Chapter 165

Chapter 165

In the afternoon, Kangxi decided to visit the archery field to see how Baocheng and the others were performing in their archery lessons.

Before he arrived, he could already hear the commotion from the archery field.

It sounded like complete chaos had erupted inside. Kangxi frowned, "Go and see what's going on?" He had a bad feeling about this.

Soon, a fast-moving maid returned in a panic. Liang Jiugong realized the situation in the archery field was likely dire.

The maid didn't dare to delay, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince are fighting!" After saying this, she lowered her head, not daring to see Kangxi's reaction.

Kangxi's face darkened as he quickly strode past the maid.

Soon, he saw two familiar figures locked in a fierce fight on the archery field, throwing punches and kicks at each other fiercely. Both Baocheng and the Eldest Prince looked fierce, neither willing to give in.

The surrounding servants and maids were hesitating, wanting to intervene and separate the two but too afraid to act forcefully and were even accidentally injured.

Moreover, given the high status of the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince, everyone had many reservations. Thus, despite the large crowd, no one managed to pull the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince apart.

They were just frantically surrounding them, creating a chaotic scene, turning the whole situation into a farce.

"Outrageous!" Kangxi's face was as dark as water as he scolded.

His voice startled everyone there. Seeing who had arrived, they were struck with terror. The Emperor had come, and now things were really bad.

"Separate them at once!" How could the princes be allowed to brawl in public like this? What an utter disgrace!

Fortunately, he had come alone today. If he had impulsively brought the ministers along, the royal family's dignity would have been lost in front of them.

One was the Eldest Prince, and the other was the Crown Prince—what a spectacle!

Hearing Kangxi's voice, both the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince froze.

Thus, separating them this time was surprisingly easy, requiring almost no effort.

After being pulled apart, both had bruises on their faces. It was unclear if there were injuries under their clothes, but given the punches and kicks exchanged earlier, there were likely some wounds.

Their clothes, having been dragged through the dirt countless times, were filthy, with no trace of the dignity befitting their royal status.

They had fought fiercely earlier, but now both hung their heads in shame, not daring to utter a word or meet Kangxi's gaze.

All those present who had failed to immediately intervene and stop the fight between the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince were caned as punishment.

The royal physician arrived promptly to examine the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince, finding only superficial wounds that would heal with time. However, for princes, even minor injuries were significant.

But did they think getting injured would exempt them from punishment?

That was impossible.

In the Qianqing Palace, both were made to kneel as punishment.

They had already been kneeling for an hour, and Kangxi showed no sign of letting them rise, seemingly intent on making them kneel until dark.

No one dared to intervene, as the Emperor was in a fit of anger. Who would dare to plead for them?

However, while the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince knelt, maids were left to keep a close watch.

After all, the princes were still young, and there was a fear that something might happen while they knelt, which could not be immediately noticed, leading to further punishment for the servants.

The servants' hearts were in their throats as they watched the two princes kneeling.

As soon as she got the news, Consort Hui rushed over, constantly urging the eunuchs carrying the sedan chair to hurry up, her face anxious.

When she reached the Palace of Heavenly Purity, she saw Bao Qing, who had been kneeling for an unknown length of time, and hurried over, "Bao Qing!"

Normally, Consort Hui would address him as the Eldest Prince, following protocol, but in her panic, she blurted out his childhood name.

The Eldest Prince, who had been hanging his head as if deep in thought, looked up at the sound and saw Consort Hui approaching, his face lit up with joy as he called out, "Consort Rong."

But then, recalling the current situation, he couldn't help but worry again.

The Emperor was furious, caught up in the heat of the moment, and he feared the Emperor might vent his anger on Consort Rong.

Consort Hui had already noticed Bao Qing's injuries: a purple, slightly split bruise at the corner of his mouth, untreated, which pained her heart. She turned to the Crown Prince kneeling beside him, her voice a mix of shock and anger.

"The Crown Prince has gone too far! Bao Qing is your elder brother. How could you treat your own brother so harshly!

What couldn't have been discussed properly instead of resorting to violence?

You may be the Crown Prince, but Bao Qing is still your elder brother! How could you hit him!"

Though the little milk dragon also bore marks on his face, Consort Hui chose to ignore them, her focus solely on Bao Qing's severe injuries.

After addressing the Crown Prince, Consort Hui turned to Bao Qing, her heart heavy with pain and concern,

"Are you hurt anywhere else? How long have you been kneeling? Are your knees in pain?" Were it not for the Emperor's orders, Consort Hui would have pulled Bao Qing to his feet, afraid that prolonged kneeling might harm his knees.

Her gaze at the Crown Prince was tinged with resentment—it was entirely the Crown Prince's fault!

Upon arriving, she had learned it was the Crown Prince who had struck first!

