When Imperial Physician Hu arrived, he was already not feeling too well.
Mainly because Xiao Yunting had actually been stabbed in the chest.
This was too outrageous!
This was the deep inner palace, who exactly had such audacity and such capability to be able to injure Xiao Yunting?
However, he did not have the slightest bit of curiosity, and he treated the matter of Court Official Sun going to see the Crown Prince as though he heard nothing at all.
Only a ghost would want to know what had happened here!
Trembling with fear, he stepped forward to examine Xiao Yunting’s wound. After cleaning the injury and applying wound medicine, he cautiously went to report to Emperor Yongchang: “Your Majesty, although the location of the injury is dangerous, but… but fortunately the wound is not deep…”
Emperor Yongchang’s emotions could not be discerned. Lowering his eyes, he waved a hand.
Imperial Physician Hu immediately let out a huge sigh of relief and withdrew as though treading on thin ice.
Empress Feng seemed to have aged ten years.
Children and grandchildren turning against each other, to her, this was no different from being tortured in a boiling oil cauldron.
When the Crown Prince slowly woke up, she stood up with cold brows and eyes: “You’re satisfied now, aren’t you?”
Standing beside the Crown Prince’s bed, Empress Feng looked at him faintly: “You wanted to make Yunting bear the reputation of being unfilial, but instead you yourself first ended up carrying the label of being unkind. How does that feel now?”
How did it feel?
The Crown Prince’s eyes were cold.
He only hated that he had been too softhearted.
The room fell silent. Suddenly, the Crown Prince struggled to crawl up, staggering toward Emperor Yongchang before dropping to his knees with a thud.
The square-patterned floor tiles were icy and biting, but he seemed not to notice in the slightest, repeatedly kowtowing to Emperor Yongchang with loud bangs. Before long, his forehead had become bruised and swollen.
Emperor Yongchang let out a cold laugh: “And what are you kowtowing for now? Weren’t you very capable?”
The Crown Prince’s face was full of panic, the fat on his face trembling nonstop: “Royal Father, Royal Father! This son merely… this son was merely afraid! The Lu family committed such treasonous acts, this son simply did not want to be dragged into trouble…”
His cowardly and timid image had long since become deeply rooted in people’s hearts.
For the heir of the Eastern Palace, this was the most common method of showing weakness.
He had long practiced it to perfection. At this moment he cried loudly in fear: “Royal Father! This son knows he is incompetent, therefore this son has always been cautious in words and actions, never daring to take one extra step, never daring to say one extra sentence! Yunting is too sharp and exposed, saying this son is cowardly, saying this son is cold-hearted and unfeeling, this son was truly afraid!”
Emperor Yongchang coldly scrutinized the son before him.
Seriously speaking, the Crown Prince truly did not resemble a Crown Prince at all.
Far too obese, with a face astonishingly large, and eyes that looked half-shut even when open.
Now, crying with snot and tears all over his face, he looked even more pathetic.
Such a Crown Prince, being so harshly contradicted by Xiao Yunting and fearing implication in the Lu family matter, becoming enraged enough to injure someone, indeed seemed like something he would do.
The Crown Prince sobbed as he prostrated himself on the ground: “Royal Father, this son dared not plead for the Lu family, and also felt that the Crown Princess truly failed to understand the bigger picture, actually attempting suicide at such a critical moment, putting both me and Royal Father into an unjust position. Only then was this son provoked into losing control by Yunting’s few words…”
He appeared panic-stricken, suddenly collapsed onto the ground, and fainted once again.
Eunuch Xia hurriedly strode over: “Your Highness the Crown Prince! Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
Emperor Yongchang narrowed his eyes and coldly ordered: “Summon the imperial physicians.”
By the time Xiao Yunting regained consciousness, it was already deep into the night.
When he awoke, he saw Emperor Yongchang seated behind a desk not far away, currently reviewing memorials.
Hearing movement, Emperor Yongchang raised his head, set down the memorial in his hands, and blandly asked: “Awake?”
Xiao Yunting seemed somewhat dazed. Only after a long while did he react, suddenly throwing aside the covers as he tried to get out of bed.
But because his movement was too rushed and too fast, he rolled off the side of the bed.
Emperor Yongchang immediately stood up: “Xia Yan! Xia Yan!”
Yet Xiao Yunting suddenly lunged forward and hugged Emperor Yongchang: “Imperial Grandfather!”
His voice choked with emotion, like a child who had suffered immense grievance.
Emperor Yongchang’s heart involuntarily softened.
This child had always been calm and composed before him, handling everything with ease, so outstanding that people could not pick out any fault in him.
Even when the Lu family encountered such a major disaster, he had never shown fear or panic. Instead, he had knelt outside Taiji Hall for an entire night, braving the rain to demand the truth.
But now, he was like a wounded young beast.
Emperor Yongchang bent down and helped him up: “So you also know fear? When you killed your Royal father’s attendant, when you contradicted your Royal father, why didn’t you think about the consequences then?!”
After all, in Great Zhou where filial piety outweighed heaven itself, Xiao Yunting’s behavior truly was somewhat shocking.
Confucian doctrine was the method of governing the realm, and for Emperor Yongchang as the Son of Heaven, Confucian doctrine was even more the foundation for maintaining his rule and power.
If everyone harbored thoughts of overstepping, then would it not mean that anyone who suffered grievances would rebel?
That absolutely would not do.
And this was Xiao Yunting. If it were another grandson…
Xiao Yunting knelt on the ground once more, weakly bowing forward to kowtow: “Imperial Grandfather, your grandson was enraged. Your grandson also does not understand exactly where he failed so badly that Royal Father dislikes me this much…”
He looked up at Emperor Yongchang and pressed his lips together: “I am indeed Royal Father’s son, but I am also Royal Mother’s son. Royal Father’s attendant came before my Royal mother to sow discord and stir up trouble, nearly causing my mother’s death. If I had ignored it and done nothing, would I not have failed as a son?”
Straightening his back, he lifted his head and looked honestly at Emperor Yongchang: “I indeed contradicted Royal Father, so if Royal Father wished to kill me, I accept it. There are no parents in the world who are wrong. I contradicted Royal Father and am unworthy of being Imperial Grandson, Imperial Grandfather…”
Emperor Yongchang immediately rebuked coldly: “Utter nonsense!”
He said blandly: “What contradiction? Did anything happen tonight?”
Xiao Yunting froze, seemingly unable to believe it as he suddenly raised his head to look at Emperor Yongchang, tears instantly spilling from his eyes: “Imperial Grandfather!”
Emperor Yongchang touched his hair and said in a deep voice: “In the future, think things through more carefully when doing things. You are grown now as well, and should marry and have children. Continuing to crowd together in the Eastern Palace is inappropriate. Coincidentally, this year during the ancestral rites, let the Ministry of Rites prepare the procedures. After formally enthroning you as Imperial Grandson, you will officially move to the Western Garden.”
Xiao Yunting was incredulous: “Imperial Grandfather…”
Not only Xiao Yunting was incredulous, the Crown Prince was equally incredulous.
Was Emperor Yongchang not simply making that little beast even more arrogant by doing this?!
Bypassing him, the biological father, and moving to the Western Garden, how was that any different from establishing a separate household?!
He instantly understood why Xiao Yunting had taken that step forward and run into his sword.
This wretched creature!
This cunning b*stard had certainly already sent people to lure Emperor Yongchang over, then deliberately staged this scene before Emperor Yongchang!
He had painstakingly arranged Ren Zhong’s suicide and prepared for the Crown Princess to “commit suicide,” yet in the end Xiao Yunting had instead smashed him over the head with a cudgel!
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