Chapter 93
Xue Jin'an guessed correctly; she did indeed take the opportunity to release Xiao Huan, the Third Princess's personal maid. However, rather than informing her, she was more concerned with minimizing the humiliation suffered by any one person.
The third princess was pessimistic about the situation she was about to face.
In fact, back in the Princess's residence, when she saw the Ninth Prince being beaten so badly by the Third Prince that he had no chance to fight back, she felt no sense of revenge. Instead, her body stiffened and her back went cold, and she sensed that something bad was about to happen.
After all, others might not know the true nature of the Ninth Prince, but she and the Fourth Princess, who had been bullied for many years, knew it all. The Ninth Prince was a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He had been wronged here and dared not retaliate against the Third Prince, so he must have found someone easier to bully to vent his anger on.
The third princess was the fourth princess's punching bag.
The Third Princess wanted to avoid this situation, so she shamelessly stayed at the Eldest Princess's residence until the palace gates were about to close. Fortunately, the Eldest Princess and the Third Prince seemed to have something to discuss and were too busy to take care of her, which allowed her to stay for so long.
She came out nervously, but little did she know that the Ninth Prince had already anticipated her thoughts. Instead of returning to the palace, he waited outside the Princess's residence for her to make his move.
When the carriage was halfway there, the Third Princess noticed that the Ninth Prince was following behind. She immediately told the coachman to speed up so that she could get back to the palace quickly and get rid of the Ninth Prince, but she was still caught red-handed.
The Third Princess had nowhere to escape. She felt that the only thing she could do was to let Xiao Huan leave, at least to save this little palace maid from being killed. After all, no matter how unfavored she was, she was still a princess. The Ninth Prince could verbally abuse her, but he wouldn't take her life. Xiao Huan was different; she was just a palace maid. Killing a palace maid was no big deal. As long as a plausible reason was found, no one would even say that the Ninth Prince was cruel.
The Third Princess thought: It's good that Xiao Huan left; at least it left her, this worthless mistress, with a shred of dignity.
The Third Princess was very good at enduring, and had endured it many times before. She thought that this time would be just like the countless times before. She would swallow her anger and endure the humiliation, and then go back and use words to gloss over the situation, pretending that nothing had happened. She thought that she had long been worn down by indifference and had lost all her temper and personality.
The only person in the palace who cared about her and would stand up for her was Consort Wen. However, Consort Wen's life was already difficult enough, and she had done enough for her. She couldn't be ungrateful and couldn't bring her any more hardship. So she endured it, and she had to endure it.
That's how it should be, that's how it should be, but she overestimated herself.
Once again subjected to these humiliations that she should have taken for granted, the Third Princess found that her numb heart, which should not have been stirred again, was slightly aching. Shame and anger surged up, causing her body to tremble. Her eyes burned, and tears welled up uncontrollably. She forcibly suppressed them so that they did not spill over.
"Will he change it?"
"Even if the Ninth Prince is truly reformed, it doesn't mean he knows he was wrong; it just means he's afraid. You've all been bullied for nothing."
"This is her teaching as an elder, not revenge. Do you think this can make up for the scolding and beatings you suffered before? The Ninth Prince was treated like this, are you really willing to forgive him so easily?"
...
"You should return all the pain and sorrow he inflicted on you."
The conversation she had with that Brother Cui Zui at Zhaoyang Palace a few days ago echoed in her mind, each word striking her numb heart like a heavy hammer, awakening the self-esteem that she had buried deep within and thought she had long forgotten.
"Dignity lies only on the edge of the sword, and truth lies only within the range of the arrow."
The Third Princess silently pondered these words in her heart, and finally, when the Ninth Prince used Consort Wen to threaten her, she erupted from her silence.
She raised her fist.
This time, someone stood behind her, handed her a weapon, and told her that she could go even further and vent her anger even more.
The rumors about the Seventh Prince faded away in the Third Princess's mind. At this moment, on the scales of her heart, her Seventh Brother and Eldest Sister were equally important, second only to Consort Wen.
"Those people are wrong." Seventh Brother is not some Rakshasa demon, and he would never harm his blood relatives. Seventh Brother is clearly a Bodhisattva's son, who came to save people from suffering.
Even when she ignorantly thought that the feathered arrow was a weapon used for whipping, her seventh brother not only did not laugh at her for being ignorant, but also kindly stepped forward to teach her the correct way to use it: "Poke him with the arrowhead, make sure he bleeds."
