Chapter 167

Chapter 167

"Imperial Father, your son didn't mean to..." The Eldest Prince was no longer as confident as he was at the beginning. Meeting Kangxi's gaze, he felt even more guilty and started to sweat.

"Think carefully before answering. It's one thing to dare to do but not dare to admit, and it's another to deceive your Imperial Father," Su Yi added gently from the side, appearing to relish the chaos. She was probably the only one who could still smile, exuding the aura of a scheming consort.

The Eldest Prince was already on edge, and now with Consort Rong fanning the flames and repeatedly mocking his mother, old grievances and new grudges intertwined, and his anger flared up. If the Eldest Prince were truly someone who could endure humiliation at a young age, he would have refrained from retaliating when Crown Prince Baocheng struck first. By not retaliating, the blame would hardly fall on him, and he could have gained the most favorable outcome by positioning himself as the victim.

Unfortunately, the Eldest Prince was not one to endure humiliation. Even though he was raised outside the palace, his maternal uncle and aunt treated him with love and respect due to his status, always deferring to him. In such a situation, the Eldest Prince naturally couldn't bear this treatment.

As soon as Consort Rong spoke, it was as if he had found an outlet for his anger.

"Who do you think you are? You first bullied my mother with your arrogance, and now you dare to lecture me, a prince? You're just a—"

"Silence!" Kangxi's face darkened as he abruptly cut off the Eldest Prince's words. "Who taught you such manners? As a prince, you should be cautious with your words and actions, yet you dare to disrespect a consort. Are you dissatisfied with Consort Rong, or are you dissatisfied with me?"

This was serious, elevating the matter to another level.

In the past, because the Eldest Prince was raised outside the palace and had only recently returned, Kangxi felt guilty for having to send him away. However, there were times when he also felt that being raised outside the palace meant the Eldest Prince lacked the rigorous discipline and etiquette that came with being raised within the palace.

Today, seeing the Eldest Prince act so impulsively in front of him, Kangxi wondered if the prince was truly dissatisfied with Consort Rong or if he was using her as an excuse to express dissatisfaction with him, the Emperor.

Kangxi was a naturally suspicious man, especially recently, as the Nala clan had been urging other ministers to finalize the selection of the Empress. Consort Hui's standing was quite high.

Many court officials were aligned with Mingzhu. Thinking of this, Kangxi's displeasure grew.

Seeing Kangxi visibly angered, Consort Hui quickly pulled the Eldest Prince aside and hurriedly explained to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, Bao Qing spoke out of turn in the heat of the moment. You are his Imperial Father; he would never dare to be dissatisfied with you."

She then tugged at the Eldest Prince, urging him to apologize to the Emperor. The Eldest Prince, terrified by the Emperor's anger, knelt down stiffly.

"Imperial Father, your son didn't mean that, your son..." The Eldest Prince was at a loss. This was the first time since returning to the palace that he had faced the Emperor's wrath. He had seen it directed at others before, but now it was his turn, and his mind went blank, filled with fear.

Consort Hui's heart ached as she heard the sound of her son's head hitting the ground, but she dared not say anything more.

"Clap! Clap!" The sound of applause suddenly rang out.

Su Yi's hands were still together, clearly the one who had dared to clap at such a moment. "Bravo!"

Consort Hui's gaze at Su Yi could have turned into daggers.

In her view, if Su Yi hadn't suddenly appeared, Consort Hui might have already achieved the outcome she had envisioned. Her Eldest Prince wouldn't have had to suffer like this. However, with the Emperor present, Consort Hui's gaze remained relatively subtle, not daring to be too obvious.

Su Yi, however, seemed unfazed by the daggers in Consort Hui's eyes. She turned to the Eldest Prince, "I was just testing you earlier. So you really did say bad things about me, which is why you got beaten up? Then why are you acting so aggrieved? Isn't it normal for you to get beaten up after saying such things?"

Su Yi spoke with a smile, her words infuriating and unapologetically stirring up trouble.

She then took out a handkerchief and began dabbing at the corners of her eyes, her expression visibly moved as she looked at the little milk dragon.

