"Liang Zhirou, what's wrong with you?" the queen asked in surprise.
"Your Majesty, my legs hurt. The princess just kicked me and knocked me to the ground." Liang Zhirou said hesitantly, with tears in her eyes.
[Fuck you! Liang Zhirou, you green tea! You're the first to complain!]
Liang Zhirou winked at Feng Manman after she finished speaking. Feng Manman understood and immediately covered her shoulder and said, "My Lady, my shoulder hurts!"
"Just now, the princess hit me too. She hit me on the shoulder and knocked me down."
After saying that, Feng Manman actually covered her eyes and started to sob.
The queen looked at the four children one by one and made several plans in her mind.
"Feng Manman, Liang Zhirou, please stop crying and answer me properly. Just answer whatever I ask."
"And, whoever I ask, please speak."
"Anyone who doesn't follow the rules and speaks nonsense will be dragged outside to stand in line!"
The Queen's voice was cold and low, and Feng Manman and Liang Zhirou were both startled.
"Liang Zhirou, you said the princess kicked you, so why did she kick you?"
Liang Zhirou gasped, "The princess hit us for no reason!"
"She relies on her status as a princess to act arrogantly!"
The Queen glanced at Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman. "Okay, Feng Manman, tell me, is this really what Liang Zhirou said?"
Feng Manman nodded: "That's right, that's right, Sister Zhirou is right."
Xia Miaoyuan bit his lips angrily, and his eyes looked at Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman as if filled with fire.
"Okay." The Queen paused, then continued, "Miao'er, tell me, what happened before you beat them?"
Xia Miaoyuan glared at Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman fiercely and said, "Mother, I hit them because I caught them bullying Eighth Brother and I was so angry."
"Madame Li took me to the Zhonghe Hall to change clothes, and we happened to hear crying."
"I just realized that Eighth Brother is being bullied by Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman."
"I heard them viciously tell Eighth Brother that Father and Mother wouldn't care whether he lived or died. They even yelled at him, telling him not to cry out loud!"
"When we arrived, Eighth Brother was lying on the ground, crying non-stop."
As soon as Xia Miaoyuan opened his mouth, he spoke a lot in one breath, like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube. Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman were so anxious that they rubbed the corners of their clothes.
Xia Miaoyuan is only three and a half years old! How can she speak so fluently and think so clearly?
Is this still the silly Princess Anguo in the main hall?
Doesn't she have trouble speaking long sentences?
Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman were shocked and scared.
They wanted to interrupt several times, but when they remembered the queen's warning just now, they had to hold back.
The Queen nodded slightly to Xia Miaoyuan, then turned to the Eighth Prince, "Little Eight, it's your turn to speak now. Tell me what happened between you and your two study companions in the lilac forest."
"Xiao Ba, remember this. Stay strong, don't cry, and tell the truth. Although I'm not your biological mother, I'm still your queen mother."
The Queen spoke gently and earnestly, especially the last sentence, which was equivalent to telling the Eighth Prince not to be afraid to speak up, as she would support him.
The eighth prince suddenly felt a warmth running through his whole body, and he was filled with strength. He nodded vigorously to the queen.
Xia Miaoyuan felt a little nervous. "Xiao Ba, you must do your best! Mother has said so much. If you don't tell the truth, it will be disheartening."
The Eighth Prince calmly said, "Mother, I left the table midway and wandered around, where I ended up at the lilac grove."
"I just wanted to be alone for a while, but then two study partners came."
"I didn't mean to provoke them, they provoked me."
The Queen encouraged, "Okay, keep going."
"Little Eight, good job! Tell me the truth, and I'll take care of it for you." Xia Miaoyuan clenched her fists excitedly, looking at the Eighth Prince with a burning gaze.
"They scolded me, ridiculed me, kicked me, and beat me..." When he said this, the eighth prince recalled the scene of being bullied in the lilac forest. His heart ached and his eyes instantly turned red.
The Queen comforted him at the right moment: "Be strong, Xiao Ba, tell me, what did they say?"
The Eighth Prince pursed his lips tightly. "They called my mother a fool! They said it was because of my mother's stupidity that the Empress Dowager was implicated."
When Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman heard this, they panicked and went forward to pull the Eighth Prince away.
"You're talking nonsense! We didn't!"
"Don't talk nonsense in front of the Queen!"
In a panic, Liang Zhirou actually covered the Eighth Prince's mouth, "Empress, we didn't say that!"
The Queen shouted angrily, "How dare you! How dare you be so presumptuous in front of me!"
Before the Queen could give any orders, Sang Qi came forward with a few young palace maids and pulled Feng Manman and Liang Zhirou apart.
At the same time, the Queen's voice did not stop angrily: "You should understand that he, Xia Chengtai, is the Eighth Prince of the Great Xia. He is so noble, how can you offend him so casually!"
Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman were held down by the shoulders by several palace maids and knelt on the ground, their faces full of fear and their eyes mixed with surprise.
Isn’t it said that the queen is the most gentle and kind?
How can it be so cruel!
"Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman, your study companions, you just committed insubordination in front of me. You will be punished by slapping your face ten times. You will be punished again after I finish questioning you."
Liang Zhirou and Feng Manman raised their heads in disbelief, glanced at the Queen in panic, and wanted to argue again, but swallowed their words.
[Mother is so awesome! Mother is so cool today!] Xia Miaoyuan looked at the queen with eyes full of admiration.
The Queen spoke again: "Xiao Ba, please continue, your mother is listening."
The Eighth Prince glared at his two companions with a determined look and continued, "They said it was my mother's fault that the Imperial Grandmother was imprisoned in the temple."
"The Imperial Grandmother's imprisonment has left them without support!"
"They say that a son pays for his mother's debts. My mother foolishly implicated the Empress Dowager, so she deserves to be beaten to vent her anger."
“They insulted me and beat me…”
When the queen heard this, her brows were tightly furrowed, and her hands hidden in her wide sleeves were clenched so tightly that they made a creaking sound.
"How did they beat you? Xiao Ba, tell mother!"
Tears flickered in the Eighth Prince's eyes. He suppressed his tears and said with all his strength, "They stabbed me with hairpins and kicked me... and they wouldn't let me cry..."
Xia Miaoyuan was so angry when he heard this that he gritted his teeth and said, "This is bullying!"
[At such a young age, he has such a vicious heart! ]
[Are you Aunt Rong? How dare you poke Xiao Ba with a hairpin!]
The Eighth Prince continued with tears in his eyes, "They said that if my mother was banished to the cold palace, my father and mother would take their anger out on me and wouldn't care whether I lived or died. Even if I was beaten half to death, my father and mother wouldn't ask."
"They also told me to obey them from now on. If I obey them, they will not beat me..."
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