The eunuch Yuan Qing entered with an odd expression, “Your Majesty, Noble Consort and Young Lord Feng Zhang of the Loyal Duke’s Manor are requesting an audience—”
Emperor Yan Huai raised his eyes to look at Yuan Qing. “Feng Zhang is here too? What’s the matter?” It was one thing for Feng Ling Su to come, but why would Feng Zhang, who held no official position, seek an audience?
Yuan Qing’s lips trembled, “Well… Noble Consort says that Young Lord Feng was beaten by Prince Ti…”
As Yuan Qing spoke with hesitation, his eyes showed helplessness, sympathy, and disbelief. Upon hearing this, Yan Huai’s brows shot up, “Feng Zhang was beaten? By Yan Ti?!”
Yan Huai thought he had misheard, but Yuan Qing nodded with a bitter smile, “Indeed.”
Yan Huai raised an eyebrow, “This Feng Zhang has always been the one causing trouble in the capital. How did he end up being beaten by Yan Ti today?”
Yuan Qing continued with his bitter smile, “Well, you’ll understand when you see them.”
“Very well,” Yan Huai put down his imperial brush, “Let Us take a break. Have them enter.”
Yuan Qing nodded and hurried outside to announce their entry. Soon, a group of people appeared at the hall entrance.
The first sight was of the badly beaten Feng Zhang, looking even more disheveled than at the palace gates. His hair was loosened, his face unwashed with blood, and his entire face was swollen purple. His lips and eyes were so swollen they were barely recognizable, with dried blood around his nostrils. Four eunuchs carried him in, his clothes covered in mud and blood stains. As soon as he entered, Feng Zhang began wailing.
“Your Majesty—please grant justice to Feng Zhang!”
“Your Majesty, Feng Zhang deserves death for offending Prince Ti.”
“Please, Your Majesty, before Feng Zhang dies, please grant him justice.”
Yan Huai had heard of Feng Zhang’s notorious reputation and well understood the Loyal Duke Manor’s standing. Previously, whenever Feng Zhang had attended court, he had always appeared proper and dignified. But this time, seeing Feng Zhang’s miserable state, Yan Huai felt both surprised and amused. To think that the mighty Young Lord of the Loyal Duke’s Manor would have such a day!
Suppressing his amusement, Yan Huai looked behind and sure enough, saw Feng Ling Su following with reddened eyes.
The four eunuchs carried Feng Zhang to the center of the hall. While groaning, he attempted to kneel but fell sideways due to his injuries. He simply crawled forward a couple of steps, with real blood and tears on his face.
“Your Majesty, this humble one greets Your Majesty. Please grant Feng Zhang justice!”
Meanwhile, Feng Ling Su stepped forward and knelt as well.
“Your Majesty, your concubine comes to seek justice for Zhang’er. Your Majesty, look at Zhang’er’s condition. Without saying more, you can see how outrageously the Crown Prince of the Rui Prince Manor has behaved!”
As Feng Ling Su spoke, tears streamed down her face. Being naturally youthful-looking, her crying made her appear even more delicate and pitiful. Yan Huai walked out from behind his desk and helped her up with tenderness, “Su’er, get up first. What happened?”
He then looked at Yuan Qing, “Quick, help Feng Zhang up too, and summon the Imperial Physician!”
Yuan Qing immediately ordered a young eunuch to fetch the Imperial Physician and helped Feng Zhang onto a nearby stool. Feng Zhang cried out in pain at every touch, causing Feng Ling Su to sob again, “Your Majesty, today Zhang’er merely came to pay his respects to your concubine. At the palace gates, he happened to meet Miss Nine from the Qin family. Zhang’er recognized Miss Nine and wanted to greet her, but after just exchanging a few words, Prince Ti arrived and accused Zhang’er of bullying Miss Nine…”
Feng Ling Su grabbed Yan Huai’s arm, “Your Majesty, Miss Nine is the one you appointed to treat the Empress Dowager. How could Zhang’er, even if thoughtless, dare to bully Miss Nine? The Crown Prince of the Rui Prince Manor has grown too wild in Shuo Xi and now acts lawlessly even in the capital. You may not control Shuo Xi, but this is the capital! How can he behave like this?!”
Feng Ling Su looked at Feng Zhang with deep distress, “Zhang’er grew up under your watch, and now, he’s nearly beaten to death. Your Majesty, you must grant justice for Zhang’er, for your concubine…”
Yan Huai frowned, “Did Yan Ti beat him without cause? That’s too outrageous!”
