Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan!

Chapter 333 A Servant’s Value

“…I… was wrong. I apologize. It was my fault for misunderstanding the situation.”

Princess Sun Yaoqing, who followed the Emperor, heard those words from her brother as he apologized to a servant.

She couldn’t help but widen her eyes in surprise. There was no precedent for a noble-much less a prince-apologizing to a commoner.

It was far more shocking to her than the fact that the Fifth Prince had been beaten black and blue.

The same could be said for the Emperor, who could barely believe what he was seeing.

Even after hearing the report, he had assumed it was a minor conflict-perhaps Bai Zihan had merely struck the prince in anger or something similar.

However, looking at the state of the Fifth Prince-and hearing him apologize to a servant-was beyond shocking.

Initially, the Emperor had thought he would have to make the Fifth Prince apologize to Bai Zihan to avoid any conflict with the Bai Clan.

But now, seeing the condition of his son, no matter what he might have done, it was clear he did not deserve this.

He instantly turned to Bai Zihan, who, like the master of the palace, sat calmly on the chair, seemingly waiting for him without any fear.

“Young Master Bai, what is this?”

The Emperor asked with a frown.

Bai Zihan slowly lifted his gaze toward the Emperor, his expression utterly unbothered.

“It is what it is,” he said flatly. His voice echoed through the hall like an iron bell -steady, uncaring, absolute.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed, his fingers tightening around the armrest of his throne-like chair.

For a moment, silence weighed over the hall like suffocating mist.

“Young Master Bai,” he began, his tone measured but trembling with suppressed fury, “do you even understand what you’ve done?”

Bai Zihan simply crossed one leg over the other and leaned back slightly, as if listening to a tedious lecture.

The Emperor forced himself to calm down. He couldn’t act rashly-not against the Bai Clan. Not yet.

His gaze turned to his son, lying bruised and pitiful in the center of the hall. “Explain,” he commanded.

The Fifth Prince seized the chance like a drowning man gasping for air.

He trembled violently, forcing out his words between ragged breaths.

“F-Fa… Emperor, I am being framed!…”

The Fifth Prince couldn’t lie outright, so he twisted the story in his favor- claiming that Luo Qing had come to his room on her own and that he hadn’t forced her.

Then, Bai Zihan suddenly barged in, accused him of kidnapping, and beat him until he apologized to the servant girl.

When he hesitated, Bai Zihan ordered his men to continue the beating. So, in the end, he had no choice but to apologize or else be killed.

“Father, I am your son-a prince of the Falling Star Empire! How can the heir of a foreign clan treat me like a dog in my room?! I beseech you to uphold justice for me!”

The Emperor’s expression darkened.

He had always known of his son’s arrogance and lecherous activities, but seeing him reduced to such a state-beaten, bloodied, humiliated-ignited a fire that reason could not extinguish.

He stood, his imperial aura pressing down on everyone present.

“Although my son may have erred,” the Emperor said coldly, his voice like rolling thunder, “it did not warrant such cruelty.”

He pointed a finger toward Bai Zihan.

“You have gone too far, Young Master Bai. This act not only shames the royal family-it shows how little regard you hold for the authority of the Falling Star Empire itself.”

The room fell into complete silence.

“Give me a good explanation,” the Emperor said, his killing intent faintly leaking despite his attempt to restrain it.

“Otherwise, even if your Bai Clan stands tall in the Desolate Heaven Empire, I- will not forgive you!”

The air grew heavy.

For a heartbeat, no one dared to breathe.

Then-

Bai Zihan chuckled.

It was soft at first, like a whisper. But soon, it grew-low and amused-echoing through the vast hall until it filled every corner.

He looked at the Emperor not with fear, nor even respect-but amusement.

As if he were watching a clown performing for his entertainment. The commander grew angry at Bai Zihan for laughing before the Emperor.

Bai Zihan’s laughter finally faded. He leaned forward, his eyes sharp as unsheathed blades.

“An explanation?” he said, voice dripping with mockery. “I don’t think you’re qualified to demand that from me.”

The Emperor’s eyes widened, fury blazing.

“It seems you still don’t understand your own standing,” Bai Zihan continued coldly. “Let me tell you this-it is you who should give me an explanation.”

“What explanation?!”

The Emperor roared.

His son had been beaten half to death and made to apologize to a Bai Clan servant-and yet Bai Zihan still dared to demand an explanation from him?

He was done trying to be civil.

Bai Zihan’s voice cut through his fury like a blade.

“One of your Palace maid brought Luo Qing under the pretense of acting on your order. This lecherous weakling dared to try forcing himself upon her. Tell me, Emperor of the Falling Star Empire-“

Bai Zihan’s tone turned razor-sharp-“is this how you treat guests from other

empires?”

The Fifth Prince might think himself clever with words, twisting the truth to his

favor.

But he had never met Bai Zihan-a man who could kill someone and still make others believe the dead was the murderer.

The Emperor was left speechless.

Yet anger still surged within him. After all, it was caused by merely a servant of

the Bai Clan.

“Bai Zihan, she’s just a servant! Do you really need to make such a big deal over

your servant?”

The Emperor demanded furiously.

“Heh. Just a servant?”

Bai Zihan’s tone turned ice-cold.

“Luo Qing’s hair is worth more than your prince’s life. Those of the Bai Clan-do

you think you can offend them without consequence?”

His words struck like thunder.

Even the palace servants felt their hearts tremble with emotion.

They had long been treated as less than human, their deaths easily ignored

even if it was unjust.

One could be killed if a noble was in a bad mood.

If a servant made a mistake, the best they could hope for was torture and being

left without food-the worst was death.

Becoming a scapegoat was common.

And if it was someone like the Fifth Prince, then one had to be ready to warm

his bed whenever and with whomever he demanded.

They were never treated as human beings.

Yet Bai Zihan’s words-his willingness to stand up for a servant-touched them

deeply.

Even Princess Sun Yaoqing felt admiration rise within her.

She had always dreamed of an empire where every person was treated equally.

But deep down, she knew-had it been a commoner instead of a prince beaten today, she wouldn’t have reacted the same.

She realized that before she could change the Empire’s mindset, she herself

had to change.

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