This was Murong Qingyan's humiliation of her, and since Chu Hengyuan treasured this woman, she could not hide. Hiding would only bring even more brutal punishment. Aran's whole body felt cold as she knelt straight on the gravel-paved courtyard ground!
Was this simply her fate? As long as she was tied to this Prince's Estate, she would forever be trampled upon by Chu Hengyuan and Murong Qingyan! When would this ever end?
Upon receiving the news, Leng Yi came to Aran's side. Aran smiled bitterly and said, "Big Brother, you must believe it now!"
"I will speak to the Prince." With that, Leng Yi left.
Aran had already been kneeling for three hours. The tiny, sharp gravel had worn bloody gashes into her knees, and droplets of blood slowly seeped through her thin summer skirt. Aran's face was pale, and the scorching summer heat had soaked her clothes with sweat.
"Gu Ranran, hold on!" Aran told herself inwardly. Even though she remained kneeling as straight as before, her vision blurred from time to time, and she kept giving herself pep talks!
After a little while longer, Gu Ranran truly could not hold on any longer, and her vision went black as she collapsed!
"Aran, Aran, wake up." A pair of strong hands supported Aran's waist. "Quickly, summon the estate physician! Aran, wake up." With that, he immediately scooped up Aran and rushed toward Chenyang Pavilion. The person who had arrived was Chu Hengyuan, just returning from the palace.
"You're back, Your Highness." Hearing the servants report that Chu Hengyuan had returned to the estate, Murong Qingyan hurried over from the reception hall, only to see him holding in his arms the maid she had punished with kneeling. "Your Highness, this slave showed a lack of respect and spoke insolently. She brings shame upon the Prince's Estate's reputation, and I—"
"This is Chenyang Pavilion; outsiders are not permitted to enter!" Chu Hengyuan cut Murong Qingyan off, and with that, he carried Aran into the bedchamber of Chenyang Pavilion.
Murong Qingyan tightly clutched the handkerchief in her hand. Walking to a secluded spot, she slapped Chuntao across the face: "It's all your fault! Just wait until we get back to the estate, hmph!"
Chuntao trembled with fear, knowing just how vicious the methods of her seemingly gentle mistress truly were!
The estate physician stepped forward to take the pulse. After feeling the pulse, he reported: "Your Highness, Miss Ran suffered heatstroke resulting in physical exhaustion and fainting." He then glanced at the blood stains on her legs. "Later on, I shall prescribe some medicine for her to clear the heat, promote blood circulation, and resolve stasis!" Having said that, the physician stepped back to a nearby desk and began writing the prescription.
"Go and investigate what happened," Chu Hengyuan said to thin air, and Leng Qi acknowledged the order.
After finishing the prescription, the physician handed it to a young eunuch in the pavilion to have the medicine filled. He then opened his medicine chest, took out two jars of ointment, and stepped before Chu Hengyuan. "Your Highness, these two jars of ointment—one is for promoting blood circulation and resolving stasis, and the other is for tissue regeneration. As for this—"
"Very well, leave the ointment here and you may withdraw." Chu Hengyuan pointed to a spot, signaling for the ointment to be placed there.
The estate physician packed up his medicine chest and retreated. Chu Hengyuan carefully rolled up the hem of Aran's skirt. Her knees were bruised black and blue, and the places where the stones had broken her skin were still slowly oozing bright red blood.
Chu Hengyuan picked up a jar of ointment and carefully applied it to Gu Ranran's wounds, murmuring, "Aran, I'm sorry. I came too late. I, Chu Hengyuan, swear that from now on I will never let anyone hurt you a single bit!" Chu Hengyuan fetched a clean handkerchief and wrapped the wounds on Aran's knees.
When everything had been tended to, Leng Yi followed Leng Qi back into the inner chamber and reported everything that had happened today to Chu Hengyuan.
Murong Qingyan, what a fine Murong Qingyan!