CH 12

As soon as this remark came out, there was an uproar in the crowd, and everyone present turned their eyes to the weak third prince.

“Disgraceful thing!”

Emperor Mingde was originally so sick of this neither man nor woman prince. Were it not for Master Kong Yuan (it was Kong Dong in the raw) of the Emperor Kaiyuan Buddhist Temple who persistently persuaded him that year, how could he have kept his life.

His blood circulation rose up on the spot. He brushed off his sleeves angrily: “Guards! Drag this evil creature out. Give him a hundred strikes as punishment!”

Even a strong man couldn’t stand a hundred strikes of punishment, let alone the Third Prince who can’t even fill out his gown.

Sima Yu frowned deeply.

At this time, He Yunyi was applying needles to the fainted Beauty Ying inside the curtain. Hearing these words, he was anxious, but he heard the voice of Empress Niang Niang:

“Your Majesty calm down. This matter, when investigated and clarified, we will definitely give out a severe punishment. But, I have something that I can’t quite understand. The palace servants of Zhong Cui Palace have their own Wang Guifei to serve, so how could they listen to the order of the Third Prince?”

“I was accused wrongly!” Wang Chaoluan immediately cried out in grievance: “During this period of time, I saw the Third Prince living alone in the Western Palace, and pitied his miserable and insolent self. So, I took care of him a bit and had this kind of relationship. The Third Prince was free to enter and leave Zhong Cui Palace. Thus, the palace servants must have allowed him to do things as he please. Unexpectedly, things turned out like this!”

Her gaze was fierce-looking. She pointed at Empress Sima and cried: “Empress Niang Niang, this Third Prince is recorded under your name. Where have I offended you to make you plot against me like this!”

“You–“

Empress Sima’s complexion changed, how could she know that the other party would deny things like this. She immediately led the fire to herself.

Emperor Mingde’s mind began to hurt from all of these noises. He kneaded his brows, and unexpectedly became cool-headed at this moment. After pacing a few steps slowly, he said to the leader:

“Drag that evil creature forward for questioning!”

Li Yuanmin took a deep breath. He walked out from behind the Imperial Guard’s back. Sima Yu thought of a move, and wanted to explain a few words to Li Yuanmin. However, the other party, seemingly unaware of his hint, pursed his lips slightly and walked over to the front of the Imperial Court.

He lifted the hem of his clothes, and knelt in front of the Imperial Court.

Emperor Mingde took a few glances at his fragile appearance, and his heart became disgusted. His face sank: “Tell me what you have done these days in full detail. If there is any concealment, Zhen will not be able to spare you!”

Regarding this biological father, Li Yuanmin in his previous life, besides being afraid, actually had hidden a bit of hope, deep in his heart. He thought, how could he be born in this world if he had no parents. Yet, he had clearly been in the situation of not having a father or a mother all his life. What was showing deep affection towards one’s children? What was parents’ love? He completely didn’t know any of that.

After being separated for so many years, his so-called “Imperial Father” above still treated him the same way as before. He treated him like a swine dog. There was nothing else besides a sense of melancholy. He was too erratic in this world, like a rootless duckweed and water (drifting with the flow-helpless). The heaven and earth was so big, but he didn’t know where he could return to.

Seeing him in a daze, Emperor Mingde shouted angrily: “Hurry up and speak!”

Li Yuanmin trembled all over, hesitatingly glanced at Emperor Mingde.

The only light in his eyes went out. He knelt down, as if he was frightened, and stammered: “It’s Second Brother… Yuan Min just passed on the words of Second Brother to the inner servant, and asked him to bring the beast over at Chenshi (7-9am)……”

“You speak nonsense!”

Li Yuanlang limped and rushed out. Just when he jumped off the high platform in a panic, he carelessly sprained his ankle. But no matter how painful his foot hurt, how could it be comparable to the panic and rage he felt. He pointed to Li Yuanmin and cursed:

“What a good Li Yuanmin, you’re spitting out venomous slanders!”

