After refusing marriage, she was pampered by the prince who acted as a shield.

Chapter 177: Punishment

"Qin'er, you've been gone for so long, shouldn't you come back with me now?" Li Zeyan said, and Lin Rusi beside him was also very dissatisfied.

"Your Highness, what do you mean by this? Is my sister not even allowed to stay home for a meal?"

Li Zeyan never expected that a mere Lin Rusi would dare to talk back to him.

But no matter what, this woman is now Li Jingyang's princess, and she is not someone he can easily offend.

Although his expression was unpleasant, he managed to hold back.

"Royal Aunt, how could I be so unreasonable? The decision on this matter is of course in the hands of the Princess Consort. Qin'er, tell me, do you want to come back with me?"

Although it was just a question, the unquestionable tone was very clear.

Lin Ruqin knew very well that if she didn't go back today, she would likely face another punishment.

"Sisi, what the prince said is actually right. I'll go back with the prince first, and I'll come to see you again when I have time."

After saying this, he reluctantly got into Li Zeyan's carriage.

As the carriage drove further and further away, Lin Rusi felt uneasy.

The Third Prince has always been short-tempered; I wonder if he will punish Lin Ruqin when he gets back.

Inside the carriage, Li Zeyan's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going out today? Don't you know how much this would affect me if word got out?"

Li Zeyan also felt extremely dissatisfied.

Adding to the fact that he had just been contradicted by a mere Lin Rusi, he felt increasingly uneasy.

Lin Ruqin trembled upon hearing this.

"I...I didn't mean to. I just ran into my second sister on the road today, so we went back together. We chatted for a while this afternoon, so I forgot the time. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Lin Ruqin had long since given up on this arrangement.

If you are not careful, you will be subjected to torture when you get back.

Li Zeyan was inherently malicious, and if she continued to stay by this man's side, she would eventually be rejected by him.

It will be too late to regret it later.

"Is this your apology? Too bad it's too late..."

After saying that, Li Zeyan kept a cold face on the way back, unwilling to listen to Lin Ruqin's nonsense any longer.

Upon returning, he slapped Lin Ruqin across the face as soon as he got off the carriage.

Lin Ruqin covered her face and didn't dare to ask. Even though she was the eldest daughter of the Lin family, this man had never taken her seriously.

On the contrary, they are not as good as the beautiful women around him.

"Your Highness, if you hate me so much, why did you bring me back after I left?"

At this point, Lin Ruqin also expressed her incomprehension.

"You're not ashamed, but I am! Guards, tie up the princess! She did something wrong outside today, and I must punish her severely as a warning to others! If anything similar happens again in the inner courtyard, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After saying this, he had all his concubines invited over.

Lin Ruqin was immediately frightened.

No matter what, she was a respectable young lady from a wealthy family. How could she lose face in front of these women?

To everyone's surprise, Li Zeyan wouldn't listen to a word.

Only then did he embrace his beloved concubine.

“Hongyu, didn’t you say that the princess had humiliated you in every way before? Now this is your best chance to get revenge. Pick up the whip and hit her as many times as you want.”

Li Zeyan spoke directly.

Upon hearing this, Hongyu was still somewhat hesitant. After all, this was the princess consort bestowed upon Li Zeyan by the Emperor, while she was merely a concubine bought from a brothel. How could she dare to do such a rebellious thing?

“Hongyu, if you don’t do as I ask today, you will be guilty of the same crime. Don’t blame me for not considering our past relationship then.”

As expected, Hongyu looked somewhat frightened upon hearing this, and then cautiously picked up the whip.

"Your Highness, no matter what, I am the Princess Consort personally appointed by the Emperor. How can you treat me like this? If this gets out, what will the world say about me?"

Looking at Li Zeyan in front of her, Lin Ruqin felt nothing but hatred.

But to his surprise, he found it laughable.

"I'm disciplining my woman, and who dares to object? Hongyu, what are you standing there for? Beat her!"

"Yes……"

Soon, Lin Ruqin also felt intense pain in her body.

I have never suffered such injustice before.

Hongzhi, standing to the side, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Our young lady has been pampered since childhood, how can she be subjected to such humiliation?

But the other party is the Third Prince, someone they can't afford to offend.

"Your Highness, please stop hitting her! Our young lady has been pampered since childhood; when has she ever suffered such injustice?"

Hongzhi cried out, but no one paid any attention at that moment.

Those concubines are all making sarcastic remarks here.

So what if she's the eldest daughter of the Lin family? Here, she's not even as good as a concubine bought from a brothel.

This also greatly satisfied the vanity of these women.

Lin Ruqin's face turned ashen at this moment.

I never imagined I would end up like this.

After a while, Li Zeyan probably got tired of it.

“Hongzhi, I see that your princess is also a bit tired today. In that case, I will be merciful and let you go back to rest first. But I will settle this score with you one day.”

Soon, Hongzhi took Lin Ruqin back, and naturally felt very sorry for her.

"Your Highness, what he did today was too much. Why don't we report this to the Emperor?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruqin had little hope for the matter.

No matter what, Li Zeyan was the emperor's own son. How could the emperor possibly smear his son's reputation for the sake of an outsider like himself?

"Your Highness! But must we let you suffer this injustice for nothing?"

The girls all felt it was too much to bear.

"Alright, I'm fine now anyway, why are you all looking so miserable? If Li Zeyan doesn't kill me today, one day I'll make him pay a thousand times the price."

Seeing these people, Lin Rusi felt somewhat helpless, and then coldly gave all the instructions for what to do next.

However, in order to get the other party to help him leave the palace, he had to put on a pitiful act no matter how difficult it was. To accomplish this, he first had to gain Lin Rusi's trust.