his head and carried her away.

Chi Hu sheathed his sword, walked to Zhao Xiuyuan’s side, and pulled him up, whispering in his ear, “Not everyone is yours to touch, understand?” He patted the dust off Zhao Xiuyuan’s clothes, straightened his collar, and walked away with a smile.

Zhao Xiuyuan clutched his chest, muttering shakily, “Ji Yingying, you’ve abandoned Yang Jingyuan to climb up to the Nanzhao White Prince – how capable you are!”