Chapter 319

Chapter 319

The First Prince hadn’t expected that the saying “things should not be repeated more than three times” simply didn’t apply to Su Yi—she was never bound by such conventions.

When the First Prince regained consciousness again, his expression had grown somewhat numb, exuding a sense of utter resignation. "Why?"

Why?! She cold-cocked him again!!!!

Outwardly, his tone feigned calm, but inwardly, he was seething with frustration. If possible, he would have jolted upright like a man waking from a nightmare to loudly protest. But while his emotions had always outpaced his brain in controlling his limbs, this time his mind caught up just in time, making him follow its advice.

That was why his question came out so simple and composed—damn it, he didn’t even dare raise his voice, afraid that Consort Rong would cold-cock him again with some bullshit excuse like, "Why are you so worked up? Calm down first," without even giving him a warning.

Being knocked out was one thing, but could she at least let him stay unconscious until he woke up on his own?!

Su Yi, completely unfazed by the First Prince’s silent accusatory stare, spoke as if nothing had happened. *"Since you’re already here,"* her tone was so casual, as if he were being overly polite, that it made the First Prince’s chest tighten with irritation again.

That phrase—"since you’re already here"—was like some kind of jinxed phrase, making the First Prince’s skin crawl.

"Really… no need," the First Prince insisted, wanting nothing more than to leave as soon as possible.

Su Yi’s eyes were dripping with skepticism. "If you don’t stay a little longer, how can I repay the sincerity of you coming here despite risking worsening your injuries?"

As always, Su Yi knew exactly what to say.

The First Prince: "…"

So this was never going to end, was it?

Of course, just sitting around wasn’t an option. Su Yi, never one to suffer boredom, immediately arranged entertainment, seemingly determined to show the First Prince what true hospitality looked like.

"Call a storyteller over first, let’s listen for a while. Then have someone prepare a shadow puppet show, and arrange for an opera troupe too. Since the First Prince is here today, we can chat as well. As for the desserts, take away the overly sweet ones—they’re not good for wound recovery. The First Prince needs to avoid certain foods right now."

Her words sounded considerate, but then Su Yi turned around and ordered a spread of spicy duck necks, rabbit heads, and *la tiao*, as if preparing for a last meal vibes.

The First Prince, a meat lover who enjoyed spicy food himself, had been enduring his cravings for the sake of his health. But now, watching someone flaunt such temptations right in front of him, it felt downright cruel.

His face expressionless, he glared at Consort Rong with *dead-fish eyes*: "You’re really gonna do me like this??"

Su Yi, perfectly at ease, had already entered a state of delusional confidence, convinced she was behaving entirely normally.

For instance, when the palace servants were about to drag away the people who had just been flogged to clean up the scene, Su Yi declared that she still had unfinished business and that they could stay there a while longer. After all, whether they were carried away or not, they’d still be lying down—what’s the damn difference where they lie?

The First Prince, who was damn sure he was being subtly mocked: *It’s not just me overthinking things, right?*

And then, completely unbothered by the lingering scent of blood, she went to town on the rabbit heads. Every time she cracked one open, the First Prince couldn’t help but feel like she was imagining it was his skull—why else would she keep looking at him like that?!

Even the storytelling session took a bizarre turn. Just as the First Prince, who had reluctantly stayed and initially hadn’t paid much attention, found himself smiling at a particularly amusing segment—Su Yi laughed too, tossing a handful of golden sunflower seeds as a reward.

Just as the good vibes were starting to lighten, Su Yi suddenly remembered what she had left unresolved. "Who were those two close with? Are any of their friends or relatives working in the palace? Any sisters, sworn sisters/brothers, or family members? I want to know."

Her tone was as casual as ever, but the previously relaxed atmosphere instantly froze. Even those who hadn’t been involved were sweating bullets.

Screw-ups were bad enough—who didn’t have family? The worst part wasn’t the punishment itself—it was the fear of dragging loved ones down with you.

Though she hadn’t specified what would happen to their families, the implication was clear enough.

The two who had been beaten into near-silence now stirred as if struck by an earthquake, struggling to crawl forward, begging "Don't punish our families!" But they were pinned like bugs, unable to move, their garbled, choking pleas filled with despair.

They had never imagined their actions would drag down not just their own families, but even those they were merely friendly with.

They thought the Crown Prince would go cause a commotion, leaving Rong Noble Consort too overwhelmed to quickly identify the cause, too preoccupied to pay attention.

