Chapter 237 Confinement and Broken Leg
When Xiao Yuancheng heard the words "the position of imperial concubine", it was as if he was struck by thunder. His eyes went dark and his body shook violently. Fortunately, the eunuch beside him was quick-witted and supported him in time so that he did not fall.
"Your Majesty! Call the imperial physician quickly!" The eunuch's shrill voice cut through the frozen air.
"Your Majesty!" Xiao Ji and Xi Jianan also stepped forward immediately, their faces filled with worry. Prince An was so frightened that he tried to crawl to help the emperor, but Xiao Yuancheng kicked him away with all his strength.
"Get out...you rebellious son!" Xiao Yuancheng gasped, his chest heaving violently, pointing at Prince An with trembling fingers, his eyes filled with rage and deep disappointment.
"I'm not dead yet! And you... you dare to promise me the position of Imperial Concubine? Do you still have eyes for me, the Emperor? Do you have eyes for the laws of our ancestors?"
Princess An had already collapsed to the ground in fear, her face pale.
Prince An was kicked and fell on his back. Hearing the emperor's roar, he knew that the matter had been completely exposed and could not be reversed. The crime of "coveting the throne" was a million times more serious than having an affair with a minister's wife.
He was panicked and made an incoherent defense: "No, Father! It was her! It was Xi Qingtong, that vicious woman, who framed me! She hated me, and when she saw the truth was revealed, she wanted to drag me into it! I never had any improper thoughts, Father!"
"False accusation?" Xi Qingtong was completely desperate at this point, acting like a madman, and laughed shrilly, "Your Highness Prince An, do I need to repeat to His Majesty every word of those treasonous words you said to me while we were whispering to each other? You said His Majesty was old and foolish, and favored Prince Zhao. You said that if you ascended the throne..."
"Shut up! You bitch! Shut up!" Prince An was terrified and rushed over to cover Xi Qingtong's mouth, but Xiao Ji grabbed his arm.
"Brother, how can you be so rude in front of our father?"
Xiao Ji looked at Prince An with pure and innocent eyes. He didn't want Xi Qingtong's knife to be disturbed.
Prince An was so angry that he almost died. He used all his strength to throw Xiao Ji away and said, "What do you care?"
The tit-for-tat between his two sons once again stimulated Xiao Yuancheng. Even though he was about to faint, he insisted on giving the final order.
He didn't even look at Prince An who was struggling and screaming on the ground, or Xi Qingtong who was chattering non-stop. His voice was hoarse but with unquestionable majesty: "Come here."
"I'm here!" The commander of the guards stepped forward immediately.
"Imprison Prince An...in Prince An's mansion. No one is allowed to visit without my written order! Search the mansion thoroughly for me! See if there is any dragon robe left!"
Every word Xiao Yuancheng said sounded like it had been fished out of an ice cellar. He had organized such a celebration, invited immortal masters, and consumed elixirs, all just to stay on the throne for a few more days. How could he possibly allow others to spy on him?
Moreover, he never thought of letting his son Prince An succeed him. With his weak body, how could he wait for the throne?
Wasn't that why he chose his mother as the Imperial Noble Consort? As a result, not only did the mother and son fail to see the truth, but they became even more arrogant. What idiots!
In that case, let him be kicked out early! The emperor's eyes showed a cold and ruthless look, and he ignored Prince An's desperate cries and pleas for mercy.
Such heart-piercing words frightened Prince An so much that he was speechless for a moment. He never expected that this scheme of killing someone with a borrowed knife would not only fail, but he would also lose his life because of a woman.
The emperor then turned his gaze towards Xi Qingtong, filled with disgust. "This woman...is unvirtuous, but the fault lies with my son. Considering her miscarriage, I will hand her over to you, my beloved Xi, to take her home and deal with her. I hope she won't be seen by me again."
Compared with the "confinement and house search" of Prince An, the punishment for Xi Qingtong seems to be lighter, but everyone understands that she has stirred up such a huge storm, and her future destiny is completely out of her control. When she returns to the family, she doesn't know what kind of punishment is waiting for her.
At least, she probably won't be able to appear in public again.
The guards took the order and unceremoniously dragged away Prince An, who was still crying and arguing, and Xi Qingtong, who seemed to have lost all his strength and collapsed on the ground.
Princess An followed behind like a walking corpse. She didn't expect that she just wanted to watch the fun and be jealous, but she didn't want to push her husband and herself into the pit.
How dare Xi Qingtong say such nonsense?! How dare she admit it! Doesn't she really hate her sisters? Why is she siding with them again?
Could it be... could it be that child? Princess An only then realized that she remembered the child. This child was lost because of Prince An...
Facing the vicious look Prince An turned towards her, Princess An's heart also rose with anger. He blamed her? If he hadn't been involved first, how could these things have happened?
It is already foreseeable what kind of chaos will occur after Prince An and his wife return to the palace.
The corridor finally returned to silence for a while, leaving only heavy breathing and the emperor's tired sighs.
Xiao Yuancheng glanced at Xiao Ji and Qing Wu with a complicated look, especially Qing Wu. He stared at her for a moment longer before finally settling on Xi Jianan. With a hint of venting his anger on her, he said, "Xi Qing, you are not good at educating your daughter. You should take care of yourself."
Xi Jianan fell to his knees with a thud: "Your Majesty...will die!" But when his forehead pressed against the ground, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least this way, she could still be alive.
The emperor waved his hand and sternly warned that such scandals should not be spread. Finally, with the help of the eunuchs, he slowly walked towards the main hall, as if he had aged several years in an instant.
In the end, Xiao Yuancheng managed to finish this grand birthday banquet, but everyone in the inner hall knew what must have happened in the meantime.
