Chapter 61 You two are destined for each other, go to Lincheng and learn from him!

When he came to his senses, he realized that his hands had been gripping the handrail tightly, his fingertips slightly red and his veins bulging.

Sheng Sheng, with her short legs, struggled to move Xie Yunwen's wheelchair to the side, unwilling to let the two of them bump into her.

Xie Yunqi, who had been engrossed in this juicy gossip, rushed over to help the little dumpling and pushed Xie Yunwen away a bit.

Sheng Sheng frowned angrily, "No forgiveness! No forgiveness! Today is Fourth Prince, but who knows how many people you've bullied behind closed doors? Do they have anyone protecting them? Does anyone dare to stand up for them? Honestly, why should we expect others to forgive you?"

Li Cheng let go in a daze; he couldn't deny those words.

For spoiled brats, indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun is the norm, and bullying others by abusing their power is commonplace.

There were quite a few ordinary people in the capital who were harassed by them, but since they were born into wealth, no one dared to complain.

The Ye family and the Duke of Jingguo's mansion didn't care, and the Li family was completely unaware.

After all, Li Cheng was only from the second branch of the family. Although Minister Li was the head of the Li family, he wouldn't be able to discipline his younger brother's son every day.

Besides, Li Cheng wasn't stupid. He always used Xie Yubin as an excuse to act well-behaved at home, and the Li family never knew about his outrageous deeds.

Li Cheng stammered, "I, I..."

Everyone has seen what became of Ye Zhongshu. Qin Zhizhong is only glad that although he has not accomplished much and has engaged in petty corruption, he has never done anything like Lord Ye, who embezzled grain and led to his entire family being exiled.

Qin Zhizhong quickly gave Qin Xiang a wink, and Qin Xiang understood, letting go of his hand and kneeling down in front of Shengsheng.

"Second Princess, everything you say is true. We were ignorant all this time!" Qin Xiang burst into tears. "I have now been demoted to a commoner, but I do not ask for forgiveness. I promise that once I am in the common people's land, I will do good deeds every day and bring blessings to the people!"

After saying this, Qin Xiang, as if feeling he wasn't sincere enough, took two steps forward on his knees: "Your Highness, everything I said is true, I dare not lie any further!"

Li Chengdu was stunned; this kid wasn't usually like this!

She retreated with a look of disgust, retreating as far as Qin Xiang moved forward.

"I don't care about you."

Sheng Sheng retreated to Xie Yunwen's side, "Fourth brother, we don't need to forgive him. With Father Emperor's support, we won't listen to him!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yunwen was taken aback, a look of confusion appearing on his face. He looked up uncertainly at Xie Yuxiao, who was in a high position.

Xie Yuxiao nodded at him.

Xie Yunwen's eyes burned, and she looked away with mixed feelings.

Take charge for him...

In an instant, Xie Yunwen thought of many things: his father's dislike for him, his years of neglect...

What are all these things?

Xie Yuxiao pursed his lips, sighed almost imperceptibly, and then revealed a hint of weariness: "I am tired. Minister Li and Duke Jing, you may both return to your residences."

Minister Li performed a full kneeling ceremony before leaving with Li Cheng.

The court officials had all left, leaving only members of the royal family. Prince Yong stopped accepting their offerings and pressed Xie Yubin's head down to kowtow.

"Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty to raise my son. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

While Li Cheng and the other two were apologizing, Xie Yubin remained silent, which meant he was still dissatisfied with Xie Yunwen.

As for why he was unconvinced, it was probably because he couldn't stand that a cripple like him had such good writing skills, plus he himself didn't like these kinds of things, and he was always outdone by him.

They were all young people in the prime of their lives, so they must have felt uncomfortable. They felt inferior to themselves and unwilling to accept others' shortcomings.

Xie Yubin admitted that he had gone too far in allowing those three boys to bully him, but he was still not convinced.

Don't ask, the answer is simply that I can't stand him.

However, Xie Yubin dared not say such a thing to his imperial uncle. When facing the emperor, no matter how dissatisfied he was, he had to submit.

"Uncle, I was wrong!"

"You still know who you are?"

Suppressing his anger, Xie Yuxiao accurately smashed the book in his hand onto Xie Yubin's head. Xie Yubin felt the pain but dared not react in the slightest.

"Your surname is Xie, and your father is my own elder brother. You harbor resentment towards your own cousin because you are less skilled than him. Listen to what you are saying!"

Xie Yubin dared not breathe, but Prince Yong stepped forward to break the deadlock: "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty of education. This rebellious son may be dealt with as Your Majesty wishes!"

Xie Yubin stared at Prince Yong in astonishment. He had thought that a simple apology would suffice, since Prince Yong was, after all, the emperor's nephew and shared his blood. Shouldn't family matters be resolved with a handshake and reconciliation?

Xie Yuxiao could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his expression. He didn't tolerate Xie Yubin's behavior; he had already given the Yongwang Mansion a lot of face by going this far.

"Since you don't like reading, then I won't force you."

Xie Yuxiao abruptly changed the subject, and just as Xie Yubin breathed a sigh of relief, Xie Yuxiao slammed his hand on the table and said...

"Although the Duke of Jingguo was mediocre, his eldest son, Qin Zhibin, was quite talented. Not only did he stand out in the last imperial examination, but he also volunteered to serve as the magistrate of a small town, showing compassion for the people. He was completely different from the mediocre Duke of Jingguo, and showed great potential to surpass his father."

Xie Yuxiao paused, and everyone was somewhat bewildered, wondering why Xie Yuxiao would suddenly start talking about the Duke of Jingguo's mansion.

It's fortunate that Qin Zhizhong had already left; otherwise, if he had heard the emperor say that he was mediocre and incompetent, he would have been so ashamed that he would have died right there.

Of everyone present, only Xie Yunwen could guess what Xie Yuxiao was about to say.

"What a coincidence! The last character of Qin Zhibin's name is the same as yours. The children are quite destined for each other. How about this: since you two are so destined for each other, you can set off tomorrow and head south to Lincheng. Don't want to study? No problem, just go and have some fun 'traveling and sightseeing' with Qin Zhibin!"

Xie Yuxiao laughed heartily; anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was rewarding Xie Yubin with a trip.

Xie Yubin was stunned. This was going to kick him out of the capital!

"This...this...no, Imperial Uncle, what kind of coincidence is this?!"

They only have the same pronunciation, but the characters are completely different. What kind of fate is this?!

Sheng Sheng chuckled. She didn't know where Lin Cheng was, but judging from Xie Yubin's reaction, she knew that this must have tormented Xie Yubin terribly.

"What do you mean we're not meant to be? Don't worry, cousin. Father said that Magistrate Qin is really capable. Since you don't want to study, why don't you learn from Magistrate Qin?"

"No, what does this have to do with me not liking to read?" Xie Yubin exclaimed in despair.

Xie Yunqi now understands the whole thing: it was this cousin, the heir apparent, who led the bullying of his fourth brother.

Xie Yunwen was aloof and not very close to any of them.

Every time Xie Yunqi tried to get close to him, Xie Yunwen would avoid him. Xie Yunqi was a free spirit, and over time, he naturally stopped wanting to get close to him.