Chapter 31: A Reprimand

Chapter 31: A Reprimand

After kicking Shang Qianzhen, he scolded with frustration, "Brat, I'll beat you to death here today so that you won't become a menace in the future."

Shang Rongyu knelt straight on the ground and argued, "Father King, the Heir's Consort was originally frail. She has been recuperating in the Wangfu for several months, and Empress Mother also found precious medicinal herbs for her. We were hoping to add a legitimate grandson to the Wangfu next year, but who would have thought..."

He hurriedly asked Wang Taiyi earnestly and anxiously, "How is she? How is the Heir's Consort?"

Wang Taiyi carefully felt her pulse and frowned. "The Heir's Consort... Originally frail and lacking in qi and blood, she now has a persistent high fever, causing significant depletion. Her meridians are blocked, and it will be difficult for her to conceive an heir within a year..."

Although Wang Taiyi was only in his early forties, his position in the Imperial Medical Institute was extremely high.

Originally a folk doctor, when there was an epidemic in the Huainan region, countless renowned physicians were at a loss, but he cured it effortlessly.

The head of the Imperial Medical Institute had to visit him ten times before he agreed to come out and enter the palace to treat the imperial family.

After entering the palace, his diagnoses had never been wrong, and the emperor valued him greatly, often keeping him by his side.

Shang Rongyu seemed to lose all strength, unable to kneel straight, overwhelmed with grief. "You told me she could conceive within half a year?"

Wang Taiyi wiped his sweat.

When did he ever say that?

Don't drag him into this if you want to pin the blame of harming the imperial lineage on the Crown Prince.

He wanted to live a few more years.

Shang Qianzhen's face was as dark as water, and he scolded, "No matter how many reasons you have, you shouldn't defy the imperial decree and draw your sword in the East Palace. Guards, bring me my whip. I'm going to beat this brat to death."

Shang Qianzhen's deputy general hesitantly handed him the whip.

The emperor's expression turned gloomy. "Liu, what are you doing?"

Shang Qianzhen bowed to Shang Qianxian. "Brother Emperor, it's my failure to discipline him that led him to such absurdity, committing such a heinous act against the rules. If I beat him to death today, my Cheng Wangfu will simply be without a legitimate son, better than causing a great disaster in the future."

As he spoke, he raised the whip. The whip moved swiftly and forcefully, slicing through flesh and bone, causing excruciating pain.

A few lashes down, Shang Rongyu's skin split open, his back covered in bloody marks.

Summer silk was already thin, one lash could break through flesh and blood, let alone the fact that King Cheng was indeed using his full strength.

Shang Rongyu knelt on the ground, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, veins bulging.

When the whip struck his body, his figure swayed, but he didn't make a sound.

Today, he couldn't escape this punishment.

His father was beating him to save face for the emperor and also to avoid the emperor severely punishing him. After all, if the emperor really wanted to punish him, it wouldn't be resolved with just a whipping.

By the end of the whipping, Shang Rongyu's back was a sea of blood, his clothes stained with fresh blood.

Apart from the burning pain on his back, he felt nothing else. He didn't even feel when his father's whip landed on his back.

"Shang Qianzhen." Jian Zhuixuan's cry was filled with anger and tears.

She lifted her luxurious dress and rushed up the steps in two or three strides. Her phoenix hairpin shook more violently than she ran, entwining and swaying.

Running up the steps, she used all her strength to push Shang Qianzhen away and stood in front of Shang Rongyu. "Go ahead and beat me to death."

From childhood, she was taught noble etiquette. Whether in the inner chambers or in the Wangfu, she always behaved properly, never acting in any way that was disrespectful, nor had she ever done anything that would damage her noble demeanor.

Her every move was considered a model for women in Da Su. Now, she called her husband by his name, ran clumsily, and her hair was disheveled, lacking any semblance of grace.

She threw herself over to embrace Shang Rongyu, crying like pear blossoms in the rain. "Rongyu, my child!"