The Crown Prince was the one at fault; Bao Qing was merely defending himself and was not in the wrong. Why did the Emperor make Bao Qing kneel with the Crown Prince!

Consort Hui dared not express dissatisfaction with Kangxi, but she couldn't help but direct her anger at the Crown Prince.

"I really don't know what Bao Qing did to displease the Crown Prince, to provoke him into striking his elder brother, leading to this situation. Is the Crown Prince satisfied now?!"

The little milk dragon had a bruise on his forehead, another on his cheek, his clothes were somewhat dirty, and he looked quite disheveled.

Kneeling to the side, hearing Consort Hui's aggressive words, he just tightly pursed his lips and said nothing, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, though he kept a stiff face, not showing any vulnerability.

After listening to Consort Hui's tirade, he looked at Bao Qing, who was being anxiously checked for injuries by Consort Hui, and with a cold expression, said, "I am not wrong. It was the Eldest Prince who spoke disrespectfully first."

"You!" Consort Hui, hearing the Crown Prince's words, angrily pointed at him, wanting to say something, but the little milk dragon knelt there, meeting her gaze without backing down.

Consort Hui's peripheral vision caught the servants looking around, and she quickly realized her earlier slip of the tongue. Her expression changed,

"Whether the Crown Prince is wrong or not, I cannot say, nor dare to dictate to the Crown Prince, but your attitude is really... poor Bao Qing.."

Consort Hui wiped the tears from the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, her expression becoming fragile, worried, sad, and with a look of anger she dared not express.

"Consort Rong need not be so submissive!" Bao Qing, seeing Consort Hui like this, felt his suppressed temper rising again.

The little milk dragon, seeing Consort Hui's change to a weak stance yet still using words to sting, was filled with disdain. He turned his head and ignored Consort Hui and Bao Qing.

But thinking of how Consort Hui had just been so concerned for Bao Qing, he felt a pang of loss and resentment. Bao Qing had Consort Hui to protect him, while he could only kneel alone to the side.

"It's already this late, why hasn't Baocheng arrived yet?" Su Yi suddenly asked, glancing at the sky.

"This maid will go and ask," Qinxin thought it was strange too. The Crown Prince had said that he would come to dine with Her Highness after his studies.

It was indeed unusual that he hadn't arrived yet. If he couldn't come, the Crown Prince would usually send a maid to notify, or say that he would be late.

So she sent someone to check if something had happened.

After a while, a maid hurriedly returned and whispered something into Qinxin's ear. Qinxin then signaled the maid to leave first.

"Your Highness," Qinxin hesitated.

"Why are you stammering? Has something happened?" Su Yi, amused by her expression, casually twirled a string of beads in her hand. The cat, Guogaitou, lazily lay at her feet, looking very comfortable.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is currently being punished by kneeling in the Qianqing Palace and cannot come."

Su Yi stopped twirling the beads, her smile fading a bit, "What's the reason?"

Qinxin lowered her head slightly, "It's said that the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince had a fight at the archery field this afternoon and were caught by His Majesty. The Emperor was furious and ordered both the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince to kneel as punishment.

By the count, they've been kneeling for an hour already and are still kneeling. Consort Hui, upon hearing the news, rushed to the Qianqing Palace."

Just as she finished speaking, she saw Consort Rong stand up and hurriedly followed, "Your Highness?!" Is Your Highness also going to the Qianqing Palace?!

"I'm a bit worried; I think I'll go take a look," Su Yi's response was not unexpected to Qinxin.

As Su Yi stood up, Guogaitou immediately got up too, circling around Su Yi's legs, meowing as if to beg.

Guogaitou: Where are we going? Meow wants to come too.

Su Yi looked down at the cat circling her legs, seemed to think for a moment, then said apologetically, "No, you can't."

Bringing the little cat along might be a bit inconvenient.

Guogaitou meowed disappointedly, Su Yi crouched down and gently patted its head, "Be good; today you can have two more fish treats."

"Meow~" It agreed.

Su Yi then stood up and departed, Guogaitou sat there, tilting its head, watching Su Yi's departing figure, happily thinking about today's extra fish treats—two more! So happy, meow!

——

Upon arriving, Consort Hui immediately sought to see the Emperor.

She intended to beg the Emperor to let the Eldest Prince stop kneeling, but Liang Jiugong conveyed that the Emperor was busy and would have to wait until he was finished.

Everyone understood this was merely an excuse.

"Then I shall wait here. When the Emperor is finished, Liang Jiugong, please come out and notify me," Consort Hui forced a smile.

"Your Highness, rest assured, this servant understands," Liang Jiugong pretended not to notice the forced smile, agreed, and then turned to go back inside.

Consort Hui understood the Emperor was still angry. Despite her anxiety, she refrained from causing a scene in the Qianqing Palace. She silently wiped her tears, occasionally looking at the kneeling Eldest Prince with heartache, feeling that time passed very slowly, painfully so.

