Chapter 168 Shilan's Ridicule
Good news: His Majesty has recovered.
Bad news: The Emperor seems to have changed his temperament drastically. Not only did he berate the Fourth Prince severely on the very first day, but he also treated the Crown Prince, whom he had always cherished, with coldness.
This made everyone act with their hearts in their throats. The Emperor was clearly in a bad mood; this time, even the Crown Prince couldn't be appeased. How many heads could they possibly have if they were all tied together? Besides, everyone had witnessed how favored the Crown Prince was after the Nine Provinces Peaceful Gathering incident. But as there were clever ones, there were also those who were fearless.
Of course, the emperor didn't let them off the hook either.
This is tantamount to sending a signal to the public.
"My quarrel with the Crown Prince was just a minor skirmish; you are truly facing a life-or-death situation."
...
Of course, this one-sided cold war between father and son was not going to last long.
That day, Hongzhao walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation looking pitiful and dejected. He deliberately wandered around in front of Yinzhen, glancing at the person at the head of the table from time to time.
Seeing his expression, Yinzhen felt uneasy. He had been holding back for the past two days, thinking of teaching this presumptuous child a lesson, but he found himself feeling extremely uncomfortable. He really didn't know whether the lesson was for Hongzhao or for himself.
Now that things have come to this, he might need to find a way to back down gracefully.
"Come here." His voice was deliberately cold and hard as he gently beckoned to Hongzhao. Hongzhao readily moved closer and called out in a pitiful voice, "Father."
Seeing him like this, even Yinzhen almost couldn't maintain his composure.
"Do you know you're wrong?" he asked.
Hongzhao nodded without hesitation—"I know I was wrong. I made Father worry. It was my fault. Father, please don't be angry."
Seeing that he was avoiding the main point, Yinzhen couldn't help but tap his forehead—"Nonsense! I'm angry that you don't take good care of your body! What if no one had broken in that day?" Just thinking about this made Yinzhen feel terrified—"Your body and hair are given to you by your parents. I told you last time that you must never hurt yourself. I'm angry that you didn't listen at all."
Hongzhao pouted, feeling wronged. "I told Father last time that if Father needs it, even if it's..."
Seeing that Yinzhen was about to tap him on the forehead again, Hongzhao quickly pursed his lips and swallowed the rest of his words back down—"...Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Father, you are my sovereign and father. I would do anything for either my sovereign or my father. If this method can really make Father better, I will feel fortunate."
Yinzhen stared intently at the serious-looking man in front of him, and his heart was deeply moved. It was truly hateful that Hongli could speak ill of such a child when he had him by his side!
"Since you are my father, you must obey my words as if they were imperial edicts. I command you not to harm yourself again, do you understand?" Yinzhen sighed and patted Hongzhao's back. "Your father has been treating you coldly these past two days. Do you feel wronged?"
Hongzhao lowered his head, pouted, and nodded, looking as helpless as a drowning puppy. This was something rarely seen on him, which softened Yinzhen's heart even more, and he was about to say something.
“Your Majesty, Princess Qingying of Ulanara is requesting an audience outside the palace.”
Su Peisheng's voice sounded somewhat troubled. It was the first time that a young companion of twelve or thirteen years old had come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to insist on meeting the Emperor.
Yinzhen's eyes darkened, and he gestured with his chin toward the inner palace's tented area—"You'er, go inside and wait a while. I'll see what this princess from the Ulanara family has that she's so eager to see."
Hongzhao observed his father's expression and knew that he must have heard about Qingying and Hongli's story from someone and wanted to find out more about it.
Seeing that Hongzhao had disappeared, Yinzhen said to the outside, "Let her in."
Qingying was clearly not in a good mood today. She pouted as she walked into the hall, knelt down, and greeted him with, "Uncle."
Su Peisheng, who was standing to the side, raised an eyebrow and quickly stopped him—"Princess Qingying, please be careful with your address."
Qingying glanced at him in the direction of the voice, then turned to the Emperor and said, "Uncle, I hope you can forgive the Fourth Prince's mistake and punish him leniently."
Su Peisheng looked at the Emperor, who had remained silent since the princess entered the hall. If the Emperor were to correct her, she would simply admit her mistake. What he feared most was that condescending gaze. It seemed that this Princess Qingying was in for a rough time.
"Go on," Yinzhen said, gesturing for her to continue.
“Even if Your Majesty thinks of the Fourth Prince’s deceased mother, you should treat him a little better.” Qingying glanced at the Emperor’s face and, seeing that he showed no anger, continued, “I know that my uncle has always doted on the Crown Prince, which is also related to my great-aunt’s favoritism in the early years.”
She raised her chin slightly, her tone extremely firm—"But my uncle didn't realize that the one whose situation most resembled yours in your childhood was not the Crown Prince, but the Fourth Prince."
These words not only made Su Peisheng raise an eyebrow, but even Hongzhao, who was hiding behind the tent, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
Who dares to compare the Emperor with the Fourth Prince? Are the two even remotely comparable?
At the very least, the Emperor's nominal mother was Empress Xiaoyiren, and his birth mother was Consort De. His lineage was never questioned by the late Emperor.
After Qingying finished speaking, Yinzhen couldn't help but force a very ugly smile.
Good, that's really good. They're all in the same vein, fearless of death.
"Really? She really said that to the Emperor?" Nian Shilan, who had been holding a grape to her lips, forgot to put it in her mouth and stared wide-eyed as she tightly gripped Lingzhi's hand, asking the question.
“It’s absolutely true, Your Majesty. Xiazi’s words are absolutely true. Eunuch Su has already invited the Empress Dowager, along with the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince.” Lingzhi said with disbelief on her face.
Nian Shilan murmured, "Has this princess from the Ulanara family gone mad? How dare she say such things to the Emperor..."
“Hey, tell me.” She suddenly became interested—“That old woman Yixiu has been clever all her life. If she knew she had a niece like this… hahaha.” As she spoke, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh. “I really want to see what kind of expression she would have.”
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