Even if Rong Noble Consort later realized something was amiss and they were caught and exposed, given her temperament, at worst, they’d get a few lashes or a slap on the mouth, and that would be it. After years in the palace, they had some understanding of the noble ladies' temperaments.

Compared to others, serving under Rong Noble Consort was relatively easy for palace servants, as she wasn’t particularly harsh on them.

But who could have guessed that right after inciting the Crown Prince and pretending nothing had happened, they’d be dragged in so soon? They were given fifty brutal lashes without mercy, leaving them barely able to move afterward.

And after the beating, there was no sign of them being taken away—who knew what else awaited them? The fear of what came next gripped them, forcing them to stay conscious despite the pain. The cheerful storytelling did nothing to ease their fear.

Her gentle smile now felt icy.

The Crown Prince, seeing this, was about to speak up, feeling the punishment was excessive—gossip shouldn’t endanger their families.

But before he could, Su Yi, as if reading his mind, sighed and began lecturing from a moral high ground, "What a disgrace. This is all your fault. Otherwise, why would I be stuck dealing with such a mess? It’s truly too much for me."

The Crown Prince, feeling an undeserved blame suddenly thrust upon him: "Me?!" He stared at her in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

He saw no trace of distress on her face.

Su Yi was dead serious. "If the thing on your neck wasn’t as good as left at home, none of this would’ve happened."

For a moment, the First Prince didn’t get it—what "thing on his neck" was she talking about? Then it hit him: she was calling him brainless. He bristled with anger, but her calm smile quickly doused it.

He was sure she’d knock him out and start over if necessary.

Forced to stay composed, the Crown Prince swallowed his frustration for now. "Teaching them a lesson is punishment enough. There’s no need to involve their families, is there?"

Su Yi looked at him with surprise, her look saying ‘how can you be so naive?’—making the Crown Prince feel insulted. Was that how you look at an idiot?!

He wasn’t stupid!

Soon, Su Yi seemed to realize her expression might’ve been too blunt and retracted it. "Maybe I was wrong."

The Crown Prince was about to say, ‘Good, you realized it. Stop looking at me like an idiot—anyone would be mad.’

But then Su Yi’s expression turned grave, and she began spinning a serious-sounding theory:

"After punishing them, those two will hold a grudge and seek revenge later. The more you underestimate someone, the harder they’ll strike back—who knows, they might even succeed."

She sounded more convinced with every word. "And even if these two are gone, someone else might rise to avenge them, lurking in the shadows, waiting to ambush me. Or worse, they might join my enemies to plot against me, keeping me up at night, restless, and wasting away with worry."

Her argument grew more far-fetched, even slipping into rhythmic four-word phrases, as if she’d spiraled into full paranoia, deeply troubled by imagined threats.

"No wonder you’d spout such nonsense," she concluded. "You’re trying to trick me into making a mistake."

She shot him a betrayed look, as if she’d never expected someone so upright-looking to be so scheming.

The Crown Prince’s expression shifted from ‘complicated but somewhat persuaded’—after all, royals were prone to paranoia, and ignoring such risks was unthinkable—to sheer bewilderment at her sudden twist. ‘Wait, since when was that my plan?!’

From a semi-logical point, she’d jumped to absurdity, accusing him of trying to sabotage her?!

"No! I didn’t!" The Crown Prince refused to take the blame. Even if she knocked him out again, he wouldn’t admit to such nonsense!

Su Yi just said ‘Oh,’ flatly, then signaled for the storyteller to continue where they’d left off. She didn’t argue further, but somehow, this only made the Crown Prince even angrier.

There was also the situation where you were just about to lay out your arguments for a proper debate, only for the other party to brush it off and skip right past it.

As for the First Prince, it was a mix of "completely tuning out," "whatever, dropping this saves me the headache," "what’s the big deal?" and "damn it, still pissed." Hardly listening, he seized the brief pause in the conversation and immediately spoke up, "Earlier, I spoke without thinking it through properly. I’d never stoop to using such words to get my way."

He wasn’t that despicable.

"At most, I was just talking big without consequences—since someone else would bear the risk if things went south, I couldn’t help but play the generous one for a moment on their behalf."

The smug look of triumph on the First Prince’s face froze mid-expression.

"What’s wrong? Not laughing anymore? Was it not funny?" Su Yi, in her usual form, could always kill the vibe.