The eldest prince refused to come down, so Zhu Dunyi ordered the eunuchs to bring a bamboo ladder. Two eunuchs held the ladder while an older eunuch climbed up. A quarter of an hour later, the eldest prince was carried down.
"Kneel down! You rebellious son!"
The eldest prince turned pale with fear and looked at Concubine Xi. In the past, whenever his father punished him, his mother would always speak up for him. But today things seemed different. The Empress Dowager, Concubine Xian, and Concubine Zhen were all here, but no one spoke up for her.
The eldest prince looked at Concubine Xi for help, blinking his eyes and pouting.
Concubine Xi pretended not to see it.
"Grandmother, grandson... grandson woo woo."
Gu Yinwei also felt that the child should not be spoiled and ignored his pleas for mercy.
"Stop crying! Your father will beat you even harder if you keep crying. Good luck to you. Your grandmother is busy, so we'll be leaving now."
After saying this, Concubine Xian pulled the Queen Mother and Concubine Zhen away.
As they walked, they continued, "The eldest prince is so naughty. Today he hides on the beams, and tomorrow he hides on the roof. Who has the time to come and look for him every day?"
"The Emperor was so anxious looking for him today that he couldn't even eat. Just wait and see. This matter won't be over until the eldest prince gets a beating."
Not long after the three of them walked out of Liangxiao Palace, they heard the wailing sounds of a pig being slaughtered from the main hall.
"Beat him. Hang him up and beat him."
The emperor was furious and no one dared to resist his order. Shuangxi took three layers of rope inside and three layers outside, tied it tightly, and dropped it under the eaves.
The eunuchs held the rulers but didn't dare to take action. They looked at each other, and no one dared to take action.
After all, he was the son of the emperor, so the eunuchs did not dare to hit him. The eldest prince shouted, "Father, I was wrong. Please don't hit me. I won't do it again next time."
"Next time, and next time."
The eunuchs did not dare to take action, for fear that if they hit the prince today, they would be held accountable in the future.
Zhu Dunyi then snatched the ruler, held it in his hand, walked towards the eldest prince, raised his hand and spanked the eldest prince's buttocks.
The eldest prince was hit more than twenty times with a ruler as thick as a finger, and he cried until he was hoarse.
Concubine Xi rushed forward to protect the eldest prince: "Your Majesty, please stop hitting me. Please stop hitting me."
Zhu Dunyi was so angry that he threw away the ruler. On the one hand, he was angry that the eldest prince was naughty and kept admonishing him, and on the other hand, he was angry that Concubine Xi was too protective of the eldest prince.
"He keeps causing trouble for me. I'll give him a good beating to teach him what power is."
Concubine Xi cried distressedly, and the eldest prince raised his tearful eyes and said, "Father, I will remember you."
Zhu Dunyi, who originally had no intention of taking action, picked up the ruler on the ground and started hitting the eldest prince's palm.
Perhaps the eldest prince was just trying to vent his anger, so the more the emperor beat him, the more he laughed.
"Good fight, good fight, it doesn't hurt at all."
Zhu Dunyi was so angry that he trembled: "Evil creature, hang me here and reflect on my mistakes. No food, no medicine, and no visitors are allowed."
After saying that, he turned away.
Concubine Xi hugged the eldest prince and cried bitterly, "Son, how are you injured?"
"Humph, my mother is a coward. My father beat me, but I didn't protect me."
"Tell me whether you deserve to be beaten or not. Who told you to hide on the beam? You scared your mother."
Concubine Xi cried so hard that she was out of breath.
He didn't eat or drink water, and his eyes were swollen like walnuts.
Agui tried to persuade Concubine Xi for a long time, but she still refused to eat or drink.
She had no choice but to go to Huayi Palace to invite Concubine Chen.
Concubine Chen was very angry and didn't want to see Agui at all.
He ordered the palace maid Ah Xiang, "Go tell the people in Liangxiao Palace that they are not welcome in Huayi Palace. Tell them not to come to our palace gate for no reason in the future."
Ah Xiang nodded in agreement and passed the message to Ah Gui.
"Sister Ah Xiang, what did Concubine Chen say?"
"My queen is in a bad mood and doesn't want to see anyone these days. Ah Xiang, try looking for Concubine Mei in Penglai Pavilion."
"Thank you, sister. I'm leaving now. Please ask our queen to greet Queen Chen."
Ah Xiang then ran back to reply to Concubine Chen.
Concubine Chen stood by the window and asked casually, "Is Ah Gui gone?"
"Leave."
"What's all the fuss in Liangxiao Palace? Didn't they say the eldest prince has been found?"
Ah Xiang said, "The eldest prince has been found, but the emperor is very angry. He has hung him up and beaten him, and won't allow him to eat or drink. Your Majesty, do you want to go and see him?"
"I'm not going. Last time, Concubine Xi and I had a quarrel, she should have come to apologize to me. Why should I go to see her?"
"She doesn't welcome me, so I won't offend her."
After saying that, she started reading, but Chen Fei's mind was so restless that she even dropped the book.
Ah Xiang did not continue to persuade her, but gently massaged Chen Fei's feet.
Concubine Chen tossed and turned, as if needles were pricking her on the chaise longue.
Ah Xiang brought hot tea and said, "My Lady, you've been reading for so long and your eyes must be tired. Have some tea."
"No."
"Your Majesty, please have some red bean cake."
"No."
Concubine Chen simply threw the book away and closed her eyes to rest. Ah Xiang knelt on the ground to add fuel to the incense burner. Concubine Chen stood up on her own and walked into the study to search.
Then she opened her treasured jewelry box and picked and chose as if she was looking for something.
"What are you looking for, Madam? Let me help you find it."
"I'm not looking for anything, just flipping through it."
Concubine Chen walked back and forth with her arms folded, looking absent-minded, and looking outside the palace with an anxious look.
Ah Xiang knew that Concubine Chen was worried about the matters in Liangxiao Palace, but she was unwilling to go there on her own initiative due to the sake of face.
"My Lady, would you like me to send someone to ask?"
"If you want to ask, send someone to ask. But this is your own idea. I don't care about the affairs of Liangxiao Palace at all."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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