The door was kicked open with a bang, and Consort Shu stared at the crowd with a cold gaze. "Gambling is a serious crime, and you dare to gamble in broad daylight!"
Several eunuchs were so frightened that they knelt down and begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, please forgive us!"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Hu Hai stood there, bewildered, looking at Consort Shu, "Your Highness Consort Shu..."
In the garden, Consort Shu bent down and asked, "Shouldn't you be at the school?"
Hu Hai clenched his little hands, looking utterly guilty. "I...they said it would make money, and they wanted me to come along. I forgot to go to school..."
Consort Shu gripped his shoulder. "How were you feeling just now?"
Hu Hai recalled his appearance just now, and realized that he had almost begged himself into a rage.
“I want to win all the money, but some people don’t like that.”
[It's starting! It's already showing signs of turning into a serial killer!]
Hu Hai looked somewhat puzzled.
A serial killer?
who?
Consort Shu then looked at the eunuchs kneeling beside her, "How dare you! You actually brought the young master to gamble!"
The eunuch on the right trembled and begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, spare my life! This servant knows his mistake!"
The two on the left, however, remained calm and showed no fear in the face of Consort Shu.
The eunuch on the far left said with a stern face, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. The Eighteenth Prince was not brought here by this servant. He himself said he wanted to make money, and this servant had no choice but to tell him!"
The eunuch beside him chimed in, "Yes, I had no choice."
Xiangqin glared angrily, "You wretch! How dare you talk back to Her Majesty!"
If she hadn't been holding Ying Ziyu, she would have gone up and slapped him.
They're incredibly audacious; after all, it was Zhao Gao who ordered it, specifically to cripple the Eighteenth Brother!
Hu Hai's expression changed slightly.
Are you trying to ruin me?
Why?
When he was most helpless, Zhao Gao appeared and asked him if he would like to become his disciple, promising to take good care of him.
For Hu Hai, this was like a ray of light suddenly shining into the darkness.
But Zhao Gao's goal was actually to ruin himself?
Hu Hai didn't quite understand.
Consort Shu's eyes were icy cold. "Drag him away and punish him with one hundred strokes of the cane. Beat him severely!"
The eunuch who echoed her words had a slightly darker look in his eyes. "We servants are only following Lord Zhao Gao's orders. Your Highness, please reconsider!"
The tone was threatening.
Now everyone in the palace knows that Zhao Gao is deeply favored by the emperor and is practically a favorite of Ying Zheng.
Even a concubine of high rank had to consider whether she could offend Zhao Gao.
Consort Shu snapped, "What are you all standing there for!"
Amidst resentful stares, several eunuchs were dragged away, followed by screams of agony.
Realizing he was indeed wrong, Hu Hai lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, please punish me as well."
Consort Shu gently patted his head twice. "You mustn't do that again. You should be studying hard now. This kind of fooling around will ruin you!"
Tears welled up in the little one's eyes. "I know I was wrong. Sister Man is sick. I just wanted to find some money to buy her some good food..."
Aside from Consort Shu, Princess Ying Yinman was the only person in the palace who treated him well.
Whenever the other princes insulted him for not having a mother and beat her, only his older sister, who was only two years older than him, would stand up for her.
[It was Brother Eighteen who ordered Sister Man's death; she was to be turned into a human pig with all four limbs cut off.]
Hu Hai's pupils suddenly contracted.
Will I kill Sister Man?
Or is it a human pig?
impossible!
How could I kill Sister Man?
If this continues, besides my other brothers and sisters being killed by my eighteenth brother, I'm afraid my mother and I won't escape either.
Hu Hai's eyes grew increasingly terrified.
Will I also kill Consort Shu and her younger brother?
How is that possible?
Hearing the little one's thoughts, Consort Shu's expression unconsciously became serious.
She grasped Xiao Huhai's shoulder and said, "Promise Your Majesty that you will never do such a thing again and that you will study hard."
Hu Hai nodded absentmindedly.
The little guy walked along the road, looking lost and dejected, when a voice called out, "Eighteenth brother?"
Little Hu Hai looked up and saw a bright-eyed girl in white looking at him, her delicate, fair face full of worry. "Sister Man? What are you doing here?"
Ying Yinman looked at him, "I went to the school to look for you but you weren't there. Why are you here during school hours? Did something happen?"
The young girl frowned slightly. "Did the Eighth Young Master and the Ninth Young Master bully you again?"
Xiao Huhai shook his head. "No, I just came out for a walk."
Seeing that the little guy seemed to have something on his mind, but since Xiao Huhai didn't say anything, Ying Yinman didn't ask any further. Instead, she took out a food box and said, "The kitchen sent some pear blossom cakes today. Try some."
Hu Hai took the food box, his eyes slightly red.
Ying Yinman coughed twice, covering her mouth, and almost fell over.
The maidservant quickly supported her, saying with a worried expression, "Princess, you are still ill. The doctor said you shouldn't move around too much."
The girl looked at Xiao Huhai and said, "Remember to eat it while it's hot. I'm going back to rest."
Watching Ying Yinman's departing figure, Xiao Huhai felt conflicted. "Sister Man, will I kill her?"
As he carried the food box to the palace gate, Xiao Huhai heard voices coming from inside.
"Arrested? What happened?" Zhao Gao's face was cold and grim.
The eunuch beside him said with a bitter face, "We specially chose a secluded storeroom to avoid attracting attention, but for some reason, Consort Shu went there."
"Consort Shu?" Zhao Gao's expression changed slightly.
Although that empress was not very favored, her son was no ordinary person.
His Majesty even brought Ying Ziyu to court, something that had never happened before, which shows how much His Majesty values Ying Ziyu.
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