When Xuanyuan Peng returned from the Holy King's Mansion, he couldn't contain his joy and was full of pride.
Upon seeing Su Huiyan, Consort Liang, Zhao Ji, and others kneeling in the Imperial Study, the smiles on their lips instantly vanished, and their joyful expressions turned gloomy.
"emperor."
Consort Liang was the first to see Xuan Yuanpeng and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, pay my respects." The others also bowed in greeting.
Xuanyuan Peng coldly glanced at the slightly pale lips of the group and said expressionlessly, "The Holy King has already set off for the North with the Xuanwu Sword. If you still want to kneel, then continue kneeling. If you don't want to kneel anymore, then you can get out! Don't stay here and get in my way!"
After Xuanyuan Peng finished speaking, he didn't give them a chance to speak and went into the imperial study with a flick of his sleeve.
Su Huiyan, Liang Fei, and the others looked at each other, their hearts filled with bitterness.
They had already been kneeling for a day and a night; how could they continue kneeling? The eldest among them, Grand Tutor Liang, was already seventy years old; if they continued kneeling, someone would really die.
Besides, kneeling wouldn't do any good; the Emperor completely ignored their pleas. The Holy King had already set off for the North with the Xuanwu Sword, so kneeling was pointless.
Grand Tutor Liang was too exhausted to kneel any longer. He tried to get up, but his knees seemed glued to the ground and he couldn't move them at all.
"Father." Upon seeing this, Consort Liang hurriedly tried to get up to help him, but she forgot that she had been kneeling for a day and a night. As soon as she stood up, her knees buckled and she knelt down on the ground with a "plop".
"Ah!" Those around could even hear the sound of bones breaking, and Consort Liang screamed in agony.
"Your Majesty!" The palace servants around her rushed forward to help her.
Consort Liang was in so much pain that tears welled up in her eyes. She was anxious about her own leg, but also about Grand Tutor Liang: "Quickly go and help the Grand Tutor."
Finally, a few palace maids helped Grand Tutor Liang and Consort Liang away.
Some palace servants even went directly to summon the imperial physician.
Su Huiyan and the others were not much better off than Consort Liang. With the help of the palace servants, they got up and, disregarding their kneeling pleas, rushed back to the palace to find the imperial physician to treat their knees.
Not to mention that Consort Liang's kneecaps were shattered, her kneecaps were also rotten.
The remaining ministers, led by Zhao Ji and Liu Zhenghe, dared not kneel down any longer.
Physical health is one reason, but the main reason is that the Emperor is serious. If they continue to kneel here stubbornly and refuse to give the Emperor any face, the Emperor will definitely punish them. They should be more sensible.
The group got up together and limped away from the imperial study.
Once the outside was quiet, a palace attendant immediately entered the hall to report: "Your Majesty, Consort Su and Prime Minister Zhao have all dispersed, and Consort Liang seems to have injured her knee."
Xuanyuan Peng stood by the window and saw everything that was happening outside. He sneered disdainfully, "She deserves it!"
Xuanyuan Peng thought of the three rebellious sons still kneeling in the main hall of Dongchu, and looked at Zong Jiu, saying, "Let those three kneel enough and go back to their own palaces!"
To avoid getting in his way, he skipped court today and instead led all the civil and military officials to see Zhan'er off.
He'd be better off looking at Zhan'er than those three unfilial sons!
"Yes," Zong Jiu replied and immediately went to the main hall of Dong Chu.
In the main hall of Dongchu, Xuanyuan Yu and the others truly could no longer kneel down.
My knees were numb, and to make matters worse, they hurt like they were being pricked with needles.
The worst part was that the Emperor even sent eunuchs to monitor them, giving them no chance to slack off. As soon as they took a break, the Emperor would issue an edict ordering them to kneel for an extra incense stick's time.
One incense stick after another, and before long, they had been kneeling for a whole day and night.
Xuanyuan Duo knelt on the ground, rubbing his aching calves, and looked at Xuanyuan Zhi and Xuanyuan Yu: "Second and third sons, what time is it? Why doesn't Father tell us to get up yet? Strange, they didn't even come to the morning court today."
Xuanyuan Duo had been hoping that his father would exempt them from kneeling during the morning court session. After all, it wouldn't be right for his father to make the three of them kneel in front of all the civil and military officials; that would be too blatant favoritism!
Unexpectedly, his father did not attend court at all, and he did not even see a trace of the officials. It had been a whole day and night, and they still had to kneel here. He felt that his knees were ruined!
Xuan Yuanzhi's knees were also in excruciating pain, and he sat half-sitting on his calves: "I think I just heard from the palace servants outside that Father Emperor went to see Xuan Yuanzhan off and will not be attending court today."
"What?" Xuanyuan Duo was instantly furious: "Father even skipped the morning court session to send Xuanyuan Zhan off. What's the use of us kneeling like this? It's still better to let that brat Xuanyuan Zhan take the Xuanwu Sword to the north!"
If he had known he would be forced to kneel for so long, he wouldn't have bothered to fight with Xuan Yuanzhan.
Not only could he not win against three against one, but he also had no claim to the throne, so there was no point in him joining the second and third brothers in this mess.
Xuanyuan Zhi was also very depressed.
I heard that not only the three of them are being punished by kneeling here, but also his mother, Consort Su, Zhao Ji, and his maternal grandfather are all kneeling in the Imperial Study.
Even his maternal grandfather's intervention couldn't dissuade his father, which shows how determined his father was to make Xuanyuan Zhan the heir apparent.
Xuan Yuanzhi glanced at Xuan Yuanyu and deliberately said, "Third brother, with Father Emperor favoring Xuan Yuanzhan so much, your hard-won position as crown prince is probably in jeopardy!"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Yu suddenly gripped the small black jar in his sleeve.
Now that the Emperor favors Xuanyuan Zhan, nothing anyone says matters; the Emperor is determined to acknowledge Xuanyuan Zhan back.
No, he must find a way to dissuade his father from this idea before his father opens the ancestral hall and allows Xuanyuan Zhan to be recognized as a member of the clan!
Just as the three were having a lively conversation, Zong Jiu came running to deliver an imperial decree: "By imperial decree, Your Highnesses are exempt from kneeling and may return to your palaces to rest."
"Oh, finally I don't have to kneel anymore."
Xuanyuan Duo plopped down on the ground. He couldn't even get up now; his knees were ruined.
Xuanyuan Zhi couldn't get up immediately and had to be helped up by the guards.
Only Xuanyuan Yu jumped up from the ground and hurried towards the Imperial Study.
After delivering the imperial decree, Zong Jiu returned. Seeing that Xuan Yuan Yu was heading in the same direction, Zong Jiu guessed that he was going to see the Emperor. He quickly took a few steps, wanting to get back to the Imperial Study before him, but Xuan Yuan Yu walked very fast, and Zong Jiu couldn't catch up at all.
Zong Jiu looked at Xuan Yuan Yu's rapidly departing figure with a helpless expression.
Did His Highness kneel for a whole day and night? His knees are incredibly strong.
The eldest prince and the second prince are both dying!
Xuanyuan Yu ran straight to the Imperial Study and tried to enter the main hall, but was stopped by the palace servants: "Third Prince, what are you doing? You want to see the Emperor, so we will inform him."
"Get out!" Xuan Yuan Yu shoved aside the palace servants and rushed into the imperial study.
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