Chapter 133

Chapter 133

Emperor Yongxi was taken aback.

The Marquis of Jingyang and his companions were clueless about what had just happened.

Xiao Yu, Pei Yanli, Minghe, and Danzi entered, striding forward to pay their respects.

"Rise," Emperor Yongxi said.

Xiao Yu and his companions stood up.

Emperor Yongxi, having just heard about the conflict between Xiao Yu's group and the heir of Jingyang Marquis, the second son of Yuanlin Count, and the grandson of the academy's head in Dongnan Fang, was still unclear about who was right or wrong. Now, with the Marquis of Jingyang, the Count of Yuanlin, and the academy head coming to admit fault and cry, and his youngest son also rushing over in tears, he held Xiao Yuanping and asked in confusion, "Yuanping, what happened?"

Xiao Yuanping cried, "Father, Li Shizi and the others were eating without paying!"

Danzi added, "Father, they also hit people!"

"Your Majesty, they even tried to take Uncle away!" Minghe said.

Emperor Yongxi, showing anger, asked, "Is this true?"

"Your Majesty, indeed it is so," Xiao Yu recounted the events impartially, which essentially matched what Xiao Yuanping and the others had said.

The Marquis of Jingyang, always protective of his own, especially his eldest legitimate son, defended him as usual: "Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding."

Pei Yanli questioned, "Marquis, were you present at the scene of the incident?"

The Marquis of Jingyang, caught off guard, replied, "I was discussing affairs with the Count of Yuanlin at that time, naturally, I couldn't be there."

Minghe countered, "Then how do you know it was a misunderstanding?"

The Marquis of Jingyang stuttered, "I—I trust my son."

The head of the academy, seizing the opportunity, quickly followed up, "Your Majesty, though my grandson is mischievous, he has been studying the classics since childhood. He would never commit illegal or disorderly acts, nor would he stoop to the level of ordinary people."

The Count of Yuanlin chimed in, "Your Majesty, my son, like his father, models himself after the late Emperor, is strict with himself, and is utterly loyal to the Great Jing Dynasty."

Xiao Yu and Pei Yanli had anticipated such responses from the nobles, so they remained calm. However, Danzi retorted, "Marquis of Jingyang, Count of Yuanlin, Head of the Academy, if your sons and grandsons are blameless, are you implying that this palace is at fault?"

The three officials were taken aback and hurriedly apologized, "We did not mean that, Your Majesty. Not at all."

The Marquis of Jingyang tried to explain, "What I meant was that there has been a misunderstanding!" He could only think of the dry excuse of a 'misunderstanding.'

"I'm crying so miserably! What misunderstanding can there be?" Xiao Yuanping suddenly looked up.

Xiao Yu, looking at Xiao Yuanping's tear-streaked face, almost laughed out loud.

"Father, look at Xiao Ziqing, his clothes are torn!" Xiao Yuanping pointed at Xiao Yu.

Emperor Yongxi looked over.

Minghe immediately said, "Li Shizi tried to take advantage of Uncle, and he tore Uncle's clothes. Thankfully, Uncle Pei arrived just in time!"

The Marquis of Jingyang, aware of the conflict, was unaware his son had committed these acts.

"And the mud on the Crown Prince's clothes!" Xiao Yuanping pointed at Danzi.

Emperor Yongxi, seeing the dirt on Danzi, asked, "Yuanheng, how did this happen?"

"Li Shizi and the others pushed us! They dragged Minghe!" Xiao Yuanping exclaimed.

Even if the Marquis of Jingyang's group was unaware of Yuanheng's identity, seeing him as just a child, they shouldn't have laid hands on him. Emperor Yongxi's face immediately turned ashen.

The three nobles, realizing the situation's complexity, knew they had to find a way to protect their children. Knowing Emperor Yongxi's benevolence, they decided to play the sympathy card and quickly strategized.

"And also, also," Xiao Yuanping continued, "Father, I'm all bruised!"

"How did it turn blue?" Emperor Yongxi asked.

"They hit me!" Xiao Yuanping immediately rolled up his pant leg.

On his chubby, fair little leg was a blue bruise. Emperor Yongxi remembered it was from a fall a few days ago while running. He silently observed his son's dirty face, wiped away the noticeable pastry crumbs from his mouth, rolled down Xiao Yuanping's pant leg, and turned to the three nobles with a stern face: "Li Shizi and others pushed and hit my son. Is this how you study the classics and show loyalty to the throne?"

The reprimand was severe. The three officials immediately knelt, unable to speak.

Xiao Yu and Pei Yanli also lowered their heads.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice has sent the confessions of Li Shizi and the others," a palace official reported.

