The great hall seemed to roll with thick smoke. Several guns were all aimed at Ji Yunshu.

Ji Wanxin on the side had a worried expression. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed lightly a few times before speaking: “Grandmother, Father, please don’t misunderstand Yunshu. I was also in the courtyard at the time. It was Lingzhi, this little girl, who fell down on her own.”

As soon as these words came out, Ji Muqing was having none of it.

Her phoenix eyes glanced over.

“Wanxin, we all know you have a good relationship with Yunshu, but you don’t need to protect her like this. Today she injured Lingzhi’s hands. What if one day she breaks them? Would you still protect her then?”

That tone was still strange and sarcastic!

“Every word I say is true.”

“So you’re saying Lingzhi is lying?”

Ji Muqing raised her eyebrows. As soon as she said this, Ji Lingzhi quickly chimed in.

“I’m not lying! Third Sister clearly pushed me. Second Sister, you clearly saw it. Why are you helping her instead of me?”

Ji Lingzhi raised her voice and retorted toward Ji Wanxin.

Then she raised her two hands wrapped like rice dumplings, looked at her father with tearful eyes, and cried out: “Father, you must help me punish Third Sister. She was the one who pushed me. My hands hurt so much.”

Ji Shuhan snorted dully, raised his hand, and slapped it on the table again, asking Ji Yunshu: “Lingzhi is your sister after all. Even if you resent me in your heart for arranging your marriage to the Wei family, you shouldn’t take it out on her.”

She only smiled: “Since Father and Grandmother have already determined that I pushed Lingzhi, anything I say is useless.”

“You’re still being stubborn.”

“Daughter simply has no intention of arguing.”

This angered Ji Shuhan so much that veins bulged on his forehead. He pointed at her: “What a sin, to have given birth to such a vicious beast as you. Look at yourself—dressed in men’s clothing all day long. You’re simply ruining the Ji family’s reputation. You’re so incorrigibly unruly that you can’t blame me, your father, for being heartless. Someone, bring me the family discipline.”

Family discipline!

Didn’t they refuse to consider her part of the Ji family? Now how were they using family discipline on her!

Ji Yunshu smiled slightly, her eyes carrying a stubborn air as she met her father’s gaze.

That kind of look carried not the slightest bit of pleading, stimulating Ji Shuhan’s sensitive nerves and making him even more “excited.”

He harshly scolded a servant nearby: “Hurry and fetch my whip.”

The servant’s face twitched. He hurried to fetch that golden satin jade-topped prancing horse whip.

That whip was said to be bestowed by the Emperor. Ji Shuhan treasured it like a precious object and called it the family discipline!

Ji Yunshu had heard from Luan’er that during the original owner’s lifetime, just for accidentally breaking an ordinary jade pot in Ji Shuhan’s study, she had received three lashes and lay unconscious in bed for several days and nights!

Now that he was taking it out again, who knew if it would be three lashes or ten!

Seeing this, Ji Wanxin quickly stepped forward: “Father, you mustn’t! This whip can kill someone if it strikes them.”

“Anyone who dares to plead today, I’ll beat them along with her.”

Ji Shuhan had made up his mind!

Ji Wanxin’s pleas were futile. She could only pull at Ji Yunshu and advise: “Yunshu, quickly admit your fault to Father. You can’t take that whip.”

All this earned was her disdainful smile. The original owner had endured three lashes and survived—what did she have to fear?

“Since you must beat me with a few lashes before this matter can pass, then fine. This family discipline, I accept.”

With those words, she swept her robe and knelt!

In that light blue long robe, her body straight, she actually exuded the unyielding spirit of a man!

Ji Shuhan had already raised the whip, gritting his teeth without the slightest mercy.

Crack—

One lash descended!

Her shoulder along with her back felt piercing pain.

Her eardrums along with her head rang loudly.

Ji Yunshu still held her body straight, her proud bones intact!

Another lash!

Her body involuntarily bent forward. Her hands pressed on the ground clenched into fists, her eyes bloodshot, yet she still bit her lip tightly, not letting herself make a single sound of pain.

Lash after lash struck her body. The sound of flesh tearing echoed throughout the entire Ji residence.

Finally, Ji Yunshu’s body had completely collapsed on the ground. On her back were bloody welts left by the whip, one after another.

Extremely horrifying!

Beaten to the point of being barely alive, she still refused to beg for mercy. She bit her lip until it bled, yet wouldn’t cry out in pain.

In the end, unable to hold on, she fainted.

How she was carried back to her courtyard, she didn’t remember. She only vaguely heard crying—presumably, it was Luan’er!

When she woke up, it was already noon the next day.

Lying on the bed, she moved slightly—every part of her body hurt!

Luan’er happened to be bringing in medicinal soup. Seeing her about to get up, she quickly came over.

“Miss, don’t get up. You should keep lying down.” Her eyes were teary!

She didn’t move anymore and continued lying on the bed: “I won’t die.”

“Miss, it’s all my fault for being useless. I couldn’t protect Miss and let Miss suffer so much.”

“Silly girl, look, I’m really fine.”

Clearly her face was pale, clearly her eyes were weak.

Luan’er cried for quite a while, wiping away snot and tears.

Ji Yunshu drank the medicine and fell asleep again.

She lay in bed for two full days. During that time, only Ji Wanxin came to visit once. The rest of the Ji family truly wished she would die.

During these two days, Ji Yunshu just lay in bed reading that book, “The Capital Case.”

On the third day, she had recovered much. Despite Luan’er’s attempts to dissuade her, she got out of bed, changed into men’s clothing, and arranged her hair crown.

When she walked to the courtyard, without all those flowers and plants, the entire courtyard was empty!

Leaving the Ji residence, she headed toward the Guangqu Pavilion in the west of the city.

Because of her injuries, her steps were much slower.

Passing by a jade shop, she saw it was crowded with people, all pointing inside and murmuring about something.

She originally didn’t want to pay attention, but suddenly she heard Wei Yi’s voice.

“It wasn’t me! I really didn’t break your jade pendant. It wasn’t me!” His voice was very panicked.

Ji Yunshu stopped in her tracks and pushed through the crowd. She saw that foolish boy Wei Yi standing inside, waving his hands frantically.

The jade shop’s manager grabbed his hand with one hand and held up a jade pendant broken in two halves with the other.

“You broke my jade pendant, so you have to pay. One hundred taels, not a penny less.” The manager was extremely fierce, even striking Wei Yi.

Wei Yi blocked with his hands while frantically saying: “I didn’t touch your jade pendant. It really wasn’t me.”

“Just now you said you wanted to look at it, then you held it in your hand and dropped it.”

“It wasn’t me…”

Ji Yunshu furrowed her brow and shook her head slightly as she walked in.

“May I see this jade pendant?”

Wei Yi turned his head. Seeing it was her, he became somewhat excited and called out: “Big Brother.”

Ji Yunshu ignored him and directly took the jade pendant from the manager’s hand, examining it carefully for a while.

Facing the manager, she asked: “Let me ask you—was this jade pendant just broken?”

The manager nodded: “Of course.”

“Then let me ask you again—has this jade pendant always been kept in the shop in a box?”

“Of course. These are all new goods, very precious. They were broken by this fool.” The manager was still furious.

Ji Yunshu’s expression darkened as she rebuked sharply.

“You’re lying.”