Chapter 197: Chapter 198 How to Punish Chapter 197: Chapter 198 How to Punish “The Emperor, please calm your anger. Why not listen to what the Fifth Prince has to say first? Perhaps there is another cause for this?” the eunuch hurried forward, preparing to pacify the Emperor.
Pei Yuan glanced at the person with head bowed and said in a cold voice, “Speak, what made you do this, risking your own future?”
“No.” The two cold words carried not a single fluctuation in tone.
The crisp and straightforward response caused Pei Yuan to develop a headache; he raised his hand and gently massaged his forehead.
“The court politics have been troubling enough lately, and now you add to the chaos!”
With that, he turned to look at Pei Huaian and kicked towards him, “You unfilial son!”
“The Emperor, please quell your anger.” Eunuch Liu hurriedly blocked the kick and then bowed and withdrew.
“I, I really want to chop you into pieces, you scoundrel!”
“The Emperor, please think thrice.”
Pei Huaian knelt calmly, his expression still cool, unaffected, “This matter was originally Chu Yu’s fault; your son was trying to save soone.”
“Save soone? You dare claim you were trying to save soone? You were clearly trying to kill!” Pei Yuan didn’t know what to say to him.
“I did not intend to kill him, otherwise he wouldn’t be alive right now; he should have died long ago.” Pei Huaian emitted a faint air of coldness.
Thinking of his own child almost dying right before his eyes, the inner rage rose rapidly. If it weren’t for soone stopping him, it wouldn’t have ended with just one sword strike.
But he never regretted it, even feeling that the strike was too light; he should have stabbed him a few more tis right then.
“Good, very good,” Pei Yuan said, glaring at the person kneeling on the ground. He took a few deep breaths and finally cald down, “Even if he is a thousand tis at fault, you should not have acted. You were too impulsive! However, considering you were protecting soone, the treatnt of your leg in urgency is sowhat understandable.”
Pei Yuan seed to think of sothing, his eyes gradually dimming as he sighed softly, “Just like Consort Ming, you are a person who values feelings deeply.”
ntioning Consort Ming inevitably recalled the past when he himself was nearly killed in a plot and was fortunate to be saved by Consort Ming. During their ti together, mutual affection grew.
Although Consort Ming was a daughter of a collateral branch of the Ming Family and her status was not as noble as that grand legitimate miss, she was superior in being pure, kind, and gentle as water.
Initially, he did not reveal his identity, and Consort Ming, despite her family’s opposition, insisted on marrying him.
Later, because he was expelled from his family, Consort Ming did not resent him; instead, she repaid evil with kindness.
Gathering his thoughts, as he looked at the only keepsake left by Consort Ming, a streak of pain crossed Pei Yuan’s heart, reducing his anger significantly, and soon he was back to normal.
“Nevertheless, injuring soone was wrong on your part.”
“Your son is willing to accept the punishnt.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan once again flew into a rage, glared fiercely at Pei Huaian, turned and sat back on his throne, waved his hand to an eunuch on the side, and said, “Convey my decree, confine the Fifth Prince for three months, and give him twenty floggings.”
Having said that, he paused and then continued, “Also, go and make an apology to Chu Yu, and with that, consider this matter settled.”
“Your son will not go.”
This response further enraged the Emperor, who had just cald down, and he shouted loudly, “How audacious! When I order you to go, you should go!”
Pei Huaian bowed his head and stood there, unmoving, letting Pei Yuan vent his anger.
After a long while, Pei Yuan cooled down a bit and his tone was not as harsh as before, “What? You won’t even listen to my words now?”
Pei Huaian lifted his head, his calm gaze fixed on the Emperor, and said word by word, “What wrong has your son done that he should apologize? It was Chu Yu who hard the innocent first, your son is not at fault.”
“You…” Pei Yuan’s face showed a look of shock, clearly not expecting him to speak like this.
Seeing this, Pei Huaian bowed his head again, “Your son is willing to endure any punishnt but will absolutely not apologize.”
“Good, a fine display of readiness to endure any punishnt. Since that’s the case, I shall grant it to you,” Pei Yuan shouted loudly, suddenly standing up with a slap on the armrest.
“The Emperor.”
Accompanied by the voice, the Empress in a Phoenix Robe hurried in, kneeling on the ground and pleading, “The Emperor, please think thrice. It’s true that Huaian handled this matter improperly, but his leg has just healed, how could he endure the punishnt?”
“Empress, don’t plead for him. If it weren’t for the fact that he had just recovered, I would have punished him severely!”
Upon hearing this, the Empress folded her hands together touching the ground, her forehead pressed to her hands, “Please spare Huaian this ti, Emperor. He acted out of youthful impetuosity. A lesson is sufficient; why subject him to physical punishnt?”
Pei Yuan closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and sighed heavily, “This matter is no small issue. The whole Capital City knows he attempted to assassinate a high official. I must give an explanation to the commoners, to the court officials; I cannot exempt him from punishnt just because he is a Prince.”
“The Emperor and a commoner shall bear the sa punishnt,” Pei Yuan said, then instructed the eunuch to help the Empress up.
“The Emperor, Huaian is still young and does not understand these matters; please spare him this one ti.”
The Empress played the role of a compassionate mother and dutiful son brilliantly. Had he not noticed the schadenfreude in her eyes, Pei Huaian might have believed that she was genuinely pleading on his behalf.
Hearing the Empress’s request, Pei Yuan paused montarily, then reproachfully looked at the Empress and said, “This character of his is spoiled by you.”
“If the Emperor insists on punishnt, then punish your consort first. I am willing to take the punishnt on behalf of the Fifth Prince,” the Empress insisted, kneeling on the ground and refusing to rise, her words deep with emotion.
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