Chapter 95 He glanced at the person lying on the ground...

Chapter 95 He glanced at the person lying on the ground...

Qin Ji glanced at the booklet lying on the ground but did not pick it up.

He simply raised his head, all expression vanishing from his face. His gaze calmly met the emperor's, and his voice was indifferent yet steady: "Indeed, they are all good families, but unfortunately, I am not worthy of them. I have already married a wife of equal social standing, and I will only spend my life with her. There is no need for Father to trouble himself with this matter."

"You, you unfilial son! Do you still harbor resentment towards me because of what happened to your mother back then!" The emperor, sitting on the throne, felt he had already given his son enough face, but who knew he would be so presumptuous, his words even sharp and pointed at him. At this moment, his appearance was nowhere near as respectful and filial as before.

"Your subject wouldn't dare, your subject had no such intention," the Sixth Prince replied calmly, his gaze still fixed on the ground.

Upon hearing this, the emperor abruptly stood up, his chest heaving violently: "You completely disregard my words? Every single one of the women I chose for you is exceptional in family background, appearance, and talent. In what way are they unworthy of you? I've gone to so much trouble for you, and this is how you, my unfilial son, repay me?"

His voice rose with anger, even becoming somewhat shrill, making him seem like an ordinary father who was furious at being disobeyed and betrayed.

"..." The kneeling person remained silent, but his back was straighter than ever before.

This gesture only fueled the fire in the emperor's heart.

This unfilial son doesn't seem afraid at all; he clearly still harbors resentment. He acts like a good son when things are normal, but the moment his mother is mentioned, he turns into this scoundrel.

Seeing his unyielding attitude, the emperor felt his blood boil, and his usually pale face turned red with anger. He grabbed whatever was at random and threw it at the kneeling sixth prince.

The bright yellow folding paper was thrown out like a butterfly spreading its wings. The hard and sharp corner of the folding paper grazed the Sixth Prince's eye and temple, leaving a glaring bloodstain. Fresh blood immediately seeped out and dripped down from the bloodstain.

But the kneeling person seemed to have no sense of perception at all. Not only did he not dodge or avoid, but his expression did not even change in the slightest.

The eunuchs and palace maids, who were already not very noticeable in the palace, knelt silently on the ground. In particular, Eunuch Bai, who was closest to the emperor and his son, huddled to the side, wishing he could blend into the floor tiles.

For a moment, the only sound in the entire space was the emperor's heavy breathing.

Blood slowly slid down the Sixth Prince's face from the wound, and the bloodstains sliding down from the corners of his eyes looked like blood tears, a shocking sight.

"Are you blind or dead? You can't even move an inch!" The emperor's voice, still tinged with anger, rang out coldly. But there was a hint of pity in his words.

"You are the Emperor's father, and both thunder and rain are the Emperor's grace. Your subject should not avoid them." If he had admitted his mistake and said something conciliatory at this moment, it would have been fine, but the Sixth Prince's words were really meant to upset him.

Upon hearing this, the air in the entire hall instantly froze, becoming so heavy that it was impossible to breathe.

"Very good, very good!" The emperor walked around the imperial desk and approached Qin Ji step by step. His dragon boots made a dull sound on the golden bricks, and each step felt like stepping on the tip of a heart.

"Li Hui, do you think that just because you've made some military achievements, I won't touch you or will indulge you? Do you think that the little bit of money you make from running the salt business will really allow you to act recklessly in front of me? Do you think your title of prince is already a done deal? Let me tell you, whatever I give you, I will take back!"

The emperor's spittle almost splattered onto the sixth prince's face, but he only bowed and kowtowed, still stubbornly saying, "What I ask for is not those things. Everything I have is given to me by my father. If my father wants to take it back, it is only right and proper."

"Li Hui, Li Hui, what are you after? Marrying a woman from a high-ranking family would be all you need, yet you insist on defying me? Is that merchant's daughter really so alluring that she has completely bewitched you?" The emperor's tone was extremely dangerous as he spoke, as if he could issue an order to have the man beheaded if he simply answered yes.

"So what if she's a merchant's daughter? Does that mean she's of lowly blood? Does that mean she deserves to be trampled on and despised? I'm going to prove that even a merchant's daughter is worthy to be my queen!"

For the first time, the Sixth Prince completely lost control. He roared his accusations, looking directly into the Emperor's eyes with raw pain, resentment, and a rising madness.

He wasn't referring to his queen; that was clearly his mother, himself.

The emperor seemed to be stung by that gaze, which vaguely reminded him of that woman who started out beautiful but ended up going mad.

However, this momentary daze lasted only a moment. The emperor was already extremely impatient with the repeated disobedience of the person in front of him. He was the emperor, and no one could challenge his authority like this: "Guards, the sixth prince has behaved improperly in front of the palace. Drag him out and give him twenty lashes. Since you say that thunder and rain are both imperial favors, then today I will let you know what imperial favors are."

Unlike other princes who angered the emperor and were then interceded for or summoned reinforcements from the inner palace, no one stepped forward to stop the sixth prince from being flogged, either inside or outside the inner palace.