When she saw Liang Jiugong come out again, Consort Hui immediately stepped forward to ask, "Liang Jiugong, has the Emperor calmed down now? The Eldest Prince... and the Crown Prince are still kneeling," reluctantly adding the Crown Prince at the end.

For now, the most important thing was to get the Eldest Prince up first.

"Consort Hui, His Majesty has summoned the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince for a talk." This meant they could now stand up.

Liang Jiugong signaled the servants to assist the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince in standing up.

"Quickly, help the Eldest Prince up," Consort Hui urged, relieved that the punishment was over, and hastily instructed the servants to assist the Eldest Prince.

The Eldest Prince, having knelt for a long time, found his knees numb and his steps were unsteady as he stood up, which made Consort Hui even more distressed.

"Be careful when helping him!" she couldn't help exclaiming, wanting to say more, perhaps even threatening the servants if they didn't handle the Eldest Prince properly, but she remembered they were in the Qianqing Palace and restrained herself. She followed behind the Eldest Prince, watching closely.

The little milk dragon also suffered from numb and painful knees. Younger and not as robust as the Eldest Prince, he had endured the long kneeling with less endurance. However, he didn't utter a single word of pain, his face stern, refusing to show any weakness.

As they approached to meet Kangxi, the servants could only accompany them this far and had to let go, allowing the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince to enter by themselves, as it was inappropriate for servants to follow.

Consort Hui asked the Eldest Prince, "Are you alright?"

The Eldest Prince nodded, standing steady without the servants' help.

Liang Jiugong led the way, with the Crown Prince, the Eldest Prince, and Consort Hui following.

Whether intentional or not, Consort Hui lagged just half a step behind the Crown Prince. Taking advantage of his slow movement, she whispered something malicious and scornful, "Born of a mother but raised without one," which deeply affected the little milk dragon, causing him to lose his composure and push Consort Hui, "How dare you speak to me like that!"

"Ah!" Consort Hui fell to the ground, her face showing shock and discomfort, "Crown Prince, how could you..." she left her sentence unfinished.

Consort Hui moved her foot, her expression pained, as if she had twisted it.

Seeing his mother mistreated by the Crown Prince, the Eldest Prince's temper flared, and he angrily grabbed the Crown Prince's collar, "What are you doing!?"

The sound of something breaking was heard.

Kangxi had thrown a teacup to the ground.

"Enough of this commotion."

Kangxi's anger deepened as he saw the near chaos, his calm expression growing more intimidating.

The Eldest Prince reluctantly let go and knelt down again, "Father, the Crown Prince has gone too far. If he has any grievances, he should take them out on me, not push my mother to the ground. I cannot bear this, I beg you to uphold justice for my mother."

He seemed eager to seek justice for Consort Hui.

But Consort Hui quickly intervened, "Your Majesty, the Eldest Prince was just momentarily overwhelmed. I merely fell, it's nothing serious. The Crown Prince is young and impulsive, it's understandable."

As she spoke, Consort Hui rose with the help of servants, her face betraying pain, standing somewhat crookedly as if her foot was injured.

Her personal maid anxiously said, "Madam, is your foot sprained? Should we call for a physician..." but Consort Hui cut her off, "Enough, I'm fine, just need a moment to recover."

Then she turned to Kangxi, "Your Majesty, I'm fine, I just need a moment."

"Pretending," the little milk dragon muttered, watching Consort Hui's performance, wanting to expose her to Kangxi, "Father, earlier it was clearly..."

"Silence! Today you have truly disappointed me. First, you fought with the Eldest Prince, now you push Consort Hui in front of me. It seems the kneeling punishment has taught you nothing."

The little milk dragon was stunned, his eyes filled with hurt and grievance, red-rimmed, seemingly unable to believe Kangxi's words.

It was the Eldest Prince and Consort Hui who had been so harsh, why wouldn't Kangxi listen to his explanation but believe the words of that pretentious woman, Consort Hui.

When he pushed her earlier, Consort Hui smiled at him as she fell. She was deliberately provoking him to act out in front of the Emperor!

"I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I apologize?" the little milk dragon said stubbornly, like a wounded animal raising its defenses, adopting a tough attitude to protect itself, but in the eyes of others, it was just a facade that could be easily broken.

"Kneel," Kangxi said with a frown.

"Fine, I’ll kneel!" the little milk dragon said defiantly as he knelt down. His knees, already sore from kneeling earlier, hit the ground so hard that he had to steady himself with his hands to kneel properly. Liang Jiugong, watching from the side, winced in sympathy.

Was the Emperor being too harsh on the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince was still young and had already been kneeling for a long time. If he continued to kneel, his knees might get injured. The Emperor was furious now, but once he cooled off, he might regret it.

