Chapter 265 Li Xiuyuan Demoted
Xie Chen nodded and said calmly, "How many more strokes are left? Count them yourself and remember your mistakes. If you do it again next time, it won't be as simple as just a beating."
The third prince listened to his words with a hint of disappointment.
My heart trembled with pain.
For a moment, he wanted to say that it was not him.
But when he looked at his mother, the compelling look in her eyes made him swallow his words again.
He spread out his swollen fingers, where he felt piercing pain. He gritted his teeth and stretched them out.
He dared to take the responsibility, but his two companions did not and cried for mercy.
Xie Chen turned a deaf ear and continued to be beaten by the palace servants.
This ruler is made of walnut, which is very hard. If you hit it with enough force, it will be painful in one hit.
Not to mention, he had already been beaten so many times, and now the ruler hit his hand, the pain increased several times.
Soon, the Third Prince's tender face was covered with tear marks, and his eyes were filled with mist. He couldn't see the ruler falling from the palace maids, and could only count according to the pain, "Twelve, thirteen... twenty-two, twenty-three, fifty-seven, fifty-eight..."
When they counted to seventy-seven, the two hundred strokes of the stick were completed.
The Third Prince's palms were terribly hot and numb, and he couldn't even close his hands. The only way to feel better was to blow some cool air on them.
His voice was hoarse from crying and he could only shed tears silently.
Xie Chen said to him, "You will go live with the prince from now on."
The third prince was bewildered and had no idea what this meant.
He didn't understand, but Li Xiuyuan did. She began to get anxious, "Your Majesty, Yushi is only four years old now. He's not old enough to go to the prince's residence."
Xie Chen raised his thin lips coldly: "It's not enough."
Li Xiuyuan's throat felt like it was clogged with a ball of wet cotton, and she could hardly utter a single sound.
She didn't dare dwell on the Sacred Heart.
The next moment, Xie Chen rushed towards her with anger, "But it's better than being at your knees."
This was a very rude remark, leaving no room for any shame.
Li Xiuyuan looked up in surprise and murmured, "Your Majesty..."
Xie Chen snorted coldly, and slowly scanned the hall, sentencing everyone to death.
"Those serving the two princes and the entire Wenhua Palace will be fined three months' salary for failing to provide adequate service."
"The Third Prince's companion, Li Che of Duke Li's mansion, and Li Shi'an of Princess Tong'an's mansion, have been stripped of their status as the Prince's companions and expelled from the palace. Additionally, due to the serious injury to Prince Xuan's son, Duke Li's mansion will compensate Prince Xuan's mansion with 10,000 taels of silver and publicly apologize."
"Also... Xiuyuan Li, for poor teaching, has been demoted to a concubine and confined to her house for six months."
Xie Chen, mindful of the last bit of affection from Queen Li, only asked the Duke of Li's Mansion to apologize and pay compensation, but did not issue an imperial decree to reprimand the Duke of Li's Mansion.
As for the third prince, Xie Chen thought about it again and again, fearing that outsiders would make random speculations and look down on him, so he did not let the third prince inherit the lineage of Prince Gong at this time.
His mother no longer considers him, so as his father, he should at least take him into consideration.
This series of words caught everyone off guard.
Li Che and Li Shian kept begging for mercy.
He was quickly pulled out by palace servants.
As for Li Xiuyuan who was standing beside him, his face turned extremely pale in an instant.
She never expected that this matter would involve her.
Demotion!
And it wasn't just a downgrade of one rank, she went from being a third-rank queen to a fifth-rank beauty!
This rank was even lower than the fourth-rank Concubine when she entered the palace. How could she maintain her dignity in this palace from now on?
Li Xiuyuan knelt a few steps and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I never thought Hui Yushi would make such a big mistake. I will discipline him strictly in the future. Please forgive me, Your Majesty, and spare me this time."
Now, she still thinks that she is implicated.
Xie Chen looked at her stubbornly, shook his head slightly, and said coldly: "Is Li Cairen dissatisfied with my order?"
She suddenly turned from a beauty into a talented person!
Downgraded another level!
Li Xiuyuan's plea for mercy came to an abrupt end. She lost all her strength and fainted.
If it were usual, Yu Shi would have rushed over crying, but today, he just watched without moving.
Xie Chen ordered the palace servants, "Take Lady Li away and confine her to the side hall. Then, gather up the Third Prince's belongings and move them to the Prince's quarters."
After receiving the order, the palace servants moved Li Cairen out and took Yu Shi away.
The hall fell silent. Just as Xie Chen was about to stand up, a small figure rushed in again.
Xie Chen looked down at him: "Yu Shi."
The Third Prince knelt on the ground, crying, "Your son... wants to... wants to apologize..."
He was crying, and his words were disjointed and unclear, but Xie Chen understood. He sighed and said, "Go."
The third prince wiped his face with his sleeve and took short steps into the inner chamber.
He said to Xiao Si and Pei Yu, "I'm...I'm sorry."
He lowered his head and didn't dare to see anyone, his face flushed red.
After saying this, he felt so ashamed that he couldn't stay any longer. Without waiting for a reply, he turned around and ran away.
He did not return to Bixiao Palace, but ran confusedly on the long street.
He wanted to go back to the palace, but he was afraid of seeing his mother, and his father had not allowed him to stay there.
He has nowhere to go.
After realizing this, the third prince lost all his strength, walked to a palace gate, sat on the threshold and burst into tears.
The palace maids dared not step forward.
"Cry, cry, shame on you." First, there was laughter, and then a woman wearing a Changchun-colored floor-length skirt with flowers suddenly appeared.
The third prince was so immersed in his own sadness that he didn't even notice that there was someone beside him.
Qin Baolin squatted down, tilted his head, and poked him with his finger.
The Third Prince raised his tearful eyes and looked at her blankly, "You... who are you..."
Qin Baolin smiled and imitated him, "I...I am...Yan'er~"
The third prince thought she was laughing at him, and he felt even more sad and inferior, and tears welled up in his eyes again.
Qin Baolin didn't understand why he was crying again when he was fine. He waved his hands in fear and said, "Don't cry~ Don't cry~"
The third prince looked at her with tears in his eyes.
Qin Baolin smiled sweetly and took his hand, "Go back to the palace, eat cakes, eat sweets, don't cry~ don't cry~"
The third prince thought blankly, since he had nowhere to go anyway, he might as well go with her.
It wasn't until the car stopped at the gate of Cining Palace that the Third Prince realized, "Isn't this the Empress Dowager's palace?"
In addition to seeing the Empress Dowager during the holidays, his mother had also brought him here, so he recognized the Empress Dowager's palace, but he had never seen this lady before.
Qin Baolin pulled him in and said with a smile: "We have Gao Gao, don't cry~ don't cry~"
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