Early the next morning, Rong Qi and Rong Mian rode off towards the capital.
Around noon, the two finally arrived at the palace to report to the emperor.
In the Imperial Study, Rong Mian knelt, Rong Qi stood, and Rong Yuan sat.
There was a moment of silence in the air, and even Eunuch Hong standing nearby felt a pang of worry for the Third Prince.
Fortunately, a moment later, His Majesty the Emperor broke the silence of the Imperial Study.
"Third brother, do you know your mistake?"
Rong Mian kowtowed: "Your subject knows his mistake."
Rong Yuan...
snort
There's still hope; no one will never turn back until they hit a brick wall.
Rong Yuan: "Then I will punish you. Do you accept the punishment?"
"Your subject accepts the punishment."
Rong Yuan nodded and looked at Rong Qi, who was standing like a great Buddha: "Aqi, what do you say?"
"Uncle, Rongmian has done a great job in disaster relief this time and deserves a reward!"
Rong Yuan looked at him suspiciously without saying a word.
Even Rong Mian, who was kneeling, found it hard to believe that Rong Qi would speak up for him.
Rong Qi spoke again.
"Uncle, Rong Mian may have made a mistake, but his merits outweigh his faults. Please, Uncle, forgive his punishment!"
The eunuch Hong chimed in at the appropriate moment, "Indeed, Your Majesty, the Third Prince is still young. He needs more experience before he can shoulder greater responsibilities. Besides, His Highness is Your Majesty's son. Even if he has a little temper occasionally, it won't interfere with important matters."
Besides, even if something major happened, you wouldn't just send the Third Prince alone. So, it's a minor matter; he can't cause any trouble on his own.
This was something that Eunuch Hong only dared to think to himself.
Rong Yuan glared at Rong Qi and Eunuch Hong: "Hmph, you two are quite the smooth talkers."
Then he looked at Rong Mian on the ground: "Third brother, do you think you should be rewarded or punished?"
Rong Mian: "Your subject...accepts the punishment."
Rong Yuan slammed his hand on the table: "Good, that's the kind of responsibility a prince should have. Considering you've just returned and tomorrow is your annual training, we can punish you after you've finished your training. You may all leave."
With a wave of his hand, Rong Yuan sent Rong Qi and Rong Mian out.
Outside the Imperial Study, Rong Mian hesitated for a long time before finally managing to utter two words: "Thank you."
Thank you for speaking up for me.
Rong Qi chuckled and strode forward.
Rong Mian didn't know what Rong Qi meant by that "heh." After thinking for a long time, he decided to let it go. He had already thanked him, and it was up to Rong Qi whether he accepted it or not.
Rong Mian turned his head and glanced at the inner courtyard of the palace, then strode away from the palace and returned to his prince's residence.
He needed to go back and think carefully about how to face Rong Qi, the Li family, and others in the future.
Did he really do something wrong before?
After he has figured it out, then he can think about apologizing to his mother.
Inside the Imperial Study
Rong Yuan was reviewing memorials when he suddenly looked up and asked, "Give me a plan on how I should punish the Third Prince when they return from their training?"
Eunuch Hong shuddered. What was His Majesty up to now? How could he possibly come up with a solution?
If I'm too heavy, you'll feel sorry for me; if I'm too light, you'll think I'm favoring the Third Prince. You're trying to kill me!
As expected of someone who had served His Majesty for many years, Eunuch Hong understood that His Majesty valued these princes quite a bit, since there were only three princes and four princesses in the palace.
His Highness the Crown Prince is capable of handling things alone, but with so many important matters in the world, he cannot be relied upon alone; someone must share the burden. The Third Prince is precisely the right candidate. As for the other prince, he is too young to be of sufficient age to share the responsibility.
Eunuch Hong: "Your Majesty, this old servant dares to be bold. The reason why His Highness the Third Prince is a little upset is simply because he wants to gain Your Majesty's attention and approval."
"Furthermore, Your Majesty has been too exhausted lately. Why not wait for the Third Prince to return from his training and have him and the Crown Prince help you review the memorials? Since the Third Prince is new to this, he can start by reviewing some simple and easy-to-understand ones."
"In this way, the Third Prince will no longer act rashly under your watchful eye!"
After hearing this, Rong Yuan slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
Eunuch Hong was startled, thinking he had said something wrong and angered the emperor, so he quickly knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This old servant deserves to die."
Rong Yuan: "Get up, why are you kneeling? I meant to say that your idea is excellent, so let's do it this way!"
"When they return from their training, go and inform the third brother. Also, add one more thing: have him bring me a basin of water to wash my feet every night, as my feet have been a bit tired lately."
"Your Majesty, don't you take baths and get massages every day?"
Rong Yuan glared at him: "Can't I wash my feet again after I take a shower?"
Eunuch Hong immediately nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty, you are right."
Well, is His Majesty trying to temper the Third Prince's temper? What can he say?
Besides, it was also to resolve the issue of the Third Prince, hoping to get the Emperor to pay more attention to him.
Thus, the Third Prince had to stay in the palace all day, serving His Majesty until he could return to his own princely residence in the evening.
As for any wicked thoughts he might have, he has no way to express them.
His Majesty is still the better one.
I wonder what everyone's thoughts will be when word gets out that His Majesty asked the Third Prince to bring him water to wash his feet.
...
Rong Qi went back to his residence, ate something, washed up, changed his clothes, and then prepared to go find his little darling.
He couldn't go there looking sloppy, or Jiaojiao would find him repulsive.
Just as he reached the gate of the mansion, his younger sister called out to him.
"Brother, where are you going? Father and Mother were just looking for you!"
Rong Qi: "Father and Mother, what do you want with me?"
Rong Qing didn't know why, but she always felt that her eldest brother wasn't very close to her and her second brother. However, there was no doubt that her eldest brother was very good to them.
It might just be my imagination.
Rong Qing: "Your parents just want to ask you what you've been doing these past few days. We haven't seen you for many days, so we wanted to ask."
Rong Qi nodded: "I'll go find them when I get back tonight."
Rong Qi was about to leave after speaking when Rong Qing spoke again.
"Brother, are you going to find Sister Huang? I want to go too."
Looking at his younger sister, Rong Qi suddenly realized that Rong Qing was probably not looking for his little darling, but for someone else.
He recalled the information Xiao Jiaojiao had revealed when he spoke with her a few days ago.
Perfect timing! He'll go see what kind of young master has caught Rong Qing's eye.
Rong Qi instructed Rong Yi to prepare a carriage. He could have gone there by himself using his light-footed skills, but since there was a girl with him, he would have to take a carriage.
Rong Qi: "Let's go."
Rong Qing nodded and followed Rong Qi out of the mansion.
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