Chapter 30: A Memorial to the Emperor on the Failure to Properly Educate One's Son

Ji Qingwu asked softly, "Besides the injury on your face, are there any other injuries?"

When Yan Zongrang learned that his grandson had gotten into a fight, he immediately gave Yan Bing a severe scolding, never once asking him gently where he was injured.

Yan Bing replied weakly, "My leg hurts, I bumped it."

Ji Qingwu lifted up his trouser leg and saw that it was indeed bruised again, which pained her to see.

She pressed it with her hand, and Yan Bing endured the pain without making a sound. "No bones are broken. Just apply some medicine for sprains and bruises, and it will be fine in four or five days."

When Imperial Censor Yan saw that she still had the nerve to go for a medical examination, he became even more furious and said, "If a child is not taught properly, it is the father's fault. You are such a young child, yet you are so shrewish. It must be because you have not raised your child properly and your family has a bad reputation!"

Ji Qingwu didn't like this kind of talk; people were being labeled without understanding the facts.

She turned her gaze and said, "It is the father's fault if the son is not taught properly. You should go and reason with her father."

On the day the fifth young lady of the Ji family returned home, she received gifts from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, becoming the focus of discussion throughout the city.

Behind the glamour lies all sorts of rumors and gossip.

Now everyone in the city knows that Ji Qingwu is a widow whose husband is dead. If you want to find the father of her child, you can only go to the underworld.

"You, you!" It was rare for Imperial Censor Yan to be at a loss for words.

Ji Qingwu ignored the old man and continued to ask Yan Bing, "Young Master Yan, apart from the scratches on your face, the rest of your injuries look like they were from a fall. Were all of these injuries caused by Qiu Qiu?"

Yan Bing glanced at Imperial Censor Yan secretly and nodded.

Ji Qingwu turned his gaze to the little girl, "Chirp chirp, you tell me, did you hit her?"

Chiu Chiu nodded first, then shook her head.

Then she said in a clear voice, "Mother, he said that to me first. He said I was a wild child without a father."

Wild child?

Ji Qingwu frowned. She knew that Qiuqiu wouldn't start a fanfiction fight for no reason.

Her voice, tinged with coldness, rang out. She didn't lash out at the child, but looked directly at Imperial Censor Yan and asked, "May I ask, Lord Yan, is this what you mean by proper education and upright family tradition?"

Imperial Censor Yan said with a stern face, "This was originally just a children's quarrel. The one who started it is in the biggest wrong."

"In Lord Yan's opinion, how should this be handled?"

"Write a notice admitting your mistake and post it on the bulletin board at the market entrance for three days. Read it aloud every day at noon. You, as the mother, must also go with me so that the whole city can see what happens when you bully others!"

The fact that such words were used shows that this censor has a great deal of prejudice against the Ji family.

Ji Qingwu's prediction was correct. Yan Zongrang wanted to use this incident to dampen the Ji family's prestige and embarrass them. If it were any other family, he wouldn't be so aggressive.

However, after apologizing in the street and repeating it for three days, Ji Qingwu lost his previous respectful attitude.

Some people, if you give them a little face, they'll take advantage of you.

She said coldly, "Lord Yan."

“You can apologize if you want, but your grandson’s injuries don’t match the extent of your apology. How about I dislocate another arm or break another leg? My apology will be more sincere then.”

Yan Bing trembled with fear upon hearing this, while Imperial Censor Yan was so angry that his beard trembled.

"Mr. Qiao, please listen to your granddaughter's rude words..."

Ji Qingwu raised an eyebrow and stopped him, saying, "Lord Yan, please be careful with your words. As you said, we are only using this place to discuss matters. Our grudges have nothing to do with my maternal grandfather."

Old Master Qiao kept his eyes down and his mind focused, and as expected, he didn't respond.

Chiu Chiu had never seen her mother so stern. Although she was young, she knew that apologizing was shameful. She said aggrievedly, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me, Mother, I didn't hit him."

