Emperor Cheng'an appeared deep in thought, but in reality, he had already weighed the options in his mind.
His gaze slowly swept over Xue Shen in his wheelchair, Shen Youying sitting on the ground silently weeping, and Empress Zhou who dared not speak her anger, before finally landing on Prince Chen.
If we don't want today's events to be publicized, we must give a satisfactory answer to the King of Qin.
"Prince Chen, do you know your mistake? Are you willing to accept punishment?"
Emperor Cheng'an closed his eyes again. Although he had no intention of passing the throne to Prince Chen, this son had grown up under his nose. Now, however, he was being forced to be severely punished by Prince Qin and his wife, and he felt reluctant to do so.
Prince Chen's heart sank. He wanted to say something, but Empress Zhou gently shook her head at him. He could only hold back for the time being and kowtowed again: "Your subject knows his mistake and is willing to accept punishment."
Because of his compliance, Emperor Cheng'an felt a pang of pity, but still said slowly and deliberately, "You have committed such a foolish act, and I am truly ashamed of failing the late emperor's entrustment. I hereby punish you by confining you to the Prince of Chen's residence, where you shall never leave, to serve the late emperor and our ancestors in my stead. Do you have any complaints?"
Prince Chen trembled slightly, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Your subject dares not have any complaints."
Emperor Cheng'an nodded, then looked at Prince Qin, sighed, and showed a hint of weariness: "I know you are angry, but fortunately, no serious mistake has been made. Therefore, I will confine Prince Chen to the Prince Chen's residence for life. Do you have any objections?"
The King of Qin's expression softened slightly, and he bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty is wise."
Emperor Cheng'an was exhausted by this farce and didn't want to see the couple add to his distress. So he waved his hand and said, "Princess Qin looks like she's about to faint from crying. Take her back and let her rest. This matter concerns the dignity of the royal family and should not be mentioned again."
The King of Qin agreed, glanced triumphantly at the King of Chen, whose face was ashen, and then gestured for the guards to help Shen Youying up. The two then left together.
After everyone left, Empress Zhou, who had been holding back for a long time, finally knelt down beside Prince Chen and raised her hands in a deep bow: "Your Majesty, although Zhan'er was confused for a moment, he did not cause any serious consequences. Lifelong confinement is too harsh a punishment." She raised her face, tears streaming down her exquisitely made-up face, looking pitiful: "Your Majesty's considerations are understood, but Zhan'er has been pampered since childhood. How can he endure this hardship?"
Emperor Cheng'an was also troubled. Of course, he loved his own son dearly, but if he punished him too lightly, Xue Shen, with his madness, might do something drastic.
He could throw away his pride, but Emperor Cheng'an could not.
He stood up and walked down the steps, helped Empress Zhou up, looked at his second son who was red-eyed and silent, and said in a deep voice, "This is just a temporary measure to appease the Prince of Qin."
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, but in his heart he thought that the King of Qin, this scourge, could not be allowed to live.
Whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally, he certainly stirred up a lot of trouble and repeatedly challenged the emperor's authority. Emperor Cheng'an was no longer magnanimous enough to tolerate him any longer.
"Don't feel wronged. I know you're fond of women, but there are so many women in the world, why did you have to go after the Princess Consort of Qin? If you really did, you could have at least covered it up, but you ended up losing more than you gained!"
Emperor Cheng'an looked at his dejected son and shook his head, saying, "You should reflect on your actions during your confinement. It's a good opportunity to temper your temperament."
Empress Zhou, sensing his tone, quickly chimed in, "Listen to your father, it's true that we should work on it."
Seeing that the outcome was already decided, King Chen had no choice but to obediently accept his punishment.
However, he was not as optimistic as Empress Zhou. Thinking that since the autumn hunt in Xishan, his father had been delegating power to the crown prince, while he himself had made mistakes repeatedly and the people he had promoted and cultivated had been suppressed, he felt a sense of urgent crisis.
He suspected that his father had imprisoned him in order to remove obstacles for the crown prince.
*
The couple left the palace and boarded a carriage.
Xue Shen pulled her into his arms and frowned when he saw that her eyes were still swollen. "You did well today, but you cried too much and your eyes are all swollen."
Shen Youying shifted uncomfortably and said, "If I don't cry more convincingly, how can I gain the trust of the Emperor and Empress?"
Recalling Empress Zhou's pale face after her earlier outmaneuver, Xue Shen couldn't help but pinch her chin and kiss her, rubbing her lips against hers. He said in a hoarse voice, "Who taught you to be so mean?"
Shen Youying's lower back was pressed down by him, and her body was pulled by his weight and fell straight into Xue Shen's arms. She pressed her palm against his chest, turned her face slightly away, and whispered, "A woman should follow her husband wherever he goes."
Xue Shen laughed loudly, then licked her earlobe, mumbling, "Hmm, you've learned well. You deserve a reward."
As he spoke, his slender fingers slid down his clothes, startling Shen Youying, who gasped and grabbed his restless hand.
"Still in the carriage..."
Xue Shen laughed: "It's not like I haven't been in a carriage before..."
He recalled Shen Youying's initiative that day; what was originally just a teasing thought had taken on a hint of desire. He licked around the sensitive outer ear with his tongue, then blew a breath inside, his voice hoarse as he asked, "Zhao Zhao, don't you remember how you begged me that day?"
Shen Youying really didn't remember. At the time, her mind was a complete mess. She only vaguely knew that Xue Shen had come to pick her up, so she let herself sink into despair.
Given the circumstances at the time, it's easy to imagine that he wouldn't have been very reserved.
Shen Youying shrank her neck, ticklish, and bit her lip, saying in a muffled voice, "I don't remember."
"If you don't remember, that's fine." Xue Shen didn't seem disappointed. He took her hand and wrapped it around his neck. "I'll help you remember."
...
Shen Youying was forced to recall the scene clearly. She leaned against Xue Shen's chest, breathing softly, her exposed skin flushed with varying shades of red.
Xue Shen, mindful of her shyness, only took a small bite. Right now, he was gently stroking her burning skin with his fingers, his voice hoarse: "Remember this time?"
Shen Youying hid her face in his chest, unwilling to answer.
Xue Shen chuckled softly, straightened her disheveled clothes, and teased, "If you keep rubbing against me, you won't be able to get off the carriage later."
As he spoke, he pressed down on Shen Youying's hand.
Shen Youying was slightly startled, blushed, and stepped back a little, pretending to be calm as she looked at the carriage curtain.
But even the largest carriage has limited space. Xue Shen's eyes lingered on her repeatedly, giving her the illusion that she was not wearing any clothes.
Shen Youying turned around and glared at him, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed: "How could Your Highness be like this..."
She couldn't bring herself to swear, so she could only blush and stop, her eyes glistening with tears, filled with accusation.
Xue Shen raised an eyebrow, as if determined to get to the bottom of things: "So what?"
Shen Youying gritted her teeth inwardly. Fortunately, the carriage stopped at that moment. She decided not to argue with Xue Shen anymore, lifted the curtain and got off the carriage, heading back to Tingmei Pavilion without stopping.
Xue Shen's cheerful laughter came from behind.
She glanced back, pursed her lips slightly, but couldn't suppress the smile on her face, and smiled as well.
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