Volume 1 Chapter 9 Punishment

  Xia Jinhan's words made Zhou Yuan's body stiffen for a moment, but he quickly relaxed. He was about to say something when he was interrupted.

  At this time, Qingyun, who had always been following Xia Jinhans side, also appeared out of nowhere, as if he knew what Xia Jinhans was going to say, looked at Shangguan Qinger with a somewhat pitiful expression and opened his mouth, "The general is unaware that this child is also pitiful, abandoned in the mountains and wilderness, lost her memory, and does not know who her parents are, so cruel. It was our lord who took pity on her and took her in."

  Qingyun's words were clear: Shangguan Qing'er had lost her memory and her identity was unclear. If Zhou Yuan really recognized her, helping her find her relatives would be the best outcome.

  Zhou Yuan was a clever man and naturally understood the meaning behind this. However, there were some things he couldn't be certain of, which concerned the friendship between Zhao and Xia, and even determined the future of Zhao. At this critical moment for Zhao, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

  A hint of gloom flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes, but soon he was smiling at Shangguan Qing'er and Xia Zhihan, "Your Highness is benevolent, truly a blessing to the people of Xia."

  When Xia Jin heard Zhou Yuan's evasive answer, the cold light in her eyes flickered, and her sharp gaze stared straight at Zhou Yuan, making him feel uneasy all over, with a chilling sensation.

  Feeling Xia Jin's emotional changes, Shangguan Qing'er's eyes rolled around, also unsure of what she was thinking.

  "Brother, Light Son, hungry..." For some reason, seeing Zhou Yuan's expression and his outfit, Upper Official Light Son always had a very disgusted feeling. So, she looked at Xia Jinhan with a deep face, and pulled on his clothes, laughing and calling him.

  She tilted her head, looking at the lovely little girl in her arms, those watery eyes with a pleading expression, her delicate face had already turned bright red from his teasing, making her look even more radiant.

  Xia Jinhans nodded and said to Zhou Yuan, "The palace has already ordered people to prepare a large tent for the few of you to stay in. General Zhou has been busy all day and must be tired, go rest first."

  Having said that, he faintly instructed General Ouyang Yi of the Xia State beside Zhou Yuan, "General Ouyang, these envoys are handed over to you; be sure to treat them well."

  Ouyang Yi was the General of the Summer State who had brought Zhou Yuan and others over earlier, and also the commander-in-chief of this great war. At just over thirty years old, he had been galloping across the battlefield, winning many victories for the Summer State, and was a god of war in the hearts of the people of the Summer State.

  He had a wheat-colored face, a very resolute face, tall and majestic in stature, with an intense aura of justice emanating from his entire body. He bowed his head to accept the order, "Your subordinate obeys!" Then he said again, "General Zhou, please."

  Zhou Yuan took another look at the little child in Xia Jinhans arms and said to Xia Jinhans, "I bid farewell to Your Highness. General Ou Yang, thank you for your trouble."

  Shangguan Qing'er leaned against Xia Jinhans' chest, and in her mind, a beautiful woman's appearance seemed to flash by, but it was just a fleeting glance. She wanted to grasp something, but couldn't grasp anything, so she lazily leaned against Xia Jinhans' chest, closed her eyes, and sank into thought.

  She was certain that this was her first time in this era, and also the first time she saw Zhao Guo's attire. Why did she have a familiar feeling? Thinking again about Xia Zhihan and Zhou Yuan's expressions and their conversation, Shangguan Qing'er blinked her eyes, suddenly somewhat understanding.

  Could it be that she was originally from Zhao Guo? And also someone from the Zhao Guo military camp, someone Zhou Yuan had seen before? But if so, why would Xia Jin Han want to save a child from an enemy country?

  She felt a bit of a headache and was too lazy to care, anyway, no matter what she was, she was just an abandoned child by her parents. Currently, the only person she could trust besides Xia Jinhans was nobody else.

  However, if she was indeed the child of an enemy nation, Xia Jinhan's kindness towards her might also have had an ulterior motive.

  Returning to the outside of the large tent, she saw the kneeling guards as well as Qing Ran and Li Hua. Xia Jin Han's eyes were filled with a cold glint as she asked in a chilly tone, "You can't even take care of a child, what use are you to me?"

  Shangguan Qing'er was startled by Xia Jinhan's voice and only came back to her senses to find a large group of people kneeling on the ground, suddenly understanding what was going on. With some mischief, she stuck out her tongue and looked at Li Hua and Qingran with embarrassment.

  Ling Hua and Qing Ran's bodies trembled slightly as they knelt on the ground, then chorused in unison, "Your subordinates have failed in their duties, please punish us, Your Highness."

  "Dereliction of duty, please punish me." Along with Qingran and Lihua's voices, the guards behind them also shouted loudly, the scene was quite spectacular.

  Shangguan Qing'er felt a twinge of guilt in her heart, biting her lip as she looked at Xia Jinhans' icy face beside her, hesitating about whether or not to help them explain.

  But then Xia Jinhan said, "Since you know your mistake, each of you go and receive 50 boards. If there's a next time, it won't be like this."

  Shangguan Qing'er was stunned. These people just didn't take good care of her, let her run out and play for a while, how could he say hit someone and then actually hit them? This, this...

  "Brother, it's Light Child's fault..." Upper Official Light Child finally softened her heart after all. These people were not at fault; she was the one who had been playful and intentionally avoided them to escape.

  However, Xia Jinhan just gave her a cold glance and then coldly ordered, "Take them away."

  "Yes!" A uniform response came from behind him, and soon Qingran and Lihua were taken away. Before long, a series of shocking slapping sounds could be heard. However, there was only the sound of the board hitting buttocks, but not a single person cried out in pain.

  Shangguan Qing'er felt guilty in her heart, and was placed on a chair by Xia Jinhan. Seeing that Xia Jinhan seemed tired and wanted to rest, she hastily pulled at his clothes, looking at him with a serious face, "Brother, it really has nothing to do with them... It's my fault, do you want to punish them or not..."

  Her voice was sweet and full of childishness. As she spoke, big tears rolled down her crystal face.

  Xia Jinhans head turned, looking at this self-blaming little girl, and once again picked her up, placing her on his lap, letting her face down lean against his legs. Immediately afterwards, Xia Jinhans large palm landed on her small buttocks.

  On the one hand, he was still hitting him, and on the other hand, his cold voice came over, "This is a punishment for your disobedience and running around. If you plead for them again, go out with them and receive fifty slaps."

  Shangguan Qing'er originally pretended to cry in order to soften Xia Jincheng's heart, but unexpectedly Xia Jincheng not only hit her, but also scolded her with such a cold voice. For some reason, she felt a sour and uncomfortable feeling in her heart, and tears really started flowing down.

  But facing Xia Jinhan's coldness, she bit her lip and nodded reluctantly, "Yes, Qing'er understands."

  The chill in Xia Jin's eyes had not dissipated, but instead became even colder. The tone of this girl was clearly dissatisfied with her own actions. He really didn't understand what she was dissatisfied with? He hadn't punished her and that wasn't enough, how dare she be dissatisfied?

  As expected, she's a reckless and arrogant girl. She's the first person to dare speak to me like that. Does she really think that just because I've taken her in and spared her life, she can be lawless and unbridled in front of me?

  Xia Jin looked at Shangguan Qing'er with a cold gaze, threw her onto the chair, and then stood up to leave, leaving only an icy back view for Shangguan Qing'er.

  Digression

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