Jiang Huaiyu’s face turned completely ashen, while Jiang Huaijin’s eyes, blazing like fiery coals, were fixed intently on Jiang Jingyue on the floor. It looked as though he wished he could tear him apart right there and then.
Jiang Jingyue wasn’t sure what he had done wrong in mentioning the jest made by the emperor. However, seeing the multitude of kneeling servants around him and the look in Jiang Huaijin’s eyes that seemed to want to rip him apart, he realized in his urgency, he must’ve uttered something he shouldn’t have.
“It… it…” was said by the Uncle Emperor.
“Presumptuous!”
Jiang Jingyue had barely begun his explanation when a furious shout rang out. The small heater, which the often sickly Jiang Huaijin had always kept close to warm his hands, was hurled to the ground with a ‘bang’, exploding near Jiang Jingyue’s feet.
Sparks from the heater scattered all around, with several landing on the back of Jiang Jingyue’s exposed hand.
“Ah—!!!”
A piercing pain shot through him, and Jiang Jingyue couldn’t help but cry out in surprise. Overwhelmed by the pain, he jumped up from the ground.
Seeing Jiang Jingyue getting up without regard to etiquette, Jiang Huaijin, who had been strictly taught palace manners from a young age, became even more enraged. His chest heaved with suppressed fury as he stepped forward and raised his hand.
Slap—
A sharp, resounding smack echoed, and a bright red handprint appeared on Jiang Jingyue’s face.
Although Jiang Jingyue was the legitimate son of the war god Jiang Lianbi, he had been so well-protected in the prince’s mansion since childhood that he had only learned about music, chess, literature, and painting. He had no skills in martial arts or weaponry. In essence, he could neither fend for himself nor carry heavy burdens.
Being several years younger than his elder cousin, Jiang Huaijin, and being caught off guard by the slap, he was sent flying a couple of meters, eventually crashing down by the edge of a stone step.
Without paying any attention to Jiang Jingyue, whom he had slapped to the ground, an irate Jiang Huaijin shouted to someone not far away, “Bring people here! Drag this wretch aside and slap him hard. And have someone teach him the rules of this palace properly!”
“…Yes.”
Still dazed from the earlier slap and feeling the stinging pain on his cheek, along with the sudden taste of blood filling his mouth, Jiang Jingyue felt a surreal disbelief. Before he could process anything, he was abruptly dragged away by several servants to a nearby corner.
Slap—
Another handprint exploded on his face, the taste of blood in his mouth now becoming even more overwhelming.
Slap, slap, slap—
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Mbiibkfv ys atf rfmbcv, atlgv, obegat…
Cwlvra atf yegclcu qjlc bc tlr ojmf jcv atf yieggfv nlrlbc ogbw tlr afjgr, atf vlrajca jcv ybcf-mtliilcu uijgf bo Aljcu Lejlplc wjvf atf qjwqfgfv Aljcu Alcusef offi jr atbeut tf kjr agjqqfv lc j clutawjglrt ecgfjilas.
Didn’t the imperial edict state that he should be treated in the palace as a prince? Why would the Fourth Prince dare to allow someone to publicly discipline him like this? He didn’t make up those words; they were spoken by the Uncle Emperor himself. His own father had saved the Emperor’s life, he was the only legitimate son of King Shun, his father was the war god of the empire, he…
Ktf oibbv bo defralbcr tjiafv lc Aljcu Alcusef’r wlcv, tlr mbcrmlbercfrr mbcrewfv ys qjlc. Vagfjwr bo vjgx yibbv agjlifv vbkc ogbw tlr mtlc, rajlclcu tlr gbyf.
Just as Jiang Jingyue felt that he might be beaten to death today, a slow and aged voice suddenly emanated from the Yangxin Hall.
“So noisy.”
The moment the words fell, the eunuchs holding Jiang Jingyue immediately halted, cold sweat dripping from their brows. With a “thud,” they knelt down. Without their support, Jiang Jingyue, devoid of any balance, collapsed unceremoniously onto the ground in an embarrassing posture.
