Chapter 76 confirms that he did indeed know; he knew everything…
Prince Ning had already left the palace to establish his own residence, and there was no place for him to stay in the palace. So, his attendants hurriedly took him to the residence of the Imperial Concubine.
Consort Jia had already received a message from the palace servants that Prince Ning had come to the palace to pay his respects. She was originally happily waiting for her son to arrive, but to her surprise, the palace servants brought over a person whose eyes were blackened and swollen. If it weren't for the familiar clothes, she would hardly have recognized who this person was.
Consort Jia was shocked. She stood up from her chair and rushed forward, asking, "What happened? Who beat my son like this?"
The attendant replied tremblingly, "Your Highness, it was Prince Ping who did it. Our Prince encountered him at the palace gate and greeted him politely, but not only did he speak rudely, he also attacked the Prince."
She then knelt down with a thud: "We servants failed to protect our mistress properly, please punish us, Your Majesty."
Consort Jia had no time to spare and hurriedly ordered the imperial physician to be summoned.
The person who arrived was Physician Zhou, who had been sent to take care of the Shen family mother and daughter. He was somewhat surprised to hear that Qi Jingxuan had fought with Prince Ning, but not so surprised.
As for Prince Ping, fighting is commonplace for him. Back in the palace, he even dared to lay a hand on the Crown Prince. In the past two years, since leaving the palace to establish his own residence, he has fought less, but he still occasionally "spars" with the Sixth Prince and others when they meet.
Prince Ning was always kind and gentle, and Qi Jingxuan had beaten almost all the princes of similar age in the palace, except for him. Unexpectedly, after so many years, this exception was finally broken.
Physician Zhou thought to himself that Prince Ning's injuries were only superficial and shouldn't be serious. After all, the two had no real grudge; it was probably just a verbal disagreement that led Prince Ping to act impulsively.
But when he entered and saw the Prince of Ning's appearance, he gasped and almost fell out of the door again.
How...how did he get beaten up like this?
Physician Zhou inwardly groaned, lamenting his bad luck; why was it his turn to be on duty today?
He steeled himself and stepped forward to examine Prince Ning's injuries. Upon learning that Prince Ping had also kicked him twice, he dared not say anything more and simply focused on treating the child.
The Imperial Concubine, her eyes red with anxiety, inquired with concern, "Imperial Physician Zhou, how is my son?"
After a moment's hesitation, Physician Zhou replied carefully, "Your Majesty need not worry. The Prince's injuries are all superficial. He will recover after a few days of rest."
The Imperial Concubine was both shocked and furious. Pointing at Prince Ning, who was lying on the bed groaning in pain, she exclaimed, "This is called a superficial injury?"
Physician Zhou said helplessly, "It is indeed... a superficial wound."
Although it looks terrible and must have hurt a lot, it's really just a superficial injury and nothing serious.
Prince Ping's fighting skills were honed from childhood. While he may seem reckless, he actually knows exactly how to control his strength. He'd be punished if he seriously injured someone, so he'd always learned how to hurt someone without causing too much harm. Prince Ning, however, seems to have had some bad luck today, clearly forcing him to use his best skills.
Consort Jia was furious, but she knew that blaming the imperial physician would be useless, so she asked him to leave the prescription and then withdrew.
After Physician Zhou was escorted out, she said to the maid beside her, "Go and tell His Majesty what happened at the palace gate today."
After saying that, he emphasized, "Remember to exaggerate the extent of the prince's injuries!"
She didn't care whether her son's injuries were superficial or not; he had been beaten like this, and Consort Shu and Qi Jingxuan had to give him an explanation!
Consort Jia waited for news from the Emperor in Yongning Palace. She knew that the Emperor always favored the Seventh Prince, but with so many people watching today, it was clear that the Seventh Prince had struck first. This matter could not be left unresolved!
When Prince Ning was injured, she thought the emperor would at least come to see him in person. But after waiting and waiting, she only saw Fu Shun, the emperor's chief eunuch.
