Chapter 230 Mahjong with a Group Table

"You get back here and reflect on your actions. You'll stay in the Prince's quarters for the next few days and copy the Classic of Filial Piety a thousand times. You're not allowed to go anywhere until you finish copying it!" Yinzhen pointed at Hongshi from afar, exasperated. But confining him to his quarters wasn't enough to vent his anger. "I'll cut off your monthly allowance for a year and see if you learn to speak properly."

Compared to the Emperor's fury just now, this punishment was already extremely lenient. Hongshi naturally dared not bargain any further and hurriedly replied without even daring to breathe, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your mercy."

It's unclear whether he was scared or not; one could only say he was incredibly carefree. Upon hearing this, the other two would have scrambled to run away, fearing the Emperor might change his mind and remove their yellow sashes at any moment. But he hesitated, taking two steps closer and tugging at Hongzhao's clothes, wanting to see his legs.

Hongzhao sighed with a mixture of helplessness and amusement, pulled the hem of his robe back from his hand, pushed it outside, and whispered, "Let's go quickly, don't make Father Emperor anxious anymore, hurry up."

When Hongshi arrived, he was overjoyed, but when he left, he was dejected and listless. His eyes closed as if tears were about to fall. He looked at his father, the Emperor, and then at his younger brother, the Crown Prince, who was pleading for him. He sniffed, gave a deep bow, and walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation with heavy steps.

Only the father and son remained in the hall.

Hongzhao stretched out his foot and shoveled at the crunching debris in front of him. Then, he stepped forward with a crunching sound and went to his father's side. Not afraid of being implicated by Yinzhen's still angry temper, he raised his hand to soothe him.

He had already said everything he wanted to say, and anything he said now would feel complicated. He could only wait for his father to calm down.

Yinzhen took two deep breaths and sat back down on the stool as if all his strength had been released, his brain suddenly rushing with blood. Now, trying to calm himself down, he only felt dizzy and his vision blurred.

He closed his eyes, propped his head up, and rested for a while. Then he gently shook his throbbing head. Clearly, what had just happened was not completely over in his mind.

“Hongshi isn’t that kind of person. What about that Jiang Gege? She comes from the Prince Guo’s mansion, could it be…” Yinzhen, who was always suspicious and thoughtful, couldn’t help but make these connections now.

“Probably not.” Hongzhao quickly chimed in, “When I came here, I remember that Mother had already investigated and found out that she was being bullied by the old men in the Prince Guo’s mansion and was having a very hard time. Why would she still be thinking about her days as a servant when she’s in the palace?”

"You can know a person's face but not their heart," Yinzhen shook his head. "She's pregnant now; who can guarantee she won't develop other intentions and corrupt my son and grandson?"

When the emperor is angry, someone has to bear the consequences. Since Hongshi has been protected, then it's up to Jiang Gege to take the fall.

If he were allowed to continue analyzing things like this, Caiping would probably die from Hongshi's words again in this life. Hongzhao gritted his teeth and decided to help him to the end, and at least solve the current problem first.

"Hiss—" He moved his injured leg, his brows furrowing slightly as if in pain.

Yinzhen only realized what was happening when he heard the sound. He grabbed Hongzhao from the side and pulled him in front of him to take a closer look at his straight legs.

"Reckless!" he cursed as he gently reached out and pulled back the front of the garment to take a look. "Your body and hair are given to you by your parents. When will you ever remember this? You don't cherish yourself at all. You should be made to copy the Classic of Filial Piety a thousand times. This time, no one will help you read it. How long will it take you to finish?"

Despite his harsh words, upon seeing the spots of blood seeping from the knee, he hurriedly shouted outside, "Su Peisheng, call Zhou Qi here, quickly!"

As he spoke, Hongzhao glanced outside and nodded to Xiao Dezi, who looked over at the sound. Xiao Dezi understood and followed Su Peisheng, then turned and quickly walked out of the hall.

Children who have something to rely on are always a bit more unruly. Just like Hongzhao, who rarely acts tough when he's with his father, except when he's deliberately showing off his tea skills and pretending to be pitiful. He'll say it when he's in pain and sleep when he's tired. He's always been genuine, and this time was no exception.

He bent his leg, which was more seriously injured, and looked down at it. Through his pants, he couldn't see anything except for a few specks of blood, but that didn't stop him from playing the victim.

"They say the ten fingers are connected to the heart, and my son's knees are just as painful, so this cut really hurts."

"You deserve to feel some pain, so you'll learn your lesson." Yinzhen glared at him disapprovingly, then stood up and took his arm to go to the inner room. Hongzhao couldn't let him support him, so he quickly turned his arm around and helped him instead.

The father and son walked in in a way that resembled mutual restraint, leaving Su Peisheng unsure which one to help first.

When Zhou Qi rushed over, he inexplicably felt a sense of nostalgia for when the Crown Prince was still young, and thought to himself that the father and son had truly remained true to their original aspirations for ten years.

"Remember not to get this wound wet. Your Highness will come to change the dressing every day. It should be healed in less than seven days."

Zhou Qi always exaggerates his injuries, even if he's only slightly injured. Even Zhou Qi said he was fine, so Hong Zhao's injury was indeed just a minor scrape. His kneeling motion appeared forceful, but he actually restrained himself as he approached the ground; it just looked intimidating.

This interruption successfully disrupted Yinzhen's train of thought.

Seeing that he was still deep in thought, Hongzhao quickly changed the subject and brought up something else.

"Father, you said this morning that there are things that your son needs to decide. What are they?"

Yinzhen blinked, and after a moment of silence, he managed to retrieve his morning memories from his mind, which had been bombarded with thoughts. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring intently at Zhou Qi's actions.

"It's about your taking concubines into the household. I'm thinking that the two I've chosen so far are both from the Manchu Banner. We've always said that the Manchus and Mongols are one family, so it would be better to choose two more from the Han Banner." His voice was short and weary after a fit of rage, and he subconsciously raised his hand to his chest as he spoke.

Should we pick two more? That would make a perfect table for a mahjong game.

"It's all up to Father. Just take the son and let him stay here." Hongzhao didn't care much about this. Since Father had brought it up now, he must have already thought it through and had someone in mind.

Yinzhen gave him a disapproving look—"It's not up to me to decide. It's placed in your courtyard, so you should choose carefully yourself. When you come back, have Su Peisheng send you the list. Your mother and I have already looked at it. Just choose the one you like."

Hongzhao raised an eyebrow and agreed, "Alright, then I'll go back and take a look."

Just as he finished speaking, Su Peisheng bowed and walked in from outside. He looked at the Emperor's face and Hongzhao's exposed knees, and tentatively called out, "Your Majesty, Consort Jing is outside requesting an audience."

Hongzhao peeked outside, then turned to meet the Emperor's silent, irritated eyes. "Father, I'm fine now. We haven't finished the first day's ceremony yet, so we need to hurry back."

Yinzhen knew that he wanted him to make room to see Consort Jing, but he didn't expose him. Instead, he pulled him aside and gave him a few more instructions, telling him to take Zhou Qi back with him before letting him leave.

"Let Consort Jing come in."