Seeing their keen interest, Marhan became even more smug, earning a disdainful glance from Irgen Gioro, but he paid no heed.
"Before Lady Nian was betrothed, the Fourteenth Prince had already taken a liking to her and asked Consort De for a marriage decree. However, the Emperor bestowed her upon Prince Yong instead. This was quite something. The Fourteenth Prince, with his fiery temper, immediately went to Prince Yong's residence and beat up his own brother."
After saying that, he clicked his tongue in amazement, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Thirteen was no longer in the mood for jokes, and his expression changed instantly.
Heyue held his hand, feeling incredulous as well.
It's unbelievable that the Fourteenth Prince would fall for Nian Yuzhu; it's truly a dramatic turn of events.
But isn't the Fourteenth Prince just too unlucky?
He initially took a liking to Sixth Sister, who was then married to Yi Duli. Now, he has taken a liking to Nian Yuzhu, who has become his own brother's concubine.
He Yue knew she shouldn't laugh, but she couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth up.
Thirteen turned his head and saw her eyes full of uncontrollable laughter. He shook his head helplessly, and his anger from before dissipated a little.
"And then?" Heyue asked anxiously.
Marhan covered his lips with his fist and coughed lightly: "Of course it was the Fourteenth Prince who was punished by the Emperor to kneel outside the Qianqing Palace, making a big joke of himself."
He Yue sighed, no wonder the Fourteenth Prince and his Fourth Prince had such a falling out later, it turns out there was this reason.
"Fourteenth Prince hit Fourth Brother, and Fourth Brother didn't fight back?" He Yue was dumbfounded by this question.
Thirteen rolled his eyes at her and explained, "Fourth Brother would naturally not fight back. Fourteenth Brother is young and doesn't know any better. Fourth Brother is the elder brother, so how could he possibly hold a grudge against Fourteenth Brother? Otherwise, wouldn't it be like brothers fighting over a woman? Even Consort De would blame Fourth Brother."
He Yue thought about it and agreed. But it must have been the first time that Fourth Brother had been beaten like this, especially by his own younger brother. It must have been quite frustrating.
I wonder what Fourth Master will look like after being beaten? Will that cold and aloof mask be removed? Just thinking about it makes me inexplicably excited.
Well, being the fourth brother after all, she still didn't laugh.
After getting a beating, he won the heart of a beauty; it was all worth it for Fourth Brother.
Marhan stroked his beard and nodded: "Prince Yong did not fight back. He was hit by his own brother. Although he lost face, it would have been even more embarrassing if he had hit him back. The one who suffered more in this matter was the Fourteenth Prince. Although you can see his straightforward nature, he is still too sentimental. It is not a good thing. Moreover, this is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. The Fourteenth Prince is complaining about the Emperor's unfairness."
In comparison, Prince Yong was remarkably composed, remaining silent even after suffering a loss; he's quite something.
He shook his head, a mixture of regret and relief in his expression.
Who was regrettable and who was gratified? Heyue and Shisan both understood. They exchanged a glance and smiled slightly.
A major event occurred in Jiangnan this year.
As the saying goes, among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, scholars are the most important.
Passing the imperial examination and becoming an official has always been the dream of scholars, who are willing to spend ten years studying diligently for this goal.
The imperial examination, the only way to enter the court as an official, naturally held a sacred place in the minds of scholars.
However, some people cheated in this year's provincial examination, which shocked the court and the people of Jiangnan.
The incident began shortly after the results were announced in September. Students from Suzhou carried the God of Wealth into the Confucius Temple, and the news reached the ears of Emperor Kangxi in Beijing.
Emperor Kangxi was furious and ordered Minister Zhang Penghe to go to Jiangnan to jointly investigate the case with the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Gali, and the Governor of Jiangsu, Zhang Boxing.
Thirteen has been so angry about the cheating scandal in the imperial examinations that he's developed blisters on his lips and has lost all interest in being affectionate with Heyue. He spends his days cooped up in his room, lost in thought.
Heyue silently played with Hongtun. She couldn't help with this kind of thing; she could only wait for things to pass.
In her opinion, since she had left the court, she didn't need to care about these things anymore, since she couldn't control them anyway, and the people in the court would handle them.
Thirteen is just asking for trouble.
Unfortunately, as a prince, Thirteen had a heavy sense of responsibility, and any bad news in the world would always make him feel depressed for a while.
Ultimately, Thirteen still couldn't let go of his identity as a prince.
He Yue understood, so she could only spend as much time with him as possible.
Hongtun stretched out his arms, babbling and wanting Heyue to hug him. Heyue smiled, picked him up, and kissed his cheek.
Children's world is simple; they are completely unaware of the turmoil in the outside world. At this moment, Hongtun suddenly looked past Heyue towards Thirteen, who was sitting in the main room sulking. He stretched out his two little arms and bounced around in Heyue's arms.
Heyue knew he wanted to play with Thirteen and hoped the child's smile would make Thirteen a little happier, so she held Hongtun and sat down next to Thirteen.
Hongtun grabbed Thirteen's sleeve with his little hand and let out an "ah".
Hongtun can't speak yet; he can only occasionally utter a simple syllable. He can't say the names like "father" or "mother" yet.
He Yue understood that he was calling for his father.
Thirteen was lost in his own thoughts when he suddenly felt a small hand gripping his sleeve. He looked down at Hongtun.
Hongtun immediately broke into a big smile, a pure smile that seemed to dispel all of one's worries.
"Look at you, how long has it been since you played with Hongtun? Is anything outside more important than making our son happy?"
Her tone was one of dissatisfaction, but it also conveyed a hope that he could shift his attention.
Thirteen looked quietly at Hongtun's smiling face, but couldn't smile at all. His lips were tightly pursed, and he didn't reach out to take Hongtun's hand for a long time.
Hongtun's smile gradually disappeared, revealing an unhappy expression. He cried out, waving his little arms and kicking his little legs vigorously.
Heyue could barely carry him anymore, knowing he was angry. Helpless, Heyue couldn't make Shisan happy, and she really didn't know what to do.
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