Feng Ling Su immediately nodded, “Exactly, Your Majesty! Your concubine has heard that Prince Ti had a bad reputation in the West, but now that he’s returned to the capital and you’ve given him such a good position, how can he still disregard the law? You appointed him to the Ministry of Justice! How can someone who commits such violence be fit for duties in the Ministry of Justice?”
Half-embracing Feng Ling Su, Yan Huai nodded repeatedly, “Su’er makes sense. Don’t cry anymore—it’s the cold of winter, and crying will make you ill. Look, your face is already red from the cold.”
Hearing this, Feng Ling Su stopped crying. The tears made her eyes sting and her face hurt from the cold. Being someone who took great care of her appearance, she couldn’t risk damaging her skin.
Feng Ling Su sniffled a few times and composed herself. Yan Huai then said, “Yan Ti was wrong, and I will certainly punish him. Right now, the most important thing is to have Feng Zhang’s injuries treated.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Zhang began groaning again. He had rushed straight to Chang Xin Palace, not bothering with a doctor, and had deliberately made his appearance even more miserable, hoping to convince Yan Huai of the severity of his injuries.
Hearing his cries of pain, Yan Huai stepped closer, “Feng Zhang? Are you still conscious?”
Feng Zhang weakly opened his bloodshot eyes, “Your Majesty, just now… just now this humble one thought Prince Ti would beat him to death, never to see Your Majesty again… Your Majesty, though this humble one may have been somewhat extravagant usually, that was only because of the face you and Noble Consort gave to the Loyal Duke’s Manor. But today, this humble one truly did not provoke Prince Ti. Prince Ti took issue with this humble one having a few extra guards and picked a fight to beat this humble one. Your Majesty, this humble one has been wronged—”
As Feng Zhang spoke, his crying grew louder. Yan Huai listened with a sympathetic expression, “I can see you’ve been wronged. Stop crying now—a man shouldn’t count crying as an accomplishment. Wait for the Imperial Physician to examine you. If there are truly serious injuries, I will severely punish Yan Ti—”
Hearing this, Feng Zhang finally stopped his exaggerated groaning and crying. Soon after, the Imperial Physician arrived at the hall.
Feng Ling Su clutched her chest with worry, “Your Majesty, Zhang’er is still so young. If he becomes disabled from this, or… or if his injuries prove fatal, what are we to do? Your Majesty, he is my brother’s only son, the only heir of the Feng family!”
Yan Huai gently patted Feng Ling Su’s back, “I know, I know. Su’er, don’t worry, I will certainly get justice for Feng Zhang.” Then, looking at Yuan Qing, he said, “This happened at the palace gates? Go, summon the guards who were on duty today. I want to see just how lawless this Yan Ti has become!”
Yuan Qing acknowledged and went to instruct a young eunuch to summon the guards.
Meanwhile, after examining Feng Zhang, the Imperial Physician respectfully reported to Yan Huai, “Your Majesty, the Young Lord’s injuries are all external. Apart from what appears to be a slight fracture of the first rib on the left side of his chest, everything else—his limbs and head—is fine. These injuries only need proper medicine and will heal in half a month. The rib injury is minor and will heal in a month.”
After the Imperial Physician finished, Feng Ling Su glared at him, “Are you certain you’ve checked thoroughly? You haven’t missed anything?!”
The Imperial Physician continued to bow respectfully, “Yes, Noble Consort, the Young Lord is truly fine.”
Feng Ling Su continued glaring at the Imperial Physician while Yan Huai seemed relieved, “See? There’s nothing serious to worry about.”
At this, Feng Ling Su cried again, “But Your Majesty, how can you say it’s nothing serious when Zhang’er is injured so severely and has lost so much blood? Look at him, how pitiful he is…”
When Feng Zhang heard he wasn’t seriously injured, though relieved inside, he had no intention of letting Yan Ti off easily.
“Imperial Physician, my head feels dizzy and uncomfortable…”
Hearing this, the Imperial Physician went over to examine Feng Zhang’s head again, checking even through his hair, but still shook his head, “Young Lord, don’t worry. The dizziness might be from blood loss, but there are no injuries to your head. The person who struck you didn’t want to cause real harm.”
Feng Zhang choked on his words—was this Imperial Physician speaking in favor of Yan Ti?!
