Chapter 209 Two Women
Zhao Yuanrong signaled Qu Ling to stay calm.
"You have such a bad temper," she said to Zhao Chongli, "you broke the teacup that the late emperor gave to the Eastern Palace."
The grief on Zhao Chongli's face solidified into shock before he could hide it.
At this time, what Zhao Yuanrong cared about was actually this teacup?
"I..." He tried to sound hurt.
"Push him out," Zhao Yuanrong propped up his chin with his hand, "give him ten sticks."
Zhao Chongli's eyes widened.
Before he could say anything, Prince Yi angrily said, "Zhao Yuanrong, you are going too far."
Without Zhao Yuanrong's order, Hou Xu had already ordered Prince Yi to be put up.
"Shut his mouth," Zhao Yuanrong said, "and send him directly to His Majesty. Prince Yi must be trying to file a complaint against me."
A guard took out a sweat-smelling handkerchief from his arms and stuffed it into Prince Yi's mouth.
This group of guards in the Eastern Palace were carefully selected by Hou Xu from the imperial guards.
None of them has a powerful background, and they have all worked their way up from the bottom to where they are today.
They are not afraid of anyone.
He was also very clear that his life and property depended on Zhao Yuanrong alone.
If Zhao Yuanrong ascends the throne, they will all prosper.
If Zhao Yuanrong died, they would definitely die even earlier.
Prince Yi never expected that the guards of the Eastern Palace would look down on him so much, and he felt a chill down his spine.
"Princess..." Zhao Chongli came to his senses when he saw his father being pushed out and was really a little scared.
Hou Xu had already blocked his mouth, preventing him from speaking, and ordered his attendants, "Execute the execution."
Zhao Chongli's standing figure swayed slightly.
His eyes looked at Zhao Yuanrong intently, as if he wanted Zhao Yuanrong to withdraw his order.
Hou Xu originally wanted to push him with his hand, but changed his mind and kicked him away.
It fell to the ground with a loud bang.
Qu Ling's gaze fell on the unconscious Zhao Chongren, and a wicked smile appeared on his face.
"Splash it on him to wake him up."
A basin of cold water was poured over my head.
Zhao Chongren woke up in shock.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I heard the sound of being hit by a stick.
He subconsciously shrank back, opened his eyes and looked, but his mind was a mess.
Zhao Chongli was pressed to the ground, without even a torture bench.
I was sweating profusely as the board rose and fell.
Zhao Chongren was filled with infinite fear, and he felt as if he had accidentally entered a dangerous place.
When he went out today, his mother, Concubine Feng, said that he must make a good appearance at the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, so that the dignitaries in the capital would take notice of him, make friends with the powerful and wealthy, and pave the way for his future life.
But all these ambitions were shattered by the sudden criticism from the Eastern Palace.
The ten blows were quickly completed.
Zhao Chongli lay outside like a pile of mud.
Zhao Chongren had never seen his brother in such a miserable state, but he did not feel happy at all, only a chill to the bone.
"Do you want to go to the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, or do you want to send your brother back home?" Qu Ling sat back next to Zhao Yuanrong.
She watched the brothers' miserable plight with great interest.
"Go back home. I'll take my brother back home."
Zhao Chongren didn't hesitate at all.
He was soaked to the skin. If he showed up in this state, he would only be laughed at. It would be better to go back as soon as possible rather than make a fool of himself.
Moreover, he suspected that he had stolen the limelight during the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, and soon it would be his funeral ceremony.
Qu Ling seemed very satisfied with his answer, "I'll have someone take you back."
After everyone left, the East Palace returned to peace.
"We can't let Prince Yi's Mansion threaten your position," Qu Ling said with his usual smile, adding, "We can't let anyone from the royal family threaten your position either."
Zhao Yuanrong understood, "It would be best to gather all the royal family members with such unconventional ideas together and catch them all in one fell swoop."
What should I do to kill them all and stay out of this?
"Those in the capital are nothing to be afraid of," Qu Ling poured tea for Zhao Yuanrong. "The hard part is dealing with those in the fiefdoms who control the military forces of a state."
"Sister, you can use uncle as bait."
Zhao Yuanrong drank the tea in his hand.
Then let’s do it in winter, when the wind is cold and it’s perfect for shedding blood.
In front of Prince Yi’s Mansion.
The princess stood on the steps, like a clay statue of Bodhisattva, with an expressionless face.
Concubine Feng paced back and forth beside her, her face full of anxiety, and she stretched her neck to look around from time to time.