"Did the Eldest Prince say such terrible things about me that Bao Cheng couldn't bring himself to tell me, fearing it would hurt my feelings?" Tears quickly welled up in her eyes, but they stubbornly refused to fall.

Su Yi's ability to change expressions on a dime was quite impressive, and she had a unique way of irritating people.

Consort Hui was thoroughly irritated, thinking that Consort Rong might as well have been openly arrogant and disrespectful. This act of pretending was even more unbearable!

It was as if Su Yi was saying, "Yes, I'm pretending, and I know you can see through it. It's very obvious and fake, but so what? I'm going to irritate you like this anyway."

But the little milk dragon understood this. He realized that Consort Rong might have seemed indifferent on the surface, but deep down, she was probably still upset.

But he couldn't show his concern or distress in front of his elder brother and Consort Hui. He understood that.

Right away, he didn't care whether his knees hurt or not, and hurried over to comfort Su Yi.

"Consort Rong, don't take it to heart. Baocheng has already stood up for you."

What his elder brother said about Consort Rong was completely out of line. Usually, when his elder brother challenged him, he wasn't afraid, but why did he have to say such things about Consort Rong? At that moment, he just couldn't bear it!

Su Yi nodded with a moved expression, reaching out to touch the little milk dragon's still chubby baby face. "You're so thoughtful, but Baocheng..." She hesitated, unsure whether to say it or not.

The little milk dragon tilted his head. "Consort Rong, if you have something to say, just say it."

Consort Rong was so kind. She must be worried about him because he got hurt in the fight, but he's really fine.

Hearing this, Su Yi finally blurted out what she had been holding back since she came in. "Next time you fight, remember to be more careful with your face. Your face is a mess right now."

It's not exactly bruised and swollen, but with patches of blue and purple, it looks terrible.

It's driving her crazy, a beauty lover. Oh, it's so infuriating! Don't go for the face when fighting!

Why aim for the face?

Su Yi glanced at the elder brother's face and then turned back with a pained look.

The little milk dragon, who thought Consort Rong was upset because she found out his elder brother had been talking behind her back: "..." He was a bit worried. It should get better in a few days, right?

Kangxi also remained silent after hearing this. Consort Rong always focused on points that were completely different from others.

After the little milk dragon realized what was happening, he pouted, and tears welled up in his eyes. He whimpered, "Consort Rong." At a time like this, couldn't Consort Rong say something comforting to make him feel better?

When you're in a fight, who would think about that?

Then Kangxi warned her, "Consort Rong, don't talk nonsense. What are you saying? At a time like this, why is she still fixated on this issue?"

After saying it, Su Yi also felt that she might have hurt the little milk dragon's sensitive feelings. After all, it was a bit too blunt.

It might make the little milk dragon think she was purely worried about him ruining his looks, rather than being concerned about him. She added as if to make up for it,

"Actually, I'm really upset that you got hurt. Next time something like this happens, you can come and tell me first, and then we'll think of a solution together, okay?"

Then we can go take on the elder brother together. Two people are stronger than one little milk dragon. If we can gang up, why choose to fight alone? If it really comes to single combat, it should be him alone against the two of us!

He's bound to lose!

The little milk dragon was even more at a loss for words: "..." He didn't feel any better, Consort Rong!

Seeing how Consort Rong had just arrived and already eased the tension between the Emperor and the Crown Prince, it almost seemed like they were the real family. How ironic.

Even now, the situation was very unfavorable for the elder brother. Consort Hui had to stop it. She turned to the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, you can't just listen to Consort Rong's one-sided words. Sister, you used such tactics to coax the elder brother into saying things he shouldn't have, just to defend the Crown Prince, right?

I know you're eager to help the Crown Prince, but you weren't there at the time and don't know the full story. Now you're performing a duet with the Crown Prince in front of the Emperor. The elder brother was the one who got beaten, but after you arrived, with your silver tongue, you twisted the truth.

Now it's all the elder brother's fault. Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand Bao Qing because of this. Bao Qing respects the Emperor the most. He's just clumsy with words and when he's anxious, he says the wrong things, which can easily be misinterpreted by others."

