Chapter 339: Chapter 339 Insult
Empress Dowager Zhen imdiately stopped crying. Her eyes darted, and she boldly declared, "Emperor, have Young Master Yang kneel on both knees and apologize in front of the entire court of civil and military officials!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Shengan, standing beside her, sucked in a sharp breath.
Even Fifth Master, kneeling at the side, furrowed his brows, looking at his Mother Consort with so disbelief.
To kneel on both knees... that was too insulting. As the saying goes: A man’s knees are as precious as gold; kneel only to heaven, earth, and one’s parents. This... You’re asking Young Master Yang to kneel to a Little Prince who doesn’t even have a title? What kind of situation is this?
Zhao Junyao frowned and shouted sternly, "How presumptuous!"
Empress Dowager Zhen was so frightened that her body shook violently. Coming back to her senses, her face fell, and she looked as though she would cry again.
Zhao Junyao just sneered. "Empress Dowager Zhen... this is Zhaochen Palace. Are you crying here to curse ?"
Empress Dowager Zhen stiffened. Facing the Emperor’s icy countenance, she forcefully stifled her sobs. After a long mont, she asked carefully, "Emperor, is it just going to be left at that?"
"My son, he..." As she spoke, she was about to cry again and hurriedly wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
Zhao Junyao’s frown deepened, and he snorted lightly. "Let it go?"
"Of course not. The accounts here, I must settle every single one!"
Empress Dowager Zhen was overjoyed and quickly wiped her tears to express her gratitude. "Thank you, Emperor! Thank you for seeking justice for my son!"
Zhao Junyao glanced at her but didn’t reply. He slowly walked forward two steps, then turned his head and enunciated each word.
"The first cri: private use of hidden weapons, disrupting the order of the imperial examination!"
"The second cri: trespassing into the Military Armant Bureau, stealing military supplies!"
"The third cri: attempting to murder another, and... refusing to repent when knowing one’s mistakes!"
As Empress Dowager Zhen listened, her expression grew increasingly alard. By the end, her face was deathly pale.
"Emperor... Emperor... Little Sixth, he... he’s still just a child!"
Zhao Junyao was furious and slamd his palm hard against the stone pillar at the entrance of Zhaochen Palace. The edges of the stone pillar shattered, and his hand was scraped and red.
"A child?" He glared at Empress Dowager Zhen, stepping closer, his teeth gritted as he said, "The state has its laws, and the family has its rules! When I ascended the throne, I decreed that the sa laws apply to princes and to commoners alike. Does Empress Dowager Zhen not know this?!"
Empress Dowager Zhen was forced to retreat step by step until she was backed into a corner. "Emperor... Emperor, I know I was wrong. Emperor, I will go and persuade Little Sixth. Let’s not pursue this matter!"
After speaking, she looked for an opening to slip away, but Zhao Junyao stepped forward, blocking her path.
"You won’t pursue it? But I will. And the Yang Family will pursue it! I heard that Young Master Yang was injured too..."
Control over this matter isn’t in your hands, you know.
Empress Dowager Zhen was frightened, uncertain of what to do. Her mind raced, and she started sobbing again. "Late Emperor... I don’t want to live anymore! Why did you leave so soon, leaving us, a widow and orphans, to endure endless bullying... What’s the point of
living? It would be better to take my children with
and continue serving you in the afterlife! Late Emperor..."
Empress Dowager Zhen wailed as she spoke.
Fifth Master was a bit scared. What did his Mother Consort an by this? Take them down to join their Imperial Father? That would not do; he hadn’t married or had children yet. He didn’t want to die!
Fifth Master showed an embarrassed face. "Mother Consort..."
Zhao Junyao frowned, utterly impatient. This woman, when she threw a tantrum, was truly unbearable. If one of his won dared to make such a scene, even if he didn’t arrange for her to ’die of illness,’ she would still spend her life in the Cold Palace. Unfortunately, she was not one of his won, so there was nothing he could do.
Empress Dowager Zhen, wiping away her tears, dejectedly led Fifth Master away. She could still see the anger in the Emperor’s eyes. It was best to slip away while he wasn’t pursuing the matter.
Fifth Master, surprisingly, felt a little smug. He consoled her, "Mother Consort, you still have , your son. No matter what, I will always take good care of you!"
Empress Dowager Zhen looked at him but didn’t respond, continuing to cry, "My child, I only pity your younger brother. If his leg... What is he to do?"
Suddenly, she grabbed Fifth Master’s hand excitedly and said, "Good child, in the future, you must not neglect your brother; he is your own flesh and blood!"
Fifth Master felt a chill in his heart. He and his sixth brother weren’t that different in age, so why did their Mother Consort seem completely oblivious to his existence? Ever since childhood, her mantra had been, ’Let your brother have it, let your brother have it!’ Everything was about yielding to his brother! What was so great about his sixth brother that his Mother Consort couldn’t open her eyes and see him?!
Thinking this, Fifth Master subtly pushed away his mother’s hand and pretended to console her. "Mother Consort, don’t be sad. Sixth Brother’s leg will surely heal. The things I said in front of Imperial Brother were intended to make him seek justice for Sixth Brother!"
Empress Dowager Zhen truly didn’t suspect a thing. She stroked Fifth Master’s head and said with a relieved face, "Mother Consort is very comforted that you think so much of your brother!"
Fifth Master: "..."
His brother again!
A flash of resentnt crossed his eyes, and his fists clenched tightly, knuckles turning white. Empress Dowager Zhen did not notice, still imrsed in her grief.
「...」
Zhao Junyao didn’t go anywhere for lunch, eating hastily in Zhaochen Palace.
In the afternoon, after resting for a while, Zhao Junyao had just awoken when Li Shengan ca in to report. "Emperor, Lord Yang and Young Master Yang request an audience. They have been waiting outside the hall for a long ti!"
Zhao Junyao rubbed his temples. "Let them in."
Li Shengan acknowledged and went out.
Before long, the Yang Family father and son ca in and imdiately knelt. "Your Majesty, this humble servant and my unworthy son pay our respects!"
Zhao Junyao gestured with his hand. "Lord Yang, please rise. Be seated."
After expressing his gratitude, upon hearing the offer of a seat, Lord Yang quickly demurred. "Your Majesty, this humble servant has brought his unworthy son to the palace specifically to apologize to the Sixth Prince."
He then quickly turned his head, looked at the young man, and shouted sternly, "Why are you standing? Kneel properly!"
Zhao Junyao hurriedly stopped him. "Lord Yang, there is no need for this. Your son possesses extraordinary skills; what cri could he have committed? Rise!"
The last word was directed at Young Master Yang.
Lord Yang continued, "Your Majesty, I heard the Sixth Prince suffered serious injuries, and this servant is deeply remorseful. It is all because my son was thoughtless. Though present, he failed to issue a warning, which ultimately led to this disaster. Please, Your Majesty, decree a punishnt!"
Zhao Junyao: "..."
Is Old Yang making such a fuss just for this? Actually, this affair was not minor. For a Minister, his son injuring the Emperor’s brother—and gravely at that—was no small matter. No one could genuinely remain indifferent. It is said that princes are subject to the sa laws as commoners, but when it truly cos down to it, one can’t take such a self-righteous stance!
Zhao Junyao was quite pleased. After thinking for a mont, he said, "In that case, you are fined one month of confinent for self-reflection and six months’ salary. As for your son, given it is his first offense and an unintentional error, his imperial examination results shall be nullified, and he is forbidden from taking the examinations for the next two years."
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