The pot calling the kettle black: The Princess's "family rules"
In order to find Shi Lei's whereabouts as soon as possible, Zhao Jingyi decided to seek help from his all-powerful elder brother, Crown Prince Zhao Jingchen. The information network of the Eastern Palace was far more efficient than that of a leisurely prince like himself.
He scurried into the East Palace study without even letting the eunuch announce his arrival, barging straight in: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I have an important matter to ask of you!"
However, what he saw made him stop in his tracks instantly, his mouth agape.
Crown Prince Zhao Jingchen was sitting upright behind his desk, reviewing memorials, while Crown Princess Xu Nianchu sat quietly beside him, her sleeves rolled up, personally grinding ink for him. The scene was initially harmonious and beautiful. However, just as the Crown Prince dipped his brush in ink and raised it to write, a drop of full ink from the tip of the brush fell precisely onto Xu Nianchu's moon-white sleeve, spreading into a small, glaring stain.
Xu Nianchu frowned slightly as she looked at the ink stains on her sleeve. Though she didn't raise her voice, her tone was clearly displeased as she blurted out, "Your Highness! Look! This is a newly made dress!"
His Highness the Crown Prince, the powerful heir apparent who commanded respect in the court, froze instantly. He glanced at the ink stain on the Crown Princess's sleeve, then looked up to meet Xu Nianchu's reproachful gaze. A fleeting hint of... helplessness and guilt flashed across his usually dignified and composed face. He put down his pen, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of ingratiation: "It was my carelessness, Nianchu, it's alright. I'll have the Imperial Wardrobe make ten more sets..."
"Is this a question of whether it's new or not?" Xu Nianchu was clearly not so easily fooled, but because there were outsiders present, she restrained her expression and only glanced at the Crown Prince. The meaning in her eyes was very clear: I'll settle accounts with you later.
The crown prince coughed lightly, trying to maintain his dignity, but his ears seemed to turn slightly red.
Zhao Jingyi, standing at the door, witnessed all of this!
After a brief moment of shock, an indescribable surge of joy and a sense of superiority, like fireworks, exploded in Zhao Jingyi's mind! He never expected that his wise, powerful, and aloof elder brother, the Crown Prince, would actually be afraid of his wife!
"Pfft—hahaha—hiccup!" Zhao Jingyi couldn't help but burst into laughter, then quickly covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking like leaves in the wind, his face flushed red. He pointed at the Crown Prince, then at Xu Nianchu, laughing so hard he could barely speak: "Royal...Royal Brother! You...you actually...hahaha...Crown Princess Sister-in-law, so majestic! Hahaha..."
Crown Prince Zhao Jingchen's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He coldly glanced at Zhao Jingyi, his gaze as icy as a Siberian chill, instantly lowering the temperature in the study to freezing point.
Zhao Jingyi's laughter stopped abruptly, like a rooster being choked. He finally realized that he seemed to have... gotten carried away.
"It seems Sixth Brother is in a good mood today." The Crown Prince spoke slowly, his voice calm and even, yet carrying an oppressive feeling as if a storm was brewing. "What you are asking for is probably not a very important matter. I am busy with state affairs today and I am afraid I am unable to help you. Fugui, see Prince Yi out."
"Your Majesty! I was wrong!" Zhao Jingyi panicked and quickly begged for forgiveness, "I shouldn't have laughed at you! It was my loose tongue! You are so magnanimous..."
The Crown Prince had already picked up his vermilion brush again, looking down at the memorials, not even bothering to glance at him.
Zhao Jingyi was "invited" out of the East Palace by the eunuchs and returned to his residence dejectedly. Although his plea for help had failed, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself several times on the way back, thinking of his elder brother, the Crown Prince, being humiliated in front of the Crown Princess.
