Chapter 65 What does Your Majesty mean?
If any other concubine were here and saw this scene, they would say a few words to help the eldest prince, either sincerely or falsely.
But Jiang Shuyi was watching with great interest and ignored Cheng Shouzhong's pleading look.
It’s not Wangshu Yiyue’s child, why should she care about this?
Cheng Shouzhong could only groan, and walked up to the eldest prince and said, "Your Highness, please stop crying. His Majesty is just asking a question, and you should answer it truthfully..."
"Let him cry."
Pei Yan interrupted in a deep voice.
Cheng Shouzhong had no choice but to retreat. When Pei Yi heard his father's cry, he didn't dare to cry anymore, but he couldn't hold it back and started sobbing.
"After you've cried, answer the question I asked you just now." Pei Yan looked down at him: "If you don't answer, you'll keep kneeling here."
Pei Yi didn't expect that even after crying he still couldn't avoid being questioned. He was so scared that he didn't dare to raise his head and started shaking again.
Jiang Shuyi's eyes moved back and forth between the royal father and son, as if she was enjoying the fun. Then when she looked back at Pei Yan, she was caught off guard and met his eyes.
She immediately stood still, with a look of obedience on her face.
Pei Yan spoke to her in a much gentler tone: "Continue practicing calligraphy, don't be distracted."
Pei Yi looked up at his father in confusion, and when he saw that his father was talking to Concubine Jiang, he quickly lowered his head for fear of being caught.
Jiang Shuyi placed the purple brush on the white jade brush holder and looked at Pei Yan aggrievedly: "My wrist is a little sore, I want to take a break."
Pei Yan knew that she was only busy gloating and hadn't written a single word, and now she was just acting like a spoiled brat.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Then take a break."
Jiang Shuyi happily replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty," and then looked at Pei Yi and said with a smile, "Prince, isn't it uncomfortable for you to kneel? Why don't you reply to your father's words?"
Pei Yi was startled when he was named. He looked up and saw his father's serious face. He could no longer hold back and confessed with tears: "It was...it was my mother! It was my mother who asked me to plead for her!"
He started to howl again. Pei Yan said to Cheng Shouzhong with a slightly cold expression, "Pass on my order. Since Concubine Xue Shu has not repented and instead instigated the prince to try to escape punishment, there is no need to reflect on her sins behind closed doors. From today on, she will be demoted to a concubine. This is announced to the six palaces."
Pei Yi suddenly realized that he was in trouble.
He was worried about his mother and afraid that she would scold him, so he cried even louder.
Pei Yan didn't let him go either. He glanced at Cheng Fu. Cheng Fu understood and went over to threaten him in a low voice. Pei Yi immediately stopped crying out of fright.
Pei Yan reprimanded him, "As a prince, you deceived your father and the emperor. I should punish you severely."
Pei Yi looked at his father in horror and tears.
Pei Yan: "Since you are still young, I will not punish you now. But you are my eldest son, and I have high hopes for you. Since Xue is not good at educating children, I will choose a strict teacher for you. You will enter school early this year and let the teacher discipline you."
When Pei Yi heard that he didn't need to be beaten, he quickly nodded with tears in his eyes: "Yes, yes, thank you father..."
Pei Yan then said, "Back off."
Pei Yi felt relieved. He bowed, retreated to the door, turned around and ran away as if he was running for his life.
Jiang Shuyi found it funny but couldn't laugh. Suddenly she heard Pei Yan calling her and turned her head to look over.
Pei Yan wanted to teach her a lesson, but when he saw that she looked a little depressed, he paused and asked slowly, "You've been watching the excitement for so long, shouldn't you be happy? Why are you sad?"
Jiang Shuyi blinked, trying to act relaxed, but she finally lost her temper under his gentle gaze, and said sullenly, "Your Majesty is a good father and loves the eldest prince very much."
Pei Yan: "......How did you figure that out?"
Jiang Shuyi pinched a corner of the rice paper and tore it, muttering softly, "His Majesty said it himself, he has high hopes for his eldest son, and he also selected a strict teacher for the eldest prince and let him enter school a year earlier. What a great honor this is."
Pei Yan thought about it and asked seriously: "Do you really think this is an honor?"
Jiang Shuyi had a resentful look on her face, as if to say, "What else?"
Pei Yan nodded, thinking: "Okay, from now on I will be a strict teacher and discipline you personally."
Jiang Shuyi was stunned.
"Practice ten more characters today, and then recite them. You are not allowed to sleep until you finish reciting them."
Pei Yan finished speaking, and did not forget to raise his eyes and ask her: "It is more honorable than Pei Yi, are you happy?"
Jiang Shuyi: "......"
What a joke!
She said aggrievedly: "If Your Majesty doesn't love me anymore, just tell me!"
Pei Yan said calmly: "If you don't think this is love, why are you jealous?"
Jiang Shuyi stood up and walked to Pei Yan, shaking his hand, and said coquettishly, "The eldest prince is your majesty's child. It has been a principle since ancient times to teach children strictly. But I am your majesty's favorite concubine. The most important thing about being a favorite concubine is the word "favor". How can we be the same?"
Pei Yan used force on his hands to pull Jiang Shuyi to sit on his lap, and said softly: "But I don't think so."
Jiang Shuyi was just about to adjust her position and sit firmly when Pei Yan gently pinched her chin and turned to him.
"Whether it is for parents, children, wives, concubines or ministers, if I love him, I will treat him well and not let him be sad or afraid."
Pei Yan stared at Jiang Shuyi with dark eyes: "Just like I will not distance myself from you to avoid the jealousy of the six palaces, I will not say one thing and mean another, loving Pei Yi in my heart but being harsh and critical on the outside."
Jiang Shuyi was delighted at first, but then she was slightly puzzled: "Your Majesty doesn't love the eldest prince?"
Pei Yan: "Why should I cherish him? His birth was what my father wanted, not what I wanted. I am fulfilling my duty as a father by not hating him."
Jiang Shuyi had never heard him say such things before.
When Pei Yi was just born, the late emperor was very happy to know that the prince could have children. Pei Yan also loved his first son very much. How come he didn't cherish him anymore?
Before she could figure it out, Pei Yan stroked her cheek and asked, "Do you know why I didn't ask you to avoid me just now?"
Jiang Shuyi was still in a daze and asked subconsciously: "Why?"
Pei Yan slowly curled his lips: "You always say that you like me and have deep feelings for me, so I want to let you see that some things are not what you think. I may not be very lenient. Sometimes I can be ruthless even to my own children."
Jiang Shuyi felt that as he said this, it was as if an ice container was placed in the hall, and everything around her suddenly became chilly.
She swallowed, not quite understanding what Pei Yan wanted to tell her. Was he trying to make an example of him to scare the monkeys so that she wouldn't become arrogant in the future?
Pei Yan observed her expression and asked in a low voice, "Are you afraid of me?"
Jiang Shuyi nodded, then quickly shook her head.
Pei Yan's face darkened slightly and became confused, and he said softly, "Hmm?"
Jiang Shuyi moved closer to Pei Yan's waist and said truthfully, "I've thought about it, and His Majesty still loves me very much. He would rather scold the eldest prince to intimidate me than scold me directly, not to mention that he is holding me and asking questions now, so I am definitely not afraid of His Majesty..."
She suddenly became uncertain as she spoke, and frowned slightly, "No, did I misunderstand? Your Majesty clearly tacitly allowed me to be arrogant because of my favor, and Your Majesty was not angry before the eldest prince came, so why would he suddenly intimidate me! Your Majesty's words have other meanings, right?"
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