Shang Rongyu's mouth overflowed with blood, and he smiled weakly. "Mother, I'm fine."

Jian Zhuixuan cried even harder. "How can you be fine? So much blood..."

Shang Qianzhen scolded her. "Get out of the way. Today, I'll beat this disobedient son to death, which will save us trouble."

Jian Zhuixuan glared at Shang Qianzhen. "Why don't you kill both my son and me, which would be even more convenient."

She protected Shang Rongyu. "If something happens to my son today, I won't let you off."

Shang Qianzhen threw the whip in a fit of rage. "Mothers spoil their children. It's all because you spoiled him. Look at what this little beast has become."

Jian Zhuixuan countered, "If you think I've spoiled him, why didn't you teach him? You were too busy with your soldiers, not even bothering with your son. And now you want to beat him to death..."

Shang Qianzhen sighed angrily. "Truly a woman."

Then, he knelt down to Shang Qianxian. "Brother Emperor, your younger brother failed to educate his son, allowing this little beast to commit such an ugly deed. This truly fails to live up to Your Majesty's great grace. But please, Brother Emperor, consider that this beast acted this way out of concern for his wife and gratitude for the imperial marriage. Please mete out a lighter punishment."

Shang Qianxian saw that King Cheng had beaten his son, protected his son, and knelt and bowed to him, giving him and the Crown Prince enough face.

Now, he should give him a way out.

"The Heir is young, and this incident is understandable. All the punishments, Liu, you have already carried out. If I were to punish him again, wouldn't that be unreasonable?"

King Cheng kowtowed. "Your Majesty is justice itself. How could it be unreasonable? This little beast is accustomed to being reckless and extravagant, truly failing to live up to Your Majesty's high expectations."

Shang Qianxian helped him up. "Enough, enough, get up. We're brothers, don't kneel so easily. The punishment has been given, and your anger should be gone."

The Wangfei supported Shang Rongyu, tears streaming down her face. "My child, quickly thank your uncle the emperor for his great kindness."

Shang Rongyu, in pain with purple lips and cold sweat pouring down, trembled as he said word by word, "Thank you, Uncle Emperor, for pardoning your nephew."

Shang Qianxian chided, "You child, not making a sound, just like your father, stubborn."

Shang Qianzhen knelt on one knee before Shang Qianxian, as steadfast as a mountain. "Your Majesty, punishment must be meted out where it is due, but there should also be an explanation for what has transpired."

Shang Qianxian furrowed his brows, thinking to himself that the time had come for reckoning. Indeed, there was no such thing as a child beaten in vain.

Shang Qianzhen raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Heir's Consort. "We are grateful for Your Majesty's boundless grace, bestowing upon the King Cheng's Mansion a Heir's Consort who is gentle, virtuous, capable of managing household affairs, and well-versed in propriety. If the Heir's Consort truly erred, then the Crown Prince may punish her accordingly."

"But since Yu'er entered the mansion, she has served our parents-in-law with utmost respect and managed all matters within and outside the mansion in perfect order. She governs the servants with a balance of kindness and authority. Throughout the imperial city, who does not praise the Heir's Consort of King Cheng's Mansion? Even we in King Cheng's Mansion express gratitude daily for the imperial marriage bestowed by His Majesty. I ask you, how could such a Heir's Consort show disrespect to the Crown Prince?"

"Today is the Qixi Festival, when maidens should be praying under the moon for their needlework skills. All the noble ladies of Da Su have attended the banquet in the palace, yet the Heir's Consort of King Cheng's Mansion kneels here for over two hours, subjected to such humiliation by the palace attendants..."

He knelt straight as a monument. "Your Majesty, regardless of King Cheng's Mansion's standing, it remains part of the royal lineage. We hope Your Majesty will provide us with an explanation and justice for the Heir's Consort."

Crown Prince Shang Jue asked coldly, "Uncle, do you mean to say that I have wronged the Heir's Consort?"

