flstandardbreds Chapter 151 Unruly, Ruthless, and Cunning Prince (Gong) VS Debauched, Insane, and Sickly Emperor (Sh
Chapter 151 Unruly, Ruthless, and Cunning Prince (Gong) VS Debauched, Insane, and Sickly Emperor (Sh
Jiang Xiyu's fingertips pressed lightly on the back of his hand, the protruding veins as steady and powerful as a taut bowstring.
Yuan Huan's blood beneath his skin was scalding hot, completely different from his own icy cold blood.
Jiang Xiyu lowered his eyes and released his hand without any change in expression, as if it were an unintentional act.
He curled his fingers, giving the order to leave quite naturally.
"I am a little tired."
As Jiang Xiyu spoke, he raised his hand and pressed his temples wearily.
Those slender, jade-like fingertips, with a single cinnabar mole fully exposed in the candlelight, resembled magnolias, yet were tinged with the alluring crimson hues of March.
Yuan Huan stared at him, not understanding why a man would have such hands.
So much so that when he saw her outside the carriage that day, he assumed she was a woman from the palace.
His gaze was sharp as a knife, as if he wanted to peel away the skin and flesh on Jiang Xiyu's hands to see the sick bones inside.
Jiang Xiyu smiled and glanced at him, asking, "What is the young master looking at?"
He subtly lowered his hand, his long sleeves covering it.
Only when he could no longer see it did Yuan Huan let out a barely perceptible breath.
Before he could even finish catching his breath, the young emperor asked another nasty question.
"It's late." Yuan Huan composed himself, took a half step back, and said, "Your subject takes his leave."
Without waiting for the emperor on the bed to speak, she walked around the screen and left the bedroom.
Once the person disappeared from sight, the curve of Jiang Xiyu's eyebrows faded.
The bitter taste on her lips had not yet faded when Jiang Xiyu called in a maid. After being helped to rinse her mouth, she lay down in bed to rest.
As Yuan Huan stepped out of the palace gate, he noticed the eunuchs glancing at him openly and secretly.
His gaze suddenly turned cold and stern, forcing the eunuchs to stop looking.
Le Yuan bluntly pointed out the reason why the eunuch was peeking, asking, "Young Master, what are you doing holding that bowl?"
Yuan Huan: "..."
His gaze shifted downwards, suddenly seeming as if he wanted to stare a hole through the jade bowl.
Damn it, how did I bring this thing out?
Undeterred, Le Yuan asked, "Could it be that His Majesty gave you a bowl of poison, Prince?"
Yuan Huan clenched his fists tightly, and after a long while, he forced himself to say, "Get lost, go back and keep kneeling."
Watching his young master's departing figure, Le Yuan, supporting his numb knees, wailed, "What...what did I say wrong?"
Zhao Bai thought for a moment and said, "The Crown Prince doesn't seem very happy."
He glanced at Le Yuan, meaning to him to keep quiet; nothing good can come out of a dog's mouth.
……
The next day, the prime minister, having learned that His Majesty had almost been attacked by an eagle, rushed to the scene early.
Seeing Jiang Xiyu being helped out of the inner hall, the old minister bowed and asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, I heard that you were attacked by an eagle yesterday. Were you injured?"
Jiang Xiyu sat on the dragon throne and smiled reassuringly, "I'm fine, I was just a little frightened."
The prime minister was relieved to see that he was not seriously ill.
But his anger had not subsided, and he said sternly, "It is really improper for the Crown Prince to train falcons in the palace."
"In my humble opinion, placing him before the Emperor will ultimately be a variable."
I didn't expect him to protect His Majesty, but he almost harmed His Majesty by letting the eagle fly.
Jiang Xiyu rested her hands on the edge of the imperial desk and said gently, "What happened yesterday was an accident. Teacher, you are overthinking it."
"Besides, the Crown Prince has already apologized to me," he said understandingly.
After a moment, Jiang Xiyu sighed with considerable distress: "It's just that I don't know how to punish him properly."
"What punishment do you think the teacher should give?"