Li Yuanmin raised his head suddenly and looked at him bewilderedly.

His lips trembled, his eyes panicked, and finally he spoke with difficulty,

“Reporting back to Imperial Father, this matter Yuanmin did it alone. It doesn’t have anything to do with Second Brother.”

Everyone present knows his situation in the Palace. If he rigidly bites on, others will naturally have some doubts. But, when he took complete responsibility like this, how can others believe that Li Yuanlang was innocent?

A chill of fear hit his heart. Li Yuanlang looked flustered. Sure enough, Wang Chaoluan’s pair of apricot eyes were staring at him with coldness, a frosty look in her eyes.

One personal imperial guard stepped forward, with a bronze lock in his hands,

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this was the lock found on the iron cage where the tiger was imprisoned. This humble soldier had checked. Although the appearance of the lock is intact, the lock core had something done and would fall off with the lightest touch. Therefore, this fearful beast could have escaped so easily.”

Emperor Mingde’s complexion turned dark, “Good, good. Unexpectedly, you dared to scheme above Zhen’s head now!”

The personal imperial guard hesitated: “This humble soldier had sent people to the beast house in Zhong Cui Palace….”

Emperor Mingde glanced at the disheveled Wang Guifei, her face was frenetic. She knew that the key solution was not small. Her heart sank in anger:

“Speak! How many fierce beasts were raised there?!”

“Three tigers, two bears, five leopards…”

The Palace had many fierce beasts. Hearing the report from the Imperial Guard, not only the Imperial Concubines and all the officials, but even Emperor Mingde also could not help being frightened. Cold sweat suddenly broke behind his back.

“Besides that…” The guard peeped at Emperor Mingde’s face and said, “There was a

Emperor Mingde almost doubted his ears: “Person?”

“It’s a slave from Yeyou Court.”

The Imperial Concubine palace actually hid a slave from Yeyou Court? The officials looked at each other and did not dare say a word. Emperor Mingde’s eyes turned dark. He staggered back a few steps and glared angrily at Wang Guifei for a long time.  He gritted his teeth and said:

“Bring the person here.”

How could Wang Chaoluan have known that her own beast house had hidden away a slave. She turned around and glanced at Li Yuanxu below the high platform in bewilderment. The other party’s eyes were full of horror. Her heart was in despair, and she tumbled to sit on the ground. She hated all the years she spent indulging her child too much.

Very quickly, the personal imperial guards moved the closed cage that Ni Lie was in to the front of the Imperial Court, along with Yeyou Court, Zhongling.

Ni Lie’s eyes were dark, and he clung to the fence, watching the surroundings vigilantly. Just now, a bunch of officers and soldiers surrounded the beast house and pulled him and the cage here. Although he didn’t know what was going on, he understood that it was not a good thing.

He was familiar with this high platform, and had fought and killed countless beasts here. He thought that there would be another bloody battle. However, it was clearly not the case today.

His eyes couldn’t help but fall on a kneeling back in front of him. Frowning, he felt awfully familiar with this back.

Emperor Mingde looked at Ni Lie for a while. He knew that the one imprisoned from Yeyou Court must be relatives of criminals, but Ni Lie’s hair was disheveled and his face was dark, so he couldn’t see what he looked like.

“Who is in the cage?”

As early as when the Fourth Prince asked him for this bastard slave, this Zhongling knew that something would happen sooner or later. But he did not know that the consequences would be grave like this. He sweated like a waterfall, and said in a trembling voice: “This is the son of the traitor Ni Yan, Ni Lie. “

There was a burst of commotion on the spot.

The rebel general Ni Yan was born from a poor clan. He had once relied on his outstanding military service to take up the position of Commander in Chief of Jiangbei camp. After the first ten years, the Jiangbei army fought hard for three years, then finally regained Mobei and expanded Bei An’s territory to the Western Regions. He had established great meritorious deeds and services. However, five years ago, this man had collaborated with the enemy and betrayed his country, causing Bei An to lose the sixteen prefectures of Nantai in just a few days. The news came through, and Emperor Mingde was furious and decided to behead him on the spot. Those who have reached the age of sixteen in his residence were all killed, those who were under the age were taken to Yeyou Court as palace slaves. The female relatives were taken into the Jiaofang Division.

