772 - I Am This Murim’s Crazy B*tch

Shockingly, Ximen Qing's true identity is revealed to be Princess Yeon-Sul! "Look at this, Lady Jo. In this world, how many grown women have the audacity to sprawl upon their mothers like that with such impudence?" Qing felt wronged. Who was it that forcibly laid her down to rest her head on a lap, only to be spoken of this way? Yet, Lady Jo had an epiphany. Even if Her Highness insisted on making her lie down, wasn’t she lounging as if this place was truly her own chamber, without the slightest discomfort? And overlaid on that spread-out figure are countless past scenes. Lady Jo blinked her eyes, pondering. "Indeed, is it truly Her Highness, Yeon-Sul?" "Hadn’t I told you numerous times before? Be wary of that woman cloaked as Yeon-Sul. Now, through Buddha’s boundless mercy, I have found my daughter again while offering prayers." Back then, given that Her Highness wasn’t in the right state of mind, we assumed such words were due to that condition. In recent years, since rumors about the false Yeon-Sul were put to rest and no accusations were made against the enchanting women of the Celestial Maiden Hall, it seemed Her Highness regained her clarity. But it was because she found the real Princess Yeon-Sul, secretly sharpening her gleaming swords in her heart. Lady Jo’s heart sank painfully. Who dared to insult the martial artist temptation who tried to ensnare the Crown Prince, acting ignorantly on behalf of the Empress? Lady Jo bowed low. "Your Highness, I have committed a grievous sin! I spoke without knowing the circumstances. Oh dear." "Oh, it's quite alright. You only did it with the Empress's best interest at heart..." "Cut off my tongue and sew up my mouth immediately!" "Isn't that a bit extreme..." "My heart is uneasy. Rather beat me with a switch. I shall present you with a bundle of switches, so discipline me thoroughly." Qing thought, oh my. Going from cutting off a tongue and sewing a mouth to corporal punishment seemed quite a drastic change, didn’t it? Like the difference between life imprisonment and a suspended sentence? Then the Empress intervened to stop Lady Jo. "Enough. Knowing Yeon-Sul's nature as you do, would she ever harm anyone without cause? Child, do you not remember her? She was the Lady Jo who secretly brought snacks to Lady Deok-Seong. Didn’t you always spring up upon hearing her footsteps?" "Oh, was she really the one..." What kind of princess was Yeon-Sul to recognize the footsteps of someone bringing snacks and spring up like some kind of loyal dog-like beast? "My goodness, Princess Yeon-Sul. You've grown so beautifully, yet your face remains as unchanged as ever..." Lady Jo wiped her eyes. Seeing everyone's reactions, it seemed Yeon-Sul had truly been someone loved deeply. "So, do you now understand why I opposed the marriage so vehemently?" "What? A marriage, you say? Oh dear, how obscene. How could something so indecent and bizarre occur in broad daylight...?!" Lady Jo stamped her feet fervently. "And thus, even though a major concern has lifted, I remain utterly restless. The more strongly I oppose the Emperor, the better chance there is he will relent from his stubbornness. Yet at such a time, I’m helpless and have brought you here. Oh, Yeon-Sul, what am I to do..." The Empress stroked Qing’s head, her voice laden with genuine sorrow. Truly, what a ludicrous reward: a forced marriage so chilling that merely imagining it sent shivers down her spine. Ah, this was indeed an absurd situation. Nonetheless, to prevent this, the Empress had to continue expressing vehement and absolute opposition. Frankly, one might wonder if she could oppose more than she already had. The truth was, she had clearly expressed her opposition and had literally collapsed from protesting against it. The problem was that the moment the mother, shocked by the impending loss of her daughter, opened her eyes, she summoned Qing and set everything else aside. ...Was that really a problem? Earlier, upon arrival, those around seemed to delight in witnessing her imminent disgrace, didn’t they? Moreover, Lady Jo behaved as if treating her like a criminal. Thus, the looks of cynicism from palace women clearly resembled that of a bride being summoned to a dreaded mother-in-law — akin to being summoned by a combative mother-in-law from a hometown melodramatic television series. In that case, wouldn’t it be fine? Qing raised her