After all, such a big incident has occurred. If no punishment is given, there will inevitably be a lot of conflicting opinions.
The Prime Minister pondered for a moment, recalling the scene of meeting Yuan Huan in the palace this morning.
The gist of it is that he admitted his eagle had caused trouble and told Xie Cheng to punish him as he saw fit, appearing nonchalant about admitting his guilt.
Most people from Beiyuan are straightforward and cheerful. Xie Cheng's impression of Yuan Huan, aside from his intimidating identity, is that he personally admires Yuan Huan quite a bit.
However, one thing is one thing, but offending the emperor must be punished.
Just as the Prime Minister was about to speak, Jiang Xiyu interrupted him, saying, "Actually, I was planning to punish him with thirty strokes of the cane, but I felt that would be too harsh."
An ordinary person would usually lose half their life after receiving twenty strokes of the cane.
But Yuan Huan was different; few people in the capital could match his physique.
That was a body forged through conquering mountains and rivers, strong, fierce, and terrifying.
Therefore, while Jiang Xiyu was envious, she also felt an even stronger urge to conquer him.
The Prime Minister respectfully replied, "I will obey Your Majesty's will."
Jiang Xiyu feigned ignorance and asked, "Does the teacher think this punishment is too harsh?"
The Prime Minister politely replied, "Your Majesty's rewards and punishments are all acts of kindness."
"Is that so?" Jiang Xiyu's drawn-out tone gradually turned cold. After a while, he smiled faintly and said, "The imperial physician said that I can only lie on the bed and rest for the next few days. So, I will punish him by making him unable to get out of bed."
A young person's mind is very simple.
You made me like this, so I'll make you like this too.
A barely perceptible, sinister smile flashed across Jiang Xiyu's eyes. After a moment, he added, "If the young master doesn't faint after thirty strokes of the cane, then add ten more strokes until he passes out."
"Does the teacher think this is good?"
He asked obediently, but his tone was extremely cold.
Just like what I told Yuan Huan last night, it was someone else who didn't dare to punish him.
Now they not only dare to punish him, they'll punish him severely.
Jiang Xiyu blinked slowly, the gloom faded, and her pupils regained their usual clarity and innocence.
Such contradictory looks are hidden in his eyes, and he switches between them so freely that it doesn't feel out of place at all.
The prime minister did not notice anything amiss, nor did he feel that such punishment was inappropriate.
After a long silence, he bowed to His Majesty and said, "I will obey Your Majesty's decree in everything."
Jiang Xiyu smiled and said, "Then let the teacher convey my imperial edict."
Anyway, didn't Yuan Huan say yesterday that he wanted to ask the Prime Minister for punishment?
He just happened to grant his wish.
"Yes," the prime minister replied.
Although Yuan Huan served in the imperial court, his position was not small, especially considering his status as the heir apparent. Therefore, his residence was not the same as that of the other guards.
At that time, the prime minister could not find him at his residence and was told that he was training the guards.
Having spent his time in the military camp, Yuan Huan saw how lazy the guards on duty in front of the emperor were. He immediately took the initiative and made a big show of it. For a time, the guards were miserable.
When the Prime Minister arrived, Yuan Huan had just whipped a few disobedient people.
The guards lay on the ground groaning. Some of them, unwilling to accept defeat, mustered up a little courage to resist, but when they looked up, they were frightened by his sinister gaze.
The guards couldn't understand why His Majesty would place this god of death here.
This tiny, dilapidated temple is hardly big enough to accommodate a great Buddha like the Prince of Kitahara.
Yuan Huan glanced at them and sneered, "With your attitude, if the little emperor's head is ever taken away, you'll just cry your eyes out."
The imperial guards were responsible for defense, but more importantly, they were responsible for protecting the emperor's safety at all times.
In the past, such positions were held by those who excelled in the imperial examinations or martial arts tests, or outstanding scions of prominent families.
However, after the late emperor's death, power in the court split into two factions.
Taking advantage of the chaos, scions of noble families poured people into the palace, resulting in a very low-quality workforce in the imperial court.
Yuan Huan truly believed that the palace was utterly rotten.