He then kindly told her where to poke him and what force and angle to use so that the Ninth Prince would feel pain but not die, and that even if the imperial physician came, he would say with conviction that it was a minor injury.
“It’s just a minor injury. You’re a minor, so paying some money won’t cause any problems.” This was the experience Xue Jin’an had gained from various crime novels.
Which crime novel doesn't feature a mischievous kid or juvenile delinquent? Every case they appear in always fills the comments section with感慨 (feelings of deep emotion), and even questions whether the law is the "Law on the Protection of Minors" or the "Law on the Protection of Juvenile Offenders."
There have been relevant laws since ancient times. The Juvenile Protection Law of the Great Qi Dynasty clearly stipulates that child criminals under the age of fifteen are exempt from the death penalty and exile, and the crime of exile can be redeemed with money.
There are many other reasons, but I won't go into detail. In short, the cost of juvenile delinquency is low.
"Make good use of the terms that are favorable to you and settle the score with him." Xue Jin'an was a master at accounting. If the Third Princess told him about all the humiliations the Ninth Prince had done, he could even accurately give the number of times he would retaliate.
The Third Princess was tempted, but she also knew with regret that such an opportunity would only come once, and that today's events would not end well. Regardless of whether the Ninth Prince pursued the matter or not, she would definitely be punished. It wouldn't be as simple as paying some money; she would also face retaliation from the Ninth Prince afterward... But it didn't matter; this time, she would not cowardly choose to hide.
Hiding won't work, will it? It will only embolden him to take advantage of the situation again and again. The Third Princess has already grasped some of the truth.
"Although... I'm very happy, thank you, Seventh Brother." The Third Princess sincerely thanked her, revealing a bright smile.
Although she didn't say what she was going to say aloud, Xue Jin'an deduced her thoughts through data analysis and affirmed again, "You acted in self-defense, you are a minor, and you are innocent."
“Yes!” Fu Ling rarely paid attention to anything. She nodded vigorously, probably to make the statement more convincing. She even turned to look at a prince who had killed a concubine and was let off lightly.
The Third Princess understood her actions. For a moment, she truly believed she would be alright, but she was too self-aware. Her Seventh Brother was the Empress Dowager's favorite child, while she was not.
The third princess concealed the sadness in her eyes and said softly, "Mm."
Fu Lu felt a pang of pity. He too had experienced being ignored, left to fend for himself, and having nowhere to turn for help. He was probably the only one present who could share a common mind with the Third Princess. When he caught the Third Princess's expression, he wanted to ask for a guarantee for her for a moment, but he sobered up as soon as he opened his mouth.
Just as the Third Princess didn't want to cause trouble for Consort Wen, Fulu also didn't want his master to get involved in these matters.
Even if Fu Lu hadn't said anything, Xue Jin'an could tell from her micro-expressions that the Third Princess didn't believe him. He didn't waste his breath explaining, but instead said directly, "The possibility of you returning unharmed is one hundred percent."
The third princess still didn't believe it, but she was deeply moved.
She couldn't help but think: Fourth Sister and Fourth Brother's mother must not have been killed by Seventh Brother. Even if they really died because of Seventh Brother, there must have been a reason. She wanted to persuade Fourth Sister and Fourth Brother more, to make them understand that Seventh Brother was a good person, and not to mistake a thief for their mother.
The Third Princess was so moved that she was incoherent. Overwhelmed with emotion, she accidentally used too much force when she poked the Ninth Prince, causing the angle to shift slightly.
The Ninth Prince didn't even utter a sound before his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Xue Jin'an's high-definition camera accurately captured his still rising and falling chest. He scanned him with a health app and found, "He's still alive, but he's bleeding a bit too much."
"Unfortunate news," Fuling said dejectedly.
Fu Lu comforted him, saying, "It's a bit of a loss if it dies now. You can keep poking it after it recovers."
It's not that the Ninth Prince is unkillable, but rather that a living Ninth Prince is more cost-effective.
Third Princess: "..."
What does it mean when you suddenly feel a spark of attraction?
Regardless of what she was thinking, the Ninth Prince had already fainted, so the Third Princess couldn't continue what she was doing. She stood up from him, and because she had been sitting for too long, her legs were still a little numb from poor blood circulation. She staggered slightly before regaining her balance.
Just then, Xue Jin'an turned his head to look into the distance and said, "Li Hechun is here."
*
While the Third Princess was swallowing her anger, her personal maid, Xiao Huan, hurriedly ran back to find Consort Wen. Even though she knew that her mistress didn't want Consort Wen to worry, she was also at a loss. The Ninth Prince usually bullied his mistress ruthlessly enough, and now that he had been angered, something bad was bound to happen.
