AD (QT) Chapter 148

Inside the Kunning Palace, the Empress already knew Han Ze had entered the palace. She was currently smiling as she instructed the kitchen to prepare the mid-day meal. “Tell Chef Hong that Prince Chun especially likes his soy-braised pork trotter. He also likes that dish of braised deer tendon. Prepare some fresh seasonal vegetables as well.”

Nanny Liu smiled and bowed. “Your Majesty, Chef Hong knew the Prince was coming and started preparing immediately. As soon as the Prince arrives, the meal can be served.”

The Empress was satisfied, a smile lingering on her lips. “That Chef Hong certainly knows how to anticipate needs.”

Nanny Liu laughed. “If he didn’t, how could he earn Your Majesty’s trust?”

Several chefs in the kitchen vied for the Empress’s favor, racking their brains to please her. The Crown Prince and Prince Chun often dined here, but the Empress and the Crown Prince rarely showed their preferences openly, making it hard for the chefs to succeed. Prince Chun, however, was different; he liked what he liked and never hid it. Every time he ate here, he insisted on Chef Hong’s soy-braised pork trotter.

The Empress smiled softly. “I wonder what brings the boy to the palace today?”

As she spoke, Han Ze strode in boldly, shouting, “Mom, I’m hungry!”

The Empress laughed. “I’ll have the meal served for you right away.”

Emperor Mingzheng followed behind, shaking his head helplessly at Han Ze’s skipping gait. Only Aze could get away with this; if any other son acted this way, it would be considered a crime of disrespect.

Seeing the Emperor, the Empress prepared to rise, but Mingzheng waved her off. “Among family, there is no need for such formalities.” He sat directly beside her.

Since the Emperor said so, and having been married for over twenty years, the Empress didn’t stand on ceremony and sat back down. She asked with a smile, “Aze, why did you come to the palace today?”

Han Ze plopped onto a nearby stool and snorted unhappily. “That Chen Junxiong said I was wearing a green hat, and told me not to forget to wear it next time I go out! I’m not stupid; Big Brother told me that ‘wearing a green hat’ is a curse! He actually dared to curse me! Dad said I’m a Prince, and except for my parents and Big Brother, no one is allowed to curse me. I want Dad to beat him with the boards!”

The Empress felt a surge of resentment in her heart. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief and said sadly, “It’s all my fault. If I had stayed home with Aze back then, his brain wouldn’t have been damaged by the fever. Now, just anyone feels they can bully him…”

Han Ze looked at the Empress in a panic. He scratched his head and comforted her, “Mom, don’t cry! My brain isn’t damaged; I’m smart! That Chen Junxiong is the stupid one. He knows my Dad is the Emperor—the greatest Emperor in the world—yet he still dares to curse me. Isn’t he afraid my Dad will punish him?”

Emperor Mingzheng’s eyes sharpened, his dragon countenance filled with rage. “I may be of humble origin, but do I still need these noble clans so much that I wouldn’t dare punish an idle profligate like him?”

Chen Junxiong’s actions had truly struck a nerve with the Emperor. In his heart, the man’s vileness was no different from Shen Mingya’s.

The Empress pulled on the Emperor’s arm and said reproachfully, “Your Majesty, why bother yourself with such people? There are no truly great clans left. Even a clan as great as my own Wang family has vanished into the long river of history.”

The Emperor sighed and took her hand. “I’m not competing with them. The noble clans have declined, but a ‘broken ship still has three catties of nails.’ The world is just starting to stabilize, and I didn’t intend to settle scores with them so soon, but they are tactless. They keep jumping out to cause trouble—it’s irritating. Especially to insult Aze. Regardless of the fact that he is our son, even if he were just any Prince, I wouldn’t allow them to bully him at will.”

The Empress frowned. “The matter of Shen Mingya plotting against Aze should have been settled privately. Then Aze wouldn’t be mocked by others.”

Han Ze suddenly chimed in from the side, “Mom, I’m not afraid of them mocking me! Anyway, their Dads aren’t as ‘big’ as my Dad. If they dare mock me, I’ll have my Dad punish them and beat them with the boards!”

