Chapter 112 Hongshi's Doubts
Before he could plead any further, Yinzhen waved his hand, and Su Peisheng, with a keen eye, led two guards to "invite" the Fourth Prince out.
Yesterday he was still gloating, thinking that he was a better father than the late emperor, and that his sons were all loving brothers who would not kick him when he was down. Today, it seems that the Fourth Prince came here just to slap him hard across the face.
Su Peisheng, who was standing to the side, understood perfectly, and it was no wonder that the Emperor was so angry.
Yesterday, the Emperor was furious and punished many people. This morning, everyone was inevitably watching the movements of Jiuzhou Qingyan. Naturally, they all saw the Fourth Prince Hongli being carried out by two guards, which aroused their suspicions.
If the Emperor is to take his anger out on the Third Prince, who pleaded for the Crown Prince yesterday, how could it be the Fourth Prince, who can't even attend the banquet? Judging from the way he's carrying a wooden stool and a board, he's certainly not going to be lenient with the punishment.
"Twenty strokes of the cane?!" Zhen Huan exclaimed in surprise, looking incredulously at Xiao Yunzi, who had gathered the information from the side.
Xiao Yunzi also lowered his head in confusion—"We are currently under house arrest and it is not very convenient for us to move around. I just heard that the Emperor was very angry and scolded the Fourth Prince for not being friendly to his brothers and not being filial to his father. After beating him, he was also ordered to be locked up in the Imperial Clan Court."
Zhen Huan was even more confused upon hearing this—"How could this be? The Fourth Prince has always been the most filial, thinking of kowtowing to the Emperor every day. What happened yesterday was just an act. Why would the Emperor be so angry as to punish him with a cane? The Fourth Prince is young and weak. How could twenty strokes of the cane be so painful?"
She paced anxiously back and forth in the room, her face full of worry. After thinking for a while, she stopped, turned around, and took Jinxi's hand—"Go and get some silver. Have Xiaoyunzi hand it over quietly. That child is not favored by the Emperor in Yuanmingyuan. Giving him some silver will help him suffer less."
Xiao Yunzi agreed and was about to go, but Jinxi stopped her in a low voice. She frowned slightly and helped Zhen Huan sit down on the soft couch. She spoke with a disapproving tone, advising, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. The Fourth Prince is still a prince. Twenty strokes may sound scary, but those guards are all skilled in martial arts. They certainly won't let anything really happen to the Fourth Prince. His Majesty is in a bad mood right now. There's no need for us to get involved in this mess."
Seeing that Zhen Huan was still unwilling to give up, she continued, "Furthermore, Your Majesty is currently under house arrest. We must cooperate with the Emperor to finish this charade. If someone with ulterior motives seizes the opportunity now, wouldn't the Emperor's efforts be in vain?"
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan finally calmed down and stopped feeling heartbroken and worried.
In fact, Jinxi was not lying. If twenty strokes of the cane were applied to a nine or ten-year-old child, he would never be able to stand up again. But no matter how angry the Emperor was, the Fourth Prince was still a prince. The guards knew exactly how to handle the punishment, and the sight of the skin being torn open was horrifying. But as long as he rested quietly, he would recover sooner or later.
Although the body may have recovered completely, the mind may not be the same as before.
As he stood on the cane, he listened with his own ears as the maids, servants, wet nurses, and teachers who had served him in the past were beaten to death. The wet nurse was calling his name and begging him to save her before she died.
Hongli was burning hot, and his bloodshot eyes were fixed on the ground without blinking.
"It's all that wretched Hongzhao's fault! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in this state today!"
...
Unaware of the details, the crowd began to discuss the sudden punishment of the Fourth Prince.
Hongshi sat opposite Consort Jing, his hand holding the teacup trembling as if it were on vibrate, the scalding tea spilling out and making him shiver.
Consort Jing, holding the uneasy Hongjin in her arms, frowned and handed her handkerchief to her eldest son opposite her, telling him to wipe his face. Her voice was somewhat tired—"The Emperor punished the Fourth Prince, why are you so nervous?"
Hongshi was extremely depressed at this moment, hanging his head and wiping the water stains off his hands. "Fourth brother must have been punished by Father for pleading for the Crown Prince. It's ridiculous that I usually pride myself on having the best relationship with Hongzhao. When he got into trouble, I couldn't do what my fourth brother did. I'm ashamed of myself as an elder brother."
He was convinced that Hongli was pleading for Hongzhao, but Consort Jing did not think so.
Her eyes flickered, but she didn't refute him. Instead, she earnestly instructed him, "Hongshi, let me tell you, Hongzhao grew up with you. You share the same blood. No one is closer to you than him. No matter what, you must protect Hongzhao and the Imperial Noble Consort. Do you understand?"
Hongshi nodded emphatically, his lips pursed and his eyes drooping.
Consort Jing looked at Hong Jin, who was listless and silent in her arms, and reached out to Hong Shi, placing Hong Jin's hand in his own—"Since you regret it, then take your sister to pay your respects to Father Emperor."
Under Consort Jing's encouraging gaze, the two, one big and one small, held hands. The older one looked ready to die, while the younger one's eyes were red. They walked quietly toward Jiuzhou Qingyan.
"Your Majesty, um... the Third Prince requests an audience."
Yinzhen rubbed his face in frustration, thinking to himself that he didn't have that many children, so why was he still so annoyed?
Just as he was about to say "I don't see you," Su Peisheng continued, "The Third Prince is also with the First Princess. Look at how red her eyes are; she looks so pitiful."
Yinzhen paused in rubbing his face, then sighed softly, "Fine, let them in."
The two men were summoned and entered the palace in silence.
Seeing the two of them, one big and one small, looking so aggrieved that they dared not look up, and with Hongjin secretly using his rabbit-like eyes to peek at his father's expression, Yinzhen felt very uncomfortable.
"Hongshi, you brought your sister to see me today. Is there something else you want to say to me?" Yinzhen beckoned to Hongjin, noticing that the little girl was not as cheerful as usual and was taking steps to approach him. He thought to himself that yesterday's events had really frightened his daughter.
"Your subject dares not!" Hongshi hurriedly said, "It's just that Hongjin didn't sleep well at Mother's last night, and has been listless this morning, so your subject brought my sister to pay her respects to Father."
He secretly glanced at his father's expression, and after receiving a fairly positive response, he gritted his teeth and said, "I was old enough to remember when my younger siblings were born. I remember how happy Father was holding them that day. Now..."
He stammered, but Yinzhen understood what he meant: he had brought his sister here today because he still wanted to plead for the Crown Prince.
Yinzhen stood up and led Hongjin toward Hongshi. Hongshi thought that his father was finally going to lose his temper and slap him, so he quickly shrugged and knelt down.
Yinzhen looked at his son, who was taller than him, and suddenly became shorter. He was speechless, but also felt a sense of comfort.
"You're all grown up now, and I think it's time to arrange a marriage for you. Go back and tell your mother to keep an eye out for you, and we'll take care of it when we get back to the palace."
He did not mention the matter of the crown prince, but instead talked about arranging a marriage for Hongshi.
Seeing that his father had no intention of punishing him, Hongshi's half-closed eyes suddenly widened, and he heard his father speak again.
"Didn't our Shu'er want to learn to ride a horse before? Come on, Father Emperor will take you to the Hundred Horses Garden to pick out a good horse!"
Huh? He pleaded with the Crown Prince, and even the Emperor wasn't angry! Then how was the Fourth Prince punished...?
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