Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Emperor Xingwu had initially wanted his youngest daughter to witness a cricket fight, hoping to satisfy any curiosity she might have heard about it, and to make use of the crickets he had confiscated from the young men. However, the little princess took one glance and showed no interest in a second. Emperor Xingwu had no choice but to instruct Jie Yu to take the cages away and dispose of them as he saw fit.

The rain continued through the night, finally ceasing just before dawn.

There were no lessons today. Her imperial brothers were confined to their quarters, and Consort Li and the Noble Consort, having been implicated, would surely remain secluded as a sign of self-reflection. Considering the muddy grounds outside, Princess Qingyang watched the raindrops slowly dripping from the eaves and decided to stay indoors as well.

While the little princess could remain detached from the situation, the fathers, brothers, uncles, and mothers of the meritorious officials’ sons, who had also been punished by the emperor, had gathered outside the inner palace gates at first light, awaiting an audience to apologize to the emperor.

After the guards relayed the message, Hanyuan Hall dispatched two eunuchs: one to escort the officials to Emperor Xingwu, and the other to lead the female relatives to the Noble Consort.

In truth, young men engaging in cricket fighting was not a grave offense, and Emperor Xingwu’s punishment was mild. Thus, when receiving these officials and their wives, Emperor Xingwu and the Noble Consort primarily offered reassurance. They explained that Emperor Xingwu held the sons of these meritorious families in high regard, viewing them as his own nephews, and harbored great expectations for their character and talents. He disciplined them out of profound affection; otherwise, a mere verbal reprimand would have sufficed, without the need for flogging or confinement.

The officials and their wives, after expressing their gratitude, acknowledging their faults, and promising to properly discipline their wayward sons, could have considered the matter closed.

But while others could move on, the Marchioness of Pingliang could not simply do nothing.

She deliberately remained kneeling long after the other ladies had departed. Only when she and her daughter, Yuan Jie, were the sole remaining supplicants did the Marchioness of Pingliang begin to weep and plead: "Noble Consort, this is entirely my fault for not raising Chongli properly. Not only did he indulge in frivolous play, but he also drew the Second Prince into it. After Chongli returned yesterday, I gave him a severe beating. He knows his mistake. Please, Noble Consort, in consideration of his nine years as the Second Prince’s study companion, could you intercede with His Majesty on Chongli’s behalf and ask for clemency? Let him continue as the Second Prince’s study companion!"

The Second Prince was seventeen. In three years, he would be eligible for ennoblement and official duties. By then, her son should also be able to directly join the Imperial Guard or the Four Capital Garrisons, like Prince Yong’s heir, Qin Liang, taking up a position as a thousand-household commander, and then gradually rise through the ranks based on military achievements.

This represented both a tangible official position and an honor bestowed upon their family by the emperor. How could she stand by and watch her son lose it all over a cricket fight?

The Marchioness of Pingliang genuinely felt the emperor’s punishment was too harsh. What boy doesn’t get into mischief? Setting aside her husband’s past merits in assisting the emperor in founding the nation, just considering his nine years of military achievements defending Liangzhou, the emperor should not have so thoroughly disgraced their family!

The Noble Consort could discern the underlying resentment in the Marchioness of Pingliang’s tears.

The Noble Consort felt like laughing. She considered herself magnanimous for not resenting the Yuan family for Yuan Chongli leading her son astray with trivial pursuits, and now this woman actually expected her to intercede?

Had she known earlier that Yuan Chongli was only well-behaved within the palace but revealed his true spoiled nature outside, the Noble Consort would have long since requested the emperor to find a different study companion for her son!

“Are you suggesting, Marchioness, that the emperor’s punishment of Chongli was unjust?” the Noble Consort asked coolly.

The Marchioness of Pingliang’s sobbing paused, and she hastily replied, “I wouldn’t dare. This humble subject’s wife merely…”

Noble Consort: “Since the emperor’s punishment is justified, there is no need to say more. You may withdraw.”

A senior eunuch from her retinue stepped forward to escort the Marchioness of Pingliang and her daughter out.

