Lin Ye was also stunned on the spot.
Yes, Qiao Nian had come to pray for her grandmother's safety. How could he have said such things?
What was wrong with him?
Why did he always act so foolish whenever he met Qiao Nian?
Lin Ye's heart twitched slightly. He thought that if something happened to his grandmother because of his words, not only would Qiao Nian never forgive him, but he himself would never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life!
However, on the other hand, wasn't this all Qiao Nian's fault?
Why was he able to think clearly when facing Yuan'er, but lose his temper completely when he met Qiao Nian?
Wasn't all this caused by Qiao Nian?
She had said that he had died three years ago and that he had no right to discipline her!
He would show her whether he had the right or not!
The anger that had been building up since Qiao Nian returned to the mansion erupted completely at this moment. Lin Ye lunged forward and reached out to grab Qiao Nian.
Qiao Nian was startled. She didn't expect Lin Ye to start a fight with her here, but she reacted quickly and dodged to the side.
However, Lin Ye was a few years older than Qiao Nian and had practiced martial arts since childhood. His skills were far superior to Qiao Nian's. In just a few moves, he had subdued her.
Qiao Nian's hands were tightly pinned down by Lin Ye, and she couldn't struggle at all.
Seeing this, Ningshuang rushed over immediately. "Young Marquis! This is a sacred Buddhist place, and the prince is still here! Don't do anything stupid. Let go of Miss quickly!"
"Get out of the way!" Lin Ye didn't hesitate and kicked Ningshuang with a fierce kick.
Ningshuang was sent flying and spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
Qiao Nian's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. "Lin Ye, you bastard!"
"Me, a bastard? I've protected you since we were young. I fought for you and stood up for you. Whatever you wanted to eat, I got it for you even in the middle of the night. I personally carved the hairpin for your coming - of - age ceremony. I even traveled thousands of miles to find the most dazzling night pearl in the world! I've done so many things for you, and all I get in return is being called a bastard? Fine, then I'll show you today who the real bastard is!" With that, Lin Ye grabbed Qiao Nian and dragged her out of the temple.
Because of the commotion in the Buddha hall, there were already a lot of people gathered outside. Now, seeing Lin Ye dragging Qiao Nian out, even more people crowded around to watch the spectacle.
Right in front of everyone, Lin Ye threw Qiao Nian to the ground.
Qiao Nian lost her balance completely. Instinctively, she stretched out her hands to support herself, and two streaks of blood were left on the ground from her palms.
Lin Ye didn't care at all. He snatched a broom from a young novice monk nearby and said to the crowd, "Everyone, I've been Qiao Nian's brother for eighteen years. But today, she cursed me to be dead in front of the Bodhisattva. If I don't discipline her, she won't know how to respect me as her elder brother. Please, all of you be my witnesses!"
After saying that, he grabbed the broom and swung it down with all his might.
The broom handles in the temple were made of branches from the mountains, as thick as an arm. With just one strike, Qiao Nian's head started to spin, and she fell flat on the ground.
Lin Ye didn't stop.
He had been holding back his anger for a long time, and today he was determined to vent it all!
Qiao Nian felt the pain on her back intensify with each strike.
In a daze, she seemed to have returned to the days in the laundry bureau.
Just like now, she was beaten to the ground by the nanny, surrounded by palace maids, all laughing at her.
However, there were also some differences.
The nanny was, after all, a woman and quite old. She could never have hit with the force that Lin Ye was using now.
Qiao Nian didn't know how many times Lin Ye had hit her. She only knew that in the end, the broom broke, and then Lin Ye finally stopped.
Ironically, Lin Ye seemed to be exhausted. He stood aside, breathing heavily.
Some people in the crowd recognized her and started to speak. "Isn't this Miss Qiao from the Marquis' Mansion? I have to say, everyone in the capital knows how well her elder brother treats her. How could she say such vicious words?"
"Yeah, she's not even a biological daughter of the Marquis' Mansion. She's enjoyed the wealth and luxury of the mansion for so many years. Isn't that enough?"
"This is really too much. Cursing her own elder brother to death. Even the Bodhisattva would be angry!"
Influenced by these few people, those who didn't know Qiao Nian also started to chime in. For a moment, Qiao Nian was the target of everyone's condemnation.
Surprisingly, perhaps because she was used to being beaten during those three years, Qiao Nian was able to get up even after such a severe beating.
She propped herself up and sat up. In the face of everyone's accusations, she simply spat to the side nonchalantly.
If it weren't for the bright red color of the spit, one could hardly tell from her expression that she had been beaten.
She raised her head and looked at the onlookers around her.
Song Baixuan, Xiao Qingnuan, Lin Yuan, Xiao Heng...
Some of them were gloating, some were putting on an act, and some remained cold - faced throughout.
Finally, Qiao Nian's gaze landed on Lin Ye's face.
This face had once deliberately made funny expressions to amuse her. But now, when facing her, it was filled with nothing but anger and hatred.
Qiao Nian looked at this face and finally couldn't help but laugh.
"Hehe, hahahaha..."
Her laughter grew louder and louder, making those around her think that she had been beaten silly.
Lin Ye started to feel uneasy.
As she laughed, Qiao Nian slowly got up from the ground, her posture extremely embarrassed.
Then, she finally stopped laughing, but still looked at Lin Ye with a smile. "It seems the Young Marquis really has a short memory. The hairpin you carved for me? Do you want to see who's wearing it now?"
Hearing this, Lin Ye was stunned. He instinctively looked at Lin Yuan.
He then remembered that the day of Qiao Nian's coming - of - age ceremony was the day Lin Yuan returned to claim her kinship. So, the hairpin that hadn't been given away yet was worn by Lin Yuan.
"And, you should know better than me whose room the night pearl you traveled thousands of miles to find is in now."
Naturally, it was also in Lin Yuan's room.
That year, Lin Ye had said that Lin Yuan was afraid of the dark, so he asked Qiao Nian to lend the night pearl to Lin Yuan. Once lent, Qiao Nian had never seen the night pearl again.
Lin Ye felt as if his heart had been punched hard. He lost his balance and took a step back.
But as if grasping at the last straw, he shouted at Qiao Nian, "But it's a fact that I've protected you since I was a child. Who doesn't know that I doted on you like a treasure?"
"Then look around you now," Qiao Nian said, the smile on her lips growing wider, yet also more bitter.
Lin Ye's gaze swept over the onlookers around him, including high - ranking officials, noblemen, and ordinary people...
Today was the sacred festival, and most families in the capital who had time were probably here.
Qiao Nian slightly bowed to Lin Ye. "Thank you, Young Marquis, for this overwhelming humiliation. This humble woman, Qiao Nian, is extremely grateful. I assume this beating today can offset the kindness you showed me in the past. If the Young Marquis still feels it's not enough, there's another broom over there. I'll stand here and wait for the Young Marquis to beat me until he's satisfied."
Taking this beating would pay off the love and care he had shown her in the past. From then on, their ties of kindness and obligation would be severed, so that in the future, when she felt hatred, she wouldn't have to remember his little bit of past kindness.
However, Lin Ye couldn't move.
He stood there like a statue, unable to move even a single finger.
At this moment, the Prince of Ming pushed through the crowd. "This king is here. Who dares!"What is the main idea of this text?Can you give a summary of the story so far?Who are the main characters in this story?