Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Pampering
Because the prince practiced frugality, even the lights on the corridors of the East Palace were fewer and dimmer than those of ordinary aristocratic families. He walked on the path and turned forward to the front hall, where he had always lived.
But for some unknown reason he stopped at the intersection.
He looked at the road leading to the backyard. At this time, the evening breeze was rising, and the candlelight of the red lantern was swaying in the wind, scattering fragments of light all over the ground.
He paused for a moment, then ordered Li Fu behind him: "Go and deliver the blood-red wine that the Queen Mother gave me to Zhilanju."
Li Fu's lips moved again and again. Under the pressure of his master's power, he still couldn't help but said: "Your Highness, the Queen asked you to deliver it to Fengyi personally. You are going against the Queen's wishes." After saying that, he immediately closed his mouth, his head almost drooping to the ground, playing the role of a turtle in his daily life.
Li Cheng raised his eyebrows and pretended to scold: "You naughty slave, I remember clearly that my mother did not say this."
"Your Highness, although the Queen didn't say it explicitly, the meaning is implied between the lines. Otherwise, how could you have a drink with Fengyi?" Seeing that the man seemed to be softening, Li Fu continued to fan the flames:
"We were out for a night out together last night. Perhaps Fengyi was eagerly anticipating your Highness's arrival. If your Highness doesn't go, what will happen to Empress Fengyi if she continues to wait?"
"this……"
"Your Highness, please stop talking so much. Listen to my advice and deliver it to Fengyi in person." Li Fu knew that His Highness actually wanted to go, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Okay," Li Cheng sighed helplessly, hesitated for a moment, and finally walked towards Zhilanju: "I'll go and see if she is asleep."
"It's dark and the roads are slippery, Your Highness, please watch your step. I will come forward to guide you!"
The old eunuch twisted his clumsy body to lead the way. Seeing that he was clumsy and almost smashed the wine, Li Cheng wanted to kick him: "You are so impatient, how can you behave like that!"
"If you continue like this and don't pay attention to controlling your diet, I will fine you your salary." The man accurately grasped the eunuch's vitals. Li Fu almost jumped up in fright when he heard this:
"Your Highness, no! I have been serving Your Highness diligently. Even if I have no merit, I have worked hard. Your Highness, please have mercy on me. If you want to punish me, please order me to be beaten with thirty sticks. I have no complaints! Just don't deduct my salary!" The old lady watched money like her life, and cried bitterly.
Li Cheng was impatient to see him like this, frowning and snorting, "Then lose this piece of fat on your body! I will take care of everything by your side, big or small. How can you be so fat? Where will the reputation of the Eastern Palace be in the future?"
"Yes, yes, your highness has taught me a lesson, and I will definitely remember it in my heart." Li Fu finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that he didn't have to be punished. As for losing weight, he would just agree to it first.
When I arrived at Zhilan Residence, there were indeed candles on inside. Two maids were sitting at the door, talking about something. From a distance, I could see that they had undisguised disgust on their faces.
"It's been so long since I came to the East Palace, and yet His Highness hasn't come to the backyard to see her. Does he really think he's the master?"
"In my opinion, Your Highness has long forgotten that there is a Concubine Fengyi in the backyard! Your Highness is the emperor and will inherit the throne in the future. He brought her back to the East Palace out of responsibility. How could he look down on a country bumpkin like her who keeps asking for food? She is really hard to serve!" Xia Zhi echoed coldly from the side.
Li Cheng was standing in the shadows beneath a tree in the courtyard. The lights in the courtyard were dim, and the two maids hadn't noticed him at all. From Li Fu's perspective, he could clearly see the moment the prince's face turned cold when he heard the maids' conversation.
Tsk tsk, these two maids had to walk into the gun. It would have been fine if they had met him, but now they have met His Highness. They can only wish them good luck.
"If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll pull out your tongues!" Qiufen walked out aggressively, with his hands on his hips and glaring at the two of them.
"Sister, I'm just upset, and you can't let us say a few words?" Chunfen lowered his head first and softened his voice and said, "Good sister, we know we were wrong, and we won't dare to do it again next time."
"You always say you don't dare. When did you ever change?" Qiufen raised his eyebrows and continued to scold:
"The Empress is still the Empress. Just because she's kind and easygoing doesn't mean she'll indulge you again and again! If you dare to say such things, I'll report you to Eunuch Li and see how he punishes you! When that happens, you'll be on your own! Humph!"
I thought this time, like usual, I could just admit my mistake and get over it, but I didn't expect Qiufen to be so persistent. Xiazhi couldn't stand it anymore and said coldly:
"Sister, you are so arrogant! You keep saying that you will report the two of us to Eunuch Li. Those who know you think that you are a maid who is seeking justice for your master. Those who don't know you think that you want to be the master of Zhilanju. Don't think that we don't know what you are thinking. Sister, do you think that you are quite beautiful and want to be the next Fengyi in the East Palace?"
"Or do you want to be the master of the East Palace's backyard?"
"You!" Qiufen was furious. Just as he was about to argue, Li Cheng emerged from under the tree, his handsome face icy. He had been listening for who knows how long.
The Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice's faces suddenly changed, as if they had seen a ghost. "Your Highness... How could Your Highness be here?" They frantically trembled and knelt on the ground, "Hail, Your Highness..."
"Your Highness, the Queen has just finished her meal. Would you like me to go in and report it?" Qiufen seemed particularly enthusiastic compared to the other two.
Li Cheng ignored the three people kneeling on the ground and walked straight inside. His cold voice was heard in the cool evening breeze: "Drag these two stubborn slaves away and beat them to death."
His tone was so calm, as if he was giving instructions on what to eat tonight.