Unable to press further, the Marchioness of Pingliang departed with resentment. Yet, despite her anger, she knew she had to continue striving for her son’s sake. She quickly composed herself and said to her daughter, “The Noble Consort resents your brother, but Consort Li is likely more upset with the Second Prince. So, I will go plead with Consort Li, and you go ask Princess Qingyang. If either of them is willing to help us, it will be more effective than the Noble Consort.”

Yuan Jie’s gaze was firm: “The princess has always been kind to me. She will surely agree.”

Having made their plan, mother and daughter went their separate ways. As frequent visitors to the inner palace, accustomed to joining the two consorts and the little princess for tea and recreation, the guards would not question or obstruct them, provided they did not trespass into restricted areas.

Consort Li resided next to the Noble Consort. The Marchioness of Pingliang arrived first and stood respectfully outside the palace gate, awaiting word from the palace attendants.

“Your Highness, the Marchioness must have been turned away by the Noble Consort and has come to ask you to intercede for Young Master Yuan.”

Consort Li sighed. “I will not see her. Tell her to leave.”

Her son had erred first. Last night, the emperor neither visited her nor summoned her, which surely indicated his displeasure. At such a time, Consort Li was doing her utmost to avoid the emperor; why would she foolishly invite his wrath by interceding for Yuan Chongli?

Princess Qingyang, however, had Yuan Jie brought before her.

Yuan Jie, imitating her mother, knelt upon entering, weeping sorrowfully and pleading.

The little princess truly could not bear to see her former playmate so distressed. She instructed Jie Yu to dampen a cloth for Yuan Jie to wipe her face. Once Yuan Jie had calmed somewhat, she said, “I wanted to plead with Father Emperor for my third brother, but he wouldn’t even see me. Your second brother was the instigator of this cricket fighting incident. If I truly intercede for him, Father Emperor will surely punish me too. Do you wish for me to be confined as well?”

Yuan Jie: “That won’t happen. The emperor dotes on you the most…”

Princess Qingyang: “Father Emperor dotes on me because I have always been sensible. If I become unreasonable, he will no longer dote on me.”

Yuan Jie continued to cry, and Princess Qingyang continued to have Jie Yu bring her cloths.

But Yuan Jie’s tears were not inexhaustible. Her sobs eventually turned into dry gasps, and she secretly glanced at the little princess, who simply sat quietly on the couch, watching her with beautiful, innocent eyes, as if curious about her capacity for tears.

Finally, Yuan Jie said, “If the princess does not help, our Yuan family will be disgraced, and I will be too ashamed to come out and play with you again, boo hoo…”

Princess Qingyang: “Your second brother’s mistakes have nothing to do with you. If I like you, I can invite you to play. Whoever dares to mock you, I will teach them a lesson.”

Yuan Jie: “…”

As mother and daughter left the inner palace, their efforts fruitless, they encountered the eldest princess, Yong Kang, arriving with her maids.

The Marchioness of Pingliang was about to try her luck with the eldest princess when Yong Kang gave the mother and daughter a cold, piercing glare, clearly attributing the Crown Prince’s punishment to the Yuan family. The Marchioness of Pingliang, humbled, lowered her gaze and stepped aside.

Yong Kang paid them no further mind and continued on her way.

The eldest princess, Prince Yong, and Princess Yong did not require announcement to enter the inner palace. Yong Kang first went to the Crown Prince’s quarters. After scolding Lü Wenrong through the door—and Lü Wenrong not daring to defy the Crown Prince’s orders to let her in—Yong Kang finally abandoned the idea of visiting her brother and instead went to find her sister.

Mindful of propriety, Yong Kang did not go directly to the rear hall to find her sister but waited in the sitting room of the front hall.

Before long, the sound of light, running footsteps echoed from the corridor. Yong Kang put down her teacup and looked up to see her nine-year-old sister running in excitedly, holding a small bamboo cage in each hand.

“Eldest Sister, you’ve arrived just in time! Let’s go to the grasslands to catch crickets together!”

Yong Kang: “…No catching crickets. Father just whipped the Crown Prince and the others because of that. Don’t you know?”

Princess Qingyang: “I know. Second Brother and the others were whipped because they gambled. We won’t gamble, so it’s fine.”

Yong Kang: “Still not allowed. I hate insects, especially black ones.”

The little princess had no choice but to hand the cages disappointedly to Jie Yu.