She deliberately used the elder brother's childhood name, the one the Emperor had given him.

Consort Hui had underestimated Consort Rong and was now even more convinced that Consort Rong was truly on the Crown Prince's side and wouldn't be swayed to join her camp.

Moreover, the Crown Prince's dependence on and closeness to Consort Rong, over time, even if Consort Rong remains childless, with the Crown Prince's reliance and affection, she might very well achieve her desires in the future.

Fortunately, Consort Rong is just that—Consort Rong. Her blatant favoritism and closeness to the Crown Prince in front of the Emperor is either a sign of great confidence or sheer arrogance.

The Emperor is wary of the consorts getting too close to the Crown Prince, fearing that they might exploit his youth to gain his affection and then scheme for their own benefit.

Secondly, he fears that the consorts might take advantage of the situation to cause harm. With the successive deaths of several princes, the Emperor has become extremely cautious, sending the eldest prince to be raised outside the palace and personally overseeing the upbringing of the Crown Prince.

Now that the Emperor has seen this, even if he doesn't say anything, he is likely to have some reservations.

Su Yi rested her chin on her hand and looked at Kangxi, curious to see what he would say. Kangxi felt a bit inexplicably guilty under her gaze and shifted his position slightly.

At that moment, the little milk dragon tugged at Su Yi and whispered, "Father Emperor, he was just deceived by that Consort Hui. She is really terrible, but Father Emperor..." The little milk dragon couldn't help but let out a small snort. "He was also very harsh."

He spoke very softly, but it was clear that he was complaining.

Just now, because of that terrible woman Consort Hui's twisted words, Father Emperor was only harsh with him and couldn't see how terrible Consort Hui really was!

He was both furious and deeply wronged. If it weren't for Consort Rong's arrival, Father Emperor would have continued to be harsh with him!

"Hmm, I also think she's terrible," Su Yi nodded, covering her mouth and whispering her agreement with the little milk dragon, showing that she was on his side and shared his view.

Reasoning could come later; for now, they would vent their frustrations together.

The little milk dragon, feeling vindicated, nodded vigorously. Consort Hui was really terrible. Earlier, she said he was a child without a mother.

Then she pretended to be pitiful in front of Father Emperor. He didn't even use much force to push Consort Hui!

But Consort Hui claimed she injured her foot from the fall!

Two-faced.

Now she's saying such things about Consort Rong in front of Father Emperor. He's really worried that Father Emperor will be deceived by that terrible woman Consort Hui again. He's watching from the side, afraid that Consort Rong will be at a disadvantage.

He is not... a child without a mother to protect him!

It's not just the eldest prince who has a mother to protect him!

If Father Emperor believes that terrible woman Consort Hui again and is harsh with Consort Rong too, he really... Thinking about it, the little milk dragon buried his face in Su Yi's arms and fell silent, his mood sinking.

Probably because of Kangxi's earlier attitude and reaction, the little milk dragon was deeply hurt.

At that moment, he wasn't very hopeful that Father Emperor would see through the true nature of that terrible woman Consort Hui. Was this still his usually wise Father Emperor?

Why had he suddenly become so foolish? He could see how terrible Consort Hui was, but Father Emperor had suddenly become blind to it.

Oh no, as Consort Rong would say, he had suddenly gone blind!

Su Yi comfortingly patted his back and looked at Kangxi, see what you've done!

Kangxi: "..." Foolish, blind?!

Got it, got it, stop looking at me with that "jerk" expression!

"Consort Hui, are you implying that the Crown Prince and Consort Rong are colluding to lie, shifting all the blame onto the eldest prince?"

Kangxi twirled the jade ring on his finger, his tone very calm, but his eyes were cold.

Consort Hui wanted to say that was exactly the case. Isn't it obvious?

But if she were to say it directly, wouldn't that be contradicting herself? Her previous advice to the Emperor to be more lenient with the Crown Prince would then appear hypocritical.

That wouldn't do. If she did that, the Emperor might start questioning her true intentions, and if he realized she was deliberately provoking the Crown Prince, she would be in trouble. No, no.