Though his consciousness was scattered, lying on the ground, Jiang Jingyue still recognized whose voice it was. He wanted to speak, to complain or express his grievance, but when he opened his mouth, only a thick, dark substance flowed out, accompanied by a pain that rapidly spread throughout his body.
“This son is deeply apologetic for disturbing Father Emperor’s rest,” said a voice from outside the door. Those who had arrived outside in the recent moments immediately knelt down in earnest fear upon hearing these words.
“…What has transpired?”
Jiang Huaiyu cast a glance towards Jiang Jingyue, who was lying at a distance in a seemingly life-and-death state and reported gravely, “Prince Jingyue made reckless remarks, attempting to subvert the foundation of our Great Ao Nation in front of the Emperor. The Fourth Prince, in his anger, couldn’t hold back and took corrective action. This disturbance may have interrupted the Father Emperor’s rest. For that, this son is deeply distressed.”
“It was merely the foolish talk of a young man, and yet Huaijin took it to heart.”
Jiang Huaijin, always the favored one, frowned upon hearing this. He quickly responded, “Father Emperor, you always protect him. Who can truly discern if his words earlier were jest or heartfelt?”
“Huaijin, do not be petulant. Jingyue is the legitimate son of your Uncle King Shun. He is your cousin. How could he possibly harbor a traitorous heart?” The Emperor’s words, especially the sensitive terms within, carried significant weight, leaving one to wonder if they were intentional or casual remarks.
“Hmph! Who really knows?”
Catching the particular emphasis in the Emperor’s tone, the astute Jiang Huaijin, always adept at reading the Emperor’s intentions, quickly understood the underlying message.
He said, “Father Emperor has always taught me the etiquette between monarch and subject, the bond of brotherhood. I bear these teachings in my heart and dare not forget them. While we often address each other casually, there’s a clear distinction between a monarch and his subject. Especially in the presence of the Emperor. Though the young prince may have spoken in jest today, it’s hard to guarantee he doesn’t harbor traitorous intentions. I believe…” Glancing briefly at the distance, a fleeting murderous intent shone in his eyes.
“He should be imprisoned in the royal dungeon and then a thorough investigation of this matter should be undertaken.”
Inside Yangxin Hall, Jiang Lianfeng, paralyzed in bed, listened to the conversations from outside. A trace of fierce ruthlessness appeared on his sullen face.
Throughout his life, the one he despised most was his younger brother, Jiang Lianbi. Initially, Lianbi wasn’t interested in the throne, allowing Lianfeng to take the position. When Lianfeng found himself unable to protect his reign, he very reluctantly went to the battlefield. From there, he became the war deity of Da Ao, and yet, the people only recognized and admired the renowned Jiang Lianbi. The popular support for King Shun, Jiang Lianbi, far surpassed his own, a monarch without any significant achievements.
After managing to finally get rid of Lianbi, he thought it was the end. But his subordinates were stirring once again. He had no choice but to hold Jiang Jingyue, the naive child, in his grasp. He never expected to hear such words today.
Upon hearing them, he wanted nothing more than to order a thorough ransacking of the nearby Jiang residence. But… it wasn’t the right time.
Jiang Lianbi had only recently passed away. He couldn’t act openly against the Jiang family or directly target the naive Jiang Jingyue. Otherwise, he’d become the very despot the public feared, known for exterminating loyal officials.
Suppressing the dark fury in his eyes, he said, “Jingyue is still young; how could he harbor any traitorous intentions? Since Huaijin has already disciplined him, let him return home. As a punishment, he will be confined for a month.”
“Father Emperor, you can’t just…” let him go!
“Silence!” A rebuke thundered.
The chastised Jiang Huaijin immediately halted his words, but the way he glared intently at Jiang Jingyue in the distance spoke volumes about his intent to end Jingyue’s life.
He simply couldn’t stand Jiang Jingyue!
Jiang Huaiyu, seeing his younger brother reprimanded, immediately knelt and respectfully said, “Father Emperor, please quell your anger. Huaijin’s concerns are solely about the potential dangers of letting the tiger return to the mountain; he has no other intentions. I beg for your understanding and thorough investigation.”