When Chunfen and the other two heard His Highness's order, they were nearly frightened to death. Just now, they were able to comfort themselves by saying that His Highness had just arrived and hadn't heard anything. But now that His Highness had ordered them to be beaten to death, there was no room for maneuver!
The two were panicked, their faces turned pale in an instant, and they cried and begged for mercy with tears streaming down their faces: "Your Highness! We were wrong, please spare my life! Your Highness!" Their foreheads banged on the floor, and soon blood gushed out.
Only then did Liang Hanzhang hear that something was wrong outside. He hurriedly put down his things and rushed out, only to see a god-like man standing at the door.
"Your Highness, why are you here?" She was surprised.
In the past, Chunfen and Xiazhi often ridiculed her, both overtly and covertly. Liang Hanzhang was angry, but she could do nothing about it. Logically, she was just a small Fengyi, with no real power. Even Qiufen couldn't do anything to them, so what could she do?
Moreover, her image in front of outsiders was that of a timid person. If she dealt with the two maids decisively, her image would be ruined.
Therefore, she had been silently enduring the two of them for the past few months. To be fair, the two maids, Chunfen and Xiazhi, were not bad people at heart, but they were too self-righteous and didn't know their place.
If they continue to act so recklessly, they will eventually suffer. However, Liang Hanzhang never expected that their retribution would come so quickly.
Li Cheng walked up to her, lowered his head and looked into her eyes, his eyes gradually becoming gentle: "My mother asked me to bring you something, I will personally deliver it to you when I have nothing to do." As he spoke, his tone suddenly changed:
"I didn't expect to meet these two ignorant servants at the door. They even dared to speak nonsense about their master. This is really outrageous! I have ordered people to drag them away and beat them to death. You don't have to worry about this matter."
As he was about to pull her into the house, the woman struggled carefully and pleaded with a pair of pure and flawless eyes: "Your Highness, they did it unintentionally. Please forgive them this time."
"If I go easy on them today, I'll have another. If I let them off lightly today, who knows what kind of outrageous things they'll do in the future!" He raised his eyebrows and glared at them. "Besides, these two servants are particularly rude. If I don't discipline them, what will become of this Eastern Palace?"
Then he ordered the two eunuchs standing beside him: "Hurry up and drag him away!"
"I obey your command!" The eunuchs received the instructions and quickly dragged up the people kneeling on the ground.
"Empress, please save us, we were really wrong!" Xia Zhi and the other two cried to Liang Hanzhang, looking pitiful.
"You actually have the nerve to beg for mercy from your queen. Your face is thicker than a city wall!" Li Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, his face as calm as ever, but those who knew him knew that His Highness was extremely angry at this moment.
"Your Highness... they are certainly wrong, but isn't beating them to death too harsh?" The woman was gentle as water. Even though she was extremely anxious, her voice was still soft. She grabbed the prince's hand and said:
"Or maybe give them ten spankings to teach them a lesson. I read this in the book Your Highness sent me yesterday: 'No one is perfect.' They already know their mistakes. Your Highness, why don't you give them a chance to mend their ways and start anew?"
"Besides, Your Highness is the crown prince and will inherit the country in the future. If this matter gets out, people from all walks of life will definitely criticize you. It's really not worth it."
The woman's gentle voice drifted softly into his ears on the evening breeze. Li Cheng's anger gradually subsided, and he felt that caning to death was indeed inappropriate. However, if he didn't impose a severe punishment, he was afraid that he would not be able to quell these evil spirits.
He said in a deep voice: "Since the Queen is pleading for you, I will reluctantly let you go. But since you have done something wrong, you must be punished accordingly. Drag you away and give you thirty lashes. After that, return to the Queen to express your gratitude."
"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!" Even though thirty lashes of the cane was still a very severe punishment for the two girls, the difference between the death penalty and the fine was huge. The two maids, Chunfen and the others, were already filled with gratitude.
"You must remember that it was the Empress who saved you this time, so you must serve her carefully in the future. If I hear any of you gossiping again next time, it won't be as simple as thirty lashes of the cane," Li Cheng's expression was stern. He was not only teaching the maid a lesson, but also establishing Fengyi's authority.
"As you command!" All the servants in the yard knelt on the ground.
Liang Hanzhang raised her little face and smiled at the man beside her, hugged his arms with both hands and said happily: "Thank you, Your Highness!" After last night's night out, the relationship between the two had become much more familiar.
Li Cheng felt the faint warmth of her body on his arm, and the slight unhappiness he had just felt instantly disappeared. He rubbed her furry head and said with a smile, "You're welcome. This is a maid from your courtyard. It's up to you to decide how to deal with her."
The moment he rubbed it, both of them were obviously stunned. Liang Hanzhang never expected that he would just do it directly.
Li Cheng couldn't believe it. He just thought the woman looked cute like this, but he didn't expect that he would touch the top of her head!
Just when he looked embarrassed and wanted to retract his hand, Liang Hanzhang predicted his next move, and raised his chin slightly, almost arching his head into the other's arms.
Li Fu was so jealous that his teeth were about to drop.
"Come in, it's windy here," the man took her hand and led her into the house.
"Your Highness, you just said that the Queen asked you to deliver something to me. What is it?" The little woman couldn't help but tilt her head and asked with a curious look on her face.
Li Cheng gestured behind him, and Li Fu opened the sandalwood box in his hand and gently placed it in front of Fengyi.
"What is this?" Liang Hanzhang picked up the glass wine cup curiously and looked at it from left to right.
"The wine cup is filled with blood-red wine, probably named after its blood-like color. I heard from my mother that it was tribute from foreign tribes and that drinking it is very beneficial to the body. I am not very familiar with it."
“Would you like to give it a try?”
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