opinion. The Empress’s expression darkened, and Lady Jo faintly knelt in small commotion, but that was brief. With Qing involved, the focus being no longer on others but herself, she actively expressed her opinion. "Perhaps if it seemed that dire, couldn't we just escalate it more and actually make it seem so?" ---- The next day, an astonishing news swept through all of Forbidden City. The shocking and horrifying news that even made the palace maids shiver in disgust. Qing, the young hero, was called by the Empress in the dead of night and was struck five times with a switch! Hailing from Qing’s hometown, people might tilt their heads, thinking 'Hmm, is that all?' Only five lashes with a switch — what’s the big monstrous deal about it? But this underestimated the spirit and sheer vastness of the mainland except their kind heart. In Zhongyuan, when they say 'five switch blows'? It doesn’t mean they were merely struck five times with a switch. It meant being beaten repeatedly until five switches broke! On top of that, a switch was a horrifying and grueling punishment for the women of Forbidden City. Not only was the pain brutal, but it was also a grave trial to their dignity, severely afflicting their very souls. For being struck on the buttocks was unbearably humiliating. And would it be punishment if for the mistake of getting the buttocks slapped, the offender covered themselves? Naturally, the bare bottom was struck, and to ensure that the top was not used to provide cover, they were stripped entirely and subjected to the lashes. Such a beating was usually turned into a spectacle, gathered before everyone as if witnessing a good show, intensifying both the pain and the humiliation. Among the harsh discipline practices for the palace maids in the Forbidden City were pinching, pricking with needles, overloading with chores, serving all food in one dish, depriving them of sleep, and more, all notoriously severe. However, like the saying "simplicity is best," the switch was considered one of the most feared punishments among them. Hearing this fact, Qing finally understood that Lady Jo hadn’t arbitrarily reduced her sentence but had shown an extraordinary resolve by offering to bring an armful of switches herself. Misunderstandings cleared. Regardless, amidst these widely spread rumors, another shocking piece of news emerged. Her Highness the Empress had decided that the young hero Ximen Qing would stay in the Hanbok Palace, one of the western palaces, and allocated a palace for her. She advised that morning greetings were unnecessary, but to check her bedding each night, much like the sentiments among the Jade Spring Palace servants, who scoured the entire Forbidden City to gather all the switches. The Hanbok Palace was positioned right behind the Jade Spring Palace, it was as if she declared she would personally administer the switchings each night. Even the sentiments arose to: "I don’t think I can endure enough to become a noble. No matter the favor, really." "Wow, then you can rest assured. With your face, it’s unlikely you’d become a noble even if heaven and earth flipped, congratulations." "Why is this girl speaking so subtly? Is she harboring a death wish?" Such sympathetic sentiments were directed towards the Heavenly Sword Flower. The position of the Crown Princess was the dream and hope of all palace maids, and the envy and hatred towards the outsider occupying that spot, the Heavenly Sword Flower, were extraordinary. Yet, for sentiments of pity to emerge showed just how dreadful the news was. That night, with the sighting of the remains of five broken switches outside, any doubt or worry about, "Would she really go that far," was confirmed as truth. According to the Jade Spring Palace maids, the slashing sound of the switch was so terrifyingly clear that they found themselves unable to sleep. It was precisely this sound. Whack. Whack. Whack. Even through the thick soundproofing of the Jade Spring Palace, if one listened keenly, it echoed lowly. For it to be heard this way, despite the stillness of the Zhongyuan night, one might think their rear end would not just burst but rot away. A simply dreadful thought that interrupted the palace maids' sleep. The actual situation was as follows: Whack!! Whack!! Whack!! Lady Jo struck hard with the switch. Certainly not a task for a summer night; she was drenched with sweat, panting heavily. "Oh, I can do it myself." "No, Lady