It had been some time since the incident at the horse track.
After the Third Prince was hit by a slingshot that time, he somehow found himself a new one, which was even inlaid with precious stones.
Whenever he had free time, he would raise his slingshot and shoot randomly everywhere. The Second Prince was annoyed to death by him.
"Third Brother, can you put that slingshot away? What if you hit me?"
Hearing the Second Prince's impatient voice, the Third Prince was about to lose his temper, but thinking of how the Noble Consort was currently in the limelight, he swallowed his anger.
"Hmph!"
If he couldn't shoot inside, going outside to shoot would be fine, right?
He kept shooting at the trees outside the imperial study, making non-stop cracking sounds.
Just then, he noticed someone watching him.
Xiao Yanchen was hiding in the corner, staring at his jewel-inlaid slingshot. The Third Prince felt extremely smug: "Seventh Brother, this was bestowed upon me by Imperial Father. Do you have anything Imperial Father has rewarded you with?"
Xiao Yanchen's eyes turned red, and he clenched his fists.
Looking at his reaction, the Third Prince sneered.
Did he really think that just because he entered the imperial study, he could win Imperial Father's favor? Little did he know that Imperial Father already despised him to the core.
The Third Prince shot at the birds in the sky for a while, then at the ants on the ground.
Xiao Yanchen asked in a low voice, "Third Brother, is the slingshot Imperial Father bestowed better than an ordinary one?"
The Third Prince rolled his eyes dramatically. "Nonsense."
Xiao Yanchen pointed to a magpie's nest on a dead tree not far away and asked hesitantly, "Can Third Brother hit that?"
The Third Prince scoffed, "That's nothing."
He pulled the slingshot all the way back and shot with force. Right at the moment he released it, Xiao Yanchen suddenly shouted, "Third Brother, watch out!"
Startled by the sudden shout, the Third Prince's hand trembled. The pellet missed the magpie's nest and smashed straight through a window. The next second, the sound of an inkstone shattering echoed in the air.
The air instantly went dead silent.
Inside the room, the tutor stared at the inkstone broken into several pieces, so furious he could barely breathe. This was a Duan inkstone bestowed upon him by the late Emperor!
Boiling with rage, he marched straight out of the room to confront the Third Prince.
"Third Highness, this is a sacred object from the late Emperor! How do you expect this old man to explain this to the Censorate?!"
The tutor's eyes were bloodshot as he forcefully suppressed his fury. He already disliked the Third Prince, but he never expected him to actually smash his Duan inkstone!
The Third Prince had never seen the tutor in such a state. His face paled. "I... I didn't mean to."
"Go stand outside!" The tutor was beyond angry. He pointed at the snowy corridor outside the door. "Kneel there and recite the Classic of Filial Piety until you finish!"
Scolded until his mind went blank, the Third Prince shrank his neck and walked with his head down to the corridor.
The snow soon soaked through his robes. Wiping his tears, he cried as he recited, "The Master said: Filial piety is the root of virtue, and the source from which all teaching is born..."
Seeing this scene, the study companions and princes inside showed no sympathy at all; instead, they let out bursts of snickering.
Looking at the shattered Duan inkstone, the tutor's heart bled. Now, not only did he have to write a memorial to the Emperor to plead guilty, but he also had to explain himself to the Ministry of Rites and the Internal Affairs Department.
Hearing the Third Prince's crying at the door, a wave of exhaustion washed over his face.
Unceasing cries echoed through the Department of Punishment. It was dim inside, and a wave of dampness hit anyone who walked in.
Eunuch Liu sat in a grand armchair, leisurely watching the two people kneeling on the ground.
One was Ji Zhaoxi, shedding tears drop by drop, and the other was an old eunuch crying a river.
"Eunuch Liu, although this Xiao Xizi is your godson, you can't protect him," the old eunuch wailed. "This Xiao Xizi usually has sticky fingers. This purse was sewn by my family, and he even stole that!"
Ji Zhaoxi couldn't bear it anymore: "You're talking nonsense! I embroidered this purse with my own hands, and the pearls inside..."
"Pearls? What pearls!" the old eunuch clamored, directly interrupting Ji Zhaoxi's voice. "You stole it! You stole it!"
Ji Zhaoxi: ...
Ji Zhaoxi was about to speak again, but the old eunuch started bawling loudly again, simply not letting her talk.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at Eunuch Liu with pleading eyes.
The old eunuch was still crying there, saying that this purse was sewn for him by his deceased younger sister, crying so heart-wrenchingly.
Eunuch Liu put down his teacup and said faintly, "Bring it here, let me take a look."
The eunuch beside him quickly handed the purse to Eunuch Liu. Eunuch Liu only took one look, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
The stitches were uneven and crooked, and in the middle was a pair of dopey-looking white geese.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at Eunuch Liu with even more eagerness.
Her master should know her craftsmanship very well; she had learned from a professional embroiderer, after all!
Eunuch Liu's face carried a gloomy air, and his voice was thin and sharp: "If you told me your sister embroidered this purse with her feet, I would believe it."
Ji Zhaoxi's face instantly fell.
The old eunuch braced himself: "My sister's craftsmanship was indeed not refined."
Eunuch Liu weighed the heavy purse in his hand. It was obvious that this old eunuch wanted the Eastern pearls inside. Although these Eastern pearls were defective goods, they were still worth a lot of money outside the palace.
Eunuch Liu played with the Eastern pearls, smiling: "Are these Eastern pearls also your little sister's?"
The old eunuch hurriedly nodded.
Eunuch Liu looked at him sinisterly. He held the Eastern pearl up to the charcoal brazier. After a short while, a very shallow engraved mark appeared on the pearl, revealing the character 'Liu'.
The old eunuch's face immediately turned pale, his eyes widening in horror.
Ji Zhaoxi was incredibly smug. She immediately scrambled up from the ground and clamored, "You said these Eastern pearls are yours, so why are they engraved with my godfather's surname? Could it be that you are also my godfather's godson?"
Ji Zhaoxi looked at Eunuch Liu with bright eyes: "Right, Godfather!"
Eunuch Liu didn't want to look at her and tossed the white goose purse in his hand back to her in disgust.
He stood up, carefully wiping his hands with a handkerchief, and said in a very soft voice, "Punish him."
The eunuchs beside him walked toward the old eunuch, who cried even louder. Ji Zhaoxi quickly followed Eunuch Liu out.
Because of the Third Prince's incident, everyone in the imperial study remained very quiet afterward, and Xiao Yanchen exceptionally finished school on time.
In the afternoon, when Xiao Yanchen and Ji Zhaoxi were eating together, Xiao Yanchen asked cautiously, "Xiao Xizi, why aren't you letting me wash the clothes anymore?"
Ji Zhaoxi asked in confusion, "Aren't you very busy right now? So I just washed them myself."
Xiao Yanchen looked at her a bit nervously: "But I want to wash them, Xiao Xizi. Let me wash them."
Ji Zhaoxi stayed silent for a moment. She was now somewhat suspecting whether Xiao Yanchen had Stockholm Syndrome.
Seeing that Ji Zhaoxi wasn't speaking, Xiao Yanchen looked at her eagerly and tugged at her sleeve.
"Then I'll bring them to you next time."
"Mhm, Xiao Xizi, don't forget. Last time I told you, you forgot..."
"Ah!"
"Alright, alright, I won't say it anymore..."
