Boarding the boat, Emperor Yongchang's mind still held the lingering image of the second prince riding away on horseback.
Last autumn, he had heard Consort Xian mention that the second prince and his wife had gone horseback riding, but the image Emperor Yongchang had imagined was of the second prince leisurely walking on horseback. How could he have dared to imagine that the second prince could still gallop as he did before he lost the use of his legs?
Riding requires the strength of one's legs. Since the second prince's legs could not move, his waist and arms had to exert much more strength and skill to make him look as relaxed and effortless as anyone else while riding.
The second prince did not have a carefree and uninhibited nature. Some children could fall, get up, and still laugh; some would sit on the ground and bawl. The second prince, however, was the type of pitiful little child who would neither laugh nor cry, showing nothing on his face while silently suffering in his heart. Now that the second prince had grown up, he could hide it very well. When he was seven or eight, adults could tell at a glance that his forced maturity was merely the awkwardness of having no elders to turn to for help.
Therefore, after the second prince's legs were crippled, he preferred to seclude himself alone in the prince's estate rather than show his face and let people see his scars.
It was his lively and cheerful second daughter-in-law who brought the second prince out of his shell, allowing the second prince not only to calmly perform his duties in a wheelchair but even to be helped or carried on and off horseback in front of those around him.
Emperor Yongchang had been graceful and noble his entire life. If one day he suddenly could not walk and had to be carried onto the dragon throne or a fine steed, Emperor Yongchang believed that his temperament would drastically change. He would find everyone around him an eyesore because they had seen the most embarrassing side of an emperor who was supposed to be revered.
A prince of the first rank could be said to be below one person and above ten thousand, equally noble and extraordinary. Yet, when the second prince was shrouded in an aura of death, he never once lost his temper or vented his anger when his brothers fought over his wheelchair. Now, he could even casually accompany his wife on horseback rides and excursions. Just how broad a mind must this boy have to be able to tolerate others and himself, remaining unfazed by favor or disgrace?
He was only twenty-four. To have such self-restraint at this age, when the second prince reached his fifties, he would probably truly be able to remain calm even if the sky were falling, wouldn't he?
Besides marveling at the second prince's transformation, starting from this day, Emperor Yongchang also had a little secret: he had people keep an eye on what pastimes Prince Hui engaged in every time he went out. There was no need to watch closely at all times; they just needed to find out Prince Hui's recreational activities and report back to him. After all, Emperor Yongchang had no intention of spying on his own the second prince.
Replying to the Emperor, today after His Highness finished his duties, he was directly invited by the Princess Consort to go horseback riding on the grasslands.
Replying to the Emperor, today after His Highness finished his duties, he was invited by the Princess Consort to go boating on the North Lake.
Replying to the Emperor, today after His Highness finished his duties, he was pushed by the Princess Consort to tour the gardens.
Replying to the Emperor...
Emperor Yongchang was surprised to find that the second prince, sitting in a wheelchair, was actually living more joyfully than he was in the North Park. The only thing they had not done was climb a mountain.
Replying to the Emperor, today after His Highness finished his duties, he rode up a low hill with the Princess Consort and only returned after watching the sunset.
Emperor Yongchang: ...How high was this low hill? Did they slowly walk down or run down?
...They slid down. His Highness and the Princess Consort prepared a sliding board shaped like a sled. The Princess Consort sat in the front, and His Highness sat in the back. The slope of the hill was gentle, and the grass had been prepared in advance. His Highness and the Princess Consort slid very steadily and did not fall.
Emperor Yongchang quietly clutched his chest, feeling as if he had also taken a slide down, his heart clenching.
The next afternoon, when Emperor Yongchang stepped out of the temporary palace to get some fresh air, he stumbled upon his second daughter-in-law leading the two princesses sliding down... a slope?
He was too far away to see clearly, but Emperor Yongchang heard the excited shrieks of the usually gentle and proper First Princess.
Emperor Yongchang stood with his hands behind his back. He looked at the indeed very gentle grassy slope, then watched the cheerful figure of the Second Princess grabbing a board, running up, and sliding down by herself. Emperor Yongchang shook his head and turned to go elsewhere.
During the day, Yao Huang and the two princesses were practically inseparable. Sometimes they would also invite Chen Ying and the two secondary consorts to join them. Princess Fucheng had bumped into them a few times while strolling in the gardens. On this day, she called her daughter over and asked why she did not go, asking if Yao Huang had not invited her.
