"I see that you ministers are quite daring!!"
"Your humble servant dares not."
All the ministers prostrated themselves on the ground, continuing to admit their mistakes.
"Then let's give everyone here a hundred lashes."
"What do you all think, my esteemed subjects?"
The kneeling ministers remained silent, but Qin Jue's voice rang out again.
"I'm too poor lately, how about all of you ministers contribute a little?"
The minister kneeling on the ground remained silent once again.
"Since none of you ministers have spoken, then let's give each of you three months' salary."
"Minister Yang has made many contributions to the court, so let's give him half a year's salary."
The minister, kneeling on the ground, accepted the punishment, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble subject thanks you."
After a while, when Qin Jue did not say anything about getting up, everyone remained kneeling on the ground, their heads bowed lower and lower.
"roar--"
"Waaaaah..."
"Father... Waaah..."
Everyone felt a gust of wind rush past them. Before they could understand what was happening, they saw a tiger in the imperial study. Looking up, they saw the little princess climbing down from the tiger's back.
Qin Jue saw Xiao Xi'er crying as she rode Sha Ting over, so he quickly went to her, hugged her, and comforted her.
"What's wrong, Xiaoxi'er? Don't cry, don't cry."
Qin Jue held Xiao Xi'er in his arms, gently patting her back, and slowly walked from side to side.
"You...you really look like...Daddy, don't you? Waaaaah..."
"I am your father, little Xi'er, if you don't believe me, look."
Qin Jue sat on a stool to the side, placed Xiao Xi'er on his lap, and brought the crying Xiao Xi'er, who was clinging to his shoulder, closer to him.
Xiao Xi'er looked at Qin Jue in front of her with tear-filled eyes. Her sobs subsided a little, but it still felt unreal. She reached out and touched Qin Jue's face again. Once she touched his face, Xiao Xi'er immediately buried her face in Qin Jue's chest.
"Waaaaah... I... I thought... I'd never see Daddy again... Waaaaah..."
"No, Father will always be with Little Xi'er."
"Father wants to be with Xiaoxi as she grows up. Father is waiting for Xiaoxi to come of age so he can tie her hair up himself."
"Don't cry, sweetie, or you'll look like a little kitten from crying."
"Waaaaah..."
Xiao Xi cried for a while before lifting her head from Qin Jue's arms and looking at him.
Qin Jue felt a pang of heartache when he saw that Xiao Xi'er's face was covered in tears, and that her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
Qin Jue gently wiped away the remaining tears on Xiao Xi'er's face and asked her tenderly, "Xiao Xi'er, what happened?"
Little Xi'er had just finished crying when she said in a hoarse voice, "I was playing with Guoguo just now, and someone said that Daddy died, and that I'll never see Daddy again."
As she spoke, she started crying again, "I... Waaah... No... I don't want to never see Daddy again... Waaah..."
The kneeling ministers, hearing Xiao Xi'er's words, were all sweating bullets for her, fearing that Qin Jue would be angry and punish her with a hundred strokes of the cane.
Qin Jue wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, hearing Xiao Xi'er's words and seeing how worried she was about him, he felt happy. "Xiao Xi'er, Daddy will always be here for you."
"Little Xi'er will always be able to see her father."
"Mmm...mmm...waaaaah..."
Qin Jue held and comforted Xiao Xi'er for a while until she stopped crying.
Seeing that Xiao Xi'er had stopped crying, Qin Jue stood up and walked towards the exit of the imperial study. "Let's go back to the palace and have someone prepare something delicious for Xiao Xi'er."
Sanhezi got up and quickly followed Qin Jue, but after a while, he turned back.
"Distinguished ministers, His Majesty commands you to kneel outside the Imperial Study."
After Sanhezi finished speaking, he left the Imperial Study again. All the ministers inside rose and knelt outside. They knelt for the entire afternoon. After dark, Zou Heng came with his men, bringing stools.
After the ministers were flogged, either their families came to fetch them, or they were slowly shuffled out of the palace.
Military officers could still shuffle along, little by little, while civil officials were carried back by their families.
After taking a few steps, San Shu mustered up his courage and spoke up in front of Qin Jue, "Your Majesty, the ladies-in-waiting and several princes are kneeling at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation."
"This servant will go and send those ladies back."
"Need not"
Qin Jue's expression remained unchanged as he continued walking towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation. He hadn't gone far when Qin Jingyi caught up with him.
Qin Jue was quite surprised to see Qin Jingyao, and Qin Jingyao was equally shocked to see Qin Jue, thinking to himself, "Wasn't it said that Father Emperor was dead?" However, Qin Jingyao did not show it on his face.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be well."
When Xiao Xi saw Qin Jingyao, she called out, "Brother!"
"It's good that Xiao Si is alright."
Seeing Xiao Xi'er in Qin Jue's arms, Qin Jingyao's heart relaxed. Seeing Qin Jue looking over, he said, "Just now, Xiao Si rode away on a tiger, and I was very worried, so I chased after him."
"Um"
And so Qin Jingyi followed Qin Jue toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation, wondering to himself whether his mother and the other concubines were truly kneeling outside the hall.
Before long, the group arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where they could see a large crowd of imperial concubines dressed in white kneeling on the ground.
Qin Jingke turned his head and saw Qin Jue and Xiao Xi'er. Then, with joy, he tugged at Xiao Liyun's sleeve and said, "Mother, Mother!! It's Father and Sister!"
Xiao Liyun and everyone who heard this turned their heads and saw Qin Jue carrying Xiao Xi'er and walking this way, followed by Qin Jingyan and three others.
Xiao Liyun stood up and came to Qin Jue, looking at Xiao Xi'er with a smile, and said, "It's good that Xi'er is alright."
At this moment, Tang Shiya and Yang Jiaojiao removed the white pearl flowers from their hair and the hempen ribbons from their waists, and stood up. Qin Jingmu and Qin Jingtai also stood up.
Then many people stood up as well.
Qin Jue walked to the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and everyone began to bow.
"Your Majesty, I have come to pay my respects."
"Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Qin Jue ignored them and strode into the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Even Qin Jingyi followed him inside, making the other three extremely envious.
Everyone stood there bewildered, and after a while, three people came out.
"Your Majesties, Your Highnesses, His Majesty commands you to continue kneeling."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Liyun, Tang Shiya, and Yang Jiaojiao took the lead and knelt down.
Everyone thought that was the end of it, but then the third person spoke up again, "Your Majesties, you still have fifty more strokes of the cane, and you will be fined three months' worth of salary."
San Shu walked up to Qin Jingmu and the others, saying, "His Majesty has ordered the three princes to kneel until nightfall, and to be confined for a month, with three months' salary deducted."
After saying this, San Shu walked up to Tang Shiya again, "Consort Wan, His Majesty said that this is the first and last time. If it happens again, His Majesty will take back the Phoenix Seal."
"Please trouble you to convey to His Majesty that I understand."
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