Chapter 55 Tonight, the capital city is bustling.
The Li family was even more lively.
The current head of the Li family is the Minister of Revenue, and as mentioned before, Consort Jing is Minister Li's youngest daughter.
First, there was the palace maid in Consort Jing's palace who tried to assassinate the Second Princess, and now there are members of the Li family bullying the Second Princess.
Although Li Cheng was the legitimate son of the second branch of the Li family, he could not escape blame.
Minister Li was always strict with himself, and the Li family had a strict family tradition. Under such circumstances, a dissolute young man named Li Cheng was born. The matriarch of the Li family directly resorted to family discipline.
Minister Li felt utterly ashamed of his inferiority and wrote a memorial to resign overnight, preparing to personally apologize to the Emperor at court the next day.
As for the Prince Yong's residence, Xie Yubin was so frightened upon hearing about the fate of the three that he hurriedly went to Prince Yong to admit his mistake.
Prince Yong flew into a rage: "How dare you bully a prince?!"
Xie Yubin knelt in front of him, dodging the book that Prince Yong threw at him: "Father, I was wrong!"
Prince Yong sighed, and Princess Yong comforted him, saying, "His Majesty is giving the prince face; otherwise, this imperial edict would have been delivered to the prince's residence."
Prince Yong nodded. How could he not understand this logic? "His Majesty didn't want the Fourth Prince's affair to be exposed, which is why he rewarded the Second Princess so publicly. In the eyes of everyone, this is to comfort the Second Princess who had been bullied and to support her. It seems that His Majesty not only values the Second Princess, but also isn't as indifferent to the Fourth Prince as previously thought. More importantly, His Majesty is willing to give our Prince Yong's Mansion face. Otherwise, how could I, His Majesty's brother, face His Majesty!"
At this point, Prince Yong became angry again and threw several books at Xie Yubin.
Xie Yubin was still a little unconvinced: "It's his fault for always stealing my thunder."
Princess Yong quickly walked over and covered his mouth: "Say less! Do you really think your father doesn't know what kind of person you are? You were just overshadowed, and you blame others for being smart when you don't study hard yourself?"
“Your mother is right. It’s fine if you’re not smart, but you’re your father’s only son. In the future, this Prince Yong’s mansion will be yours, and I will guarantee you a worry-free life.”
Prince Yong was heartbroken: "I think you're having too good a life, that you dare to bully a prince? Don't forget, the reason our Prince Yong's Mansion is where it is today, and why your life is so smooth, is all thanks to the Emperor's grace!"
Xie Yubin felt a little ashamed after being told that. Although he had not personally bullied Xie Yunwen, Li Cheng and the other two had still bullied others by abusing their power.
He relied on his power and influence.
"Father, I know I was wrong!"
"What good is it for you to admit your mistake?"
Prince Yong now finds Xie Yubin utterly displeasing, so Princess Yong quickly took Xie Yubin away.
Prince Yong wrote a memorial overnight and sent it to the palace, stating that he would bring Xie Yubin to apologize the next day, and that the punishment would be entirely up to Sheng Sheng.
The capital city is bustling tonight.
*
The next day, news of His Majesty's fury over the Second Princess spread throughout the capital once again.
Everyone was amazed by His Majesty's favor towards the second princess, while some court officials felt that this was inappropriate.
I don't know how these three bullied her, or how much she suffered, that she was almost exiled.
Although these three men deserved their punishment, their families were all very influential. It is said that Minister Li and Lord Ye both wanted to resign from their posts to plead guilty.
This inevitably leads to speculation: Is His Majesty using this as an excuse to purge the court, or is he simply venting his anger for the Second Princess?
Neither of them is good!
If it is the former, Your Majesty's treatment of the veteran officials in the court is somewhat disheartening to them.
If it is the latter, then is His Majesty being a little too fond of this second princess?
The arguments in the imperial court have nothing to do with a few children.
After having lunch, Sheng Sheng took Yan Hu to the lakeside to wait for fishing.
Xie Yunqi is not yet thirteen years old and still lives in Consort Li's palace, which is a bit far from here. She has just finished eating and is on her way. She has already sent a little eunuch to tell Shengsheng that she can play by herself for now.
"Okay, thank you for coming all this way."
Sheng Sheng had Zijuan give the little eunuch a small bunch of grapes that they had brought to quench their thirst. The little eunuch was flattered and his impression of the Second Princess improved a lot.
"This servant wouldn't dare. This servant was only following His Highness's orders; it's my duty!"
Zijuan smiled and placed it in his hand: "Take it, the princess is kind-hearted, just take it."
Sheng Sheng smiled and said, "It's not like I'm giving it to you for nothing. Go tell Fifth Brother that Sheng Sheng started first. Don't let him be like a little turtle and wait until he gets there. Sheng Sheng might have already filled a bucket by then."
"This servant obeys the decree and will certainly deliver it to the Second Princess!"
The little eunuch walked away with the bunch of grapes, a broad smile on his face.
After learning how to bait the bait from the old cat and the old fish, Sheng Sheng tried it herself once.
The fishing rod was cast into the lake, and the bait made of small shrimp quickly and slowly sank to the bottom.
Yan Hu couldn't understand her. It was already December, and the fish in the lake weren't very active. Why was she fishing at this time?
"You stinky Yan Hu, what do you know? It's because the fish aren't active at this time of year that they're so fat."
Zijuan and the others had already gotten used to their princess and Yanhu's "communication" anytime and anywhere.
The others felt there was a wonderful bond between children and animals, and that the princess was exceptionally kind and innocent, which was why she was able to understand some of the animals' thoughts.
Zijuan, on the other hand, has begun to doubt whether her princess can really talk to animals.
Zijuan set up a small stool for her and placed a soft cushion on it, saying, "What the princess said makes sense. I heard that there is a special period in Mohe before the New Year every year for winter fishing, because the fish are more delicious and tender in winter!"
Sheng Sheng asked curiously, "Mohe? Is Mohe a river? Where is Mohe?"
"Princess, Mohe is located in Liaocheng. Liaocheng is in the northernmost part of our Yu Kingdom, and Mohe is in the northernmost part of Liaocheng. Therefore, Mohe is the northernmost place in our Yu Kingdom."
"Liaocheng?" Shengsheng knew this place. Her mother had told her that her maternal grandfather's family lived there!
"I know, I know, is it where my grandparents live?"
"Yes, Princess."
Old Cat and Old Fish were returning from the northern border army, so they naturally knew about this custom.
"That's right. The local people there will stop all other farming during the winter fishing season and take about a week off to do it."
"The north is bitterly cold, and the period before the Lunar New Year is the coldest time of the year. Mohe is frozen over, so we use tools to make a hole in the ice, cast a net in, wait a day, and then pull the net up. Wow, the fish! They're so fat!"
"They're not only plump, but also incredibly numerous; one net can easily yield tens of thousands of kilograms!"
Sheng Sheng's eyes lit up: "Wow, this sounds so fun!"
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