Any major matters discussed during court sessions were hardly secrets within the inner court of the Royal Palace or among the many high-ranking officials and noble families in the Capital.
It was simply a matter of some hearing the news earlier, and others later.
The morning after visiting Nanying, during the break between two lessons, the Second Prince Qin Bing needed to use the restroom.
At eleven years old, he didn’t require a eunuch’s assistance, nor did he need his attendant to accompany him.
After making sure no one else was going along, Qin Bing slipped away by himself.
There were two little eunuchs in Chongwen Pavilion responsible for cleaning the restroom.
Just as Qin Bing was unbuckling his belt and preparing to step inside, he suddenly overheard someone in the inner chamber mention “Yuan Chongli,” his attendant.
What about Yuan Chongli?
Qin Bing quieted his footsteps and crept closer to the gauze curtain hanging at the entrance.
“Look at Second Prince treating Yuan Chongli like a brother, probably still unaware of the Marquis of Pingliang’s corruption in land affairs.”
“Yeah, but there’s no concrete evidence yet that the Marquis is guilty. Maybe it’s just…”
“Come on, among all the local commanders, why is it only the Marquis of Pingliang being impeached by the Censorate? As the saying goes, flies don’t bite eggs without cracks. The Marquis must have been corrupt. It’s only because he’s a founding meritorious official that the Emperor gave him a chance to make amends…”
“Ah! Second Prince!”
The little eunuch cleaning at the doorway peeked halfway out from behind the curtain, suddenly spotting the hidden Second Prince and nearly fainted from shock.
Qin Bing’s face darkened.
If the Marquis of Pingliang really was corrupt, and he still treated Yuan Chongli so well, wouldn’t that make him a fool?
“Who told you this?”
Qin Bing grit his teeth as he glared at the two little eunuchs kneeling on the floor.
“This… I heard it from other eunuchs in the eunuch quarters. It must have been news passed down from the previous reign.”
Qin Bing couldn’t hold back any longer. He went inside to relieve himself, all the while pondering the matter.
Even the eunuchs knew how the Emperor planned to deal with the Marquis, so the matter was definitely true.
Great—among the three brothers’ attendants, Prince Yong and the Duke of Wei were both dutiful servants to the Emperor, but only Yuan’s family dared to be corrupt.
No wonder he was ridiculed by palace staff!
Bucking up his belt, Qin Bing, fuming with anger, didn’t even wash his hands and stormed outside.
In the courtyard of the lecture hall, Qingyang and a few others were playing touhu, taking turns tossing arrows into a pot.
As Qin Bing ran over, Yuan Chongli had just landed an arrow perfectly, and the others cheered for him.
At only twelve, Yuan Chongli was a young boy who strutted proudly to the side.
Qin Bing saw him smirking and grew even angrier. Standing in the corridor, he pointed at Yuan Chongli and demanded, “Do you know your father is corrupt? Tell me!”
Yuan Chongli froze and instinctively glanced at the people around him.
Crown Prince Qin Hong lowered his gaze, avoiding his eyes; Heir Apparent Qin Liang tilted his head aside; Third Prince Qin Ren looked puzzled; Zhang Su was expressionless as usual; and the little princess…
Yuan Chongli ignored the three-year-old child. As Qin Bing advanced angrily, glaring daggers, Yuan Chongli, who knew right from wrong and the meaning of loyalty and shame, flushed red and instinctively defended his father: “My father is not corrupt. Your Highness, don’t listen to others’ nonsense.”
Qin Bing retorted, “Nonsense! This has already spread throughout the palace and outside. And yet, you still have the nerve to act innocent in front of me!”
He pushed Yuan Chongli roughly.
Qin Hong hurried to block him: “Don’t lay hands on him. The matter isn’t clear yet. Second Brother, don’t act rashly.”
Qin Bing glared at him too.
“So you know too? You all kept it from me? You expect me to treat the son of a corrupt official like a brother?”
Yuan Chongli snapped back, “My father is not a corrupt official!”
Emperor Xingwu had only been Emperor for three or four years, and Yuan Chongli had been the attendant for roughly the same time.
Before entering the palace, he was the second young master of his family, doted upon by his parents.
Inside the palace, the Second Prince treated him kindly—eating, drinking, playing, studying, and practicing martial arts as if he were a brother, though with a bit more respect.
Suddenly, the Second Prince turned around and scolded him, accusing his father, the Marquis, of corruption.
How could Yuan Chongli bear it?
Qin Bing snapped, “You still dare glare at me!”