His face was so plump that his features were distorted, which would have been imposing if not for the comical expressions it produced.

Shang Qianzhen said, "Your Highness, I am merely discussing the matter at hand. If you believe Yu'er showed you disrespect, how did she do so? In what manner?"

The Queen also knelt before the Emperor. "Even if the Heir's Consort has committed any fault, it should be handled by the Royal Clan Temple. How can the Crown Prince allow his subordinates to humiliate her like this? And..."

She lifted her sleeve to wipe away tears. "Fortunately, Yu'er isn't pregnant. Otherwise, given today's circumstances, it would surely have resulted in the loss of two lives."

Before Shang Jue could utter a word, he was burdened with countless accusations:

—Abusing power to mistreat the family of a high-ranking official, using private punishments, plotting against the royal lineage, treating human life as grass...

Each charge could brand him with the name of "immorality."

No matter how many mouths he had, he couldn't defend himself against the torrent of slander.

Wasn't it just a punishment for a female relative? Why did it feel like he had broken the law and committed heinous crimes?

Shang Qianxian looked at the Crown Prince with a sharp gaze, as if his eyes were blades.

The Crown Prince had always feared this look since childhood, feeling as if he was trapped in an icy hell, freezing every drop of blood in his body.

He hurriedly knelt down. "Father, your son is innocent."

Shang Qianxian kicked the Crown Prince in the chest, cursing, "You're innocent? What about the Heir's Consort lying there? Is she innocent or not?"

The Crown Prince fell to the ground in a sorry state, unable to get up for a long time due to his obesity, utterly disgraced and losing all dignity.

King Cheng demonstrated before him how to discipline a child.

Now it was his turn to discipline his own child, or else, with King Cheng's personality, how could he let the matter rest?

Moreover, no matter how extravagant and dissolute Shang Rongyu was, he was still a subject. But the Crown Prince was different; as the heir apparent, his every virtue and action influenced the nation. If he punished his child too lightly today, he feared it would be difficult to justify to the court and the people.

The eunuch beside him quickly knelt down. "Your Majesty, this incident was caused by Liangyuan. The Crown Prince was misled by others."

He had served the Emperor for many years.

He knew that the Emperor usually doted on the Crown Prince.

Due to the Crown Prince's excessive obesity, making it inconvenient for him to perform rituals, the Emperor even exempted him from performing them.

To accommodate the Crown Prince, he widened all the corridors in the palace, and even the distance between the dragon throne and the desk was increased, all to facilitate the Crown Prince's movement.

King Cheng and Queen Cheng didn't mention the conflict between the Crown Prince's Liangyuan and the Heir's Consort, focusing instead on pressuring the Emperor to punish the Crown Prince.

So he needed to relieve the Emperor's worries and shift most of the blame onto that Liangyuan.

Not mentioning the Crown Prince's Liangyuan would have been fine, but once brought up, Shang Qianxian erupted in fury.

"How can a dignified Crown Prince of a nation have such soft ears? How can he become a wise ruler in the future? Guards, beat the Crown Prince's Liangyuan to death with clubs."

Cang Jiaojiao, who had been kneeling in the hall without daring to raise her head, suddenly looked up.

She crawled towards the Crown Prince, crying out. "Crown Prince, save me... I love you so much... Your Highness, save me..."

She banged her head on the ground until it bled. "Your Majesty, spare my life... Spare me..."

Two eunuchs immediately came forward to drag Cang Jiaojiao away.

Cang Jiaojiao cried out. "Your Highness, save me..."

Shang Jue panicked. "Father, it's all my fault. Please spare Jiaojiao. I beg you."

Shang Jue grew up in the palace, surrounded by either noble ladies or delicate beauties.

He had never seen a woman with Cang Jiaojiao's charm.

Since birth, he was named the Crown Prince, with the Emperor's eager expectations and countless eyes from the court watching him, his brothers pressing closer and closer...

