Eunuch Xu felt conflicted—not because he was truly kind-hearted, but because Jinbao was someone he had personally raised. Eunuchs have no sons, and to him, Jinbao was practically like his own child.
Clenching his teeth, Eunuch Xu ultimately took the risk and stepped forward, kneeling to plead as well: “Your Highness! Now is not the time for anger—please first think of a way to resolve this!”
Resolve this?!
Qi Wang’s face was dark as water, his fury having reached its peak, but that only made him calm.
All the traps Qi Yuan had fallen into—weren’t they all just to make him a public enemy? But things were never that simple.
Coldly, he wiped the blood from his own hand—blood that had come from smashing things—onto the trembling Jinbao beside him, then left the room with a grim face.
Jinbao shivered all over. He knew very well—if his master hadn’t said that one extra sentence just now, he would already be a dead man.
Having just barely escaped death, Jinbao couldn’t help but burst into tears.
Eunuch Xu immediately slapped him hard across the face and sternly scolded, “Silence! Do you want to die, you worthless thing?!”
When Jinbao finally managed to suppress his sobs, Eunuch Xu quickly stood up and composed himself, barking out orders: “Clean up the residence at once! Tell everyone below to act accordingly—what’s the worst that can happen, the sky won’t fall!”
Yes, the Noble Consort had spent years building her influence, and Qi Wang had been favored for years as well. This crisis was a serious one, but it wasn’t something they couldn’t get through.
Jinbao quickly wiped his tears, answered yes, and cautiously got up.
Qi Wang rushed into the palace to see Emperor Yongchang—it was already afternoon by then.
The Emperor was in the Noble Consort’s palace. The fifteen-year-old Princess Baorong was there, accompanying her mother along with her three-year-old sister, Princess Mingcheng.
From time to time, Princess Baorong would glance at the Emperor while caring for her mother.
When Imperial Physician Hu finished his examination, the Emperor immediately asked, “How is the Consort?”
What else could it be? Imperial Physician Hu cursed silently, but on the surface, he carefully answered, “Your Majesty, the Consort is suffering from a surge of anger which caused her qi to rebel and resulted in vomiting blood. Spitting out that blood is actually a good sign…”
The Emperor waved him off, signaling him to go prescribe medicine.
Imperial Physician Hu immediately sighed in relief and quickly retreated to the side hall to write the prescription.
Only then did Qi Wang carefully enter, kneeling to call out, “Royal Father.”
The entire hall fell silent—so quiet one could hear the faint breathing of the Noble Consort lying on the bed.
The patterned tiles of the Antai Palace were polished to a mirror-like shine, reflecting the people above. Emperor Yongchang slowly walked toward Qi Wang, and suddenly, he viciously kicked him.
Qi Wang was sent flying several feet away and collapsed on the ground, unable to get up.
Princess Baocheng let out a startled cry but immediately pinched her younger sister’s waist hard.
The three-year-old Princess Mingcheng instantly began wailing loudly.
Normally, a princess wouldn’t receive an official title until marriage, but the two daughters born of the Noble Consort were both granted titles at birth, showing just how favored she was.
Among the two, Princess Mingcheng, being the youngest, was especially cherished.
As she cried loudly, Emperor Yongchang, who had been seething and ready to continue beating Qi Wang, paused and frowned, ultimately refraining from striking again. Instead, he turned to pick up his sobbing daughter.
Princess Mingcheng clung to him, crying and intermittently pleading, “Royal Mother is sick… hic… Royal Father, Royal Father, don’t hit Third Brother…”
The soft little princess sobbed pitifully in his arms, and no matter how furious Emperor Yongchang had been, his anger began to dissolve. He let out a long breath and coldly scolded Qi Wang, “You have less sense than a three-year-old child!”
Princess Baorong quickly shot a meaningful glance at Qi Wang.
Qi Wang crawled forward on his knees, clutching the Emperor’s leg and choking back sobs, “Royal Father, your son deserves death! Your son deserves death! Royal Father, I deserve death!”
When he started crying, the already-sniffling Princess Mingcheng began to wail again, struggling to get down to the floor. “Third Brother! Don’t cry, don’t cry!”
Princess Baorong hurried over to scoop her up, gently consoling her.
Tears must come at the right moment—cry briefly to evoke pity, but cry too long, and you risk evoking only annoyance and anger.
Seeing both princesses crying, Emperor Yongchang’s fury ultimately didn’t land on them.
With a stern face, he ordered Qi Wang, “Get back to your residence and reflect! Without my command, you are not to leave the Prince’s manor!”
Qi Wang, still choking with emotion, obeyed and kneeled a few more steps before standing to leave.
Princess Baorong worriedly took a few steps forward and then suddenly dropped to her knees before the Emperor.
She was still holding Princess Mingcheng in her arms. Seeing her kneel, the Emperor quickly scolded, “Baorong! What are you doing? Get up!”
Tears streamed down Princess Baorong’s face. “Father, if Third Brother has done wrong, please, on our behalf, on Royal Mother’s behalf, give him a chance to make amends!”
Seeing her sister cry, Princess Mingcheng immediately pouted and was about to cry again.
Emperor Yongchang, now with a headache from the crying sisters, finally sighed, “Enough, enough, both of you get up!”
The Noble Consort remained unconscious until evening.
When she finally woke, Princess Mingcheng was leaning on the edge of the bed, the small child’s hair tied into two little buns. The Noble Consort coughed weakly, “Why did you let the princess sleep here?”
The response came from Emperor Yongchang’s warm voice, “She was frightened today, utterly refused to leave, so I let her wait here.”
The Noble Consort, pale as a sheet, was helped to sit up. After a coughing fit, she ignored her daughter and immediately tried to get out of bed to apologize. “Your Majesty, this is all my fault!”
She was about to kneel when Emperor Yongchang quickly stopped her. “Enough! Why is everyone scrambling to kneel?!”
The Noble Consort, pale and bitterly smiling, shook her head. “Your Majesty, for the Third Prince to have committed such deeds, it is all due to my poor upbringing—I deserve death! I beg Your Majesty to punish me!”
Her hair was disheveled, her face sickly, completely devoid of a consort’s pride—if anything, she seemed even more pitiable.
Emperor Yongchang gestured to stop her. “This matter has already caused public outrage. Regardless of whether or not he knew about it as he claimed, it was still done by his people. His failure to manage them properly and his lack of discernment are undeniable faults! That brothel outside the city—how many girls were forced into prostitution there? How many lives were lost? This was all his doing!”
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