"Don't worry, Princess. The Crown Prince will be fine." Concubine Feng said the same thing for the third time.
The servants came to report that the prince had been beaten and the second young master had also been driven out of the palace.
The princess replied woodenly for the third time, "I'm not in a hurry."
That's just her nature.
She was trembling with fear in front of the prince, amiable in front of servants, indifferent in front of concubines, and cold in front of children.
Concubine Feng couldn't suppress her anger when she saw her half-dead appearance.
The carriage finally arrived.
Zhao Chongren jumped down first.
The water on his body was almost dry after the hot journey, but he looked even more miserable.
Concubine Feng took a deep breath.
She rushed forward to greet him, "How could this happen when you came to the palace peacefully?"
The princess was still standing there, not even moving her eyes.
"My Lord," Concubine Feng lifted the carriage curtain, her face filled with heartache, "Is it serious? Is your body still in pain? Oh, what a sin."
Zhao Chongli was lying in the carriage. Seeing Concubine Feng looking out, he forced a smile and said, "Thank you for your concern."
Concubine Feng turned around and scolded her son, "What's wrong with you? You just watched your brother get beaten."
The nanny behind the princess motioned her forward and said in a low voice, "You should at least ask the prince. That person has been the center of attention."
Who is the mistress of the palace?
"It's okay, the prince can still bear it," the princess said to her wet nurse, her stiff face softening a little, "it shouldn't be too painful."
Her words were heard by the impatient girl behind her.
She immediately shouted, "Brother is already injured like that, and you are still busy talking. Don't delay him from seeing a doctor."
When Concubine Feng heard her daughter's words, she quickly stopped berating Zhao Chongren and said to him with an apologetic look, "It was my negligence, please don't blame me, Your Highness."
Then he turned to the princess and asked, "What do you think we should do?"
"Carry him to his courtyard and let the imperial physician take a look." She asked, and the princess answered.
Zhao Chongli felt a lump in his throat.
He fled to Jiangnan to avoid disaster, and his mother didn't even send a letter home, let alone say hello to his grandparents.
Now that he is injured, he doesn't even ask "Does it hurt?", and is not as concerned about him as an outsider.
Concubine Feng pretended to blame herself, "It's all my fault."
He turned around and shouted to the servants, "Didn't you hear the princess's order? Hurry and bring the prince in."
She was always respectful in her words to the princess.
Ask the princess for instructions on everything.
But when she gave orders to her servants, she acted like the mistress of the house.
When the servants were carrying Zhao Chongli, Concubine Feng kept standing by his side, saying, "Slow down, slow down."
The princess did not move at all, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.
Zhao Chongren followed silently at the end.
When passing by the princess, he suddenly looked up and met the princess's deep eyes.
His heart skipped a beat and he quickly looked away.
The entire palace did not take the princess seriously, but every time he saw her, he felt terrified.
The door of the palace was shut heavily.
The princess returned to her own courtyard.
She glanced at the ice mirror and ordered, "Be more alert next time and remove it before the prince comes. He comes so often, and I can handle the heat."
"Don't let him yell here. It gives me a headache."
Back inside, sit back down on the recliner.
There were some chilled fruits and a half-read book at hand.
Looking up, I saw a clump of green bamboo outside the window, and on the windowsill were several pots of lotus flowers in full bloom.
"The grand ceremony in the palace is about to begin, right?" the princess murmured to herself.
She raised the corners of her mouth slightly and said to herself, "It's great that the dynasty has a female emperor."
On the other side, Concubine Feng also returned to the yard.
She put away her long sleeves and danced gracefully in front of outsiders, and a trace of fatigue appeared on her beautiful face.
"What's the point of pretending like that every day?" Her daughter Zhao Shu leaned against the door frame with her hands folded.
Concubine Feng lowered her eyelids and asked, "What do you know?"
"I don't understand, but aren't you tired?"
"So what if I'm tired?"
Concubine Feng said, "Shu'er, mother doesn't allow people to have their own ideas."
"The princess is different from you!"
"But the princess can't leave this palace, can she?" Concubine Feng laughed. "If she leaves, her father will strangle her to death with his own hands."
The Nian family in Jiangnan has no divorced daughters, only dead daughters.
Zhao Shu turned away angrily.
"Has the ceremony in the palace started?" Concubine Feng looked at the Western clock in the room.
Zhao Shu hummed in a depressed tone.
"Women, once you become an emperor, can you act completely according to your own ideas?"
Concubine Feng didn't believe it.
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