This led him to use food to relieve stress from a young age, resulting in his current obesity.

After becoming obese, he suffered from extreme psychological inferiority.

Every day he spent with Cang Jiaojiao, he felt relaxed.

He didn't feel the weight of a mountain pressing down on him every day, nor did he feel suffocated when waking up each morning.

"Ahh... Crown Prince, save me..." Cang Jiaojiao was held down by two palace attendants, with heavy wooden boards being raised and slammed down repeatedly. Each strike tore through flesh and skin.

After a few strikes, Cang Jiaojiao was barely breathing, her throat emitting muffled cries. "Your Highness, save me..."

Shang Jue panicked and rushed over to push away the attendants. "Get away, get away, all of you leave."

With the Crown Prince protecting her, the attendants dared not continue.

The Emperor dotes on the Crown Prince immensely.

Whatever he desired since his childhood, the Emperor would grant him.

This time, after returning from a trip outside the palace with a courtesan, saying he wanted to take her into the palace, the Emperor agreed.

But no one could have anticipated such a colossal blunder.

Shang Jue crawled before the Emperor, pleading, "Your Majesty, it's my fault, I know my wrongs. Your son has never asked you for anything; this is the first time I beg of you, spare her life."

Shang Qianxian could see that the Crown Prince truly loved this courtesan.

If he were to beat her to death, a rift would inevitably form between father and son.

Yet, Heir and Heir's Consort of King Cheng entered the palace unscathed, only to emerge now, both battered and bruised.

King Cheng was capable of dealing harshly even with his most beloved son. If Shang Qianxian did not provide a satisfactory response, this matter would not end easily.

Moreover, this courtesan had caused such a significant disturbance in just a few days since entering the palace. What would happen in the future?

All eyes in the empire were on the position of the Crown Prince, a role fraught with peril. Therefore, he must resolve the Crown Prince's troubles once and for all.

This courtesan cannot be allowed to remain.

Shang Qianxian closed his eyes, his heart aching intensely: "The Crown Prince was misled by others, disregarding propriety and decorum, losing virtue and grace. From today onwards, he shall be relieved of the critical duty of overseeing the state. Liangyuan Cang Jiaojiao bewitched the Crown Prince, beat her to death, do it."

Shang Jue felt as if his soul had been extracted.

Relieved of overseeing the state.

Being the Crown Prince was now akin to being a mere decoration.

Throughout history, which heir presumptive did not hold the responsibility of overseeing the state? When the Emperor was absent, the heir would govern the nation, acting as the new monarch.

And now, he bore the title of Crown Prince but lacked its power. Wasn't this tantamount to publicly announcing the intention to depose the heir presumptive?

Before he could recover from the shock, he heard the faint cries of a woman and the sound of the rod striking flesh.

Cang Jiaojiao...

He couldn't let Cang Jiaojiao die.

With her, he experienced an unprecedented sense of ease.

He rushed forward hastily: "Father, I won't be the Crown Prince anymore, please spare Jiaojiao, I beg you, Father..."

Shang Qianxian looked at the Crown Prince with anguish and roared: "Beat her for me."

He had placed such high hopes on Shang Jue, paving his path for years. Now, he was willing to renounce the throne for a courtesan...

The rod struck like raindrops, leaving Cang Jiaojiao covered in blood, barely clinging to life.

The Crown Prince cried out: "Father..."

A guard stepped forward, saluting: "Your Majesty, Liangyuan has no more breath."

The Crown Prince collapsed onto the ground like a thick pancake, staring at the cooling, blood-drenched corpse within arm's reach. His tears hadn't fallen yet, but his stomach convulsed in pain.

He vomited while lying on the ground.

As he continued vomiting, he suddenly lost his breath and fainted.

Shang Qianxian anxiously called out: "Quickly, Wang Taiyi, come and check on the Crown Prince, hurry up."

After feeling his pulse, Wang Taiyi said: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has merely fainted due to overwhelming distress. Allow me to prescribe some medicine; he will wake up after taking it."