Liang Jiugong’s position didn’t allow him to speak up at that moment. He could see clearly that with Consort Hui backing the Eldest Prince, the Crown Prince was at a disadvantage.

Consort Hui stepped in, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I’m not badly hurt. You should not be too harsh on the Crown Prince. The Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince are just children playing around. It's nothing serious. The brothers will make up soon enough. Isn’t that right, Eldest Prince?" She nudged him to agree.

The Eldest Prince didn’t get why his mother was acting so meek. The Crown Prince dared to lay hands on his mother in front of the Emperor, so why was she still speaking up for him?

Reluctantly, he lowered his head and said, "Yes, Father."

If the Crown Prince hadn’t charged at him and thrown a punch, he wouldn’t have been so mad that he fought back. Now, in front of the Emperor, he had to stick up for the Crown Prince, which only made him more frustrated.

But Consort Hui was doing this for the Eldest Prince's sake. Even though the Emperor was scolding the Crown Prince in his anger, he had always doted on him, keeping him close and raising him with care. The Crown Prince was deeply cherished by the Emperor.

When the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince fought, it was the Crown Prince who struck first, but the Eldest Prince was also punished by kneeling. Even though it looked fair to punish both, the Emperor’s favor still leaned toward the Crown Prince.

If things stayed like this, the Emperor would naturally side with the Crown Prince, leaving her Bao Qing to suffer. The Emperor might even blame Bao Qing, as the older brother, for not being more understanding toward the Crown Prince.

Consort Hui had been scheming to turn the situation to her and the Eldest Prince’s advantage.

After the Emperor summoned them, Consort Hui realized that the only way was to make the Crown Prince appear aggressive in front of the Emperor, while she and the Eldest Prince appeared to be the clear underdogs.

This way, even if the Emperor favored the Crown Prince, he’d still have to scold him.

But she couldn't just watch the Emperor scold the Crown Prince. Instead, she had to step in and speak up for the Crown Prince when the Emperor was angry, showing her magnanimity and indifference.

By playing the forgiving and weak role, she could keep the Emperor from resenting her and the Eldest Prince later.

The more understanding and considerate she seemed, the harder it would be for the Emperor to side too much with the Crown Prince. He’d feel more sympathy for the Eldest Prince, and it would give the Emperor an out, making sure any punishment was fair and not too harsh.

Otherwise, if the Crown Prince were punished and the Emperor later felt that the punishment was too harsh and regretted it, he might think that she and the Eldest Prince had just stood by and watched without saying a word, which would reflect poorly on them. That wouldn’t work, so she had to play her part convincingly.

However, Consort Hui wasn't worried about suffering herself, because there was still the Crown Prince's reaction to consider.

"Stop pretending to be kind," the little milk dragon said, disgusted and angry at Consort Hui's act in front of the Emperor. He wanted to speak up to the Emperor, but the Emperor's earlier attitude had deeply hurt and upset him. He wanted to cry but held back.

The little milk dragon refused to shed tears in front of this wicked woman, showing any sign of weakness, lest she laugh at him and mock him in her heart!

A glint of triumph flashed in Consort Hui's eyes. The more she acted this way, the more the Crown Prince would be provoked, saying things that would only make the Emperor angrier and make her and the Eldest Prince appear even more vulnerable.

The Crown Prince, after all, was still young and couldn't handle provocation. With just a little stimulation, he would say things that were detrimental to himself, not knowing how to show weakness, only putting himself at a disadvantage. He simply couldn't keep his composure.

Consort Hui felt no shame for manipulating a child. Instead, she was grateful that Empress Hesheli had passed away early. No matter how noble the Crown Prince's status was, without a mother to protect and stand up for him, he would only become more stubborn when angry or upset, refusing to admit his mistakes.

He might even refuse to explain himself because of the Emperor's attitude, not wanting to appear weak in front of her, even if he was deeply hurt and upset inside.

This would only make him more stubborn, holding his breath and refusing to yield, like a hedgehog raising its spines to protect itself.

All for the sake of a child's pride, he would stand his ground against the Emperor, not realizing that this was exactly what she wanted.

The Crown Prince's behavior will only make him appear immature in the Emperor's eyes.

Moreover, the Crown Prince feels hurt by the Emperor's attitude, but the Emperor is not one to bow to the Crown Prince. This stalemate will inevitably affect the relationship between father and son.

At that time, her eldest son would need to perform even better to show the Emperor that the Crown Prince isn't the only one who excels. Consort Hui looked visibly hurt by the Crown Prince's words, and when the eldest son wanted to say something, Consort Hui shook her head to stop him.

Kangxi's expression grew increasingly grim. The little dragon prince, his eyes reddened, stared back defiantly, as if he had done nothing wrong.

The atmosphere became very tense for a moment.