Chapter 37: Beating
Seeing this, Xiao Lizi immediately wanted to follow Liu Chang, but was stopped by another eunuch.
"You little monkey, what are you doing here? The masters are admiring the paintings, there's no place for you to stand! Stay right here!"
Little Leo was so anxious that he was sweating, but he didn't dare to force his way in.
He glanced at Cui Xiao, who winked at him, signaling him to be patient and act accordingly.
Inside the palace, Liu Jue wasn't really letting Liu Chang appreciate the painting. He was just using an excuse to temporarily distract Liu Chang and buy time.
Liu Chang looked at the ordinary painting and felt confused, but he didn't want to offend his elder brother.
When the trusted eunuch left by Liu Jue saw Liu Chang enter the inner hall, he immediately showed his vicious side!
The old eunuch in the lead winked, and the other two strong young eunuchs suddenly rushed towards Cui Xiao.
One person covered his mouth tightly, and the other tied his arms behind his back!
Cui Xiao was shocked and struggled hard, but how could a fifteen-year-old boy be a match for two strong eunuchs?
His covered mouth could only make a muffled whimpering sound. His heart felt cold, knowing that the eldest prince's revenge had come!
"How dare you, little bastard, offend His Highness? Today I'll teach you a lesson!"
The old eunuch smiled sinisterly and took out a warm jade seal from his bosom. It was the private seal of the eldest prince Liu Xuan!
He roughly tore open the collar of Cui Xiao's outer robe and stuffed the jade seal in!
“Ugh!!!” Cui Xiao’s eyes were bloodshot and he struggled with all his might, but he was pressed down even harder.
Little Leo watched it closely from the side and was extremely anxious!
He wanted to shout, but he was stared at by another eunuch, and he would be arrested if he made any movement.
His eyes rolled rapidly, and when the old eunuch had stuffed the jade seal in and the eunuchs' attention was focused on Cui Xiao, he suddenly ducked down and slipped under the armpit of a nearby eunuch like a loach!
Then he ran out of the hall without looking back!
"Catch him!" the old eunuch shouted sternly.
A eunuch immediately chased after him.
But Leo was small and agile, and he was familiar with the paths in the palace. After turning a few corners, he managed to temporarily shake off his pursuers!
He didn't dare to stop, his heart pounding wildly, with only one thought in mind: Find the Second Prince! Save the young marquis!
Inside the hall, Liu Jue estimated that the time was almost up, so he pretended to end the painting appreciation and walked out with the confused Liu Chang.
"Oh! What's going on?" Liu Xuan pretended to be surprised and looked at Cui Xiao, who was being held down by two eunuchs, with his clothes disheveled and his face full of anger and humiliation.
The old eunuch immediately stepped forward, pointed at Cui Xiao's collar, and said loudly
"Your Highness! We have just discovered that Cui Xiao was acting suspiciously and stole your Highness's personal seal while no one was paying attention! We caught him red-handed, in his arms!"
Liu Chang's face changed drastically: "What? Impossible! Brother Xiao would never do such a thing!"
Cui Xiao's mouth was released and he immediately screamed
"Your Highness! Third Prince! They framed me! They forced it on me! I..."
Liu Jue interrupted sharply, with a cruel look of satisfaction on his face.
"Caught red-handed, you still dare to quibble? How precious is this prince's private seal? How could a bastard like you covet it? It seems I've been too lenient with you, allowing you to be so lawless! Come here!"
"Drag him away! Give him forty lashes! Let him know what happens if he steals from the prince!"
"Brother! No! There must be something fishy about this!" Liu Chang hurriedly stopped him.
"Third brother! The evidence is irrefutable, yet you're still defending this thief? Are you in cahoots with him?"
Liu Jue put a big hat on him coldly.
Liu Chang was so angry that his face turned pale: "You...you are making up a false accusation!"
However, in Liu Xuan's territory, Liu Chang's obstruction seemed so powerless.
Several ferocious eunuchs dragged the struggling Cui Xiao into the yard and pressed him on the cold torture bench!
Lift the heavy board high!
"Beat him! Beat him hard for this prince!"
Liu Jue stood in the corridor, watching Cui Xiao being pressed on the stool, his eyes flashing with morbid excitement.
"A lowly bastard, you dare to act so pretentiously in front of me? Beat him! Make him howl! I want to hear it!"
The board fell heavily with the sound of wind!
The first time, severe pain swept through his body in an instant, and Cui Xiao couldn't help but let out a cry of pain!
“Ugh—!”
“Snap! Snap! Snap!”
The board fell mercilessly on the boy's thin hips and legs one after another.
Cui Xiao screamed in pain at first and tried to struggle, but soon the intense pain and huge humiliation overwhelmed him like a tide.