Ji Qingwu ignored their expressions and lovingly hugged the little girl.

"Mother believes in you."

Imperial Censor Yan shouted, "If it wasn't you, who else could it be? When the eunuchs from the Imperial Study went to break up the fight, it was you who was riding on my grandson and scratching his face."

Chiu Chiu wanted to stick to her loyalty to the end, but she couldn't let her mother lose face because of her.

She stepped forward and said, "It was a handsome older brother who hit him."

Everyone was stunned by these words.

Qiuqiu pointed at Yan Bing and said fiercely, "Tell me yourself, who pushed you down the steps!"

Censor Yan, not expecting such an unexpected gain, pressed on, asking, "Well, you have an accomplice, A-Bing. Who is the other person?"

Seeing his grandson's submissive demeanor, he encouraged him, "Abing, don't be afraid of the powerful and influential. Your grandfather will stand up for you."

“Yuan…” Yan Bing hummed softly.

No one heard clearly.

"The Yuan family?" Despite his age, Imperial Censor Yan had excellent hearing. He quickly guessed which family it was and asked with interest, "Is it the Yuan family in the south of the city?"

The Yuan family in the south of the city is related to the Ji family by marriage. The old lady of the Ji family and the old lady of the Yuan family are sisters. Pulling up a radish brings out the mud, and it would be better if the two families were together.

Seeing Yan Bing hanging his head and not daring to speak, Imperial Censor Yan urged him anxiously.

"Speak quickly!"

"It's His Highness Yuan... Heng." After saying that, Yan Bing burst into tears.

Imperial Censor Yan's excitement was still on his face. His expression froze for a moment before he slowly confirmed, "Was it Prince Yuanheng who hit you?" Yan Bing nodded while crying.

Ji Qingwu's heart was in turmoil, her eyes flashing. It was Yuan Heng.

That arrogant little fellow.

It's her little one.

Ever since she met Emperor Wusu that day, she has been waking up in fright every night after returning home.

Both this father and son will appear in your dreams.

Her dreams were either about being recognized by Emperor Wusu and having her head chopped off, or about Yuan Heng struggling in the Taiye Pond.

Ji Qingwu's eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes filled with sorrow.

Chiu Chiu thought she had upset her mother, so she hurriedly explained, "Mother, he was the one who first said I was a wild child without a father. That handsome older brother kicked his butt, so I rushed over and grabbed him. We didn't do anything else after that."

Yan Bing's injuries to his forehead and knees were from falling to the ground and had nothing to do with them.

Ji Qingwu squatted down and stroked Qiuqiu's little head.

"Your mother doesn't blame you."

But as she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks, fell to the ground, and shattered into pieces.

Those inside the room, seeing her silently holding back tears, her thin shoulders trembling slightly, all felt that Imperial Censor Yan's words had gone too far today.

Old Master Qiao said sternly, "Lord Yan, since it's not my great-granddaughter's fault, you should take your grandson and go back."

Having been told to leave, Yan Zongrang felt a little embarrassed, but he still stubbornly said, "Didn't you hear? She also grabbed my grandson. If he's disfigured, it will affect his career and marriage prospects."

Seeing that he was still relentless, Ji Qingwu suddenly turned to look at him.

Although her eyes were moist, her expression became even more stubborn, and she raised her voice, saying, "Lord Yan, if you're going to punish someone, you must be fair! As for the apology method you mentioned before, shouldn't His Majesty also accompany the prince through it?"

How could we possibly trouble the emperor with such trivial matters as children's quarrels?

Imperial Censor Yan was having second thoughts, but he was facing off against Ji Qingwu and didn't want to lose even a fraction of the momentum to this young widow from the Ji family.

The duty of the censor is to supervise officials and advise the emperor.

"Very well, I will not only visit the Ji family tomorrow!"

Yan Zongrang said firmly, "Then I will also impeach the Emperor for failing to properly educate his son!"