Bypassing the unprepared Qin Hong, Qin Bing pushed Yuan Chongli again.
Yuan Chongli raised his hand to block, which enraged Qin Bing into turning the push into a slap.
Yuan Chongli fought back, and the two instantly tangled into a mess.
Qin Ren quickly pulled their sister away to safety, while Zhang Su stood guard in front of the siblings.
They were all small and weak, unable to break up the fight.
Qin Hong, as eldest brother, immediately called Qin Liang to help restrain them.
Qin Hong was trying to hold back his own brother, but Qin Bing was so strong that even Emperor Xingwu would struggle against him.
Having never fought before, Qin Hong was no match and was soon broken free by Qin Bing.
Qin Liang couldn’t fully restrain the thrashing Yuan Chongli either, but at least he held one of his arms, allowing Qin Bing to use both hands to strike while Yuan Chongli could only defend with one arm.
“Stop! Everyone stop right now!”
Several teachers from Chongwen Pavilion arrived, sternly shouting.
Only then did Qin Bing relent.
Yuan Chongli dropped to his knees, bent over, supporting himself on the ground, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth.
He was hurt, angry, humiliated, and couldn’t hold back his tears.
Qingyang was held protectively in her brother’s arms, her head pressed down to keep her from looking.
Only then did she have the chance to turn and see Yuan Chongli kneeling there, crying alone.
When she first learned of the Marquis of Pingliang’s corruption, Qingyang had been very upset and didn’t want to play with Yuan Chongli anymore.
But the Emperor had told her to pretend she didn’t know, and she always obeyed her father.
Now seeing Yuan Chongli beaten by her second brother like this, Qingyang felt a pang of sympathy.
Besides, the Marquis was far away, and Yuan Chongli lived almost year-round in the palace—how could he know what his father had done?
Qingyang pushed her brother away and cautiously approached Yuan Chongli, squatting beside him.
Yuan Chongli turned his head away, not wanting others to see his bruised and battered face.
Qingyang said gently, “Don’t cry. I’ll call the Imperial Physician to treat you.”
Yuan Chongli wiped his face with his sleeve and stiffly said, “No need.”
Qin Ren feared Yuan Chongli might take out his anger on his sister and pulled her away again.
The teachers questioned the boys about the incident, then sent Crown Prince Qin Hong, Third Prince Qin Ren, and the little princess back to their respective lecture halls.
They took the Second Prince and Yuan Chongli aside for a stern talking-to, and arranged for the matter to be reported to the Emperor.
Qingyang’s break was longer than her brothers’.
She stubbornly refused to return early to her lecture hall and trailed behind Tutor Du, wanting to see how he would handle the situation.
Tutor Du was at a loss with the little princess, but fortunately, she was well-behaved, sitting quietly and not interrupting.
Since the case involving the Marquis of Pingliang’s suspected corruption was still unresolved, Tutor Du did not dare say much.
He gave a serious lecture to Qin Bing and Yuan Chongli about the etiquette of fellow students, urging them to resolve disputes calmly, discuss with reason, and not resort to fighting.
The little princess paid close attention, tilting her head, while Qin Bing and Yuan Chongli, who were glaring at each other, didn’t seem to take it to heart.
Before long, a eunuch from Qianyuan Hall arrived, summoning Qin Bing and Yuan Chongli to pay their respects to the Emperor.
Qingyang followed them.
Seeing her waiting early at the lecture hall, Tutor Guo approached the door and asked, “Your Highness, aren’t you attending arithmetic class today?”
Qingyang understood the priorities clearly and replied without hesitation, “I’ll skip it today.”
She was already ahead in her studies and could catch up next time.
But the fight her second brother had gotten into was not something she wanted to miss.
***
At Qianyuan Hall, Emperor Xingwu was unsurprised that his daughter had followed along.
He left the Longyi and came around to inspect Yuan Chongli’s injuries.
Though the Emperor did not speak much, his gaze was full of concern, and his hands were gentle as they touched the young boy.
Yuan Chongli’s pent-up grievances welled up and transformed into tears like drops of rain.
The Imperial Physician arrived as well.
The Emperor ordered him to examine and dress Yuan Chongli’s wounds while holding his daughter and watching quietly, barely paying attention to Qin Bing, who was kneeling on the floor, his face showing some bruising.
After Yuan Chongli was treated, Emperor Xingwu dismissed the physician.
Qingyang looked at her second brother with concern and said, “Father, have the Imperial Physician treat Second Brother’s wounds too.”