His voice gradually faded away, leaving only suppressed, broken sobs.
His consciousness began to blur, his vision went black, and sweat, tears, and dust mixed together, covering his face.
He bit his lower lip tightly, tasting the blood. Only one thought ran through his mind: Second Prince... where are you...
Liu Chang was watching with rage, and tried to rush forward to stop them several times, but was stopped by Liu Xuan's men.
"Stop it! Stop it! Big brother! You're going to kill him!"
Liu Jue turned a deaf ear to him and instead felt that Cui Xiao had stopped yelling, which was not enough to relieve his anger. He yelled
"Haven't you eaten yet? Beat me hard! Beat him until he begs for mercy!"
Just then—
"stop--!!!"
A roar filled with immense rage exploded at the gate of the courtyard like thunder!
Everyone turned around in horror!
Emperor Liu Chen was wearing a bright yellow uniform, his face was ashen, his eyes were burning with rage, and he rushed in with big strides like an enraged lion!
Behind him followed the second prince Liu Cong, whose eyes were red and exuded a terrifying murderous aura!
And a large group of imperial guards and panicked eunuchs!
It turned out that after Little Leo desperately rushed out of Gyeongbokgung Palace, he was so panicked that he ran into Liu Cong who was about to pay his respects to the emperor!
He fell to the ground as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, crying incoherently
"Second Prince! Help! Go and save the young marquis! The eldest prince... the eldest prince has falsely accused the young marquis of stealing his private seal, and he's... is currently executing him with a beating at Gyeongbokgung Palace!"
When Liu Cong heard the words "beat with a stick", his mind buzzed! A cold murderous intent instantly spread from the soles of his feet to his whole body!
Cui Xiao! His Ah Xiao!
He almost rushed to Gyeongbokgung Palace to kill people immediately!
But his remaining rationality told him that the other party was the prince, the eldest brother!
He must seek help! He must borrow the power of his father! Only his father could immediately stop the atrocities and severely punish Liu Jue!
Liu Cong suppressed his burning anger and fear, rushed to the emperor as fast as he could, and knelt down with a hoarse and rapid voice, with unprecedented panic.
"Father! I beg you to hurry to Gyeongbokgung Palace! My eldest brother...he is abusing Cui Xiao and trying to kill him! It will be too late if you delay!"
Emperor Liu Chen was reviewing memorials and was also shocked when he heard this!
Cui Xiao’s identity is sensitive and its authenticity is uncertain, but he is the son of an imperial official after all, and is also the prince’s study companion!
How dare the eldest prince resort to lynching in the palace? This is simply lawless!
Thinking of the doubts in his heart about Cui Xiao's life experience, the emperor's heart sank suddenly and he immediately stood up.
"Go to Gyeongbokgung Palace!"
So, this scene happened.
The emperor and Liu Cong rushed into the yard and saw the eunuch holding the board high up and the young man on the torture bench who was silent, his face as pale as paper, and seemed to have no life!
The moment the emperor saw Cui Xiao's miserable condition, his heart was as if being tightly grasped by an invisible hand!
A sharp, unprecedented pain suddenly seized him!
The pain was so strange and so intense that it almost took his breath away!
He didn't know why he felt so heartbroken for this young man, but the feeling was so real and terrifying!
When Liu Cong saw Cui Xiao lying lifeless on the torture bench with his clothes torn and bloodstained at his hips and legs, his eyes instantly turned blood red!
He stared intently at Liu Jue, who was also pale in the corridor, his teeth chattering, his nails digging deep into his palms, and he was completely unaware of the blood oozing out!
Kill him! I'm going to kill him!
A crazy voice roared in his heart!
If the emperor had not been present, if it had not been for the last bit of rationality restraining him, he would definitely have rushed forward regardless of the consequences and torn Liu Jue into pieces!
Liu Cong has remembered this blood debt! He will never stop until his death!
"Father...Father Emperor..."
Liu Jue was so frightened by the emperor's furious eyes and terrifying aura that his legs went weak and he fell to the ground.
The emperor didn't even bother to look at him; all his attention was focused on the young man on the torture bench.
He strode over, pushed away the eunuch who was still holding the board and looked stunned, and bent down to check on Cui Xiao's condition.
The boy was breathing weakly, his forehead was covered in sweat, his lips were bitten and bleeding, and his face was transparently pale, as if it would break at the slightest touch.
The emperor's heartache grew even worse. He cautiously stretched out his hand to check Cui Xiao's breath.
Just as he leaned closer, the hem of Cui Xiao's inner garment, which had been messily rolled up due to his struggle and execution, slipped down a corner, revealing the young man's lean lower back.
A flash of bright red suddenly caught the emperor's eyes!
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