Chapter 11 Punishment

Yue Jian was the top prostitute in Wanhualou. It was not possible to redeem him with just a few hundred taels of silver. The madam trembled and stretched out five fingers, saying, "This, this amount."

Sui Yan said directly: "Deal, I will have someone send the money over later."

Yue Jian stood behind Sui Yan, bowed slightly, with a proper smile on her face, and her eyes were full of gratitude as she looked at Sui Yan.

The madam was about to faint, clutching her chest. She quickly applauded, "It is a blessing that Yue Jian has earned after eight lifetimes of hard work to be recognized by the young marquis!"

Yue Jian smiled but didn't really smile, and nodded, "Yes, thank you, young marquis."

Sui Yan found it amusing to see him trying so hard to suppress his anger, so he simply walked up to him, put his hands around his waist, touched him twice in an ambiguous way, and said with a smile: "No need to thank me, it's your blessing, just accept it, wait obediently, I will send someone to pick you up."

At that moment, Tsukimi's sight was almost murderous.

Sui Yan laughed loudly and walked away, leaving the people in Wanhua Tower looking at him with envy at the moon.

Sui Yan was in a good mood, but just as he walked out of Wanhua Tower, he ran into Duan Mingchong who was carrying a small basket.

Sui Yan's smile froze, and his arrogance instantly disappeared.

Duan Mingchong seemed to have just got off the carriage, and he looked at him coldly. The coachman beside him looked embarrassed.

Sui Yan's smile became even stiffer. It was obvious that whatever he did had nothing to do with Duan Mingchong, and he could not control him no matter how powerful he was. But as soon as he saw this gentle and graceful crown prince, he could not help but tremble like a quail.

Quail walked over in small steps and saluted, saying, "Hello, Your Highness."

Duan Mingchong said calmly, "What are you doing here? Eating steamed buns again?"

Sui Yan nodded: "Yes, yes."

Duan Mingchong asked, "It took three hours?"

Sui Yan: “…”

Duan Mingchong didn't want to embarrass him in front of the busy brothel, so he stopped scolding him and just said, "Come up, I'll take you back home."

Sui Yan thought to himself that it was terrible, but there was nothing he could do, so he had to follow Duan Mingchong and climb onto the carriage.

The carriage moved slowly. Duan Mingchong lifted the curtain and looked out casually, with no intention of paying any attention to him.

Sui Yan pondered for a while and felt that he needed to explain.

“Your Highness…”

Duan Mingchong turned around and said calmly, "Have you made up a reason?"

Sui Yan: “…”

Can something that deceives people be called making up an excuse?

Sui Yan said helplessly: "Why is Your Highness here?"

Duan Mingchong said, "I was ordered to go to Xiangguo Temple to visit Master Gengxue. I passed by this place by chance and saw the retainer of the Marquis' Mansion, so I stopped to ask."

Sui Yan nodded and was about to say something when he heard the cage that Duan Mingchong had placed on the small table beside him creaking. He asked in confusion, "What's in here?"

Duan Mingchong froze for a moment, and quickly took the red cloth beside him to cover it up, a little unnaturally: "No, nothing."

Sui Yan was a restless person to begin with, and the more Duan Mingchong didn't want him to see him, the more he wanted to do something. He put the small hand warmer aside, changed his seat and went to look at the things in the cage.

The red cloth did not cover everything. Through the wooden railing, one could see a small brown animal hiding in the corner, shivering. It looked like a mouse but not really. It was a very cute little ball.

Sui Yan became interested: "Your Highness, what is this?"

Duan Mingchong had no choice but to tear off the red cloth and said, "It was given to me by Master Gengxue. It is said to be called the Golden Silk Bear. It is very popular in the Jiangnan area. I thought it was pitiful and cute, so I asked for it..."

He hesitated to speak, but Sui Yan was shameless and said carelessly: "Give it to me?"

Duan Mingchong's face flushed slightly, he stretched out his hand and pulled the small cage into his arms, and said unnaturally: "... No, I don't want to give it to you now."

Sui Yan felt that this prince was not as gentle and refined as the legend said, but he was still just a child no matter how high his status was.

Sui Yan was so amused when he saw him with his head down and his ears red.

They soon arrived at the Marquis' Mansion. Sui Yan and Duan Mingchong bowed and were about to get off the car when they suddenly seemed to have thought of something, their smiles froze, and they quickly sat back down.

Duan Mingchong looked at him strangely: "What's wrong?"

Sui Yan's face turned pale, and he said, "Your Highness just said... that he saw the Marquis's guards in Wanhua Tower..."

And he remembered clearly that he did not bring any family soldiers with him this time.

Duan Mingchong didn't understand, and said, "Yes, it is said that General Sui is worried about your safety and asked people to keep an eye on you."

Sui Yan almost bumped his head on the small case.

Sui Xun didn't like him playing around. Normally, he would be glared at by Sui Xun whenever he had an argument with Jiang En in the street. This time, he actually went to a brothel under his nose and stayed there for most of the day. Sui Xun might eat him up.

The more Sui Yan thought about it, the more horrified he felt. Trembling, he looked at Duan Mingchong and begged in a low voice, "Your Highness, save me."

Duan Mingchong was almost amused by him and said, "You still know how to be afraid? I thought you were fearless."

Sui Yan smiled carefully: "Wang Gui is just a nobody, so he is naturally afraid. Your Highness is kind-hearted, so just help me this time. I will definitely find a chance to repay you in the future."

