I don't want to marry the Emperor!

8

A/N: there is no part 1 or 2. I was just too lazy to change the default labeling of WattPad.

Once both Yu Jiang and Yu Bai arrive to the Yu manor and settled down, after reflecting on all the things that had occurred, Yu Bai felt her heart beginning to speed up erratically.

"Jiang gege, Bai is scare. Miss Yu Ning... and madame Fenchi (Yu Ning's mother) said that once they get back, they're going to punish Bai. Bai is scare. what should we do?" Yu Bai stared nervously at Yu Jiang.

As Yu Jiang stared at Bai's fearful expression, a small sigh escaped from his lips. Originally, with the number of young women that had applied for the competition, Yu Jiang thought that Yu Bai and he will never run into Yu Ning. So regardless of whether Yu Bai passed the competition or not, the Yu family will never know. However, now that these events had happened, Yu Jiang could only sigh at the approaching headache.

"It'll be fine. The competition was opened to all eligible candidates. If madame and Yu Ning are unhappy, they can go complain to the Emperor. It is not our problem."

Yu Bai was still unsure, but since her brother said it will be fine. She moved the issue to the back of her head.

Yu Jiang on the other hand, contrary to what he had just said aloud, was still worry. What he said to Yu Bai was not wrong, but given Yu Bai's personality and the family laws of this time period, Yu Jiang was sure that issues will still arise once Yu Ning and her mother gets back.

...

The Yu family returned three days after Yu Bai and Yu Jiang, and as expected, after a full two day of rest, Madame Fenchi and Yu Ning found trouble for Yu Bai as she was completing her chores.

"Madame Fenchi orders you to report to her courtyard. Follow me." One of Yu Ning's personal maid, Yawen, told Yu Bai.

Remembering what had happened to her at the competition and Yu Ning's threat, Yu Bai felt her heart speed up and eyes quivered, but since Yu Jiang told her that it be fine and since she did not have much of a choice in the matter, Yu Bai timidly followed behind Yawen to Madame Fenchi's Azalea courtyard.

...

With madame Fenchi's courtyard being the best place for positive energy to gather, many of master Yu's (The father) concubines and even Yu Ning desired it. However, no matter how much the concubines pleaded to Master Yu and Yu Ning pleaded with Madame Fenchi, neither budged.

Master Yu would always tell the concubines to first get permission from Madame Fenchi and Madame Fenchi would always tell Yu Ning that she needed to stay in the best wing in order to continue to get Master Yu's favor.

As Yu Ning's maid, Yawen, led Yu Bai thru the entrance to the large, beautiful courtyard to where Madame Fenchi and Yu Ning were seated, Yu Bai continued to repeat to herself, 'It'll be okay. It'll be okay.'

However, as soon as Yu Bai walked in front of Madame Fenchi and heard the cold word, "Kneel.", those words (it'll be okay) disappeared from her mind completely.

"Jinghu, bring the cane over." Madame Fenchi ordered to one of her personal maids.

As a tall, slim girl dressed in a light green dress calmly walked over with a familiar long, semi-flat, wooden stick, Yu Bai felt cold sweat cover her back and could not stop her hands from trembling. The last time she was caned by this stick, even though it was only 15 strikes, Yu Bai's wounds ached for days.

"Give this disgraceful and ungrateful thief 25 strikes." Madame Fenchi nonchalantly ordered Jinghu.

Seeing Jinghu gripped the long stick in her hand and stretched her lips into a smile, Yu Bai sucked in a mouthful of air and fell on her butt.

"Ma.madame please. Yu Bai did not stea- ...Yu Bai repents. Please forgive Yu Bai. It'll never happen again. Yu Bai was wrong. Please forgive Yu Bai." Yu Bai quickly kowtows with her head hitting the ground a few times.

But Madame Fenchi and Yu Ning couldn't care less. Yu Ning just coldly snorted before adding, "make it 30 strikes", and Madame Fenchi just stared at Jinghu, signaling for her to start the whipping.

Having been one of Madame Fenchi's maids for a long time, Jinghu knows how much Madame Fenchi hated Yu Bai and Yu Jiang, so she spared no strength as she slammed down the stick onto Yu Bai's back.

With the amount of strength that Jinghu was using, after the 7th strike, dots of blood begun to show thru Yu Bai's pale-yellow dress. Both Madame Fenchi and Yu Ning were delighted to see the blood and Jinghu was also proud of her work.

As Jinghu raised the stick high up in the air and swooshed it back down towards Yu Bai, before the stick made contact with Yu Bai's back again, a maid walked over to Madame Fenchi and told her, "Madame, Yu Jiang is outside your wing. He requested to meet with you. Should the guards let him thru?"

Without much thought and a mocking sneer on her face, Madame Fenchi nodded in agreement.