Shang Qianxian: "Go quickly."

Wang Taiyi: "Yes."

Shang Qianxian descended the steps and looked at King Cheng: "Lao Liu, get up. Quickly take Heir's Consort Rong Yu back to recuperate."

Shang Qianzhen expressed gratitude: "Thank you, Royal Brother, for your consideration."

The princesses-in-law helped carry Ran Qinggu.

A deputy general of King Cheng hurried over to support Shang Rongyu.

Shang Rongyu stood up with the help of the deputy general, but as soon as he rose, his entire body gave way from exhaustion, nearly collapsing.

Seeing this, King Cheng descended two steps, slightly crouched down, patted his broad shoulders, signaling his intention to carry Shang Rongyu.

How could the deputy general dare allow King Cheng to carry him? He hastily said: "Your Highness, allow me to do it."

King Cheng: "It's fine, this King will do it."

Shang Rongyu placed his hand on King Cheng's back, lifted by him onto his back, and they began walking out of the palace.

With every step King Cheng took, drops of blood fell from his feet, trailing down the stairs.

Suddenly, Shang Rongyu realized that his father's spine was not as straight as when he was a child. The hair tied in place by his coronet was a mix of black and white...

Yet, his steps remained steady and heavy, as if afraid of jolting him in pain.

Shang Rongyu lay on his father's back, whispering: "Giddy-up—"

King Cheng paused in his steps.

His rebellious son had started pestering him to ride a horse at the tender age of two or three.

Translate for him a wooden horse, but he wouldn't have it; he insisted on riding a real steed instead.

Those foals were as wild as they came, how could he dare to let a child of two or three years ride on a horse?

Later, he knelt on the ground, allowing Shang Rongyu to ride on his back.

Only then did Shang Rongyu stop fussing, shouting gleefully while tugging at his clothes, "Giddy-up—"

Father and son could play like this for an entire afternoon.

==

Ran Qinggu's nose was filled with the scent of herbs, a faint aroma that wasn't overpowering—it was the smell of Shang Rongyu.

But this subtle fragrance was gradually overshadowed by the stench of blood and rust.

He found himself in a frigid hell, seeing his parents, covered in blood and wounds, shackled and leaning against the weathered walls of their prison cell.

His brother gazed at the light streaming through a tiny skylight, the air thick with dust, the atmosphere reeking of dampness, decay, and blood. Mice scurried about, squabbling over the only dry straw pile in the corner.

The people here were riddled with wounds, their faces pale with the color of death.

No one came to save them. Those who once flattered and fawned over them now piled on the abuse. His father and brother's friends and classmates vanished without a trace. He counted the days on his fingers, unsure which day would be his last...

The feeling of awaiting death was terrible. Everyone knew there was no hope, yet they couldn't hasten the inevitable. Even his uncles and aunts, unable to bear the torment of such a death, committed suicide by slamming their heads against the prison walls.

As the guards dragged away the bodies, everyone stared at the bloodstains, unmoved, not shedding a single tear. For they all knew that soon, they would meet again in the netherworld.

On the coldest day of winter, news of the execution arrived.

His father finally showed emotion, tears welling up as he asked, "Gu'er, are you scared?"

He replied, "No."

His father smiled, but moments later, the man who had endured countless battles and hardships choked up like a child, murmuring, "I've burdened you, I've burdened all of you. If there is a next life, don't be my son. I always hoped that you and your brother would become pillars of society, that you would achieve great things, and I was too harsh on you. If I could start over, I'd wish for you to grow up carefree like other children. It's Father's fault...you're only twelve..."

Then, he saw the snowfall.

Snowflakes drifted down, covering the barren mountains outside the capital, where a barbaric massacre was taking place.

No, it was more like torture.

None of them died instantly. They were tortured to death by those soldiers, treated like cattle and sheep destined for slaughter, penned in for the pleasure of killing.