Jo must exert at least this much effort to ease my heart. Now, aaah." "You’re right, huff, huff, Princess Yeon-Sul. Since I dared to open my unnecessary mouth, huff, such labor for the soul to find peace is, huff, only as just, huff, you see." While Lady Jo forcefully struck the poor ground. "Ma'am, I can take the bite-" "No." "Ahhh." Qing’s mouth was filled with a round slice of watermelon. The crunchy and cool watermelon was indeed a great delicacy for a summer night. Furthermore, the Imperial cooling system managed by eunuchs who practiced Ice Arts kept the watermelon fresh and extraordinarily sweet and tasty. Meanwhile, watermelon was considered quite a luxury in Zhongyuan, a very high-grade fruit. Whack!! Whack!! Whack!!! "There you go." "Uh, I usually eat the watermelon seeds too." "Listen. Didn’t I, your mother, repeatedly advise you not to swallow seeds carelessly as they might be harmful? Why won't you listen? Now, open wide and spit out the seeds." "Ahhh." Qing felt the touch of the Empress’ palm close to her lips. Hmm, this isn't the kind of atmosphere I want. If this spoils like during the Divine Maiden Sect, it’ll be a disaster. However, at present, Qing had no right to refuse. Thus, reluctantly, the watermelon seeds trembled out onto the majestic palm of Her Grace the Empress. "Good girl. You've always disliked removing watermelon seeds. But astonishingly, no matter how weak you were lounging, not once did I hear you cough." "Huff, huff, didn’t, huff, you say, didn’t you, huff, feed me once, when, huff, I completely reclined, didn’t you feed me, do you remember?" Of course, there’d be no memory of that. To begin with, what kind of person lounges around getting fed? Initially coming across as an unusually down-to-earth and affectionate princess, exuding rustic charm. An ideal image of a kind and spirited heroine often shown in idyllic dramas. But the more one got to know, the more bizarre it was. Is she human or beast? Hmm, more like… Qing's eyes roamed restlessly. I shouldn’t succumb to such warmth. I am not your daughter nor have any intention of living as one, which I should firmly assert. Yet, in such warmth, words fail to come to my lips. Thus, when Lady Jo finished breaking five switches, only then was Qing released from the reluctant embrace of the Empress, returning directly over the back gate to the Hanbok Palace. From where Gavi awaited in anxiety, pacing back and forth in anticipation, eagerly ran to cling. "Sniffle, Your Highness, are you alright? Do you need ointment for your wounds? It’ll help with swelling and easing the pain if I apply it right away—" "No, I’m fine." She didn’t need anything for a perfectly unharmed backside. "Neither Lady Deok-Seong nor Her Highness speaks up while you endure such humiliation. It worries me now, and I can’t do anything, but everyone else doesn’t seem to care, it’s heartbreaking," That’s because Lady Deok-Seong and the eunuchs believe Qing to be Yeon-Sul. To them, the switch was nothing more than spending warm time with Her Highness, the Empress. ZGVPdDc2cnQxMFU0bVlrbnZITXlVbVd2c3VmcUJZS2NTNmJQbEhaVkVJZ2pvbnB1VGV1MHdjV3RBa0hJY2IxUg Only Gavi seemed anxious, unaware of the truth. "No, really, I’m fine, okay? I’m seasoned enough that even if I'm struck by a sword, it just leaves a scratch, so whether it’s five or a hundred switches, it doesn’t matter." "But even so, how, how can you, my Lady? What about our poor Lady?" To Gavi, Qing only seemed to be endlessly burdened. The child couldn’t even feign fatal worry now, fidgeting restlessly. Regardless, if she continued playing the role of the battered bride for a bit longer, she would surely be able to return home soon. They couldn't possibly insist on making her the Crown Princess after witnessing this predicament. After all, the discussion began as a reward for repelling the minor demon witches, but to force it through in this situation would be turning a reward into punishment, wouldn’t it? "I’m really fine. Yawn. Now, let’s go rest." "Would it not be better to sleep after the Heavenly Maiden has examined your wounds? Please?" With that, Qing held Gavi's shoulders confidently and guided her towards the inner chamber, reassuring her. "I told you, I’m fine. If you’re really worried, isn’t the imperial physician visiting for the pulse check tomorrow? I’ll ask them then if it’s alright for me to be hit more." The words were anything but reassuring.