Zheng Yuanzhen: She invited me once, but I declined.
Princess Fucheng frowned: Why not go? The Emperor dotes on the First Princess. Even if you cannot find common ground with your two sisters-in-law, could it be that you also do not get along with the First Princess?
Zheng Yuanzhen looked away and said: She obviously enjoys spending time with Lady Yao. If I force myself to join them, I will probably only ruin their fun.
When Yao Huang was still a humble young lady living in Changshou Lane, Zheng Yuanzhen and the First Princess could still play together, either admiring flowers in the gardens, tasting tea, playing the lute, or appreciating poetry and paintings. These were all pastimes for noble ladies to cultivate their sentiments. Ever since Yao Huang became the Princess Consort of Hui, the First Princess seemed to have become a different person. She actually enjoyed listening to Yao Huang talk about commoners and worldly affairs from the folk realm, and even followed Yao Huang around, riding horses and acting wildly.
Especially recently, with the grass-sliding that Yao Huang had taken them to play, it was absolutely impossible for Zheng Yuanzhen to go sit on such a broken wooden board.
Princess Fucheng was helpless against her daughter's aloof and arrogant temperament. However, thinking that the mother of the nation should be proper and dignified, like Empress Zhou, whose every word and action was flawless, Princess Fucheng felt that it was good for her daughter to maintain such poise. The princesses were the Emperor's daughters, so the Emperor would like their liveliness and cuteness. But someone as generous yet playful as Yao Huang, or as proper yet timid as Chen Ying, did not possess the bearing of a mother of the nation.
While accompanying Emperor Yongchang on a walk, Princess Fucheng even probed him, using a helpless tone: I really do not know what to do with Yuanzhen. Even after arriving at the North Park, she stays in the courtyard reading every day, or she accompanies us elders to stroll in the gardens and admire the flowers. Seeing how much fun her second sister-in-law and cousins have every day, I urged her to go, but she just cannot let go. She is wasting this opportunity to accompany Your Majesty for nothing.
Emperor Yongchang smiled: Every child has their own nature. Yuanzhen likes peace and quiet, so why must you force her?
Princess Fucheng: Previously, I did not think there was anything wrong with Yuanzhen being like this. But ever since I saw her second sister-in-law smiling like a flower every day, I actually felt a bit regretful that I did not have such a lively and boisterous daughter. It would be so interesting to have her by my side.
Emperor Yongchang remembered something and laughed: The Noble Consort had this kind of temperament when she was a child. Back then, you two fought every few days, and I never saw you like her.
Princess Fucheng: ...Is raising a daughter the same as getting along with a sister? The Noble Consort competed with me in everything, so I competed with her. But for a daughter, I would wish to give her all my precious treasures.
Emperor Yongchang nodded in agreement: Yes, you are picky about the Prince Consort, but you truly raise Yuanzhen as your darling. I still remember the gentle look you had the first time you carried Yuanzhen into the palace; it was like you were a completely different person from your previous arrogant self.
Princess Fucheng snorted: How can the Prince Consort compare to Yuanzhen? Yuanzhen has half of our royal blood flowing through her veins. If the Prince Consort falls out of favor, he can be replaced at any time.
Emperor Yongchang looked at Princess Fucheng's shadow on the ground.
So what about royal blood? Before the second prince revealed his talents, in his eyes, he was not even as endearing as his niece who would sweetly call him Imperial Uncle.
Including Princess Fucheng, as her imperial brother, he could indulge her in other matters, including letting his niece marry the Third Prince as she wished. But the Third Prince was like useless mud that could not support a wall, so she could not blame him for not showing face to anyone.
Early on the morning of the thirteenth of June, Prince Qing finally arrived outside the city walls of the Northern Park.
Encountering several rainstorms on his return journey, he was delayed by three to five days compared to his trip to Jingzhou.
Emperor Yongchang was holding a small court session with his ministers. Upon learning of Prince Qing's return, he summoned him directly to the grand hall.
Prince Kang subconsciously looked at his younger brother in the wheelchair. The Third Prince had suffered so many casualties suppressing the bandits. If Imperial Father were to praise the Third Prince in a moment, wouldn't his second brother, who had achieved much greater military merits, feel bitter?