He watched the Second Prince and Yin Zhong survey the entire mountain ridge from atop their tall horses, their demeanor cold and indifferent...

His ears were filled with the cries of agony and the laughter of those enjoying the spectacle. They severed his tendons, forcing him to crawl, breaking a bone with each step. If he didn't crawl, they broke two.

His brother, trying to protect him, had his spine shattered...and even as he lay dying, he shielded him beneath his body.

Eventually, everyone died.

The mountain slope fell silent. Snow blanketed the entire hillside, covering the bodies left unburied, while wild dogs dug through the snow to feast on human flesh.

Perhaps it was because his brother had protected him, using the last bit of warmth in his mortal body to keep him warm, that he didn't freeze to death. And when a wild dog dug into his wounds, the pain caused him to reflexively move his weak fingers.

The blood-red scene shifted, revealing him as the killer.

How many people he had killed, even he couldn't remember.

Ever since Bai Yu and Taozi subdued the bandits in the northern city, he quickly reached an agreement with them, establishing a cooperative relationship.

He remembered every person involved in that massacre, all five hundred plus.

He remembered each face. Since childhood, he had a photographic memory.

After reaching an agreement with these bandits, he used them to make those executioners die by the same means they inflicted upon his family.

He broke the spine of the man who had broken his brother's, listening to each bone snap...

For those who had dishonored the women, he castrated them first before flaying them alive...

He often smelled the blood on his hands, which led him to frequently stare at them, wondering why they still reeked of blood despite being clean...

As he stared, his mind would wander.

These hands had taken the lives of three hundred and forty-two people, leaving two hundred more to go...

He looked down at his hands, now drenched in the blood of two or three hundred people...

Cold, so cold.

Hastily, he plunged his hands into the snow, scrubbing furiously, determined to wash away the blood...

He scrubbed and scrubbed, but it wouldn't come off!

"Yu-er, ah, are you trying to murder your husband..."

"Do you have someone else? It hurts, Yu-er...wake up..."

Ran Qinggu suddenly opened his eyes.

He saw a person lying beside him on the bed.

To be precise, someone was lying face-down.

And his hand was inside Shang Rongyu's chest, still in the motion of washing and rubbing. Shang Rongyu frowned, looking pained, holding his hand against his own chest, where several bloody scratches marred his skin.

Still shaken from his nightmare, he instinctively recoiled, but nearly tumbled off the edge of the bed. Shang Rongyu pulled him back just in time.

Thrown off balance, he stumbled into Shang Rongyu, landing on top of him.

Shang Rongyu let out a hiss of pain, his brows furrowing as veins bulged on his forehead.

"You're trying to murder your husband in his sleep, aren't you? Reaching for my chest and abdomen in your dreams, kneading, pinching, scratching, and now deliberately ramming into my wounds. Have you taken up with someone else?"

Ran Qinggu only then noticed that Shang Rongyu's white undergarment was wrapped in bandages, and his back was crisscrossed with fresh bloodstains—new wounds.

Glancing down at his own clothes, he realized they had been changed. At the chest area of his undershirt, there were dozens of tight knots, bound by several palace sashes.

When he touched his lower body, he found similar knots tied around his underpants.

This was clearly Tao Zi's doing. She had changed his clothes and, fearing it wasn't safe for him to lie next to Shang Rongyu, she had tied these knots.

To disguise himself as a woman without revealing his true identity, he wore an extremely tight-fitting undergarment beneath his underpants, so he didn't worry about compromising Tao Zi's reputation as a maiden.

But wasn't Tao Zi's wolf-prevention stance akin to protesting too much?

Shang Rongyu snorted coldly. "Your maid is quite something. If this Heir wanted to do anything to you, could a few rotten ropes stop me?"

Ran Qinggu frowned. "Tao Zi is young and doesn't know any better. Heir, don't take her antics seriously."