"Bring them to me," Emperor Yongxi commanded.

The three nobles were shocked. They had rushed to the palace immediately after their children were taken to the Ministry of Justice and hadn't yet convinced the Emperor. How could the confessions be ready so soon?

It seemed that the three young nobles were spineless cowards, confessing everything once they reached the Ministry of Justice. Xiao Yu and Pei Yanli secretly smirked at the ease of the situation.

Emperor Yongxi read the confessions, his face darkening. He snapped the documents shut and slammed them into the Marquis of Jingyang's face: "Look at this! Look for yourselves!"

The father of the Marquis of Jingyang, honored for his contributions to flood control, had passed down the title. The Marquis himself had done nothing for the Great Jing, yet he enjoyed the esteem of Emperor Yongxi, the Empress Dowager, and others. He had never been so humiliated, trembling in fear.

The Count of Yuanlin and the head of the academy trembled too.

"Look at it now!" Emperor Yongxi pointed at them, commanding harshly.

Shaking like a leaf, the Marquis of Jingyang picked up the confession. He initially held it upside down, hastily corrected it, and saw the list of misdeeds: accepting bribes of 800,000 taels, abducting multiple women and boys, murdering three civilians, seizing hundreds of acres of land... All signed and sealed.

"You still have the audacity to beg for mercy!" Emperor Yongxi, furious, threw his tea cup at the Marquis of Jingyang's head, exclaiming, "I've been lenient because of your ancestors' merits, treating you well, and this is how you repay me? Harming my son, oppressing my people, utterly lawless!"

At this point, the Marquis of Jingyang dared not plead for his children any longer. Ignoring the blood, tea leaves, and tea on his head, he knelt down in a pathetic state, begging for mercy.

Emperor Yongxi angrily ordered, "Seize them all and take them to the Ministry of Justice for a thorough investigation!"

"Your Majesty, please spare our lives!" the three nobles from Jing Shan pleaded loudly.

Emperor Yongxi waved his hand dismissively.

The guards took the three men away.

Emperor Yongxi sat at the table, calming his emotions.

The hall was silent.

After a while, Pei Yanli spoke up, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Danzi said, "Father, please take care of your health."

Xiao Yuanping softly added, "Father, don't let others upset you, it's not worth it."

Emperor Yongxi looked up at Xiao Yuanping.

Xiao Yuanping blinked his sparkling eyes.

"Why the sudden tears?" asked Emperor Yongxi.

"It's the onion," Xiao Yuanping said quickly, then covered his mouth.

Emperor Yongxi was kind but not naive. He had already sensed something was amiss and turned his gaze towards Xiao Yu and Pei Yanli.

Neither had intended to deceive Emperor Yongxi from the start, or else they wouldn't have involved Xiao Yuanping in this act.

Xiao Yu looked towards Ming He.

Ming He automatically took out a few slices of onion from his pocket.

Pei Yanli said, "Your Majesty, I knew the Marquis of Jingyang and others often exploit their ancestral merits to seek leniency, intending to lightly gloss over this matter. But they have committed too many atrocities and must not be let off easily, hence my resorting to this strategy."

"Your Majesty, I was also involved," Xiao Yu said.

Danzi added, "Father, I also gave suggestions."

Minghe stated, "Your Majesty, I made suggestions too."

"Me too, me too, Father, I deliberately deceived them. The injury on my leg wasn’t caused by them, but they did push me over," Xiao Yuanping confessed honestly.

Emperor Yongxi, looking at them, indeed despised the likes of the Marquis of Jingyang who misbehaved under the guise of ancestral honors, but he never had enough evidence to convict them.

Like this time, if it weren't for Xiao Yu and the others' testimonies, and if the confessions hadn't appeared in time… Considering the Marquis's tearful pleas for mercy, he probably would have let them off again out of respect for the late emperor. Xiao Yu and the others not only did no wrong but had actually performed a great service.

He straightforwardly said, "You did nothing wrong. You did well!"

"Father, are you serious?" Xiao Yuanping asked, lifting his head.

"Certainly, with what they've done, calling them utterly wicked is not an exaggeration. Today, you have indeed achieved a great deed," Emperor Yongxi affirmed.

Xiao Yuanping asked, "Then why aren’t you happy?"

"When did I become unhappy?" Emperor Yongxi inquired.

"Your mouth is curved downwards, not upwards," Xiao Yuanping pointed out, referring to Emperor Yongxi's lips.

"You're quite observant," Emperor Yongxi couldn't help but smile, then sighed, "These people, the kinder I am to them, the more arrogant they become."

"Then just don't be nice to them, it's that simple," Xiao Yuanping suggested.