Fu Shun entered and first paid his respects to Consort Jia before saying, "Your Majesty, His Majesty just summoned Imperial Physician Zhou to inquire about Prince Ning's injuries. He said that Prince Ning's injuries are all superficial and nothing serious. He will recover after a few days of rest. As the saying goes, even the upper and lower lips sometimes touch. It is normal for brothers to bicker and fight. Please do not take it to heart."
Consort Jia nearly fainted upon hearing this: "Look at the state of Prince Ning right now, what kind of brothers would fight like this and hurt someone like this?"
Fu Shun merely glanced at the bed and said, "This servant is not skilled in medicine and cannot see anything. Everything should be based on what the imperial physician says. His Majesty understands your love for your child as a mother and said that if you feel something is amiss, you can invite several imperial physicians to come and take a look, so that you can be at ease."
But Physician Zhou has already examined her; what use would it be to call someone else?
Consort Jia's face was ashen, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Is this all going to be left like this? Prince Ping publicly assaulted his elder brother, and he won't be punished?"
Fu Shun lowered her head, her attitude still respectful, and her tone calm and even: "This servant is only here to deliver a message to you. As for the rest, it depends on His Majesty's decision."
In other words, up to this point, the emperor has never said anything about punishing Qi Jingxuan.
If I don't say it now, I certainly won't say it in the future!
Consort Jia was so angry that she couldn't help but smash the cup next to her, but she didn't do anything because she was mindful that Fu Shun was someone close to the emperor.
She tried her best to suppress her anger and was about to have Fu Shun sent away when she heard Fu Shun say again, "His Majesty also said that Prince Ning is old enough to have his own residence. This is the inner palace, and it is inconvenient for him to stay here for a long time. Since his injuries are not serious, it is better to let the prince return to Prince Ning's residence to recuperate."
Consort Jia hadn't intended to keep Prince Ning here indefinitely; she just wanted to wait until he felt a little better before sending him away. Little did she expect that the Emperor would urge her to leave so soon.
She looked at Fu Shun in disbelief: "His Majesty said this?"
"Yes, how dare this servant convey His Majesty's will?"
Fu Shun Road.
Consort Jia's eyes reddened with anger, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence from between her lips: "I understand."
After saying this, he instructed his palace servants to prepare a sedan chair and ordered them to escort Prince Ning out of the palace with swift movements.
After Prince Ning and Fu Shun had left, she slammed the cups and saucers on the table onto the floor: "I know he always favors the seventh prince, but how could he do this? Isn't Hao'er his son?"
Granny Chang was also angry for Prince Ning, but she still tried to persuade him, "Your Highness, please calm down. Although His Majesty dotes on Prince Ping, Prince Ping is just a playboy and cannot be compared to our Prince. Please don't get angry with him, or you will hurt yourself."
Seeing her son so badly injured, Consort Kejia was furious. She ordered the palace servants, "Find out exactly what happened in front of the palace gate today. Why did the Seventh Prince fight with Prince Ning? I want to know everything they did and every word they said!"
The palace maid left in response, and when she returned, she had learned everything that had happened that day. After listening, Consort Jia still didn't understand the reason for the conflict between the two, but a detail reported by the palace maid caught her attention.
Prince Ning had a private conversation with Qi Jingxuan in front of the palace gate. It was after that that Qi Jingxuan suddenly made his move, saying something like, "A mad dog will hit people."
Consort Jia was Prince Ning's biological mother, so she naturally knew her son's true nature. He was indeed gentle, but that didn't mean he lacked ambition or temper; he simply hid them.
Prince Ning and Qi Jingxuan had no prior relationship, so he wouldn't approach him and say anything for no reason. Since he did this, there must be a reason.
Could it be that something happened between the two of them outside the palace?
Consort Jia then ordered an investigation to find out what kind of interactions Prince Ning and Qi Jingxuan had recently had, including whether the people around them had any contact.
The palace attendant agreed and immediately made the arrangements.
…………
Qi Jingxuan did not regret hitting Prince Ning. After returning to his residence, he waited for someone from the palace to come. He had seen this situation many times before. The emperor would usually just give him a perfunctory reprimand and fine him a little.
But even as the sun set, no one from the palace came.