Consort Wen was sitting under the eaves, embroidering by the light of the day. She squinted and pressed the needle a little hastily, but even in her haste, her stitches were very tight and beautiful, as if they were natural.
The reason she was in such a hurry was because it was getting dark soon, and she would have to light candles to embroider when she got back to her room. She didn't think much of it, but Nian'er would be upset if she saw it. The child always felt that she was suffering so much because of her.
In reality, she was grateful to be able to raise the child, not only for the sake of advancing two ranks, but also because the loneliness of the palace made her feel comforted by having a child by her side. She cherished every day and wanted to live a little longer, much longer.
When Consort Wen first gained the Emperor's favor and transitioned from a servant to a mistress, she likely harbored some pride. However, as time passed and she experienced more sleepless nights, she came to her senses. She wasn't actually a very strong person; if it weren't for Nian'er, she wouldn't be alive today.
Consort Wen smiled unconsciously as she thought of the Third Princess.
Her craftsmanship was excellent, and the eunuch she worked with was a kind and honest man who paid her generously. By giving away all the embroidery she had accumulated, she could get about twelve or thirteen taels of silver, enough to make Nian'er a spring outfit. With the remaining money, she could buy some clay for Nian'er to play with...
Even though her embroidery wasn't finished, she had already figured out how to use the money she would earn from selling it.
"It's time, Nian'er should be back soon." Suddenly, Consort Wen frowned. For some reason, she felt a tightness in her chest. However, she was finishing up the embroidery in her hands, and she couldn't bear to let go. She just gave an instruction to the nanny serving her.
The old woman went out, and after a while she returned in a hurry with Xiao Huan, bringing extremely bad news.
The Third Princess always thought she had hidden the fact that she would be bullied by the Ninth Prince very well. In reality, it was Consort Wen who did not expose her. Countless times, she held her daughter's hand in the middle of the night and shed tears for her own powerlessness.
Just as the Third Princess didn't want Consort Wen to know she had been humiliated, Consort Wen also didn't want the Third Princess to know she had cried. The mother and son were carefully protecting each other.
Her eyesight would be ruined, partly because she embroidered at night in the dim candlelight, and partly because of this.
The peace and stability they tried so hard to maintain have finally been shattered today.
Consort Wen, an embroiderer with over twenty years of experience, experienced her hands tremble so much that she couldn't hold the embroidery needle steady for the first time.
The needle pierced the fingertip, and blood beads immediately welled up, staining the phoenix's eyes red. A beautiful embroidery depicting a phoenix's rebirth through blood was transformed into a phoenix weeping blood.
"Nian'er!" Consort Wen couldn't care less about anything else. She got up and walked out, her mind buzzing. All she wanted to do was get to the Third Princess's side.
However, the moment she stepped out the door, she calmed down. She knew that she was not qualified, and even if she went, she might not be able to protect Nian'er. She had to find someone who could keep the Ninth Prince in check—Consort Zhuang. Yes, find Consort Zhuang.
Consort Zhuang is the Ninth Prince's nominal mother. She has the duty and responsibility to discipline him. As his adoptive mother, she was granted special permission to enter the palace to take care of the child. It is her duty to discipline him well, and she will certainly be reprimanded if she does not. She is one of the people who least wants to see the Ninth Prince make mistakes.
She could secretly go to Consort Zhuang and do her a favor. Consort Zhuang might be angry, but it doesn't matter, she can pay with her life... Nian'er will have an easier time in the future.
Consort Wen stiffly and laboriously controlled her body, which wanted to rush to find the Third Princess. She quickly changed into a thinner set of clothes in her room. Her pale, ghostly face was enough to scare people without any makeup. She went to Chonghua Palace to find Consort Zhuang.
However, what she didn't expect was that after hearing about this, Consort Zhuang immediately sent someone to inform the Emperor, and on the grounds that "this concubine is incapable of disciplining the Ninth Prince," she asked Li Hechun to personally go and stop the Ninth Prince's violence.
"Don't worry, His Majesty will definitely uphold justice." Consort Zhuang squeezed Consort Wen's hand.
A charcoal brazier was lit in Chonghua Palace. Sitting in the warm palace, Consort Wen felt a chill all over her body. She could tell that Consort Zhuang wanted to use this matter to throw away the guardianship of the Ninth Prince. Even if she couldn't throw it away, at least she had made it clear to the Emperor that she couldn't control the Ninth Prince.
