As soon as Empress Dowager Zhao made a fuss, the confinement order of Concubine Qin’s mother and son was lifted within five days.

  The Fourth Prince, who was a little bit sluggish, followed Concubine Qin to Shouning Palace to thank her.

  Concubine Qin curtsied her knees and gave a salute, her face full of gratitude: “Thank you, Empress Dowager, for pleading for me and Ah Xian. Otherwise, we mother and son don’t know how long we will be grounded.” The Fourth Prince directly knelt down and kowtowed three times: “Thank you, Royal Grandmother.”

  The Empress Dowager Zhao, who was still “sick”, saw Concubine Qin’s mother and son, immediately regained her spirits, and ordered the palace servants to help her out of bed.

  She looked at Concubine Qin’s mother and son carefully and then reprimanded: “Look at you mother and son, you have lost a lot of weight in just a few days. Is it true that those blind people in the imperial dining room have deducted your food?” 

Unreasonable and eccentric, Empress Dowager was really unpleasant to Empress Qiao and Concubine Meng. But for Concubine Qin’s mother and son, the eccentric Empress Dowager Zhao was a big tree that protected their mother and son.

  Concubine Qin took two steps forward, held Queen Mother Zhao’s hand, and said in a low voice, “Auntie has misunderstood. The food delivered by the imperial dining room is hot, rich, and delicious every day. But, when I think of my cousin’s furious appearance, I can’t help it. I feel ashamed.”

  ”All these years, relying on the sympathy of my aunt and cousin, our mother and son have such a good life. All my thoughts are on respecting my aunt and never bothering my cousin.” 

“I never thought that my cousin would misunderstand me and blame my aunt. If because of me, the mother and son of the Royal family are at odds, I will be ashamed to see my aunt.”

  Concubine Qin said all these while crying.

  The Fourth Prince was also red-eyed: “Royal Grandmother, the grandson has thought a lot in the closed palace these few days. Royal Grandmother loves me and wants to give me a face. This is her kindness. I am very happy. But this matter is indeed a matter of etiquette. Royal Father should be angry, and I should be punished.” 

“Thousands of mistakes are all my fault.”

  ”Royal Grandmother, please don’t be angry because of this. If there is something wrong, there will be an estrangement with the Emperor. Then this grandson will really have no face to see the Royal grandmother.”

  The Empress Dowager Zhao felt distressed when she heard that and reached out her hand to touch the Fourth Prince’s head: “My good boy, this matter is my idea, what has it to do with you? Even if the betrothal gift is given away, no one can move it back to the palace. Anyway, I did what I did, and no one can do anything to your Royal Grandmother.” 

“Okay, both of you mother and son wipe away your tears. Do what you have to do. With Ai’s family here, no one will try to bully you.”

…

  Concubine Qin stayed with Empress Dowager Zhao.

  The Fourth Prince wiped away his tears and went to Wenhua Hall to plead guilty.

  Emperor Yongjia was discussing political affairs with Elder Qiao and other civil servants. The Fourth Prince knelt outside the Wenhua Hall. This kneeling lasted for more than an hour.

  Although the Fourth Prince was a concubine-born son, he was brought up in rich clothes and pampered since he was a child, and he never suffered at all. Kneeling under the bright sun at this time, his knees were painful and numb and he was dizzy from the sun.

  However, he didn’t dare to move, just kneeling obediently.

  ”Fourth brother,” a slightly surprised voice sounded, and immediately, a familiar face appeared in front of him: “Why are you kneeling here?” 

The Fourth Prince raised his head: “Brother.” 

The one who appeared in front of the Fourth Prince was precisely the Eldest Prince.

  The Eldest Prince reached out to help the Fourth Prince: “How long have you been kneeling here?” 

The Fourth Prince replied in a low voice: “I don’t know either. It should not have been two hours. I came today to plead guilty to the father, but the father has not yet calmed down, so I’ll just kneel here.”

  The Eldest Prince frowned slightly: “How can you always kneel like this? You get up, and I will take you into the Wenhua Palace.” 