Qi Jingxuan initially played and waited by the garden, then went back inside to wait, and later stood in the courtyard, watching the sunset, without moving for a long time.
Shen Yan was puzzled. Seeing that he had been standing there for a long time without going back to the house, she went out to ask him a question.
But when she walked to Qi Jingxuan's side, she saw that his face was more solemn than ever before, and it seemed to be mixed with a lot of... sadness.
"Your Highness"
Shen Yan gently tugged at his sleeve and called out softly.
Qi Jingxuan didn't turn around, but simply took her hand.
Shen Yan subconsciously tried to pull away, but the hand was gripped tightly.
"My father did not punish me today."
Qi Jingxuan's voice was low, showing no sign of joy.
"Isn't this...good?"
Shen Yan was puzzled.
Qi Jingxuan smiled, but his eyes looked like they were crying: "Usually when I hit someone, even if he was biased towards me, he would at least scold me a few times to give the other person an explanation. Today... he didn't punish me, nor did he scold me."
“I clearly hit Prince Ning today, who is the person he values most besides the Crown Prince, yet he did not punish me.”
Shen Yan gradually understood what it meant, and stopped trying to pull her hand away, instead gently squeezing it.
This subtle movement seemed to break down a barrier in Qi Jingxuan's heart. His eyes reddened, and his voice choked up: "He really knew. He knew why I acted today, and he knew what Prince Ning did. He knew everything."
Qi Jingxuan smiled and wiped away a tear as he said this: "He probably thinks... that not punishing or scolding me is a way of showing favoritism and making amends to me."
They had previously speculated that Lin Si might have revealed something before his death, but the emperor had deliberately kept it a secret.
But this has always been just speculation, with no concrete evidence.
The emperor's actions today corroborate this conjecture.
If he hadn't known that Prince Ning had harmed Qi Jingxuan, he wouldn't have remained silent, nor would he have refrained from uttering a single curse at Qi Jingxuan. He felt that Prince Ning was in the wrong first, and that it wasn't excessive for Qi Jingxuan to beat him up, which was why he remained silent.
The emperor certainly felt sorry for Qi Jingxuan, but Prince Ning was also his son, and a son he greatly valued. In his eyes, although Prince Ning had framed Qi Jingxuan for his own selfish reasons, it had not caused too much of an impact, so he felt that the matter could be resolved peacefully and there was no need to investigate further.
But for Qi Jingxuan, that was the culprit who caused his death eight times.
Qi Jingxuan knew that his father acted this way because he didn't know the reason, but he still felt extremely wronged. This feeling of injustice had accumulated since he was a child and had never stopped.
Everyone thought he was very much loved, but only he knew the reason for this love.
It was precisely because he and his mother had been enduring grievances they shouldn't have had to bear that their father always favored them. And because of this favoritism, they suffered even more grievances.
The emperor wanted everything: a secure throne, a stable court, absolute military and political power, a beloved woman, and a son who suited his tastes. He wanted to control everything. To get what he wanted, he constantly wronged others.
Qi Jingxuan turned around and embraced Shen Yan, burying his face in her neck. Although he tried to suppress his sobs, his warm tears betrayed him.
“I know that Father is the ruler of a country and has many things he has to do. But… my son and I have done nothing wrong, so why do we always have to suffer? His throne is important, but we… are not important? If we are not important, why did he insist on bringing us into the palace in the first place?”
They were living well away from the capital; they could have lived a peaceful and happy life. It was their father who insisted on bringing them to the capital, and it was their father who insisted on keeping them here. But if he couldn't protect them, why did he have to do it this way? And if he kept them here, why make them suffer so much?
Years of suppressed emotions erupted at this moment, and Qi Jingxuan held Shen Yan tightly, his body trembling slightly.
Although Shen Yan did not come from a prominent family, her parents were loving and doted on her, treating her like a precious jewel. She may have experienced some hardships in her life, but she had never felt wronged by her family.
At this moment, facing the heartbroken Qi Jingxuan, she really didn't know what to say. She could only raise her hand and gently pat his shoulder and back as a gesture of comfort.
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