The Emperor burst into laughter. “Aze is right! If they dare mock you, it’s an act of insubordination and deserves the boards!”

The Empress said in disapproval, “He is, after all, Consort Hui’s nephew…”

The Emperor snorted. “You are just too kind-hearted. Chen Junxiong must not be let off lightly. Otherwise, wouldn’t everyone think they can bully my son?”

Han Ze said loudly, “Mom, I don’t like Consort Hui.”

The Empress glared at him. “Don’t talk nonsense.” She is your father’s concubine; how can you judge her so casually?

The Emperor looked at the Empress and said indifferently, “Let him speak.”

Han Ze said unhappily, “Dad, I don’t like Consort Hui. Just now I saw her pinch Fifth Brother until he cried, then she lied to you and said he was hungry. There was so much delicious food there; how could he be hungry? She clearly wanted to trick you into giving her gold. Dad, you must not fall for it.”

The Emperor’s face was dark. Aze was simple and wouldn’t lie; it seemed Consort Hui truly had pinched the Fifth Prince. He gave a cold laugh. “So this is the ‘upbringing’ of a noble lady. Even a tiger wouldn’t eat its own cub, yet she would use her own son just to win favor. How malicious.”

Han Ze echoed from the side, “She is malicious! She even wants to trick Dad out of his gold!”

The Emperor said crossly, “You only ever think about gold.”

Han Ze pouted at him. “Does Dad not like gold?”

The Emperor was stifled. He actually really needed gold—lots of it.

The Empress looked at the Emperor, who was rendered speechless by his son, and laughed secretly. Only her Aze would dare to speak to the Emperor this way.

Han Ze’s eyes darted around, and he leaned in toward the Emperor. “Dad, how about this? Since Chen Junxiong cursed me, let’s make him pay us in gold. If he pays the gold, we won’t punish him. How about that?”

The Empress shook her head. What a great opportunity to punish Consort Hui, you silly boy. Gold can be had anytime, but a chance to strike at Consort Hui is rare.

Emperor Mingzheng glared at him and roared, “No!”

What kind of crooked idea is that? Imperial dignity was of the utmost importance; how could it be settled with a fine? Wait… a light flashed in the Emperor’s eyes. He said loudly, “Hu Deyang! Have someone seize Chen Junxiong and bring him to me!”

“Yes!” Hu Deyang flicked his sleeves, knelt, then stood up quickly and strode out.

…

Chen Junxiong had felt immensely refreshed after insulting Han Ze. He didn’t take Han Ze’s threat of tattling to the palace seriously at all. His aunt was Consort Hui, who had birthed the Fifth Prince. People said the Emperor doted on that silly Prince, but he didn’t believe it for a second. A foolish son was a royal disgrace; the family should be busy hiding him, especially after the recent scandal. He didn’t believe the Emperor would slap the face of a “normal” son for the sake of a “foolish” one.

With these thoughts, Chen Junxiong led his group of profligate friends to the Spring Breeze Pavilion. He was currently indulging in the “village of tender charms” when his family’s butler found him.

Chen Junxiong, tipsy, held a beautiful woman and squinted. “What do you want?”

The butler was sweating with anxiety. “Second Young Master, you must return home immediately!” Thinking of his furious master, he looked at the guards behind him and said, “Hurry and help the Second Young Master back to the manor!”

Chen Junxiong froze, let go of the woman, and pointed a slurred finger at the butler. “You… you’re bold!”

The butler thought: I’ll be bold then. As long as I get you home, I’ve finished the task the Master gave me. No matter how bold he was, the Master wouldn’t punish him for this.

Chen Junxiong, a profligate whose body was hollowed out by vice, was no match for the guards. No matter how he struggled, it was useless; he was carried out of the Spring Breeze Pavilion by several guards.

His group of friends saw this and thought: Could it be that Prince Chun really did go to the palace to tattle? They couldn’t help but shudder. Truly a fool—tattling at the slightest disagreement. Thinking of this, they didn’t care about the beauties in their arms; they scrambled to put on their clothes and ran back to their own homes.