Consort Hui's mind raced, and she quickly switched to a softer tone, pretending to be weak, "Your Majesty, this concubine does not mean that. It's just... it's just that this is merely a childish spat between the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince. Yet, my sister has blown it out of proportion. Isn't that an exaggeration?

If word gets out, people might think my sister is causing trouble, turning a trivial matter into something uncontrollable. As a mother, I am only concerned about the reputations of the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince. I implore Your Majesty to understand my good intentions."

"Consort Hui, today you came to Yonghe Palace. I said you were acting, and I wasn't wrong. See, aren't you doing just that now?" Su Yi suddenly interjected.

The Eldest Prince, hearing Su Yi speak about his mother like this, immediately recalled how his mother had been so upset by Consort Rong's arrogance and disrespect that she lost her appetite and was in a bad mood.

Now, in front of the Emperor, she was badmouthing his mother again, confirming Consort Rong's arrogant and domineering nature. His mother had worked hard to explain to the Emperor, but Consort Rong kept instigating.

He must protect his mother!

Pointing at Su Yi, he said fiercely, "Don't you dare speak of my mother like that!" His tone was firm.

Then he turned to the Emperor and began to recount the grievances his mother had endured that day.

"Your Majesty, today my mother went to Yonghe Palace with good intentions to see Consort Rong, but Consort Rong spoke to her just as harshly as she is doing now.

She mocked my mother relentlessly, not backing down. My mother was so upset that she couldn't eat and skipped lunch entirely. She even hid it from me to spare me the worry. I couldn't stand it, so I spoke up.

Consort Rong is arrogant and domineering, exploiting Your Majesty's favor to disrespect my mother. I would never act like that."

If it weren't for Consort Rong exploiting the Emperor's favor to treat his mother so rudely, making her so upset, he wouldn't have reacted this way.

But he never expected the Crown Prince and Consort Rong to be so close that they would fight with him, the Eldest Prince, over Consort Rong and bring it before the Emperor.

Now Consort Rong was provoking in front of the Emperor, and his mother was painstakingly explaining and defending him. If he remained silent, pretending to be deaf and dumb, he couldn't bear it.

"Consort Hui may not have spoken, but her maids did, silly child. If Consort Hui really wanted to hide it, she wouldn't have told you on the surface, 'I'm fine,' and then had the maids say when they escorted you, 'Her Ladyship is afraid you'll worry, Eldest Prince. I couldn't bear it, but please don't tell her I told you. Her Ladyship forbade me from telling you.'"

Su Yi then acted out what the maids would say, and after finishing, she immediately burst into laughter.

She didn't think that if it weren't for Consort Hui's instructions, the servants wouldn't dare to say a word. The Eldest Prince really believed it.

The Eldest Prince was stunned. How did Consort Rong know?!

What the maid by his mother's side said when she escorted him away was almost exactly what Consort Rong had just said.

The little milk dragon, who had been feeling down because his elder brother was targeting Consort Rong again, didn't want to back down and was about to speak up for Consort Rong. But then he realized that Consort Rong didn't need his help, and he suddenly felt useless.

He also wanted to protect Consort Rong.

Seeing that Consort Hui wanted to say something, a young eunuch came over, looking like he had something to report.

Su Yi wasn't surprised. "Fainted?" she asked in a very casual tone.

Liang Jiugong looked and saw that the young eunuch looked familiar. Wasn't that Xiao Yunzi from Consort Rong's side?

Xiao Yunzi came in, first bowed and paid his respects, then reported, "Your Ladyship, they have all fainted."

Su Yi's face showed a hint of regret. "Ah, I see." She couldn't hold on for long, tsk tsk.

"Hmm?" Kangxi sensed something was off. What 'good deed' had Consort Rong done now?

"The matter starts with Consort Hui coming to Yonghe Palace. She's a bit bad, actually trying to ruin the relationship between me and the Noble Consort."

Kangxi felt a headache coming on as he listened. Why was it always about Consort Rong and their so-called relationship? Now she kept casually bringing up Consort Rong in her words!

"You're the one who's bad!" Bao Qing couldn't help but retort immediately upon hearing Consort Rong speak ill of his mother again.