My Nian'er, every extra quarter of an hour she endures more humiliation, but no one cares. A metallic taste rose in Wen Zhaoyi's throat, and her vision blurred; she barely managed to stay upright.
*
When Li Hechun saw the familiar-looking eunuch Fulu from afar, his heart skipped a beat: The Seventh Prince had interfered in this matter, and the Ninth Prince was still... still alive, right?
He walked over with trepidation and trembling hands and feet, and then saw the Ninth Prince lying on the ground covered in blood, unconscious. He couldn't help but feel dizzy.
If he's not missing any arms or legs, then he's probably dead!
Fu Lu quickly stepped forward to help, saying, "Eunuch Li, don't worry about fainting, the person is still alive."
"The person is still alive?!" Li Hechun stepped forward to check in disbelief and found that he was indeed breathing and had a pulse. He felt inexplicably relieved.
"It has nothing to do with my seventh brother, I did it." The third princess took all the blame upon herself, and even took out the feathered arrow that she had deliberately kept from returning to her seventh brother, the bloodstains on it clearly visible.
When the timid and cowardly Third Princess jumped out and claimed to be the culprit who had injured someone, especially in front of the Seventh Prince, who had a criminal record and was extremely ruthless, Li Hechun's first thought was not to believe it. He even wanted to ask the Third Princess: "If you've been kidnapped, blink twice."
However, facts speak louder than words. Both the marks on the Third Princess's clothes and the arrow in her hand, the murder weapon, proved that she was indeed the one who did it... Wait, an arrow??
Li Hechun noticed the key point: "Where did this arrow come from?"
"I gave it to you," Xue Jin'an admitted frankly.
Li Hechun: "..." The case is solved. As expected, the real culprit is the Seventh Prince, and the Third Princess was just instigated.
"Oh dear, this servant will be scared to death by you sooner or later." Li Hechun had already tacitly accepted that the Seventh Prince was the real culprit. In fact, he had long been mentally prepared for the Ninth Prince to fall into the hands of the Seventh Prince again.
He was, after all, the emperor's chief eunuch. Putting aside everything else, his ability to read people was absolutely qualified. He knew about some of the Ninth Prince's private behavior towards the eunuchs and palace maids. However, since the emperor favored the Ninth Prince, he had to turn a blind eye.
If the troublemaker were a favored concubine, Li Hechun could comfort his subordinates with the saying, "Nothing lasts forever." But this was a prince. Unless a prince was involved in something too serious and fell into a quagmire, or someone of low birth and no support like the Eighth Prince, there was virtually no chance of the servants successfully taking revenge on him.
However, the success rate of a prince retaliating against another prince was quite high. The only advice he could give his subordinates was: wait.
The Seventh Prince suddenly appeared and managed to bring down the Imperial Concubine. Given the Ninth Prince's temperament, he would definitely not be able to swallow this insult, and with his petty tricks, he would never be able to defeat the Seventh Prince.
Maybe by then, I'll be able to get some revenge.
Li Hechun had already anticipated this, but he didn't expect that the Seventh Prince wouldn't attack the Ninth Prince at the last palace banquet. He thought the Seventh Prince had taken pity on him, or that he didn't find it interesting to bully a child.
It hasn't been long, and the Ninth Prince is already injured like this. This is really... Li Hechun had a strange feeling that the Ninth Prince might be doomed today.
Li Hechun stared at the feathered arrow, his mind racing with thoughts, which made him slow to react.
“Eunuch Li,” Fulu whispered, “shouldn’t we call the imperial physician? The Ninth Prince has lost a lot of blood.”
Excessive blood loss can also lead to death. If the Ninth Prince dies, there will be no way to reuse him, which would be beneath him. Master cannot do something that results in a loss. Fu Lu was very worried.
Li Hechun finally realized what was happening and quickly woke up the trembling eunuchs on the ground, saying, "What are you all standing there for? If anything happens to your master, you won't live either."
His words weren't a threat, but a warning. When a prince dies, regardless of the cause, those who served him will always bear the blame for neglecting his care, which usually results in immediate execution.
The eunuchs on the ground could also distinguish between good and bad, and quickly carried the Ninth Prince on their backs and ran towards the Imperial Hospital.
"Seventh Prince, Third Princess, please come with me to see His Majesty." As soon as he finished speaking, Li Hechun felt that the scene was strangely familiar, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, with a bad premonition.
The last time he took the Seventh Prince to see His Majesty seemed to be... an assassination attempt in the Imperial Study...
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