But if we were to give a reason that could be spoken aloud, what could it be?
You've dragged your beloved concubine down with you just to punish me, the Empress, by confining me to my quarters. Your Majesty, would you really do something so unwise?
Ulanara sneered inwardly, her expression also carrying a hint of sarcasm. She said, "I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
Punishment? What a load of rubbish!
Yinzhen was furious, but didn't know where to begin. It was Hongli who stepped forward and pulled Yinzhen back, saying with a smile, "Over time, Mother has been in the palace for quite some time. It's normal for her to forget the date for a while. Fortunately, it's nothing serious. Father, please don't be angry."
Having found a way out, Yinzhen said no more. He pointed at Ulanara, his anger turning into a laugh, and turned to Su Peisheng, saying, "The Empress has been disrespectful in front of the Emperor and is to be punished by kneeling for half an hour. You just watch."
"Yes, sir!" Su Peisheng replied, sighing inwardly.
What is the Empress trying to achieve...?
With a flick of his sleeve, Yinzhen left Changchun Palace with Qian Shengyan and Hongli, intending to issue an edict on the way to bestow a title upon Hongli.
Qian Shengyan: -0-
Hongli immediately declined, saying, "Your subject is only thirteen years old, and my third brother has not yet received a title. How dare I accept?"
Qian Shengyan also sighed and pulled Yinzhen along. She knew that this man had recently been overjoyed because of the pacification of Qinghai, and his characteristic of loving someone to the point of wanting them to live and hating them to the point of wanting them to die was more obvious. But he had just granted a title to his thirteen-year-old son who was neither the eldest son nor the legitimate heir.
Please, just give up. Wake up!
Having been persuaded, Yinzhen sighed. Reminded by Hongli's words, he thought of Hongshi and decided to go to the South Third Palace to take a look and send Hongli back as well.
He had originally summoned Hongli only to give him some instructions, but before he could see Hongli, he saw the revised imperial genealogy. Overcome with anger and anxiety, he forgot his appointment with Hongli and went to Changchun Palace on his own. On the way, he sent someone to summon Qian Shengyan. Fortunately, both of them went, otherwise, if he had punished the Empress in his anger today, it would have been difficult to change the course of events.
The father and son talked all the way, and Qian Shengyan listened from the side and felt that it was all just classical Chinese and not very interesting.
Soon they arrived at the South Third Courtyard. Before even entering Hongshi's courtyard, they could hear faint sounds of string and wind instruments through the gate.
Qian Shengyan was stunned. The father and son, who were discussing some great national achievement, also fell silent. The group stared blankly at the courtyard where Hongshi lived. Then, in addition to the sound of string and bamboo music, they could even hear the laughter of women.
Qian Shengyan paused for a moment, then stammered, "This... I already ordered all the palace maids in the Southern Three Palaces to be moved to new locations..."
"Hmph!" Yinzhen snorted coldly, stepped forward and kicked open the door. He saw Hongshi wearing a white nightgown with a white belt covering his eyes. He was hugging a disheveled palace maid and kissing her haphazardly. Several musicians were playing music around him. The ground was littered with cups and plates, and the smell of wine and meat mixed together was nauseating.
The palace maid, who had been laughing and joking, paused when she saw Yinzhen enter. She quickly realized his identity from his attire and began to struggle violently, crying, "Your Majesty..."
"What emperor? Hahaha, where is the emperor?!" Hongshi laughed loudly, one hand already reaching into the maid's collar, muttering, "Struggle, are you going to cry? I love seeing you cry, hahahaha!"
Qian Shengyan: ...
Tsk tsk tsk, I can't bear to look...
How could Hongshi be so reckless...?
Hongli had already turned his back, not daring to look any longer. Yinzhen picked up a wine pot at random, strode over, and smashed it on Hongshi's head!
"Hey! Who is it!" Hongshi shouted, only to find that the surroundings were eerily quiet.
His mind seemed to finally clear up a bit from the wine and women, and he remembered what the palace maid had just said. He immediately trembled like a leaf, and dared not even take off the belt covering his eyes.
Yinzhen stepped forward and slapped him across the face: "Beast!" Then, he yanked off the belt covering his eyes and slapped him again, "How dare you!"
"Oh, Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Qian Shengyan was afraid he would hurt the child. The wine pot had hit him quite hard; blood was flowing down his cheek, it looked frightening. She quickly pulled Yinzhen away. "This matter needs to be investigated carefully. This palace maid, I have never seen her before..."
At this point, the palace maid sobbed and prostrated herself on the ground, not daring to say another word. Hongshi shuddered violently and also knelt on the ground, stammering to explain himself, "Your Majesty, Father, your son, your son was just... just feeling a little... a little relieved from his distress..."
The commotion attracted the attention of the inner courtyard. Apparently, someone came to check, and soon after, Hongshi's wife, Dong'e, hurriedly came out, knelt down beside Hongshi, kowtowed to Yinzhen, and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
After saying this, tears streamed down Dong E's face, but she didn't dare to look up. She just gritted her teeth, kept her head down, and tried her best to keep her tone normal: "Please forgive me, Father Emperor, the Third Prince is just in a bad mood lately..."
"It's all her fault! She came up with this idea, saying it would be fun to make your son happy!" Hongshi was suddenly reminded and immediately knelt up, pointing at Dong Eshi and shouting, "I already said that we are still in mourning and no music is allowed. It was this woman! She even said that it wouldn't hurt to have some fun in her own courtyard!"
Dong Eshi's small body swayed, but she stubbornly refused to fall.
She seemed to want to say something, but after trying for a long time, she could only utter a breathy sound, which was indistinct.
Not knowing how Yinzhen would react, Qian Shengyan couldn't help but turn her head and purse her lips. She never expected Hongshi to be this kind of person.
He has no manners at all, and when things go wrong, he blames women. What a dog!
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