The Fourth Prince refused to move: “Brother, I want to go in! But not unless Royal Father summons me. Until then I will just kneel down.”

  

Pleading guilty must have the appearance of pleading guilty.

  

The Eldest Prince had no choice but to withdraw his hand thought for a while, and said: “Then I will go in first and intercede for you.” 

The Fourth Prince thanked gratefully: “Thank you, big brother.”

  ”My brother, what are you talking about?” The Eldest Prince was competitive and ambitious. However, he can be regarded as being affectionate when taking care of several brothers.

 

 The Eldest Prince entered the Wenhua Palace, saw Emperor Yongjia, and opened his mouth to plead for the Fourth Prince: “Royal Father, the fourth brother knelt outside the hall for a long time, and if he continues to kneel down, I’m afraid he is going to pass out. The Royal Father please see the fourth brother!”

  Emperor Yongjia glanced at the Eldest Prince: “If he wants to kneel, let him kneel. If you feel distressed, go out and kneel with him.” 

The Eldest Prince: “…”

  The confident Eldest Price touched his nose and was ashen, and he didn’t dare to make a sound.

  After another half an hour, Emperor Yongjia ordered his servants to summon the Fourth Prince into the palace.

  The Fourth Prince’s fair and delicate face was flushed red by the sun, and beads of sweat covered his forehead. His knees have been numb for a long time, and he was very stiff when he walked.

  Entering the hall, the Fourth Prince knelt down again with a plop, and kowtowed three times in a row: “Royal Father, I know I was wrong.”

  Emperor Yongjia looked at the Fourth Prince coldly: “Where is the mistake?”

  The Fourth Prince lowered his head and admitted his mistake: “Erchen’s fault is that he caused his Royal Father and Royal Grandmother to be estranged; the fault is that he is too greedy, the fault is that he wants to show off, and he doesn’t care about the face of the second brother and the third brother.” 

Emperor Yongjia sneered: “You can figure it out. “

  ”I am very aware of your Royal Grandmother’s temper. She is partial to you, but without your concubine mother stirring up the flames, without you pretending to be well-behaved and pitiful, she would not be able to think of an idea to add a betrothal gift.”

  ”She fell into the calculations of you mother and son, without knowing it, and blindly protecting you. She even got sick for a while, and was angry with me.” 

“I have to give in, and I only punish you, mother and son, for five days. But today I tell you, I have made a note of this in my heart. If something like this happens in the future, I will never forgive you lightly!” 

“If you mother and son dare to plot against the Empress Dowager’s private house, I will not spare you!”

  The last sentence was said in a cold voice.

  The Fourth Prince shuddered all over and did not dare to raise his head: “Father, please calm down, Érzi will never dare again.”

  ”Don’t dare to be the best. If it’s yours, you can take it. If it’s not yours, if you dare to stretch out your hand, I’ll chop off your hand!” Emperor Yongjia held his breath for a few days, and at this moment, he can count it all out.

  The Fourth Prince was scolded so badly that he bowed his head and admitted his mistake: “Érzi knows his mistake. From now on, Érzi must be cautious in his words and deeds, and will never talk nonsense in front of the Royal grandmother.” 

“Furthermore, you should go to your second and third brothers and apologize to them yourself. Don’t let this matter cause discord and estrangement among brothers. Avoid harboring resentment in your hearts because of it.”

  Emperor Yongjia’s anger still persisted: “What are you doing here in a daze? Hurry up!”

  The Fourth Prince wiped his tears with his sleeves, excused himself, and walked out stiffly.

  The Eldest Prince witnessed this scene with his own eyes, and he couldn’t tell what it was like.

  Emperor Yongjia always loved him the most, and he almost never lost his temper with him. It was the first time he saw Emperor Yongjia scolding his son angrily.

  At this moment, the Eldest Prince suddenly realized clearly. The dear father who loved him was the Emperor of Wei who even when drunk and lying on the knees of his beloved, held the power of the world. A single word could give life, and a single word could bring death.