By the time Chen Junxiong reached his front gate, his drunkenness hadn’t faded. He was still shouting, “I’ll have my Dad punish you! Just you wait!”

The butler remained silent. A palace guard waiting at the gate looked at him and asked expressionlessly, “Chen Junxiong of the Chen family?”

Chen Junxiong gave an arrogant laugh and said drunkenly, “I don’t change my name or my surname; I am your grandfather, Chen Junxiong!”

“Bastard! Shut your mouth!” The head of the Chen family wished he could gag his son. He didn’t know what the boy had done yet, as no news had come from the palace. He was already anxious, and here was his son talking nonsense—it was practically seeking death.

The palace guard looked at the men behind him and said coldly, “Take him.”

Chen Junxiong dazed. “Take… take what?”

The guards ignored him and seized him. Finally, Chen Junxiong’s drunkenness cleared by half. He looked toward his father in a panic, struggling and crying for help: “Dad! Dad, save me!”

His father was anxious but helpless. He could only wait for news from the palace. With his sister there, his son’s life at least shouldn’t be in danger.

…

After lunch, Han Ze followed the Emperor to the Hall of Clear Hearts. Han Ze sat below the Emperor with his legs crossed, saying happily, “Dad, we must fine that ‘bear’ a lot of gold! It won’t do if it’s too little—not after he cursed me!”

The Emperor looked at him with a smile. “Do you really love gold that much?”

Han Ze nodded. “Gold can buy many things. Back in the village, if I had gold, I could have bought food and clothes for Xiaozhu, Xiaoxing, and Grandma.”

“If I had gold, I could have bought many quilts. When it snowed, Grandma wouldn’t have frozen and fallen ill because we didn’t have thick quilts.”

“If I had gold and Grandma got sick, I could have hired a doctor for her, bought her medicine, and bought her delicious food to nourish her body. Then Grandma wouldn’t have died.”

“It’s because I was too stupid and couldn’t earn silver. Now I want to earn lots of gold and silver. When you run out, I can give it to you. I don’t want you to fall ill from the cold like Grandma, with no silver for a doctor…”

The Emperor’s eyes grew moist. He took out a handkerchief to wipe them, his voice hoarse. “It was your Dad who was stupid. Aze isn’t stupid. It’s because your Dad didn’t protect your Grandma well; it’s your Dad who was unfilial…”

Han Ze blinked and looked at the Emperor. “Grandma said I’m a man and must protect Xiaoxing and Xiaozhu. She also said you are a great hero. Dad, you really are a great hero; you even became the greatest Emperor in the world.”

The Emperor knew his mother wouldn’t blame him, but the person he felt most guilty toward was his mother and Aze. “What else did your Grandma say?”

Han Ze scratched his head. “I forgot.”

The Emperor: “…”

Han Ze suddenly gave an “Oh!” “Grandma said Dad was very tough when you were little. You fought people every day and even stole peaches from other people’s houses! Dad, you were so bold; I wouldn’t dare steal peaches.”

Several muffled laughs came from the surroundings. The Emperor glared at Hu Deyang behind him. Brat, no need to mention those things. Your Dad is the Emperor; I have a reputation to maintain. Hu Deyang immediately covered his mouth in terror.

As father and son talked, a guard entered and knelt. “Your Majesty, Chen Junxiong has been brought to the palace.”

“Tell him to crawl in here!”

Chen Junxiong scrambled into the hall. Seeing Han Ze, he understood everything. That silly Prince really did tattle? Is he a child? Tattling over a small thing? Regardless, he knew he had to beg for mercy. “Your Majesty, spare me! I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong!”

The Emperor was caught between anger and laughter. “Tell me then, what was your mistake?”

Chen Junxiong was choked. Han Ze stood up and pointed at him. “Dad, you said you were going to beat him with fifty strokes!”

Chen Junxiong clutched his backside in terror and knelt to plead, “Your Majesty, spare me! Spare my life!”