After the palace banquet, the news that Prince An was imprisoned in the palace spread to all the officials and families in the capital. It was said that the Imperial Noble Consort immediately rushed to the Purple Palace and knelt in front of the door for a long time.
Prince An seemed to have fallen behind in the fight for the throne, and although he had eliminated a competitor, neither Xiao Ji nor Qing Wu felt relieved.
"Once the emperor falls ill, those three will probably be unable to contain themselves again."
Xiao Ji sighed lightly and shook Qing Wu's hand beside him, but saw that her eyes were casually focused on one place, obviously in a trance.
He immediately figured out why, and declared, "Old Zhang, go back to the palace directly."
Qing Wu looked at him in surprise, and saw Xiao Ji lift his leg and chuckled, "You've seen broken legs before, it's not interesting, so don't look at it."
When leaving the palace, Xi Jianan invited the young couple to witness him performing his family's martial arts and breaking Xi Qingtong's legs, and the two followed him back to the Xi family.
The rumbling sound of the wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement was particularly clear. Inside the carriage, Qing Wu was silent. Xiao Ji held her hand without saying much, just waiting for her answer. If she really wanted to go, then that was fine.
He understood her complex emotions. After all, she was her blood sister. Even if there was much resentment and disappointment, knowing that she had met a tragic end was enough.
Her desire to witness her father's execution of the family law and break Xi Qingtong's legs was only a momentary impulse. After that moment, the soft and kind nature in her heart surfaced again.
However, Xiao Ji also knew that Qingwu's absent-mindedness at the moment was not due to sympathy for Xi Qingtong, but more like a kind of bewilderment at the fickleness of fate.
She had been thinking about revenge in her mind for a long time, but she just added fuel to the fire a few times, and it fell on Xi Qingtong.
Such a swiftness caught her off guard, just as he was caught off guard by Prince An's silence.
After a moment of silence, Qing Wu nodded gently, "Okay."
The luxurious carriage of Prince Zhao's mansion suddenly turned at a street corner. Xi Jianan was quickly informed by the coachman and he sighed deeply.
It’s better not to come...
But when this thought came to his mind, Xi Jianan suddenly came to his senses. Whether he came or not, he couldn't be soft-hearted this time.
After arriving at the Xi Mansion, Xi Qingtong was helped out of the carriage behind him by two maids. She was obviously still a little dazed. When she saw the gate of the Xi Mansion, a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.
Yes, back to the Xi family, and mother.
Mother will speak up for her.
Xi Qingtong cheered up and quietly and obediently followed Xi Jianan to the courtyard where she used to live. But after waiting for a while, she didn't see Mrs. Zheng, but two strong old women holding sticks.
The light in Xi Qingtong's eyes froze instantly when he saw the two heavy sticks, and then shattered into unbelievable horror.
"Dad... Dad?" Her voice trembled and she subconsciously took a step back. However, due to her weak body, she staggered and almost fell, but there was no maid around to support her.
Xi Jianan stood with his back to her, his hands behind his back, his figure looking exceptionally cold and stiff. He didn't dare look back, fearing he would soften his heart.
"Do it."
"What are you doing?" Xi Qingtong was completely panicked. She screamed and tried to rush towards her father, but was easily stopped by the two expressionless old women.
She turned and looked around, frantically searching for a savior, "Mother! Mother, save me! Where's my mother?! Let my mother come!"
"Your mother won't be coming." Xi Jianan finally turned around, his face livid. "She's already in the other courtyard, and she can't even protect herself! If she hadn't been so indulgent and doting on you, how could you be so bold as to do this!"
This sentence was like a final thunderclap, shattering all of Xi Qingtong's hopes. Her only hope was gone.
Looking at the stick that was getting closer and closer, he struggled desperately and cried, "Dad! I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! I won't dare to do it again! Please forgive me this time because I just lost my child! Dad——"
She screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to arouse her father's sympathy with her misery.
Xi Jianan's eyes welled up with tears, and his heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand. The repeated cries of "Dad" made him feel unbearable. However, thinking of her actions, the grievances and risks Qingwu had endured, and the lives of hundreds of people in the Xi family...
He couldn't be soft-hearted! If he was soft-hearted once, he might end up in eternal damnation!
He suddenly closed his eyes, hardened his heart, and shouted sternly: "What are you waiting for! Use the master's method! Break her legs! Let her remember this lesson!"
The strong old women no longer hesitated. One of them held down the frantically struggling Xi Qingtong, while the other raised the stick in her hand high.
"No--!!!"
Xi Qingtong's desperate scream pierced the silent night sky of the Xi Mansion.
The first stick fell heavily, hitting her shin bone.
"Bang!" A teeth-grinding sound was clearly audible.
"Ah--!" Xi Qingtong let out a shrill howl. Severe pain instantly swept through all her senses. Everything in front of her eyes went black and cold sweat dripped down her body.
The old woman holding her down could feel the violent spasms in her body.
The executioner paused and looked at Xi Jianan.
Xi Jianan's body trembled, but he didn't stop, "Continue!"
The second stick fell immediately afterwards.
There was a crisp sound, followed by a fainter but more painful whine.
Xi Qingtong didn't even have the strength to struggle. Like a fish out of water, she could only open her mouth and make gasping sounds. The severe pain made her almost faint instantly.
Her face was covered with tears, snot and saliva, and she had lost her former beauty, leaving only extreme pain and embarrassment.
Xi Jianan looked at his daughter's miserable condition and turned around abruptly, "Enough... carry her away... find a doctor..."
The old woman and the frightened maids then hurried forward, and frantically lifted up Xi Qingtong, who was in so much pain that she was unconscious and could only moan unconsciously, and hurriedly sent her to her former boudoir, which would also be her future prison.
“But don’t cure it…”
His daughter, who loved dancing the most, could no longer dance.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
