She endured it.
Qu Tan'er bit her teeth, her hands clenched and unclenched. In the end, she suppressed the cursing that was about to escape her lips, her body still stood straight, head slightly bowed, waiting for the third strike to fall.
But...
"The Eighth Prince has arrived."
Suddenly, just when Madam had raised her hand but had not yet hit the board, a shout from outside forced her to stop abruptly, unable to bring it down.
When Qu Tan'er heard the news of Mo Liancheng's arrival, she only raised her eyebrows slightly. She showed little expression and even less concern. She lifted her head, glanced at the suspended board, and slightly lifted the corner of her mouth in a cold smile.
"Madam, Tan'er is still waiting for your strike." Qu Tan'er smiled slightly, kindly reminding Madam to hurry with the board so her skin could then soften temporarily, saving her the pain of continuously keeping her skin tense.
"Watch me, I'll..." Madam gritted her teeth viciously.
"The Eighth Prince has arrived!"
Just as Madam was about to strike, another shout came down, louder, indicating that Mo Liancheng was getting even closer to the room.
"Auntie, please strike quickly." Seeing Madam hesitating, Qu Tan'er, despite the discomfort of being hit, mischievously added fuel to the fire, making it burn even more fiercely.
Mo Liancheng had arrived. She wanted to see if Madam dared to bring down that third strike.
Although the door was closed, one couldn't shut out the news. She was betting on whether Madam had the courage. No matter what, she was still the dignified Eighth Princess Consort by title.
"You're in dire need of a beating. If I don't beat you to death, I'll..."
"The Eighth Prince has arrived!!"
Whether intentional or not, every time Madam was about to strike, a voice outside would interrupt, making it impossible for her to bring the board down despite her seething anger.
Still, even if Madam truly wanted to hit her, the opportunity had already been lost because...
With a creak, the door opened, and in walked Mo Liancheng, followed by Yu Hao.
Mo Liancheng raised an eyebrow slightly and gave a glance. The ladies who should have been seated all stood up; he paid them little attention. Naturally, he also did not miss Madam hurriedly passing the board to the steward upon his entry.
"Why has the Eighth Prince come? It's all the servants' fault; they didn't report your arrival. Come, come, please take the main seat, Eighth Prince," Qu Jianglin was the first to recover, putting on a smile and immediately vacating the main seat.
"Eighth Prince, please sit. How rude of us." Madam forced a fake smile and shot a furious glare at Qu Tan'er, who still stood indifferently. With an angry look, she gave Qu Tan'er a signal, but Qu Tan'er continued to stand unmoved, blatantly ignoring her hints.
Now they remember her, but it's too bad her back hurt, and she wasn't in the mood to indulge them for the moment.
While Madam continued making signals, Qu Tan'er instead gave her a faint smile, deliberately aggravating her.
I have poor eyesight, perplexed, can't understand, I ignore you. What can you do?
At this, not only Madam, but even Qu Jianglin's expression turned ugly...