Eyeing the injuries on Shang Rongyu's back, he tried to sit up. "Did the Emperor punish you? I'll call for the imperial physician. Many of your wounds have reopened and are bleeding."

Shang Rongyu pushed him back onto the bed. "Don't move; it might aggravate my wounds. Look at what you've done to my chest. Come here and blow on it..."

As he spoke, Shang Rongyu loosened his undergarment.

His chest was marred with finger marks—evidence of Ran Qinggu's nightmare-induced fumbling.

Ran Qinggu was momentarily stunned.

Shang Rongyu looked at him smugly. "I usually treat you well. What's wrong with blowing on the wounds you caused? It will make the pain go away."

Ran Qinggu reluctantly blew on the bloody marks while still in Shang Rongyu's embrace.

They were close, and he could smell the fresh scent of grass and wood from Shang Rongyu's body.

A gentle breeze brushed against Shang Rongyu's chest.

It was an indescribable feeling—ticklish and strange. When the wind stopped, the man seemed ready to leave him.

Shang Rongyu hastily said, "My stomach also got scratched by you. Look at you, always causing trouble."

Ran Qinggu moved downward, asking, "Where is it?"

Shang Rongyu pointed to a spot on his abdomen. "The scratches were light, and the marks faded, but it still hurts."

Ran Qinggu leaned in to blow on it.

Sometimes, he felt Shang Rongyu acted like a child, believing naively that blowing on a wound would make the pain disappear.

Shang Rongyu: "Even my manhood got scratched by you. Your hands really went everywhere."

Ran Qinggu: "…"

He was wrong; children wouldn't say such things with such seriousness.

Shang Rongyu: "Blow on it quickly. It hurts."

Ran Qinggu: "…"

If it was truly injured, shouldn't they immediately seek an imperial physician?

After a moment of silence, Ran Qinggu changed the subject. "Is your back really alright, Heir? It's bleeding…"

Shang Rongyu: "Blow on it. You have no sincerity."

Ran Qinggu was taken aback.

Leaning against the bed, Shang Rongyu watched Ran Qinggu's flustered expression and couldn't help but laugh. He decided not to tease him further. "Forget it, I won't make things difficult for you. Don't worry about my injuries. I'm fine; I just got beaten up. But the Crown Prince is worse off than me."

Ran Qinggu was suspicious. "Didn't the Heir lay a hand on the Crown Prince?"

Shang Rongyu gave him a look that said, "What goes on in your head?" "You can be quite smart sometimes, but why are you so silly at others? If I had laid a hand on the Crown Prince, could I still be lying here?"

Before Ran Qinggu could ask more, Shang Rongyu chuckled. "The Crown Prince has been stripped of his duties as regent by the Emperor."

Ran Qinggu was astonished.

He had predicted that the Emperor would certainly punish the Crown Prince, but he hadn't expected the removal of his regency duties.

If he guessed correctly, King Cheng must have intervened.

Otherwise, the Emperor would never have punished the Crown Prince so severely—it was akin to a heart-wrenching rebuke, publicly declaring the Crown Prince's moral failure.

He glanced at the floor, where there were many rolls of silk, gold, and jewels. Confused, he asked, "What are those?"

Shang Rongyu: "Those are what this Heir has obtained for you. Do you like them? I'll get more for you next time."

"Brat, your wounds haven't even healed, and you've already forgotten the pain." King Cheng strode in.

Due to Ran Qinggu's need to rest in bed, the king only entered the outer room, separated from them by an eight-panel screen.

Ran Qinggu hurriedly got out of bed.

The Empress saw this and stepped forward to stop him: "The imperial physician said your body is weak; take good care of yourself and don't worry about these formalities."

Ran Qinggu, sitting at the edge of the bed, respectfully nodded: "Yes."

King Cheng continued: "These jewels and silk fabrics were bestowed upon you by the Emperor as compensation for your suffering. They were brought out of the palace this morning."

Ran Qinggu hurriedly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty and Father."

King Cheng smiled: "Why are you thanking me?"