Within the chamber, Jiang Lianfeng’s expression was dark. Normally, he would never lose his temper with his most cherished son, but whenever the matter involved Jiang Lianbi, he would become tense, unable to control his emotions.
Hearing the soothing words from outside, he closed his eyes on his bed, speaking with evident fatigue, “Huaiyu, you handle this matter.” He paused, then added, “Everyone, leave. I am weary.”
“Yes, this son will take his leave.” In a chorus of voices, everyone respectfully rose and departed.
Glancing at Jiang Jingyue, who lay nearby appearing more dead than alive, Jiang Huaiyu instructed a young eunuch not far away, “Take the Prince back to his chambers.”
“Yes, Third Prince.”
…
After finishing his morning routine and getting out of bed, Gu Weizhou heard a commotion outside the door. Pushing it open slightly, he saw two eunuchs dragging a bloodied figure toward a nearby hall.
He raised an eyebrow, thinking, [That clueless kid managed to get himself into trouble so early in the morning.]
[…I feel like you’re taking pleasure in his misfortune.]
[Your feeling is correct.]
[…]
Inside the small kitchen, He Yue was busy making the promised osmanthus pastry when she was startled by the sound of pounding from the direction of the palace doors. She wiped her hands hastily and, without further delay, quickly left the kitchen.
“This esteemed guest…” Before she could finish, He Yue’s gaze landed on the figure the two eunuchs were dragging behind them.
The sight of the blood-soaked clothes and the fresh blood dripping down instantly darkened her vision, and she almost fainted.
“Young master, young master, young prince…”
The clear water in the bedside basin had already turned into a pool of blood. He Yue stared at Jiang Jingyue, who was lying on the bed with a flushed face, incoherent and delirious, tears streaming continuously from her eyes.
He was perfectly fine when he left in the morning. What on earth had happened during his routine visit?
The young eunuch simply dumped the prince with her, mentioning that the emperor had confined him for a month, before leaving without further details, leaving He Yue alone to drag the prince inside and clean him up.
As she wiped the fresh blood from his face, revealing the swollen, bruised flesh beneath, He Yue couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.
In his dazed state, Jiang Jingyue heard a familiar voice crying and calling out to him. He recognized that voice – it was the voice of Aunt He Yue, who had been kind to him since he entered the palace.
He wanted to open his eyes to see her, but his eyelids felt as if they were weighted down with lead, unbearably heavy and impossible to lift.
He thought about just succumbing to the sleep that beckoned him, so uncomfortable and tempting to simply give in. But on the back of his hand, resting beside the bed, he felt the warm touch of tears dropping one after another.
If he remained silent, Aunt He Yue would surely be terrified.
With that thought, Jiang Jingyue mustered the last of his strength to slightly open his eyes.
“It’s… okay…”
Upon hearing these faint words, joy flashed in He Yue’s tear-filled eyes. However, before that joy could last even a second, she felt him close his eyes again, slipping back into a deep, unconscious state.
Gu Weizhou’s scum abuse is a different matter…. Right now, I want to gouge out the eyes, chop off the limbs, peel off the flesh, burn the skin with fire and smash off the heads of those brats and f*cking emperor until they turn into sticky mush and rotten piles of blood and flesh so badly.
Lol…you are feeling sad for the ML…that’s such a rare thing
Hahahaha actually, I’m more angry at the human trashes than sad for the ML…since I completely want the scum to be abused by the MC. It’s just that, it should be the MC, since he wronged the MC. I’m just angry since I completely despised ancient garbage royalties like the princes and the emperor here who are human scums that think their blood is gold when it’s just another bucket of disgusting red liquid when bled out. Well, it’s common occurrence in this kind of ancient settings.
Same. Ik ml is supposed to treat our mc like crap, but I cant help but feel extreme sadness for what hes goin through. His dad who he worshipped was used and killed by his own brother so now he is alone to be bullied by the emperor n princes under the guise of being treated equally. I need to see how mc will get his love n revenge but I can forsee myself feeling guilty the whole time.
Thank you for another update!
Bro these palace dramas are so complicated. Rn, my heart is kinda softening towards the ml..i mean he’s just a little kid now