bayedsolid Chapter 446 The Fourth Princess is Punished
Chapter 446 The Fourth Princess is Punished
Chapter 446 The Fourth Princess is Punished
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty." Xiao Qinian bowed deeply to Emperor Zhou upon entering.
Emperor Zhou's eyes widened. It had been a long time since he had seen Xiao Qinian act like this. It seemed that Xiao Qinian would not let this go this time.
"Minister Xiao, please rise. Didn't I say there's no need for such a grand ceremony?" Emperor Zhou's tone was much more amiable now, unlike his previous cold demeanor towards Xiao Qinian.
"Your Majesty, I thank you." Xiao Qinian looked up at Emperor Zhou but did not get up.
"Ah, Minister Xiao, I know why you have come. It is my fault for not disciplining her properly, which allowed the Fourth Princess to commit such a rebellious act and almost harm Zhao Ning. I will definitely give you and Zhao Ning an explanation for this matter."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiao Qinian finally stood up. All he wanted was a gesture of respect, and now that His Majesty had said so, he was relieved.
Standing up, Xiao Qinian looked at the Fourth Princess, who was still kneeling on the ground, his eyes filled with coldness.
"Fourth Princess Xuanyuan Qing, as a royal princess, you should set an example and strictly abide by etiquette. However, today, for your own selfish reasons, you persecuted Princess Zhaoning without cause, almost causing an irreparable mistake! Such behavior is truly unbecoming and makes me heartbroken!" The Emperor became more and more angry as he spoke, and suddenly slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups on the table jump.
"Guards! Drag the Fourth Princess away and give her ten strokes of the cane! After she's done, close the palace gates tightly and let her reflect on her mistakes. She will be confined to the palace for two months and is not allowed to step out of the palace! If she commits any further misconduct during this period, she will be severely punished!" His Majesty's words were firm and authoritative, leaving no room for doubt or resistance.
Upon hearing this, the guards immediately stepped forward, grabbed the Fourth Princess Xuan Yuanqing, and carried her out of the palace. Xuan Yuanqing cried out in terror, "Father, spare me! I will never dare to do it again! Please spare me!"
However, Emperor Zhou ignored the Fourth Princess's pleas for help, and the Fourth Princess was pulled out of the palace in front of everyone.
Before long, the crisp sound of the board being struck was heard, followed by the chilling scream of the Fourth Princess, Xuan Yuanqing. However, to Xiao Qinian and Lu Zhijin, the sound did not elicit any sympathy; they felt it was not enough, and the punishment was far too lenient.
However dissatisfied they were, they could say nothing more. After all, the Fourth Princess was His Majesty's biological daughter. If it weren't for His Majesty's wisdom, the Fourth Princess probably wouldn't have been able to get a scratch today.
"Qing'er, Qing'er, how are you? Stop it, please stop!" A woman's distressed voice suddenly came from outside.
Everyone present recognized the voice as that of Consort De, the mother of the Fourth Princess.
Emperor Zhou frowned: "Go and pull Consort De away."
"Let me go! Let me go!"
"Your Highness, I have offended you." The guard pulled the Consort aside and ordered the execution to continue.
"Let me go." Consort De watched as the paddle struck her daughter again and again, feeling a sharp pain in her heart.
She stumbled into the palace, knelt down and begged, "Your Majesty, please spare Qing'er! She is your own daughter! She is pampered and spoiled; how can she endure such a severe punishment?"
With tears welling up in her eyes, Consort De only wanted to save her daughter at that moment.
"Shut up. Xuan Yuanqing is a princess, yet she has made mistakes time and time again. If she is not taught a lesson, she will only become more and more wicked. I will not take her life, but let her suffer a little so that she will learn her lesson."
"Your Majesty!" Consort De exclaimed in disbelief. She hadn't expected Emperor Zhou to say such a thing, and felt a chill run through her heart.
The Second Princess looked at Consort De, her heart filled with endless hatred. This woman was the one who had killed her mother. But now was not the time. She couldn't wait. She had to wait a little longer. She was determined to expose the crimes of this wicked woman.
Seeing that her pleas were hopeless, Consort De disregarded etiquette and quickly ran out of the palace again.
The ten strokes of the cane had been completed, and the Fourth Princess lay weakly on the stool.
"Qing'er, Qing'er." Consort De looked at her daughter's pale face and the blood on her back that had soaked through her clothes. She wanted to reach out and touch her but was afraid of hurting her daughter. Helplessly, she called out to her daughter again and again.
The Fourth Princess raised her head slightly, looked at Consort De, and tears streamed down her face: "Mother, Qing'er is in so much pain, so much pain!" The burning pain all over her body almost made her faint.
"Qing'er, Qing'er, don't cry. Your mother will have the imperial physician treat your injuries. You'll feel better soon." Ignoring the dirt on the ground, Consort De squatted down in front of Xuan Yuanqing and held her head tightly in her arms.
"Okay." After saying that, the fourth princess completely fainted.
"Qing'er, Qing'er, wake up! Don't scare your mother, sob sob..." Consort De's painful cries entered the hall, startling Emperor Zhou. He felt a pang of panic and immediately got off the dragon throne and walked out.
The others were also incredulous and hurriedly followed, looking at the Fourth Princess lying on the stool with her eyes closed and the Consort De crying very sadly.
Could the Fourth Princess have been beaten to death? It shouldn't be that bad, it's just ten strokes of the cane, it won't kill her, but what if it is?
A sense of panic welled up in Xiao Qinian's heart. He had only wanted to teach the Fourth Princess a small lesson and let her receive the punishment she deserved. He never intended to kill her! If she were to die, His Majesty would certainly not let it go.
And his own Yue'er would most likely be implicated as a result. This was by no means Xiao Qinian's original intention! Thinking of this, a layer of fine sweat appeared on his forehead, and he secretly prayed that such a terrible situation would not occur.
Lu Zhijin felt the same way. This whole thing started because of him. Although he didn't want it to happen, if the Fourth Princess died because of it, even if she wouldn't blame him and A Yue, she would definitely not let them be together.
"Someone, quickly go and fetch the imperial physician to examine the Fourth Princess."
In his anxiety, the imperial physician was practically dragged along by the guards as he ran over.
He showed the Fourth Princess, slightly out of breath, before finally letting out a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but be afraid; this was the Fourth Princess, after all. If she really died, all of them would be implicated.
Thankfully, nothing serious happened.
"Your Majesty, the Fourth Princess is alright. She just fainted from the pain and will wake up soon. However, her external injuries are quite severe, and it will probably take some time to recover."
"Okay, then go and prescribe medicine for the Fourth Princess, and have someone take her back so she can rest properly." Emperor Zhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Consort De knew her daughter was alright and was relieved, but seeing the glaring blood on her daughter's body, she felt a pang of hatred towards Emperor Zhou. Her daughter had never suffered such a serious injury in her life, and this was the first time it had come from her father.