Han Ze looked at him and laughed. “Pleading is useless! You have to be beaten with fifty strokes—no, a hundred strokes!”

Chen Junxiong: “…”

Han Ze squatted in front of him. “Don’t want to be beaten? It hurts a lot! Fifty strokes! The Nanny in my mansion was beaten and now she’s paralyzed. It’s so tragic.”

Chen Junxiong had ordered servants to be beaten before, so he knew that fifty strokes would take away half a life. He didn’t care about anything else. “Prince, spare me! Spare me!”

Han Ze said with a beaming smile, “If you don’t want to be beaten, it’s fine. You can just pay a fine.”

Chen Junxiong froze. A fine? That works? He was about to ask how much when someone reported: “Your Majesty, Consort Hui requests an audience.”

Chen Junxiong was delighted. His aunt truly wouldn’t ignore him.

The Emperor snorted. “Let her in.” He hadn’t sought her out yet, and she dared to come. He wanted to see what she would do.

Consort Hui entered. Seeing her nephew kneeling, her heart skipped a beat. She knelt and said, “Your Majesty, my nephew has offended Prince Chun. I do not dare plead for him; I only ask that Your Majesty grant him his life.”

The Emperor said nothing, just looking at her. Han Ze stared at her with wide eyes. “At lunch, you pinched Fifth Brother and said he was hungry.”

Consort Hui jumped, looking hurriedly at the Emperor. “Your Majesty, I did not!”

Han Ze pointed at her. “Liar! You clearly pinched Fifth Brother and made him cry! You said he was hungry, but there was so much food on the table—how could he be hungry? Xiaozhu and Xiaoxing were so thin and frail when they were little, and they ate moldy buns when there was no food, but even they didn’t go hungry. There is so much food in the palace—how could he be hungry? You clearly want to trick my Dad out of his gold. You want it all for yourself. If he gives it all to you, what will my Dad eat? What will we eat?”

Consort Hui wished she could gag him, but she had to plead with the Emperor. “Your Majesty, how could I pinch my own son? Prince Chun must have seen incorrectly.”

The Emperor’s eyes were deep as he looked at her without a trace of affection. “Whether he is wronging you… do you not know in your own heart?”

Consort Hui’s heart tightened. The Emperor didn’t believe her. She said frantically, “Your Majesty, believe me! How could I pinch my own son?”

The Emperor looked at her intently. “Do you take me for a fool?”

Consort Hui stiffened. The Emperor looked away and said, “Issue my decree: Consort Hui has deceived the monarch and lacked maternal kindness. She is demoted to Guiren (Noble Lady).”

Consort Hui collapsed on the floor, her fingers clenching. Prince Chun!

Chen Junxiong was also stunned. His aunt had been demoted from a second-rank Consort to a fifth-rank Noble Lady just like that? Could she still plead for him?

As Consort Hui was dragged away, Han Ze looked at Chen Junxiong with a smile. “Even your aunt was punished by my Dad. You’re in trouble now.”

Chen Junxiong: “…” This is too much bullying! I just said two sentences about a green hat! Why treat me like this?

Han Ze pulled out a gold ingot and held it before him. “I’ll tell you a secret: if you have enough gold, I can plead with my Dad to give you fewer strokes.”

Chen Junxiong stared at him blankly. “Even with gold, I still get beaten?”

Han Ze glared. “Of course! Do you think I’d let you off so easily after you cursed me?”

Chen Junxiong looked at him with resentment. Then why does he want my gold?

Han Ze added, “Of course, if you give enough gold, I’ll have my Dad give you fewer strokes. It depends on how much gold you have.”

“I don’t have gold.” The gold is the family’s.

Han Ze curled his lip. “I know you don’t have gold. My gold is all given to me by my Dad, Mom, and Big Brother. If you don’t have gold, can’t you ask your parents or your brother? Truly stupid.”

Chen Junxiong: “…” He was actually being called stupid by a fool? Was he really stupid? No, of course not! But Prince Chun was right; he didn’t want to be beaten, and he didn’t have gold himself. He had to ask his parents and his elder brother for help.