The Imperial Physician paused.
Emperor Xingwu snorted, “No need to bother with him.”
The physician glanced furtively at the Second Prince and then bowed and left.
Once calm, Yuan Chongli took the initiative to kneel again beside Qin Bing, keeping about an arm’s length distance, and bowed his head.
“Your Majesty, I shouldn’t have struck Second Prince. I injured him; please punish me.”
He had been with the Second Prince for over three years.
Sometimes they forgot their ranks and joked like brothers, but before the Emperor, Yuan Chongli dared not overstep.
Emperor Xingwu said, “Why shouldn’t you defend yourself? I regard your father as a brother-in-arms, and treat you like my own nephew. I had you come into the palace to study alongside Second Prince for your benefit—to encourage each other, to learn skills and relieve me of worries in the future—not to be his servant.”
“A servant who disobeys his master breaks the law. An attendant’s role is to advise the prince. If he says something wrong, you must correct him. If he hits you without reason, you have the right to dodge or fight back. You must not tolerate his bad habits.”
Hearing the Emperor’s just words, Yuan Chongli felt relieved.
His eyes flicked to the Second Prince.
Qin Bing accepted his father’s explanation for the attendant’s role but bristled at being accused of striking without cause.
He raised his head and said, “His father is corrupt, so I…”
Emperor Xingwu’s gaze turned cold.
“Someone has accused the Marquis of Pingliang of corruption, but I have not yet investigated. Who dares to declare him guilty?”
Qin Bing said nothing.
“Even if he were innocent, why would the Censorate only impeach him among so many officials?”
Qin Bing persisted.
Emperor Xingwu replied, “Big trees attract wind; three people make a tiger. I value the Marquis greatly, so naturally, there are people jealous of him. Is it so strange for someone jealous to frame another? If I convicted my meritorious officials just based on accusations, what would happen if someone said I myself were a thief? Would I believe such empty words?”
Qin Bing was speechless, but the Emperor’s temper flared. He glared at his son and snapped, “You fool, don’t believe every rumor. It’s one thing to doubt others, but the Marquis of Pingliang is my right-hand man, and Yuan Chongli is your good brother of over three years. Brothers share hardships and fortunes together.”
“If someone bullies your brother, shouldn’t you stand up for him? Shouldn’t you ask him to clear up the misunderstanding? Instead, you lay hands on your own brother, taking sides unfairly. Who would want to be your brother?”
The young princes were fond of brotherhood and loyalty, and after their father’s scolding, Qin Bing finally realized his foolishness.
He looked at Yuan Chongli with embarrassment.
Seeing that Qin Bing had acknowledged his mistake and felt guilty, Yuan Chongli’s anger subsided.
Emperor Xingwu directly ordered his second son to apologize to Yuan Chongli.
Qin Bing awkwardly complied.
Yuan Chongli touched his mouth and said somewhat reproachfully, “Your Highness, this is your first time encountering such a thing. I don’t blame you. I just hope that next time you will trust me, or at least give me a chance to explain.”
Qin Bing shyly nodded.
Emperor Xingwu said, “Reconcile all you want, but hitting others is wrong. I’ll punish you with three days of confinement for reflection. In a couple of days, I’ll take your elder brothers to the Yellow River trip. You won’t be going.”
Qin Bing let out a miserable howl.
The Emperor waved dismissively, “Go now. Yuan Chongli, go home and recover. Return to the palace once your rest ends.”
He also granted medicine and compensation to Yuan Chongli.
After the two boys left, Emperor Xingwu sighed deeply.
Qingyang looked up at him and asked, “Father, do you really believe the Marquis of Pingliang is innocent?”
Emperor Xingwu kissed his daughter’s head and said softly, “I don’t believe it, but I want those around me to believe it—to let Yuan Chongli believe it, then through him, the Yuan family. I treat them well. If they dare defy me, the people will call them ungrateful. When I punish them, the people will praise me for doing right.”
The little princess pondered this, then asked, “So the words you said to Second Brother were just for Yuan Chongli’s sake?”
Emperor Xingwu replied, “I said those things for Yuan Chongli to hear, but they weren’t lies. Your Second Brother truly is foolish. Whether family or strangers, loyalty and affection come from mutual kindness.”
“How can you resort to beating and scolding without cause? I suspect the Marquis because I know he likes to take advantage and the Censorate has presented some evidence. Your Second Brother understands none of this…”
Qingyang muttered, “Second Brother understands nothing.”
Emperor Xingwu snorted.
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