After shouting that sentence, the sixth prince collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed, until he was forced out of the palace by the imperial guards.

"One, snap, two, snap..."

The emperor strolled back to his throne, listening to the faint sounds of counting and beatings coming from outside: "All of you, step back. After you're done beating him, Xiaobai, find someone to send that rebellious son back."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Once all the servants in the hall had left, the emperor, sitting on his throne, showed no signs of anger; in fact, a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

"That temper of his hasn't changed at all over the years. He's always clinging to these useless beliefs and sentiments. Although he's quite capable, his character and shrewdness are still too weak."

He shook his head, a look of satisfaction in his eyes turning into smugness on his face: "I managed to find out what he was thinking with just a little test, that's good."

His gaze fell on the booklet that had been carefully placed back on the imperial table by someone serving in the palace. He smiled, picked it up, and threw it directly into the wastepaper basket beside him.

The rumors in the capital have been swirling for so long, but no one knows that he never actually intended to marry the sixth prince to a daughter from a prominent family.

If the Sixth Prince were to choose a consort from the four families listed in this book today, then no matter which one he chooses, the one who will ultimately be brought into the Prince's residence as his consort will only be the daughter of the Marquis of Xuanwu.

However, things are better this way. If word gets out of the Emperor's court today, it will be that the Sixth Prince is extremely obsessed with that merchant girl, that he is obsessed with her, and that he was willing to defy the Emperor and even receive twenty strokes of the cane.

And it's perfectly normal for him, as the emperor's father, to be unable to disobey his child because he dotes on him.

He picked up the teacup and took a leisurely sip. Hearing the count outside, which had reached eighteen, the emperor wondered if he should go out and take another look. He thought that if he saw his heartbroken and helpless father, the sixth prince would be even more moved.

But then I thought about it and felt a little too lazy to get up.

Never mind, I'll just give him some medicine later.

"Twenty!" The counting finally stopped.

Qin Ji's face, buried between his crossed arms, was now covered in cold sweat from the pain.

However, he looked relaxed; after this self-inflicted injury, the stone that had been weighing on his heart for many days could finally be removed.

The emperor will certainly not let him suffer these twenty battles for nothing. It is likely that Yan Hui will soon receive the imperial decree formally bestowing the title of princess, and his princely title will soon be in his hands as well. If things go well, his "aunt" far away in Jiangzuo should also be able to be slightly elevated in status.

This can be considered a small reward for repeatedly using her to play the emotional card today.

Besides the title, Qin Ji anticipated that after being formally appointed, he would also receive a position of real power, perhaps in the Imperial Guard or in the Ministry of Revenue.

In fact, the emperor was quite right when he said that, given his current lack of political capital, he could only obtain what the emperor wanted to give him.

How can we get him to want to give it?

That is to retreat in order to advance; you can get something simply by not wanting it.

At this moment, Qin Ji was even somewhat grateful for his foolishness back then. It was precisely because of that foolishness that he was now so devoted to protecting his mother, yearning for and admiring his father, and possessing a loyal and righteous character while harboring a deep sense of inferiority.

Pushing a prince like himself—whom he has both affection for and weakness for, and who has little support beyond some money—into the position serves two purposes: balancing the relationships between different factions in the court and acting as a shield in the power struggles among the princes. If he no longer wants to use him, he can simply discard him as a pawn.

His son was extremely useful to the emperor.

Feeling the pain in his body, Qin Ji's eyes darkened, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

A chess piece that's too useful can easily become indispensable or even be used against you in the long run. I wonder if anyone ever told this to their good father.

Recalling the scene of filial piety that he and Qin Ji had acted out in the main hall, Qin Ji felt that his nausea was more severe than the pain in his body. They were clearly two cold-blooded evil spirits, yet they insisted on pretending to be human.

Then Qin Ji pondered that today's events had probably already spread throughout the inner palace, and soon every move he and the emperor made in the main hall would reach the ears of everyone who cared.

It remains to be seen how the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital will respond. And what will his brothers think?

"Ah! Your Highness, are you alright?" Suddenly, Bai Gonggong's voice rang in his ears. Qin Ji immediately closed his eyes and pretended to faint. At this moment, he really didn't have the energy to play along with someone anymore, so it would be easier to just faint.

However, after returning home...

Oh no! How am I going to explain these injuries to Yan Hui when I get back to the manor?

Qin Ji, who was pretending to faint, now felt that his vision was really going black.

...

"What? He accidentally offended His Majesty and was flogged? And he's still being slowly transported by carriage on the road?" Xiao Yan Hui received this almost unbelievable news as soon as he stepped into the Prince's mansion.

Given Qin Ji's cunning and scheming nature, how could he possibly be beaten for misbehaving in front of the emperor, especially when he was returning with his achievements? It sounded so unbelievable to her. But the palace eunuchs had already come to inform him in advance, and not only that, even the imperial physician had been brought to wait at the Prince's residence.

So, what exactly happened in the palace today?

Why do I have this feeling that if Qin Ji really got beaten up today, it must be because he plotted something?

So, what was he planning?