After Jie Yu left, Yong Kang led her sister to a chair and sat down, holding her by the shoulders. “All three of your brothers were whipped. Does that make you sad?”

Princess Qingyang nodded.

Yong Kang: “Then, little sister, go tell Father Emperor not to punish them for so long—just three to five days, alright? Father Emperor dotes on you the most. If he doesn’t agree, just cry. He’ll definitely soften.”

Princess Qingyang: “But I can’t cry.”

Yong Kang: “…Think of the saddest thing you can. Think hard.”

Princess Qingyang: “…I don’t have any sad things.”

Yong Kang: “…Third Brother was injured yesterday. Did you see? Third Brother must be in so much pain. Doesn’t that make you sad?”

The little princess smiled: “I saw. Three shallow whip marks. Third Brother even said Father Emperor only scolded harshly but didn’t hit hard at all. He said it’ll heal after a few days of applying bruise ointment.”

Yong Kang: “But you won’t see them for a whole month. Won’t you miss them?”

Princess Qingyang: “I might miss them in the palace, but there are so many fun places here, and Eldest Sister and Zhenzhen and the others keep me company. It’s fine if I don’t see them.”

Yong Kang: “…Eldest Sister misses them. In the capital, I have to make a special trip to the palace to see them. Now that we’re at the resort palace and can see each other every day, thinking of my brothers being punished, as their older sister, I can’t eat or sleep well. How can I have the heart to play?”

Princess Qingyang: “Alright, I’ll go find Father Emperor. If I can’t cry, I’ll shake his arm.”

Yong Kang cheered, "You’re such a good sister! By the way, if Father asks whether I told you to do this, just say that I started crying as soon as I saw you and said nothing except worrying about their lash wounds. You couldn’t bear to see me cry, so you went to him."

The little princess readily agreed.

Yong Kang stayed behind to wait, while Jie Yu accompanied the little princess to Hanyuan Hall. On the way, Jie Yu quietly asked, "Are you really going to ask the Emperor, or are you just going through the motions because you couldn’t refuse the eldest princess?"

Qingyang replied, "Just going through the motions."

The Emperor’s word was law, and the matter had already reached the ears of the attending civil and military ministers—how could it be changed so easily?

But Qingyang knew her eldest sister’s temperament well. After all sorts of excuses, her eldest sister would still insist she go. If Qingyang refused again, her eldest sister would resent her.

Qingyang didn’t care about Yuan Jie’s resentment, but she didn’t want to grow distant from her eldest sister.

They arrived at Hanyuan Hall.

Emperor Xingwu was reading petitions. Seeing his daughter enter, glance at him, and obediently sit on the luohan bed by the window, picking up the *Astronomical Star Divination* he had left on the small table to flip through, he smiled and asked, "Do you understand it?"

Qingyang: "...Does Father understand it?"

Emperor Xingwu: "...I’ve only just begun to study it. I have the academicians explain it to me slowly. Now, Qingyang, are you here to plead for Yuan Chongli or for your three brothers?"

Qingyang: "Father is truly amazing. You know everything that’s happening outside."

Emperor Xingwu: "Of course. If I couldn’t even keep track of what’s happening in the palace, how could I keep an eye on the entire empire?"

After saying this, he lowered his head to continue reviewing memorials.

After a while, Emperor Xingwu looked up and saw his daughter still reading. Surprised, he asked, "Why haven’t you pleaded with me yet?"

Qingyang: "Father didn’t punish them wrongly, so I won’t plead for them. After I finish this page, Father can pretend to get mad and yell at me, and send me away."

Emperor Xingwu: "...At such a young age, you’ve already learned how to put on an act."

Qingyang: "Father taught me."

Emperor Xingwu set down the memorial, walked over, and teased his daughter: "Well, if I scold you, you’ll have to cry to make it convincing. First, cry for me so I can see how it looks."

The little princess thought for a moment, then imitated the pained, frowning expression her mother had worn yesterday out of concern for her third brother. Though there were no tears, her sorrowful expression captured a bit of Consort Li’s spirit.

Emperor Xingwu felt both pity and amusement. He took his daughter’s hand and pretended to strike her palm a few times: "Very good, just tell your eldest sister this—if anyone dares to plead for them again, I will punish them too."