"Bao Qing, it seems Consort Hui treats you well," Kangxi remarked, observing Bao Qing's behavior.

Such protectiveness toward Consort Hui, repeatedly losing his composure in front of him, hardly sets an example befitting the eldest prince.

Bao Qing didn't catch the underlying meaning in Kangxi's words, thinking instead that Kangxi was acknowledging his mother's kindness toward him. He was about to agree when Consort Hui sensed something amiss—the Emperor clearly had more to say!

"Your Majesty, Bao Qing is still young and impulsive. Bao Qing, hurry and apologize to Consort Rong."

Bao Qing didn't understand why Consort Hui wanted him to apologize to Consort Rong. His temper flared, and he stubbornly refused to apologize, just as his mother had urged him earlier.

He had no issue apologizing to His Majesty, but bowing his head to Consort Rong was something he couldn't do.

This time, Bao Qing was unwilling to comply. He stayed silent, but his defiance was clear.

It was clearly Consort Rong's fault, so why was Consort Hui pushing him to apologize?

He wanted to stand up for his mother in front of His Majesty, to make him see how disrespectful Consort Rong had been to Consort Hui.

But why was Consort Hui backing down and asking him to apologize instead?

Bao Qing couldn't comprehend the concept of yielding, but that didn't stop his stubbornness from surfacing.

Consort Hui had been secretly pleased earlier, successfully using subtle tactics to make the Crown Prince stubbornly resist, refusing to back down or admit fault in front of His Majesty, almost to his detriment.

But unexpectedly, Consort Rong intervened, and now Bao Qing was following suit.

Even Consort Hui, as skilled as she was in persuasion, couldn't help feeling anxious and frustrated.

But in front of His Majesty, she couldn't say much. Many things were better left unsaid, as they might be misinterpreted by His Majesty, yet speaking vaguely would only confuse Bao Qing.

What could she do?

"Bao Qing—? Bao Qing?" Consort Hui tugged at Bao Qing, who was kneeling there like a fool.

Bao Qing remained uncooperative, standing his ground with pride.

"Consort Rong, Bao Qing just needs some time to think it over. Once he does, I'll prepare gifts and come to apologize in person." Her words were vague, almost like a hollow promise.

But once this matter was over, Consort Hui, who doted on Bao Qing, would never let him apologize to Consort Rong.

Impossible. Right now, Consort Hui appeared fair and impartial, but it was merely for the sake of appearances in front of His Majesty.

If Consort Rong kept pressing the issue and bothering His Majesty, it would only raise suspicions of stirring trouble.

"An apology isn't necessary, it's too fake," Su Yi interjected, seizing the opportunity to criticize.

"Bao Qing, just stop interrupting me," Su Yi said leisurely.

"Otherwise, with all these interruptions, I don't know if I'll even finish half by dawn."

Bao Qing glared at her, and Su Yi smiled back, only fueling his anger.

Kangxi watched from the side, realizing that Consort Rong truly excelled at provoking people. Now he understood—she didn't discriminate by age or gender; she could irritate anyone.

"Continue. I'm listening," Kangxi urged her, though he had already pieced together most of the story from the fragmented remarks.

Just now, I was frustrated with Baocheng for not living up to expectations, learning all the wrong things from his elder brother, being just as impulsive, and not applying what he was taught in daily life.

Initially, he didn't know how to react, allowing Consort Hui to manipulate him, and even became stubborn.

Couldn't he see that Consort Hui was deliberately playing those consort games, saying or doing something to provoke Baocheng into action, and then pretending to be the good person in front of him?

He wanted to see how Baocheng would handle it, but the child ended up being stubborn, and none of the lessons he was taught came in handy at this moment!

"Don't rush me," Su Yi said, turning her head to face him with an unhappy expression. "I have my own pace."

Is this even going to work?!

"Alright, alright, go at your own pace," Kangxi said, going along with her. After speaking, he couldn't help but sigh silently, realizing there was an even more troublesome one here.

But who knew that the next moment the blame would shift back to him.

"Isn't this still because of the mess you made?"

Kangxi: ??