Chapter 32 Inescapable Misfortune
After what happened, Xiao Qing was no longer in the mood to go to the observatory.
Even if it's right in front of you.
Xiao Qing glanced at the tightly closed door on the first floor of the observatory, narrowed his eyes, and seemed to see dust slowly swirling in the shadows of the copper nails on the door.
Forget it, let's go back.
Xiao Qing glanced at the road heading north and decided to return to Chengde Palace.
Zhao Youchen and Mei Shu followed behind, and soon they returned to Chengde Palace.
Xiao Qing walked forward absentmindedly, feeling somewhat down the whole way.
But as she passed under a tree in Chengde Palace, where sunlight dappled everywhere, she unconsciously stopped.
There's someone squatting over there.
He held a kitten in each arm, gently scratching its paws with his fingers, causing the kitten lying in his palm to meow softly, its eyes narrowed into slits in comfort, looking extremely content.
That's why it's said that plush animals are the easiest to evoke people's love and make them feel good.
The moment Xiao Qing saw the kitten, she felt healed.
The dappled sunlight filtering through the branches and leaves onto the kitten made it seem as if it were shimmering with light, a beautiful and gentle sight that captivated Xiao Qing's heart.
Without thinking, she walked towards the tree.
Zhao Youchen's expression changed slightly, and he was about to follow, but Mei Shu said softly, "Lord Zhao, please wait."
Xiao heard Mei Shu's voice, but he didn't stop walking.
Ying Ying turned her face, naturally knelt down while holding the kitten, and bowed to Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing waved his hand, "Get up."
Yingying then stood up and handed the kitten over.
He noticed that Xiao Qing's eyes were fixed on the kitten, so he quickly granted her wish.
The other two kittens lay obediently under the tree, curiously looking ahead.
Xiao Qing picked up the kitten and recognized it as the most lively and greedy one from before.
At this age, kittens grow very quickly; as long as their living conditions improve, they change almost every day.
The kitten wasn't shy at all. Under Xiao Qing's petting, it drooped its pointed ears and even lay down, wanting Xiao Qing to scratch its soft fur.
Xiao Qing burst out laughing.
"You're the one who knows how to enjoy life the most." Xiao Qing tapped its little forehead, which earned it a dissatisfied "meow".
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of two lazy kittens on the ground and chuckled, "Have they eaten?"
Yingying quickly replied, "They've eaten. I just let them bask in the sun for a while. But the sun is getting a bit too strong now, so I moved them under the tree."
Xiao Qing nodded, and while playing with the kitten, asked a few more questions here and there.
Seeing that Xiao Qing liked kittens so much, Zhao Youchen didn't say anything, but his brows still furrowed unconsciously.
"Does Lord Zhao find this inappropriate?" Mei Shu asked in a low voice.
Zhao Youchen glanced at her, and although he felt uneasy, he thought of Xiao Qing's situation and shook his head, saying slowly, "Your subject dares not."
Mei Shu thought for a moment and said, "It is the Grand Tutor's responsibility to instruct His Majesty, and it is the responsibility of a subject to advise His Majesty. His Majesty is a man of great wisdom and understands many principles."
Zhao Youchen didn't know how to answer her. He knew that Mei Shu was chosen by the Grand Tutor for the young emperor, and that his choice was certainly good. However, he had never interacted with Mei Shu before, and there were some things he couldn't say to her casually, even if he had thought of them.
Moreover, Mei Shu doesn't seem to be a naive and careless girl like Ming Xiu.
So Xiao Qing and Ying Ying played with the cat to try and heal, while Zhao Youchen and the others waited and watched without moving.
However, such a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere could not last long.
About fifteen minutes later, a palace attendant came to report to Mei Shu about the two palace attendants who had been sent to the palace prison earlier.
"How is it?" Mei Shu asked softly.
"Reporting to Attendant Mei, two palace attendants have spoken ill of the Emperor. Although the Emperor has mercifully spared them from the death penalty, they have not been punished in the palace prison and have already..." The attendant's voice trailed off.
Mei Shu remained silent for a moment, then gently waved his hand, signaling him to leave, before walking alone toward the young emperor.
When Xiao Qing saw her approaching, the smile on her face faded a bit, but she still held the kitten in her arms.
After Mei Shu bowed, she said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, those two palace attendants..." Her voice was so low that Xiao Ting's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously handed the kitten back to Ying Ying and said, "Let's talk over here."
Then he walked towards Zhao Youchen and the others.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Qing looked at her, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
"Although the death penalty can be waived, punishment is still unavoidable. The two palace servants were flogged in the palace prison and did not survive; they have already passed away."
Xiao Qing looked up at the people around her. Whether it was Zhao Youchen, Mei Shu, or Dan Ying, they all stood there quietly, their eyes showing no emotion.
She felt the lingering chill in her heart become even more pronounced.
I don't know if she's overthinking it. But the information this news reveals doesn't seem to be as simple as just the two palace servants being physically weak.
She looked at Zhao Youchen again, trying to discern some emotion in his eyes.
"What does Lord Zhao think?"
Zhao Youchen hadn't expected the young emperor to ask him this. His opinion was simple: "Your Majesty is merciful, but these two palace servants deserved their punishment. Your Majesty need not be saddened by this."
Xiao Qing turned his head slightly again, "Where is Attendant Mei?"
“Lord Zhao is right,” Mei Shu said calmly.
Xiao Qing didn't want to ask anymore.
She curled her lips into a slight smile. "So, even if I say these two people don't have to die, there's no way to save their lives?"
Mei Shu's eyes seemed to narrow slightly.
“This servant deserves to die.” Mei Shu knelt down, and Dan Ying and the others followed suit.
Xiao Qing was somewhat helpless. "Get up, what did you do wrong?"
After a while, she asked again, "Who interrogated these two palace servants? Can we summon them for questioning?"
Mei Shu said, "Your Majesty, the chief steward Huang is in charge of the palace prison today. If Your Majesty summons him, he can come immediately."
Xiao Qing nodded, signaling to summon him.
Zhao Youchen thought Xiao Qing was kind and soft-hearted and wanted to do something for the two palace servants, so he tried to persuade her.
But Mei Shu cleverly stood in front of him, blocking his view.
Soon, Steward Huang arrived, jogging over.
"May Your Majesty enjoy peace and prosperity." Chief Eunuch Huang was a tall, thin man with his hair neatly tied up on his head, and his servant's robes appeared somewhat oversized.
He looked calm, and although he was being very careful, Xiao Qing felt something was off.
"Mei Shu, you ask."
Mei Shu accepted the order and asked, "Chief Eunuch Huang, His Majesty wishes to inquire about the situation of those two palace attendants."
Chief Eunuch Huang quickly knelt down, "The presence of such audacious palace servants is a sign of our incompetence in managing our subordinates. We beg Your Majesty to punish them. They have received Your Majesty's favor, and after investigating the matter, we determined that according to the law, only one person should be sentenced to twenty strokes of the cane. However, both of them are unfortunate and have failed to live up to Your Majesty's kindness..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