Back at the Prince's residence, Qin Yuti was taking a walk in the courtyard. Seeing his strange expression, alternating between annoyance and snickering, she asked Fugui'er, the personal eunuch who had accompanied Zhao Jingyi, "Fugui'er, what's wrong with His Highness? Did something funny happen that makes him laugh like that?"
Fugui'er was an honest child. He dared not hide anything from the princess and described in detail everything he had seen and heard in the East Palace, including how the prince burst into laughter and how he was kicked out by the crown prince.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yuti was first stunned, then amused and exasperated, and finally a flash of exasperated anger crossed her beautiful eyes. This good-for-nothing fool! Asking for help and then daring to mock someone? And the target of his mockery was the Crown Prince?!
The next morning, Qin Yuti disregarded her weak appearance as someone who had just recovered from an injury and went straight to Zhao Jingyi's study. Before he was fully awake, she precisely grabbed his ear!
"Ouch! Ouch! What are you doing, honey?!" Zhao Jingyi instantly sobered up, grimacing.
"What?" Qin Yuti's eyebrows shot up. "Come with me to the East Palace! Apologize to His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Princess!"
"Why should I apologize? I didn't say anything wrong! My brother is just afraid of his wife!" Zhao Jingyi retorted stubbornly.
"How dare you say that!" Qin Yuti tightened her grip. "Do you think you're any better? The pot calling the kettle black! His Highness the Crown Prince is magnanimous and won't hold it against you, but do you know that your laughter might have cut off the most important path to finding Shi Lei? He's my savior! You don't care, but I'm worried! You have to apologize today, whether you want to or not!"
Without waiting for Zhao Jingyi to struggle, Qin Yuti grabbed his ear and dragged him out of the palace gates, into a carriage, and headed straight for the East Palace, all the way from the inner courtyard of the palace to the stunned gazes of the servants.
The eunuchs at the East Palace gate were so shocked when they saw Prince Yi being dragged by the ear by the Princess Consort that their jaws nearly dropped to the ground.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were having breakfast when they heard the announcement. They came out and were stunned.
Qin Yuti released her grip, bowed gracefully to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and said sincerely, "Your Highness, Your Highness, yesterday Jingyi was unruly and spoke recklessly, offending my brother and sister-in-law. I apologize to you on his behalf." After saying this, she secretly kicked Zhao Jingyi.
Zhao Jingyi covered his bright red ears, looked at his disapproving elder brother and his sister-in-law who was suppressing a laugh, then glanced at his own princess beside him, who was eyeing him menacingly. Finally, he accepted reality, hung his head, and muttered reluctantly, "Elder brother, sister-in-law, I know I was wrong... I won't laugh next time..."
Seeing his younger brother's disheveled state, and then glancing at his wife who clearly wanted to laugh but was putting on a serious face, the Crown Prince's anger had long since dissipated, replaced by amusement. He said calmly, his face taut, "Since you've admitted your mistake, let it go. Get up. As for Shi Lei's matter… I will send someone to keep an eye on it."
Zhao Jingyi and Qin Yuti finally breathed a sigh of relief.
On the carriage back to the manor, Zhao Jingyi rubbed his ear, looking aggrieved: "Wife, you hit too hard, my ear almost fell off..."
Qin Yuti rolled her eyes at him: "Serves you right! See if you dare to make fun of people again next time! Especially not His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Zhao Jingyi muttered under his breath, "That's just how it is..." But seeing Qin Yuti's eyes widen again, he quickly shut up, silently weeping in his heart: This life is unbearable! My royal brother is afraid of his wife, and now I'm a little afraid of my wife too. What sins has our Zhao family committed?!
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince looked in the direction they had left, shook his head helplessly and chuckled, saying to Xu Nianchu, "It seems that this sixth sister-in-law has really managed to keep Jingyi completely under her thumb."
Xu Nianchu smiled as well: "It's just a matter of one thing subduing another." As she spoke, her gaze swept meaningfully over the Crown Prince.
His Highness the Crown Prince touched his nose and wisely changed the subject.
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