Chapter 0344: The Ninth Prince Gets Punished

Chapter 0344: The Ninth Prince Gets Punished

But it's inevitable that the situation on the ground doesn't always match the directives from above.

It's not to say that there were no oversights in handling affairs.

After listening, He Jinli said, "Stand up and speak."

The Ninth Prince stood up, "Father, please punish your son."

"Punishment is indeed necessary. Twenty strokes with the paddle, three months' allowance. Plus, recite the Classic of Filial Piety ten times," He Jinli declared.

The Ninth Prince's mouth dropped open, then hurriedly shut, "Yes, thank you, Father."

Twenty strokes...

He was truly scared.

Inside, he thought, Mother, won't you come and save your son?

But he didn't plead for mercy aloud.

Seeing him like this, He Jinli couldn't help but smile. If he had begged for mercy, He Jinli would have still carried out the punishment, but his refusal to plead showed He Jinli that despite his mischief, the child was sensible.

He Jinli glanced at Meng Chang, who understood and left first.

Of course, he was instructed to just go through the motions with the punishment; what if the child was injured?

Thus, the Ninth Prince, having been dragged out, was pressed onto a bench. From the first strike, it was clear that the punishment was being softened.

But he was cunning; his cries sounded genuine enough to rattle Meng Chang, who hurried forward, and even the executing eunuch was startled.

Exchanging glances, they realized the prince had done this on purpose...

So the eunuch resumed, with two of them taking turns to administer the blows.

Of course, even with leniency, there would still be some pain involved.

After twenty strokes, his buttocks would either bloom with bruises or swell for several days.

At first, his screams were feigned, but by the end, they reflected genuine suffering.

After limping in to express gratitude, the other officials pleaded on behalf of the Ninth Prince.

Naturally, after enduring those twenty strokes, the eunuchs attending to him, his tutor, and his guards would also face punishment.

However, He Jinli was going easy on them. Everyone could endure the pain.

None of them suffered any significant injuries.

Yun Li only arrived late after the punishment was over.

Of course, it was deliberate. As soon as the Ninth Prince returned to the palace, she knew about it.

Looking at her son who had just been beaten, she said, "You deserve it. Twenty strokes were too few. This palace should also give you twenty strokes."

There were no ministers around now. The Ninth Prince asked with a mournful face, "Mother, are you really going to hit me?"

"What do you think?" Yun Li asked.

"Can you wait a few days to hit me? If I get hit again, my behind really will bloom..." the Ninth Prince said with a pout.

"You realize that now? Why didn't you think of this when you were making the mistake?" Yun Li questioned.

"I... I just thought Dad loves me, so I just wanted to go out and look around..." the Ninth Prince looked at He Jinli with a grievance, "Dad, we've already been punished, you're not angry anymore, right?"

"What do you think?" He Jinli echoed Yun Li.

The Ninth Prince faltered, "I... I was wrong."

"Considering you didn’t just run off recklessly and actually did some things, I forgive you. But think about it, was it appropriate? In the midst of a disaster, you ran out, not to mention how many people had to protect you. What if the protectors didn’t arrive on time? Does an earthquake recognize you as a prince? If something had happened to you, did you think about your mother?" He Jinli said.

The Ninth Prince felt even guiltier, "Actually, I regretted running out too, but I thought since I was already out... Mother, I know I was wrong, punish me, even hitting me is fine."

Yun Li felt a twinge of heartache, her own child, how could she bear it?

So, she poked his head, "You rascal. Your father and I love you, but that doesn’t mean you can act recklessly because of it. You’re a prince, not a child from an ordinary family. Your going out is a big deal, do you understand? Your safety isn’t just about you; what if someone with ill intentions captured you? What if they threatened your father?"

"In the previous dynasty, there wasn’t a lack of wars where the empire captured princesses to threaten the emperor. Bringing the princess in front of both armies, regardless of its effectiveness, does it look good?" Yun Li said.

"Yes, but if such a thing happened, I would rather take my own life. I would never bring shame to my father or Great Jin," the Ninth Prince declared.

Yun Li slapped his forehead hard, "If that day comes, wouldn’t they use your corpse? And you dare talk about taking your own life, as if you want your mother to suffer?"

He Jinli also scolded, "What nonsense? Aren’t you going to apologize to your mother?"

"Yes, yes, Mother, please don’t be angry. I was just saying hypothetically, rest assured I won’t be reckless anymore, I’ll definitely obey. And I'll practice martial arts well," the Ninth Prince hurriedly said.

Yun Li gave him a stern look.

He Jinli turned to Yun Li, "And you, always reading all sorts of books, where did this book come from?"

"From Your Majesty's study. I was bored while you were reviewing documents, so I found some books to read. You never said I couldn't," Yun Li said about the diverse collection of books in He Jinli's study.

He Jinli shook his head.

The Ninth Prince, curious, asked, "What happened to that princess in the end?"

"What else could happen? In front of both armies, the emperor couldn't acknowledge her as the princess, only claimed she had long died of illness, and this was merely a maid of the princess. Naturally, the princess's fate was not good. But I think, regardless of being declared dead from illness, many knew the truth; her end was tragic, and her reputation suffered as well," Yun Li explained.

The Ninth Prince nodded, "Father, Mother, I realize my mistake and will never act recklessly again. Please forgive me this time."

He Jinli smiled, "Alright, you've been punished already. Go back and rest, and write the Classic of Filial Piety."

The Ninth Prince stood up, limping as he excused himself.

"This child, though he causes trouble, does have his reasons. Your stories from his childhood weren't told in vain," He Jinli noted.

Having visited Yuqu Palace often, he had heard Yun Li telling stories to the children many times.

Whenever she told a story, she would ask the children to imagine themselves in the story, questioning what they would do in that situation.

From storytelling, mother and son could diverge into discussions about being characters in the story, leading to half a day's conversation.

Previously, He Jinli found it amusing. Now, he sees it as Yun Li's wisdom.

"My tutor in childhood said, 'Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles,'" Yun Li smiled.

Whether or not the tutor said it wasn't important; the principle remains the same.

"So you knew the child ran out but weren't anxious? Just sent people to follow him?" He Jinli asked.

"Yes, he encountered a great disaster and went to see the sufferings of the disaster victims himself. Even if he becomes a do-nothing prince in the future, he should know the value of food and drink. Telling him about the people's sufferings every day is ultimately useless. Seeing it with his own eyes, he should learn something. Understanding gained from paper is shallow," Yun Li said.

Not like some emperor who believed people couldn't afford eggs at a silver apiece just because someone said so.

He Jinli laughed, "Good, very good."

Yun Li raised an eyebrow, "Your Majesty has been so busy these past days, can you relax a bit today?"

Earthquake recovery inevitably takes time, and with the weather being so cold, after seven or eight days, those who were trapped or buried initially couldn't possibly have survived.

What remains is for the living to rebuild their homes and for the dead to be peacefully buried.

Many people died, but ultimately, there's nothing that can be done.