Chapter 52 Boudoir Fun
After the Marquis of Rongchang and his companions paid their respects to the emperor, the emperor glanced at the little girl who was clinging to Ji Changqing's legs, her head lowered so low that it could touch the ground, and said to the Jingzhao Yin, "You speak."
The Jingzhao Yin reported to him what happened in the Rongchang Marquis' Mansion with a little nervousness.
"...Over sixty unidentified bodies were recovered from the lakebed. The coroner examined the bodies of the Marquis of Rongchang and confirmed drowning. Lord Ji's servant and a young girl also testified against the Crown Prince for child abuse..."
After hearing this, the emperor asked the prince, "Why did your guards chase and kill Lord Ji's servant?"
The Crown Prince replied, "Your Majesty, I went to the guest house to rest due to being drunk. As soon as I entered the small courtyard that the Marquis's residence usually reserved for me, I saw a servant rushing out with a child in his arms. I felt very suspicious and asked him to stop, but he ran away instead. That's when I sent my guards after him."
"I just want to bring him back for questioning, not to kill him."
The emperor then asked the Marquis of Rongchang, "Why did your men attack this little girl?"
Rongchang Hou looked aggrieved and said, "I don't know either. I didn't give the order. He acted on his own. Now he is dead and has no evidence. Even if I jump into the Yellow River, I can't clear myself of the charges."
"How do you explain the corpses that were pulled from the bottom of the lake?"
"This is the first time I've ever heard of so many corpses hidden at the bottom of the lake. I was so shocked I nearly fainted, and my legs are still weak. I don't know who was so cruel as to dump the bodies of so many dead children into our mansion."
The Queen handed over a cup of tea and said, "My Lord, please have a cup of tea to warm yourself up first."
Turning to the emperor, he said, "Your Majesty, you have heard everything. From beginning to end, no one has ever seen anyone in the Marquis's Mansion kill or dispose of a body, nor has anyone ever seen the Crown Prince abuse a child."
"Only Lord Ji's servant and this child testified against the prince."
"What can their one-sided statements prove? Nothing. I'm sure Lord Ji himself knows that they are untenable, so he didn't dare bring that servant into your presence when he entered the palace this time."
Ji Changqing said calmly, "I didn't bring that boy into the palace because the child's testimony is enough."
"The child's testimony?"
The queen burst out laughing.
"Master Ji has never raised a child, so he probably doesn't know that a child of her age can't distinguish between fact and fantasy."
She looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, do you remember when the Crown Prince had just changed his teeth? You came to my palace and saw him sobbing. You asked him what was wrong, and he said that I had beaten him and broke all his teeth."
"After hearing this, you immediately scolded me and sent the crown prince to the prince's residence instead of letting me take care of him."
"If it weren't for the nanny beside my mother who knew what was going on and happened to be delivering something to her and explained a few words on my behalf, I'm afraid I would never be able to clear my name in this lifetime."
"His teeth were half-fallen out, and they hurt every time he ate. He refused to let the nurse pull them out, and I couldn't bear to see him suffer, so I pulled them out."
"Who knew that when you asked, he actually said that it was me who interrupted him."
The prince looked ashamed.
"I don't know why I said that at the time. Later, when I was older, I remembered seeing a young eunuch being slapped by an old eunuch, and a tooth was knocked out."
"When your Majesty Queen Mother was helping me pull out my tooth, I might have mixed up these two things and said that you, Queen Mother, beat me."
"I'm so sorry for causing my mother to suffer injustice."
The Queen smiled and said, "It's okay. Mother knows you definitely didn't mean it. It's normal for you to talk nonsense at your age."
Then he asked the emperor, "Your Majesty, do you think the testimony of a child who cannot distinguish between fact and fantasy is credible?"
The emperor remained silent and threw the question to Ji Changqing: "What do you think, Ji Qing?"
Just as Ji Changqing was about to speak, a eunuch came in and reported, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess requests an audience."
The emperor was slightly startled: "What's the matter?"
The eunuch replied, "The Crown Princess said she came here to discuss the Crown Prince's child abuse."
The Crown Prince's expression changed slightly, and before the Emperor could respond, he said, "Tell her not to worry, go back and wait, I will be back to the East Palace soon."
Just as he finished speaking, the Crown Princess rushed in.
She bowed and saluted the emperor, then said softly, "I heard that something serious happened in the Rongchang Marquisate, and the Crown Prince was involved. I have something to report to your father for your consideration."
"Look how anxious you are." The Queen glared at her. "I know you care about the Crown Prince. Don't worry, the Crown Prince is fine. Go back and rest."
The Crown Princess has always been docile and obedient to her, but this time she acted out of character.
"Mother, please allow me to finish."
She said as she rolled up her sleeves.
"Are you crazy?" The prince stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. "How dare you act so rashly in front of our father?"
The Queen's face darkened and she reprimanded, "Crown Princess, this is not proper etiquette for people to follow. Don't act on impulse and tarnish the reputation of a woman from the Pei family."
When the Crown Princess heard this, she realized that she knew exactly what the Crown Prince did every day, but she had always covered it up and condoned it. Her originally hesitant heart instantly became firm.
She struggled to break free from the prince's hand and quickly rolled up her sleeves, revealing the new and old scars all over her arms.
"My whole body is covered with whip marks, all from the Crown Prince. If you don't believe me, please let the nanny examine me."
She gritted her teeth.
"Since entering the palace, I have never had a peaceful day. Every day is worse than death. Everyone says that the prince is a humble gentleman, but who knows how heinous his beastly behavior is behind the scenes!"
The emperor's face was gloomy.
The Queen sighed, walked to the Crown Princess and lowered her sleeves.
"You child, what can I say about you? You are so naive. How can you show off your private interests in public? How can His Majesty, the Marquis, and Lord Ji face this?"
"If you don't like this, just tell the prince directly. Why bother to bring it to His Majesty? Really—"
The Crown Princess interrupted her, "The Princess was slapped by her husband and came to the palace to complain to His Majesty. Your Majesty then exiled the husband and his entire family to Lingnan. And yet, I, beaten and bruised, became a source of pleasure? Is it because the daughter of the Pei family is not as noble as the Princess, and so the Crown Prince can do whatever he wants?"
The queen was speechless for a moment.
She patted the Crown Princess's shoulder to comfort her, then turned to the Crown Prince and said, "You, you don't know how to be gentle with women. You must have a good talk with the Crown Princess later. You've driven her crazy."
The prince nodded in agreement.
The Queen then said to the Crown Princess, "I have a few boxes of scar removal cream. I'll have them all delivered to you later. Just apply it for a month or so, and your scars will all disappear. Don't worry about leaving scars."
The Crown Princess scoffed, "So after beating someone up, you just give them a scar removal cream and that's it. Did Father treat Mother the same way?"
Without waiting for the Queen's response, he added, "If planning to kill me is a boudoir pleasure, then what is lighting a child's lamp in your own bedroom?"
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