Zhongling of Yeyou Court knew that the matter was out of control, and could only reveal the matter in detail– how the Fourth Prince demanded for Ni Lie, and how he was substituted as a beast to fight with other beasts.

Many generals present here used to work together with Ni Yan. The majority of the people still had doubts in their heart when referring to the incident during that time. But, at this momentm when they saw Ni Yan’s only son who was so small, yet already suffered this kind of inhuman torment, they couldn’t help but feel indignant at injustice.

An old general couldn’t contain his anger anymore and stepped forward. He dragged Ni Lie across the fence, and tore away his dark clothes that were too dark to see the color, leaving a messy body exposed in front of everyone.

There were new wounds on top of the old ones, and some were still inflamed. There were thick blood scabs covering all over his skin. They couldn’t find an inch of a good spot on his body.

Ni Lie’s eyes were blood-red. He was ready to make a move to choke that old man’s throat. But in the corner of his eyes, he saw the person kneeling in front of him cast his eyes on Ni Lie and shaking his head almost invisibly.

Ni Lie let go of his hand and was shocked on the spot.

He was about to take a closer look, but that person had shifted his eyes. He acted as if he didn’t know him at all.

Ni Lie’s chest moved up and down violently. He suddenly remembered the last meeting with that person. That person said to him: whatever the case, he had to pretend to not know him eagerly.

She? Or him?

Why would that person be wearing the prince’s clothes, and why would he kneel on the ground? Ni Lie clutched the iron tightly.

The person who opened Ni Lie’s clothes just now was the old general of Beijiang Army, Li Mao. He had always admired Ni Yan. During that year, it was also because of Ni Yan that he was demoted from a second-rank general to a fourth-rank general. Seeing his old friend’s son being deliberately worn down like this, how could he hold his anger. With tears in his eyes, he immediately folded his palms and knelt down: “Your Majesty, although Ni Yan committed an unforgivable crime back then, he had already been executed and his family was destroyed. He already received severe punishment, but he had also possessed great merits. For the sake of Mobei territory, how can this child be treated harshly like this?”

Emperor Mingde’s complexion was green and red. How could he know that behind one pile of issues would be another pile? It was like pulling out the radish and bringing out the mud. Today, he was afraid that he would not be able to rest easily. He regretted not listening to Wang Guifei’s suggestion to verify it privately. Now he was facing the situation where he was put on the stage

Things were getting more and more difficult. Ni Yan communicated with the enemy and deserved to be punished. But his Mobei merits cannot be overlooked. Bei’an was known as a country with a benevolent government. A meritorious crime would be handled most delicately. The turmoil of that year still remained a thorn in the hearts of many military commanders. Now, this son of Ni Yan was treated so harshly by the royal children. If he didn’t appease them properly and someone with a heart made a fuss about this matter, it would obviously chill the hearts of the people in the whole country.

Even relying on Emperor Mingde’s favor, Li Yuanxu also knew that today’s incident could not be lightly passed over. He stumbled and knelt under Emperor Mingde’s feet and cried: “This child just wanted to have a good time for a while and nothing more. It’s all because this child wanted to have some fun, Imperial Father, this child will not do it again!”

Emperor Mingde hated that iron cannot become steel (feel resentful towards for something failing to meet expectations and to see improvement). He kicked him away: “Stupid thing! Today’s disasters were all caused by you. If I don’t make you learn your lesson, I am afraid you will create a great disaster in the future! Guard! Drag this evil creature away and give him 20 strikes!”

Ciacia/N: Honestly, I swear I’ve never seen any Emperor who only cared about his ministers’ faces like this dog sh*t Emperor. Not to mention incompetent, he’s even worse than a dog!