Emperor Yongxi responded, "Yes, you’re right, I let my emotions get the better of me. I hope you won’t be like me in the future."

"No, I want to be like you, Father," Xiao Yuanping insisted.

"Oh? Like me in what way?"

"Like Father, handsome and tall, and good at drawing."

Who wouldn't love a child's admiration?

Emperor Yongxi was genuinely amused by Xiao Yuanping this time, his mood lightened, and he smiled at Xiao Yu and the others, "You all did very well. I will definitely handle those men properly."

"Your Majesty, I have a request," Xiao Yu said.

"Speak."

"I kindly ask that you do not disclose my involvement in running the restaurant," Xiao Yu requested, wanting to keep his business purely commercial, ready to help Danzi when necessary.

Emperor Yongxi didn't see it as a big deal and agreed, "Alright, you all look dirty, go and clean yourselves up."

"Yes."

After everyone had cleaned up, Emperor Yongxi called Danzi and Minghe back to Qianxin Hall.

Xiao Yu waited in the Eastern Palace for quite a while before the two children returned. He asked, "What did the Emperor say?"

"About governing a country," Minghe replied.

Danzi nodded, "Father praised our approach this time, saying that governing a great country is like cooking a small fish, requiring ingredients, heat control, and seasoning. One must not act rashly, to avoid severe backlash."

"He also said, 'Speak three parts full, act seven parts done.' We mustn't be too absolute," Minghe continued.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu remarked, "That sounds difficult."

Danzi and Minghe said, "Not really."

Xiao Yu, looking at the two children, asked, "Not difficult?"

"Not really, it's all about achieving balance," Danzi replied.

Minghe nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yu, astonished, looked at the two children. What exactly they had learned from Grand Scholar Xun and others he couldn't quite grasp, feeling a bit outpaced by their thinking. "Maybe this is the intelligence of a protagonist and an antagonist," he thought to himself. Deciding not to compare himself to the children, he said, "If you think it's easy, that's good."

Minghe earnestly said, "It's not easy, as learning has no end."

Danzi seriously added, "Yes, we must keep striving."

The two children nodded together.

Xiao Yu blinked twice, feeling that he might only be able to play with Cong'er from now on.

Then, in the next moment, both children's stomachs growled, and they clung to Xiao Yu's arm, cooing, "Uncle, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

Back to their childlike selves, Xiao Yu couldn't help but smile.

The uncle and nephews then discussed dinner plans together.

Xiao Yu didn't leave the palace for the next few days.

The case against the Marquis of Jingyang and others was swiftly resolved. Besides the heir of Jingyang Marquis and his two companions being condemned for their heinous crimes, the three senior members of the family also confessed to numerous offenses.

Emperor Yongxi presented their crimes in court, inviting the courtiers to assess and observe.

The courtiers were shocked but unanimously agreed with any decision made by Emperor Yongxi.

Emperor Yongxi smoothly confiscated all lands and properties of the three families of the Marquis of Jingyang, demoting them to commoners. Far from causing dissatisfaction among the courtiers, this move instead served as a warning to other nobles resting on their laurels.

However, the courtiers felt that this action did not seem to be in Emperor Yongxi's usual style, and realizing the Crown Prince's involvement, they began to view Danzi with newfound respect and awe.

Xiao Yu, upon hearing the news, was in high spirits. Taking advantage of Minghe and Danzi's class time, he left the palace with a new recipe and headed to Dongnan Fang.

It was still early, and Xiaohezi No. 2 Restaurant hadn't opened yet.

He went straight to the Yu family's small courtyard.

Yu Tongtong was in the yard helping her grandmother hang clothes to dry.

Xiao Yu called out, "Tongtong."

"Uncle!" Yu Tongtong happily ran up to him.

Xiao Yu hugged Yu Tongtong and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"Yes, Uncle, I have some great news to tell you," Yu Tongtong said, her eyes curving into smiles.

Xiao Yu, also smiling, asked, "What's the good news?"

Yu Tongtong proudly announced, "My little brother can walk now by holding onto things."

"Really? Where is he now?" Xiao Yu inquired.

"Here! Here!" came a babyish voice from the main house.

Xiao Yu looked up and saw Cong'er in the main house, wearing a red bellyband, pushing a watermelon towards them.

Yu Tongtong frowned, saying loudly, "Brother, why are you pushing a watermelon again? It's too early in the morning for watermelon!"

"Eat!" insisted Cong Ge'er.

Tongtong stamped her foot: "Don't eat it!"

"Just! Eat! Eat!" Fearing Tongtong would snatch the watermelon, Cong Ge'er stopped, quickly plopped onto the watermelon, and with a "crunch," his chubby little body sank into the watermelon flesh.