After His Majesty's rebirth, he personally taught the queen to abuse the scumbag

Cheng Mingran did admit that what she said just now was a bit too presumptuous, but she really couldn't help it. Why did she have to bear all the responsibilities alone when it was clearly a matter between two people?

Is it because I was the one who took the initiative at the beginning, and I was the one who was willing at the beginning? The more Cheng Mingran thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt.

So it's rare that I have the courage to vent my grievances. Why do I have to give in every time? Why do I have to digest everything by myself every time?

It was a mistake from the beginning. Now that she knows about it, she doesn't even have the chance to correct it or stop the next mistake from happening?

Cheng Mingran refused to give in. He could do whatever he wanted, but he had to think twice before doing anything, fearing that he might make a mistake. This was too unfair...

Didn't he want to punish her? Then let him punish her. Haven't these so-called punishments become commonplace? She has long been accustomed to it.

The atmosphere in the room became increasingly tense, and neither of them was willing to give in. When the empress dowager came out, she saw Ji Lingzhou looking at Cheng Mingran kneeling on the ground with a complicated expression.

"What did Ranran do wrong? Why is His Majesty angry again?" the Queen Mother asked. The word "again" fell on Ji Lingzhou.

The Queen Mother walked over to Cheng Mingran and offered her hand to help her up, but Cheng Mingran was stubborn now and ignored her, saying, "I have displeased Your Majesty and I dare not stand up."

The Queen Mother glanced at Cheng Mingran, and then at Ji Lingzhou, whose face turned even darker.

"Your Majesty, but what did Ranran do?" she asked.

Ji Lingzhou remained silent.

The situation came to a complete stalemate.

Queen Mother: "..."

"The ground is cold, Ranran, get up first." The empress dowager said again. This time Cheng Mingran didn't say anything, but still knelt on the ground and refused to get up.

The Queen Mother sighed and looked at Ji Lingzhou again: "How does Your Majesty want to punish me?"

Ji Lingzhou's hands, which were behind his back, were clenched tighter and tighter where no one could see.

"Do you really have to make trouble with me?" Ji Lingzhou asked.

Cheng Mingran lowered her head, but also replied: "I dare not, but I just said what is in my heart. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, how dare I mess with Your Majesty? If Your Majesty wants to punish me, I will never disobey."

She was just angry today. Didn't he want to punish her? Well, let him punish her to his heart's content. The queen mother saw the scene in front of her, her eyes darkened, and she simply stopped talking and just watched this farce from the side.

"Cheng Mingran!" Ji Lingzhou emphasized his tone.

"When I just left the cold palace, Your Majesty said that you don't have time to waste with me, and told me not to forget my status. For this, Your Majesty also punished me with twenty strokes of the cane. Now, even if Your Majesty punishes me with twenty more strokes, I am willing to accept it." Cheng Mingran's words directly pushed Ji Lingzhou to a "dead end". (Chapter 13 of "The Cane Is the Way")

Cheng Mingran had already told Ji Lingzhou how to punish him. If Ji Lingzhou didn't punish him now, he would be unworthy of his status. His imperial face and dignity would all be thrown to the ground.

But... even if he really wanted to punish her, the Queen Mother would definitely not sit idly by. She couldn't just sit there and watch Cheng Mingran get beaten in front of her, right?

"Cheng Mingran, do you really have to argue with me?" Ji Lingzhou asked again.

Cheng Mingran still refused to show weakness.

Good, good, she is fine!

"Since you are so eager to be punished, I will satisfy you. Come here, Concubine Shu has committed treason and will be caned with twenty strokes of the cane in the court." Ji Lingzhou looked at Cheng Mingran with displeasure.

Cheng Mingran was not surprised at all, but the emotion in her eyes seemed to fade a little at this moment. The Queen Mother stood to one side, but she just watched the farce quietly, with no intention of intervening.

Ji Lingzhou's heart seemed to be grasped by a pair of big hands, and the grip was getting tighter and tighter.

It was not until the palace servants behind him came up that Ji Lingzhou shouted: "Wait a minute!"

The palace maids and the queen mother all looked at Ji Lingzhou, and then they heard him ask: "Do you really want to be stubborn to the end?"

Cheng Mingran looked straight ahead and said, "I am willing to be punished."

When the palace maid saw this, she didn't know whether she should take the person away. The Queen Mother's eyes fell on Ji Lingzhou's face, and Ji Lingzhou happened to look at the Queen Mother for some reason. When their eyes met in a hurry, Ji Lingzhou looked away somewhat unnaturally.

"Your Majesty..." the palace servant called out.

Ji Lingzhou was silent for a long time, and finally said: "No need to take him away, just be punished here."

"Yes," the palace maid said helplessly. When the palace maid brought the court cane, Ji Lingzhou also glanced at it. These twenty canes... there was hesitation in his eyes.

Cheng Mingran simply lay down on the torture bench nearby, without a single word of begging for mercy or showing weakness. Ji Lingzhou also kept looking towards the Queen Mother unconsciously, thinking that if the Queen Mother was willing to plead for mercy, then there would be a way out.

But for some reason, the Queen Mother just stood by and didn't even say a word to beg for mercy. She just watched coldly, as if she was just watching a show.

"I'll ask you again, do you really not want to beg for mercy?" Ji Lingzhou had asked a similar question countless times.

This time, Cheng Mingran didn't even want to speak, and just lay quietly on the stool.

"With your physical condition, you can't withstand 20 strokes of the cane." Ji Lingzhou added.

Cheng Mingran felt sad: "Your Majesty knew it and gave such an order, didn't he? I naturally have nothing to say. Even if I really couldn't bear it today, I couldn't openly disobey your Majesty's order, right? Could it be that because of my words, your Majesty can be exempted from this punishment?"

"But I have begged for mercy when Your Majesty punished me in the past, but wasn't the result the same? So why is Your Majesty asking now? Didn't Your Majesty say that avoiding punishment will only result in double punishment?" Cheng Mingran spoke in the calmest tone, directly blocking Ji Lingzhou from saying anything before he could even finish his words.

He looked at the situation in front of him and realized that if he didn't take action today, the situation would be unbreakable...

But... Ji Lingzhou was reluctant to come down, and everyone in the hall was frozen. Li Sheng was also anxious watching from the side. His Majesty clearly didn't want to punish him...

"Your Majesty, the Concubine Shu is weak..." Li Sheng had no choice but to be the vanguard himself.

But Cheng Mingran not only wanted to kick down the stairs herself, but also wanted to make sure Ji Lingzhou had no stairs to step down, so she replied before Ji Lingzhou could say anything: "So what if you are weak? Didn't you survive the four months in the cold palace? You were whipped every day, but you are still alive now, aren't you?"