Sever one hand!

Jingrong had never been so harsh before, much less toward a woman.

The guards stood rooted in place, exchanging several glances.

As if mutually asking each other “Really cut it off?”

Until—

Jingrong sternly rebuked, “Will you two not carry out the order?”

“Yes!”

The guards received their orders and immediately stepped forward, seizing Tang Si.

Tang Si twisted her body, struggling, shouting at Jingrong, “What do you think you are? Even my father doesn’t dare touch me, yet you want to sever my hand—on what grounds? Let me go.”

But alas, her struggles were futile!

She was already being dragged to the doorway.

Suddenly—

“Wait.”

Master Yu called out.

He lifted his robe that was dragging slightly on the ground, walked forward two steps, and raised his hand.

In a deep voice he said, “Although making such a mess here shows disrespect for Confucian learning and indeed deserves punishment—severe punishment even—my Mingshan Academy is a place for reading and learning. It is not appropriate to see blood here.”

Everyone was puzzled!

Master Yu coughed twice more. “Miss Tang’s behavior this time is infuriating, but it doesn’t warrant severing one of her hands. That is not something a virtuous scholar would do. Young Master Jing, you just said yourself that this incident occurred at Mingshan Academy, so naturally it should be handled according to Mingshan Academy’s rules.”

The corners of Jingrong’s lips curved slightly—this was within his expectations.

He had merely put Master Yu in a difficult position while also giving him a way out.

Naturally, he wouldn’t really cut off Tang Si’s hand—that would make him no different from someone like Jing Yi.

So he cupped his hands in salute. “Then I’ll leave it to Master to handle.”

“The study hall has been ruined like this—things broken, things dirtied. According to the rules, first ten strikes with the discipline rod, then clean this place thoroughly, then kneel overnight in the Confucian hall where the Sage Teachers are enshrined. That shall be the punishment.” Master Yu said.

“Good, then we’ll proceed as Master says.”

Jingrong agreed readily enough!

But the person in question, Tang Si, raised her voice, “I won’t clean this place, and you want me to kneel all night? Dream on! In my life I kneel to heaven, earth, and my parents—I will not kneel to you scholars.”

Ji Yinshu walked to her side and said in a lowered voice, “You’d better be quiet. This was indeed your fault, and the punishment is already the lightest possible. If you continue like this, no one can protect you.”

“But I…”

“On this journey, you’ve also learned about Jingrong’s temperament. What he says, he will definitely do. If you keep making trouble, your hand will really be gone.”

This was not a threat.

After Tang Si calmed down, she looked at the devastated study hall, then looked warily at Jingrong before forcefully swinging both arms and shaking off the two guards holding her.

She twisted her aching wrists. “Fine, if I have to clean, I’ll clean. If I have to kneel, I’ll kneel.”

A compromise of sorts!

But those students were unwilling and stepped forward to argue. “Teacher, that’s it? She destroyed so many of our desks and chairs, and so many books—how can we just let it go like this?”

“That’s right, we can’t just let it go.”

Everyone spoke one after another, expressing strong dissatisfaction with Master Yu’s resolution.

But Master Yu only slightly hunched his back, his expression indifferent.

Jingrong said, “All losses in the academy today will be borne by us. The broken tables and chairs, the damaged books—list them all, and I’ll have people replace everything completely.”

“Does having money make you so great?” Someone retorted.

Yes, having money does make one great—mind your own business.

I am a prince!

I am divine!

Master Yu said sternly, “This matter ends here. Even if others are at fault, Lin Shu was at fault first. If he hadn’t been so competitive and impulsive, it wouldn’t have led to such consequences. No one is to mention this matter again.” After speaking, he pointed at his students. “Look at yourselves, each and every one of you. Go wash up quickly.”

Only then did everyone suddenly realize their originally clean scholar’s robes were covered with ink, on their faces and hands too.

Then they were all dismissed by Master Yu.

This farce finally came to a hasty end!

Master Yu was also angry inside and didn’t want to look at the mess in the study hall any longer. He walked away unsteadily, supporting his head.

This would probably become the only incident in his forty-some years to be recorded as a negative example.

Before long, a young attendant threw Tang Si a broom and a cloth, not forgetting to add sarcastically, “Miss Tang, you have my sympathy.”

She grabbed the cloth and slung it over her shoulder, then jabbed the broom in her hand viciously at the ground several times.

She snorted!

Jingrong glanced at her angry little appearance and said, “You little girl have quite the violent temper. If no one had stopped you, you probably would have overturned the entire academy.”

Tang Si glared at him. “Sooner or later I will overturn it.”

“I like that spirit of yours, but first you need to clean this place up. Otherwise, the hand that should be severed will still have to be severed.”

“It’s just cleaning—who can’t do that?”

With that, she began bustling about in the study hall.

But when had this girl ever done such work? At home she had the finest food and drink, meals served to her mouth and clothes put on her body. Never mind a broom—she hadn’t even touched a cleaning cloth before.

So in just a short while, the originally chaotic tables, chairs, and benches became even more chaotic under her efforts.

Tables that hadn’t fallen over had now fallen!

Ink that hadn’t spilled had now spilled!

A disaster scene after the disaster!

Muruo suppressed his laughter and walked over to Jingrong, lightly bumping him, asking, “You really plan to let her do it herself?”

“You want to help?”

“I’d dirty my hands.”

“Then stop your nonsense.”

With a cold glance at him, Jingrong took Ji Yinshu’s hand and left.

On the way back to the rear courtyard, Ji Yinshu secretly studied him, seeing his expression cool and truly unable to discern his emotions.

So she spoke haltingly, “This matter can’t be entirely blamed on Miss Tang. If I hadn’t pulled her over there, such a thing wouldn’t have happened. Besides, it was indeed Lin Shu whose words were harsh, provoking her anger.”

Jingrong didn’t respond.

“When you said earlier you’d cut off her hand, you were probably just scaring her, right? You wanted to give Master Yu a way out, so he wouldn’t dismiss the matter because of your status as a prince, and to prevent resentment in his heart. That move was quite calculated.”

Jingrong still didn’t respond, only his thin, cold lips curved upward slightly, revealing an intriguing smile.

Wickedly charming?

Or a secretive smile?

What was wrong with this man?

He always gave people a feeling of unpredictability!

Ji Yinshu stopped talking.

When they reached the door of the room, she had just pushed it open when Jingrong grabbed her wrist, forcing her small frame to face him directly.

Her gaze slowly moved upward along the hand that held her, meeting Jingrong’s deep, serene eyes.

Their four eyes met, gazing at each other for a long time.

“What’s wrong?”

She had a bad feeling!

And the smile that had been hanging at the corners of Jingrong’s lips grew even deeper. His palm applied slight force, pulling the petite woman before him to his chest, his head bowing down.

The distance closed!