Zhao Sui simply stared straight ahead.
Outside the grand hall, Prince Qing patted the dust off his clothes one last time. After receiving permission, he strode in with his head held high and his chest puffed out.
"Your son, Zhao Xun, pays his respects to Imperial Father!"
Returning from his official assignment, Prince Qing knelt on the ground and kowtowed to his imperial father on the dragon throne.
Emperor Yongchang said indifferently, "Dispense with the formalities."
Prince Qing stood up. At this moment, he was the only person standing in the middle of the grand hall. With his tall, straight posture and handsome appearance, he looked very much like a promising young man.
It was precisely because Emperor Yongchang liked the Third Prince's good essays, martial arts, and handsome appearance that he gave him the opportunity to gain experience and learn, even knowing he was frivolous and impulsive. Who would have thought that the Third Prince would not take his earnest teachings to heart, nor the capable general Peng Daji he had specially assigned to him? Instead, he had directly employed his own brilliant strategies. With such arrogance, narrow-mindedness, and lack of repentance, no matter how talented he was, he would ruin himself!
The anger that had been suppressed for half a month rose steadily from the bottom of his heart. Emperor Yongchang stared at the son across from him and asked, "I sent you to suppress the bandits. The Prefect of Tanzhou, Feng Gui, and the Commander of the Wuling Guard, Peng Daji, were your right and left hands to assist you. When you first arrived in Jingzhou, you were not familiar with their character or their abilities as officials. Why didn't you investigate their backgrounds first?"
Prince Qing's heart turned cold. Forcing himself to remain calm, he said, "Imperial Father's reprimand is correct. Your son should not have neglected this point out of eagerness to suppress the bandits..."
Emperor Yongchang interrupted him coldly, "Before you left, did I or did I not warn you against being greedy for merit and advancing rashly?"
Prince Qing: "...You did."
Emperor Yongchang: "Before you left, did I or did I not instruct you to strive to suppress the bandit rebellion with the fewest possible casualties?"
Prince Qing flushed red: "...You did."
Emperor Yongchang suddenly stood up, pointing at Prince Qing below and scolding him harshly, "Then did you treat my words like wind past your ears?! For a mere thousand mountain bandits, I gave you five thousand elite soldiers and a thousand local troops, yet you threw away the lives of all one thousand local troops! Between my reign and the late Emperor's, we have suppressed hundreds of large and small bandit groups. Yet with you, it is the first time that more imperial soldiers died than bandits! You have utterly disgraced me, yet you still dared to submit a memorial requesting merits, and you still dare to argue with me!"
By the end of his tirade, Emperor Yongchang had stepped right in front of Prince Qing. Unable to bear the imperial wrath, Prince Qing had already fallen back to his knees, his forehead touching the ground as he cried and begged, "Your son was wrong. Imperial Father may punish your son however you wish, but please take care of your dragon health..."
Prince Kang, the Left and Right Chancellors, and over a dozen important civil and military officials all knelt down, collectively pleading for the Emperor to quell his anger.
With them kneeling, Prince Hui, sitting in his wheelchair, became extremely conspicuous.
Emperor Yongchang subconsciously looked over.
Zhao Sui gripped the armrests on both sides of his wheelchair, using his arm strength to prop up his upper body.
Emperor Yongchang's eyelids twitched. He shot the second prince a look that said sit there and do not move. Taking two deep breaths, he turned his back to the crowd and declared, "Prince Qing was careless and underestimated the enemy, causing a thousand local troops to lose their lives in vain. Although he has the merit of suppressing the bandits, it is hard to offset his faults. He is fined one year of his noble stipend and ordered to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors for three months."
As soon as the Emperor's voice fell, the Imperial Diarist kneeling to the side of the grand hall was the first to stand up with his head bowed. Returning to his desk, he picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and recorded this major event that had infuriated Emperor Yongchang during today's court session.
And this was Emperor Yongchang's true punishment for Prince Qing.
He wanted to preserve the royal family's dignity and could not announce all the stupid things the Third Prince had done to the court and the public. However, by letting the important ministers of the dynasty see his dissatisfaction with the Third Prince's underestimation of the enemy and incompetence, and by having the historian record the Third Prince's disgrace this time, it was almost tantamount to telling them that it was no longer possible for the Third Prince to advance to the position of Crown Prince.
