Xiao Yi's words caused the Hall of Mental Cultivation to fall silent.
A flash of hatred crossed Noble Consort Li's eyes as she looked at Xiao Yi.
Immediately after, a trace of heartache appeared on her face.
"Prince of Pingyang, I merely wished to teach this child a lesson. She saw me and didn't even pay her respects. She has no manners at all!"
Noble Consort Li deflected the main issue, choosing instead to accuse Duoduo of lacking etiquette.
Xiao Yi released his grip and sat back down in his wheelchair.
"When Noble Consort Li entered, did you not also fail to pay your respects to Imperial Father?"
Noble Consort Li's heart skipped a beat. When she rushed in just now and saw her son's condition, she had panicked.
She looked up and, sure enough, saw that the Emperor's expression was incredibly grim.
Noble Consort Li hurriedly knelt. "Your Majesty, I heard that Prince Ling had been carried in, so in my anxiety, I lost my sense of propriety."
"Please, Your Majesty, look upon my loving heart as a mother and do not blame me."
The Emperor spoke with authority, "Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Noble Consort Li stood up.
Xiao Yi looked at the Emperor. "Imperial Father, I should go pay my respects to Imperial Grandmother now."
The Emperor's face was clouded with gloom.
"Prince of Pingyang, your daughter deliberately framed Prince Ling, and you think you can just leave like this?" How could Noble Consort Li possibly let them go so easily?
Xiao Yi completely ignored Noble Consort Li. He simply looked at the Emperor without saying a word.
Prince Ling coughed twice. "Mother, forget it. The child is still young; she surely didn't mean to do it."
"Young? If she is this vicious at such a young age, what will become of her?"
"Your Majesty, as the saying goes, a child's character at three reveals what they will be like at eighty."
"This child actually dared to frame an imperial prince right under your nose."
"For a mere child to dare to show such disregard for you, Your Majesty, you must think this through carefully!"
Noble Consort Li wore a look of utter indignation.
Duoduo could hear it; Noble Consort Li was making a veiled attack, pointing fingers indirectly.
She looked at Xiao Yi, and Xiao Yi blinked at her.
Duoduo blinked back, suddenly understanding what Xiao Yi meant.
Duoduo tilted her head up and looked at the Emperor.
"Imperial Grandfather, may Changle ask a question?"
The Emperor looked at Duoduo's big, watery eyes and nodded.
"Speak."
Noble Consort Li acutely noticed that the Emperor's attitude toward this skinny little jinx was different.
"Imperial Grandfather, do you also believe that Changle threw this bead?"
Duoduo remembered a principle her father had once taught her.
When faced with a problem, only seek help from the person with the most power.
The most powerful person in this imperial palace.
Was, of course, the Emperor!
The Emperor stared intently at Duoduo, and Duoduo looked back at him.
As the Emperor looked into Duoduo's pure, clear eyes, he suddenly felt a trace of fondness for her.
"Why ask me? You could choose to defend yourself," the Emperor prompted Duoduo.
Duoduo shook her head.
"Arguing is the biggest waste of time."
"Imperial Grandfather, you are the most senior elder. You have read countless people, and the whole world is within your heart."
"You must have already guessed where this bead came from."
If this bead had truly belonged to Duoduo, the Emperor would have flown into a rage long ago.
The fact that he hadn't spoken meant he already knew whose bead it was.
Hearing Duoduo's words, the Emperor's gaze couldn't help but sweep over Xiao Yi.
He saw his eldest son sitting perfectly straight, eyes half-lowered, as if completely indifferent to everything in the outside world.
The Emperor looked at Duoduo. His subordinates had long since thoroughly investigated this child's past.
According to the reports, this child was timid, cowardly, insecure, and cowering...
Yet, in such a short amount of time, she actually dared to look him in the eye so openly, without the slightest hint of cowardice.
Even his eldest great-grandson, Xiao Yun'an, didn't dare look him straight in the eye.
But this little girl dared!
For the little girl to undergo such an earth-shattering transformation, it had to be because of Xiao Yi!
Such a mastery of guiding people was something only an emperor could achieve.
The Emperor's gaze once again swept over Xiao Yi's legs, and a look of pity flashed in his eyes.
The Emperor's expression was seen clearly by Duoduo, who had been staring at him all along.
Noble Consort Li, standing below, saw it too.
Her heart suddenly began to pound wildly, and the hands hidden in her sleeves involuntarily clenched into fists.
Could Xiao Yi's legs be showing signs of recovery?
Noble Consort Li shot Prince Ling a look, and a flash of hostility crossed Prince Ling's eyes.
"Imperial Father, I believe this bead definitely does not belong to Duoduo."
"It is possible that someone else accidentally dropped it there."
"It was just my good luck that I happened to step on it."
"Yun'an only saw the bead roll out from under Duoduo's feet; he didn't mean to wrongly accuse Duoduo."
As Prince Ling spoke, he gave Duoduo an affectionate smile.
"Duoduo, don't hold it against your older brother. We are all one family. Let's just let this matter go, alright?"
Duoduo blinked.
Prince Ling was certainly a smooth talker, much more so than her father!
On the one hand, he seemed to be defending her, but on the other, he was telling her not to hold a grudge because they were family.
"Eldest Brother, tell me, is your second brother right?" Prince Ling looked at Xiao Yi with a grin.
Xiao Yi lifted his eyelids and looked at Prince Ling on the reclining chair.
For a moment, everyone in the hall looked at Xiao Yi.
Including the Emperor.
Xiao Yi looked at Prince Ling. Just as Prince Ling was secretly feeling pleased with himself, the corners of Xiao Yi's lips suddenly curled up.
Seeing Xiao Yi smile, the smile on Prince Ling's face grew even wider.
"Second Brother, you are right. We are all one family."
"Yun'an, come over to your eldest uncle," Xiao Yi instructed Xiao Yun'an calmly.
Xiao Yun'an was very afraid of Xiao Yi, and he shrank back behind his mother.
Prince Ling looked at his son with a frustrated expression of wanting iron to turn into steel. "Xiao Yun'an, do you have ears!"
Princess Consort Ling sensed her husband's anger and hurriedly nudged her son.
"Go quickly, your Imperial Grandfather is watching!"
Xiao Yun'an understood his mother's meaning.
This was the Hall of Mental Cultivation; the Emperor's word was law!
After figuring this out, Xiao Yun'an puffed out his chest and walked up to Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yun'an was quite tall, so Xiao Yi, sitting in his wheelchair, wasn't much taller than him.
The fear in Xiao Yun'an's heart vanished. He raised his chin and looked at Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi looked at Xiao Yun'an, and the corners of his lips slowly curved upward.
In the next second, Xiao Yi raised his hand and delivered a hard slap straight across Xiao Yun'an's face.
The slap spun Xiao Yun'an right around where he stood, and all he could hear was a loud ringing in his ears.
"Xiao Yi, what are you doing?"
Noble Consort Li was the first to react. She rushed over and shielded Xiao Yun'an in her arms.
Xiao Yi pulled back his slightly numb hand and rested it on his knee.
"Noble Consort Li, I am helping my second brother discipline his son."
"Yun'an is Second Brother's eldest son, and he is bound to inherit the Prince Ling's estate in the future."
"How can we neglect to discipline him in the proper etiquette of an imperial prince?"
"By the way, didn't you also want to teach Changle a lesson just now?"
Xiao Yun'an finally came to his senses and hugged Noble Consort Li, bawling loudly.
Noble Consort Li was heartbroken to death.
"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to teach Yun'an a lesson!"