Ran Qinggu replied smoothly: "If it weren't for Father, Yu'er wouldn't have received these rewards. It must be that Father sought justice for Yu'er."

On the surface, they were bestowed upon him, but in reality, it was a show for King Cheng and the officials at court.

King Cheng looked sharply in the direction of the inner chambers.

After a long while, he sighed: "It's a pity she's just a daughter."

That day, when the Heir's Consort fell into a coma, she didn't know what happened afterward?

But upon waking up, she could guess that he had sought justice for her. With such a mind, if she were a man, she would undoubtedly be a talented general or prime minister.

The Empress scolded: "What nonsense are you spouting? What's wrong with being a daughter?"

King Cheng chuckled but didn't say anything.

Suddenly, Ran Qinggu seemed to understand something and asked anxiously: "Father, is Second Sister-in-law alright?"

The Empress frowned: "She's perfectly fine. Why are you bringing her up now?"

Ran Qinggu weakly answered: "That day, when Yu'er was kneeling in the Eastern Palace and couldn't support herself, I vaguely saw Second Sister-in-law entering the Eastern Palace from the side hall. I'm afraid the Crown Prince might blame her because of Yu'er and punish her. That's why I wanted to ask if she's alright?"

King Cheng and the Empress' faces darkened.

Su Xi actually went to the Eastern Palace?

And it was when Bai Yu was being punished by kneeling there.

Entering the Eastern Palace from the side hall clearly wasn't to plead for mercy. If not for pleading, then for what reason?

They then recalled that Shang Rongyu only found out about the Heir's Consort's punishment after Shang Pianfeng informed him, which led him to disregard the imperial order and barge into the Eastern Palace. The intrigue behind this... was truly unknown.

Shang Rongyu looked indifferently at Ran Qinggu.

This person looked like a harmless little rabbit, but in reality, he was a wolf full of sharp claws.

Now, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law would likely have a hard time.

All of this was due to a single sentence from Bai Yu.

King Cheng pulled the Empress and said: "Let them rest well. We should go."

The Empress looked at King Cheng: "Your Highness, you have four sons, and I have only one son. If you continue to protect the concubine without taking action, then I can only take Rongyu and Yu'er back to my family home. There's no place for us in the Prince's Mansion, but the old man's residence in Jiang Nan will surely have a place for us to stay."

Jian Zuihuan's family home was in Jiang Nan, a wealthy land of fish and rice.

The old man had many sons under his knee, but only one daughter, whom he adored.

Shang Rongyu added fuel to the fire with a pitiful expression: "When are we going back to Jiang Nan? I miss Grandpa. Will we return after we go back? Or should we not come back at all? At least Grandpa won't tolerate others plotting against me."

King Cheng scoffed coldly: "Shut up."

He looked at Jian Zuihuan: "You're the Empress, and they are all your children. Don't ever say such things again."

Jian Zuihuan retorted sarcastically: "Right, you're right. I treated them as my own sons, but when my own son and daughter-in-law were schemed against, both ended up lying in bed, one sick and the other injured. I will not let today's matter go unpunished. I demand an explanation from you, Your Highness."

King Cheng: "I never said I wouldn't handle it, but I need to get to the bottom of things first."

Only then did the Empress' expression soften as she looked at Shang Rongyu and Ran Qinggu: "You two take good care of yourselves. If you need anything, just tell your mother."

Ran Qinggu opened his mouth, intending to suggest that Shang Rongyu return to his own courtyard to recuperate.

But then he remembered that the Sinking Fish Pavilion was also Shang Rongyu's courtyard, so he changed his words: "Yes!"

That night, news reached the Sinking Fish Pavilion.

The Prince flew into a rage at the Full Moon Court and used family discipline on the second son, beating him until he was bedridden. Not even the concubine could stop him, and the second lady was not spared either. She was made to kneel in the Buddha Hall and copy the female precepts by the Prince overnight.

(To Be Continued)