"Hmm, as expected! Little Lu, how exactly have you been taking care of Indal!" the Empress Dowager roared.
With a thud, Xiao Luzi quickly knelt down. He hurriedly said, "This servant only found His Highness in the Imperial Garden. When this servant arrived, His Highness was lying on the ground."
Indal sighed inwardly. He knew he couldn't blame the servant at this moment, so he could only say to the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, my nephew fell by accident, and I reckon his robe was torn at that moment."
"Oh, you fell? Where did you fall? Let me see." The Empress Dowager immediately became nervous upon hearing that she had fallen.
"Your Majesty, your nephew is really alright. He's really alright." Indal's face immediately turned red. How could he, a dignified seven-foot-tall man, be stared at like this by a woman?
"You dog of a servant, go out and get ten lashes. If this happens again, you will not be spared!" the Empress Dowager roared at Xiao Luzi.
Indal knew he could no longer plead for him, so he remained silent. The little eunuch, who had only received ten strokes of the cane, had already thanked the emperor repeatedly and hurriedly retreated to receive his punishment.
"Indal, you mustn't wander around the inner palace. Those servants aren't serving you well enough; just punish them if you feel comfortable doing so," the Empress Dowager said.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will remember it." Indal bowed and said, feeling genuinely helpless and resigned to the Empress Dowager's excessive "concern".
"As your aunt, I am doing this for your own good. Indal, how have you been eating and sleeping these past few days since you entered the palace?" the Empress Dowager asked.
“Thank you for your concern, Aunt. Everything is fine,” Indal said.
"Sixteenth Princess, come and meet my dear nephew. He is the Tibetan prince, Indar." The Empress Dowager then addressed the sixteenth princess, who was sitting to the side.
"Sixteen, greetings to Prince Indal!" Princess Sixteen stood up and curtsied to Prince Indal.
"Greetings, Princess Sixteen! It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Indal!" Indal stood up and returned the greeting.
"Haha, Indal, I summoned Sixteen here today to introduce you, so she can be your guide. I know you young people have your own topics, and I can't really join in. Why don't you let Sixteen show you around the palace?" the Empress Dowager said. She was Indal's maternal aunt. Indal's mother and the Empress Dowager were half-sisters; one married into the Qing Dynasty as a concubine, and the other married into Tibet as the chieftain's wife.
"Thank you, Aunt. I'll have to trouble the Sixteenth Princess then." Indar thought for a moment and then stopped refusing.
"It's nothing. You don't have to call me the Sixteenth Princess anymore. You can call me Ruishu," the Sixteenth Princess said shyly.
"Haha, Indal, Ruishu is my most beloved princess. Why don't you two go out for a walk together? I'm afraid you'll get tired of keeping this old woman company," the Empress Dowager said with a loving expression.
“Grandmother, what are you saying? Ruishu will never tire of accompanying you,” the Sixteenth Princess immediately replied.
"Very well, I've always known of your filial piety. Go on, I'm tired, you all go for a walk. Come to my place for dinner tonight," the Empress Dowager said.
After Indal and the Sixteenth Princess walked out of the main hall of the Empress Dowager's Cining Palace together, Indal said to the Sixteenth Princess, "Sixteenth Princess, I feel a little tired and would like to go back and rest for a while. I won't trouble you any further."
The sixteenth princess, who had been looking shy, suddenly froze upon hearing Indal's words.
But before she could say anything, Indal had already turned around, leaving her with a cold back view.
The stiffness on the sixteenth princess's face gradually turned into anger, but she had nowhere to vent it, so she stood frozen on the spot, unable to move.
"Princess, where are we going now?" A young palace maid who was serving nearby had no choice but to step forward and ask, seeing this situation.
"Go find that little shortcut!" Sixteen roared.
"Princess, why are you looking for that servant?" The little palace maid asked, head bowed, following closely behind the sixteenth princess.
"Question him. Ask that damned lackey where Prince Indal has gone!" Sixteen's face was filled with anger at being ignored. Originally, the Empress Dowager had specially created this opportunity for her today to matchmake her with Prince Indal, but this Indal seemed to have no interest in her at all.
The sixteenth princess and her maid searched all the way to the row of rooms where the servants lived in Cining Palace. They grabbed a eunuch and asked him, and immediately found Xiao Luzi's room.
After Xiao Luzi received ten lashes, his buttocks could no longer touch the bed, and he lay face down on the bed.
"Xiao Luzi!" Ignoring the astonished looks of the servants, the Sixteenth Princess barged into the small room where four people were staying and addressed Xiao Luzi, who was lying on the bed recovering from his injuries.
"Sixteenth Princess, how did you get here?" Xiao Luzi looked up and saw that it was the Sixteenth Princess, and he inwardly cried out in despair.
"I'm asking you, where exactly did Prince Indal go, and how did he tear his robe? You'd better tell me the truth, or I'll give you a good spanking," said Sixteen.
"Princess, spare me! Princess, spare me! This servant truly has no idea how the prince tore his robes. This servant found the prince in the Imperial Garden; he was lying on the ground, next to the Minrou County officials." Xiao Luzi dared not conceal anything any longer and hurriedly said.
"Minrou County?" The Sixteenth Princess stared at Xiao Luzi in confusion and repeated.
"Yes, that's the Consort Niu whom the Emperor just conferred the title of Consort Niu," Xiao Luzi hurriedly said.
"Oh, that's the concubine from Yonghe Palace. Princess, she's Prince Yong's concubine. The one who was coming and going from Qianqing Palace a while ago," the maidservant quickly replied.
"Her! How could she have met a prince! She's such a vixen! Not only did she run to the Emperor to curry favor, but she also tried to seduce everyone else!" the Sixteenth Princess huffed. Xiao Luzi dared not defend her anymore. This Sixteenth Princess was notoriously temperamental. Although she wasn't of high birth—just a princess born to Consort Shu, who wasn't particularly favored by Emperor Kangxi—this Sixteenth Princess was very popular with the Empress Dowager, often visiting her palace to inquire about her well-being. However, everyone below knew that this princess was notoriously petty. Anyone who offended her would find a way to torment them, ranging from mild punishment to being beaten half to death and kicked out.
The sixteenth princess left the servants' quarters, followed by the palace maids. She then arrived at the main hall of the Cining Palace, pondered for a moment, and went inside.
"Empress Dowager!" The sixteenth princess called out sweetly when she saw the Empress Dowager looking down at a book.
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