Duan Mingchong looked at him helplessly. Perhaps he was frightened by him, so he waved his hand and said, "Go down."

Sui Yan thought he was going to reject her, so she immediately took a step forward with shamelessness and hugged Duan Mingchong's waist tightly with both hands.

"No, Your Highness! If you don't help me this time, I'm afraid you won't be able to see me tomorrow!"

Duan Mingchong has been in the Eastern Palace for many years, and although he has a gentle personality, his status and position are so high that no one has ever dared to be so disrespectful as to hug his waist directly. He froze and looked at Sui Yan in disbelief.

Sui Yan raised his head pitifully in his arms and said, "Help, Your Highness."

Duan Mingchong: “…”

A moment later, Duan Mingchong entered Sui'an Marquis's mansion with red ears, followed by Sui Yan who was huddled like a quail.

Hearing the servant report that Sui Yan had returned, Sui Xun, who was in the study, walked out with a cold face. When he saw Duan Mingchong, he was stunned for a moment, then walked up to him and bowed.

Duan Mingchong smiled gently and said, "No need to be polite. I just happened to meet the young marquis on the road, so I gave him a ride."

Sui Xun frowned and glared at Sui Yan with eyes almost blazing with anger.

Sui Yan hurriedly hid behind Duan Mingchong.

Sui Xun said, "Your Highness, please send my brother back."

After he finished speaking, he turned to Sui Yan and said coldly: "Come here quickly!"

Sui Yan was frightened and trembled. He reached out and gently tugged at Duan Mingchong's sleeve, and whispered, "Your Highness..."

Duan Mingchong smiled and said, "Young Master is carefree by nature and loves to play. He was just too playful today and missed the time. General, please don't be too strict."

Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had said so, Sui Xun couldn't scold Sui Yan in front of him, so he forced a smile and said, "Of course."

Sui Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Duan Mingchong talked to Sui Xun about some random things, the general meaning of which was to plead for mercy on Sui Yan and not to punish him too harshly, and they left only when the sun was setting.

Sui Xun respectfully sent Duan Mingchong away, and after watching the carriage drive away, he turned around and looked ferocious and vicious again.

"Forget about returning home!"

Sui Yan was about to take this opportunity to run to the yard, but he was caught red-handed. He turned around trembling and laughed dryly, "Second brother..."

Sui Xun stared at him coldly and said angrily, "You are so brave! You are so young and you actually go to a flower shop. What's the matter? Are you tired of playing with those little toys you usually play with?! Want to find some new fun?"

Sui Yan said pitifully, "Second brother, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince just said..."

Sui Xun said coldly, "Oh, you've grown wings. You even know how to use His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to pressure me. No matter how high His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's position is, can he control the affairs of a minister's family? What's wrong, Sui Wangui? Do you think that with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's intercession, you can escape this disaster?"

Sui Yan said hurriedly: "No, no no!"

His plan went well, but Sui Xun did not play by the rules. As soon as the Crown Prince left, he showed his vicious side and pinned Sui Yan to the ancestral hall, whipped him three times, and made him kneel while copying the Four Books and Five Classics, and ordered him not to eat until he finished copying ten times.

Sui Yan's eyes were filled with tears after being beaten. He was used to a pampered life and couldn't stand the pain. Although Sui Xun was considerate of his body and didn't use much force, he still cried out in pain.

The ancestral hall was brightly lit. Li Zhao was lighting a charcoal brazier for him. He said with a sad face, "Young Master, what are you trying to do? That flower shop is not a good place at all. You said that when the Second Young Master was not at home, you went there once or twice and no one cared. But now the Second Young Master is back..."

Sui Yan was copying the book with shaking hands. Hearing this, he said angrily, "Uncle Zhao, can you please stop talking? I, I know I'm wrong."

Li Zhao stopped talking, but still sighed.

Sui Yan knelt on the futon, leaning over the small table and copying the book with trembling hands. He would curse that damn Yue Jian for every word he copied. He copied until late at night before he finally finished.

It was so late, and the light in the study was still on. Sui Yan knocked on the door with trembling legs and said, "Second brother."

Sui Xun said, "Come in."

Sui Yan opened the door and walked in. Sui Xun was reading a book under the lamp and didn't even look at him.

Sui Yan didn't dare to act rashly. He held the copied book in his hands and placed it on the desk, saying in a low voice, "I, I have copied it."

Sui Xun hummed and said, "Go back and rest. You will continue kneeling tomorrow."

Sui Yan was stunned: "Ah? Still have to kneel?"

Sui Xun raised his head and gave him a cold look, and Sui Yan immediately said, "Yes."

Sui Yan saluted with a deathly pale face, turned around and was about to leave, but he heard Sui Xun suddenly bend his knuckles and tap lightly on the rosewood desk.

Sui Yan was stunned for a moment and turned back blankly.

Under the lamp, Sui Xun lost the ferocity and coldness he had during the day, and became inexplicably warmer. He stared at Sui Yan, not knowing what he was thinking about, and suddenly he sighed softly.

Sui Yan said hesitantly: "Second brother..."

Sui Xun seemed helpless and worried, and said, "Wang Gui, have you ever thought about this: if one day I die on the battlefield, and there is no one left in the Sui family, how will you support the entire mansion by yourself?"

Sui Yan was stunned.

"How can one live a life without worries?"

The author has something to say: The prince is truly a winner in life.