“I… I’m in pain, my whole body hurts, and I think I can’t see…”
The Imperial Physician sighed, “Young Lord’s face is covered in blood that hasn’t been cleaned. Once it’s cleaned, you’ll be fine. I’ve already checked—your eye sockets are bruised, but your eyeballs are completely unharmed.”
As Feng Zhang gritted his teeth, about to speak again, Yan Huai interrupted, “That’s good then. Now go prepare a prescription immediately and get the medicine ready for the Young Lord. I’ll watch you treat him later.”
The Imperial Physician accepted the order and respectfully withdrew.
Feng Ling Su quickly cried, “Your Majesty, even so, Prince Ti was truly excessive. We’re fortunate—otherwise, Zhang’er could have been disabled or lost his life! How could I explain that to my brother?!” She began wiping tears again.
Yan Huai raised his hand to wipe Feng Ling Su’s tears, “I understand your meaning, but I must also clearly understand the circumstances of this matter. What if Yan Ti’s actions were even more malicious than what you two have described? Wouldn’t I be overlooking something?”
Hearing this, Feng Ling Su’s heart tightened. Yan Ti couldn’t possibly be worse than they had described. Once the palace guards arrived, it would be revealed that Feng Zhang had first offended Miss Nine from the Qin family. Then… Feng Ling Su’s heart clenched, “Um, Your Majesty…”
Yan Huai grasped Feng Ling Su’s hand, “Don’t panic, don’t rush. Now that we know Feng Zhang isn’t seriously injured, stay with me to clarify today’s events. We’ll summon Yan Ti later and punish him in your presence.”
Feng Ling Su had no choice but to let Yan Huai lead her to sit nearby. Shortly after they were seated, the palace guards who had been on duty arrived. After paying their respects, Yan Huai asked, “You know about what happened outside the palace gates earlier?”
The chief and deputy commanders of the guard unit who had been on duty both nodded, not daring to conceal anything.
Yan Huai continued, “Good, then tell us in front of Noble Consort how this dispute started, how it turned violent, and preferably recount everything that was said in detail.”
At these words, both commanders showed difficult expressions. Yan Huai’s phoenix eyes narrowed, “Do not conceal anything.”
Just these four words made both commanders break into a sweat. They exchanged glances, and the chief commander cleared his throat, “Your Majesty, today’s incident involved Miss Nine from the Qin family. At the time, Miss Nine had just finished treating the Empress Dowager and was walking toward the palace gates. Just as she exited, she encountered the Young Lord, who brought people… brought people…”
The commander’s tone was hesitant. Yan Huai watched him leisurely, “Speak freely. The Noble Consort and I are fair people. If you conceal anything, you know the consequences.”
The commander’s expression turned solemn, and he continued without further hesitation, “The Young Lord brought people to block Miss Nine’s group. We quickly noticed the commotion outside, and being nearby, heard the Young Lord say he wanted Miss Nine to examine him. Miss Nine replied that the Young Lord indeed had an illness, but it wasn’t one she could treat—she said his illness was in his skull.”
“The Young Lord took a moment to react, thinking Miss Nine was saying he was mentally ill, and became angry. Just then, Miss Nine’s maid did something, and the Young Lord… said… said he would have the maid arrested…”
“You-you’re lying—” Feng Zhang, slumped in his chair, heard this and knew it was bad. He hurriedly defended himself, “I only wanted to warn that maid. I had good intentions in praising Miss Nine’s medical skills, but she rebuffed me, and that maid joined in. I wouldn’t dare offend Miss Nine, but can’t I even warn a mere maid?”
After Feng Zhang finished, Yan Huai spoke coolly, “You need not defend yourself. I will judge for myself. Weren’t you seriously injured? If your injuries are so severe, better save your strength and not speak.”
Feng Zhang sensed the warning in Yan Huai’s tone and dared not say more.
Yan Huai looked at the commander, “Continue—”
Understanding Yan Huai’s meaning, the commander quickly recounted everything he had seen and heard. Having been harassed by Feng Zhang at the palace gates before, and seeing how Feng Zhang had indeed used his numbers to bully a weak woman, the commander repeated Feng Zhang’s vicious words without omission while omitting most of Yan Ti’s sharp responses.
“After hearing the Young Lord’s words, Prince Ti became even angrier. He said Your Majesty had always treated the Rui Prince Manor well and would never have such intentions, and that Young Lord Feng was simply slandering Your Majesty. Then the Young Lord tried to have his men seize the Prince, but the Young Lord said… said that the Shuo Xi army in the west was the Rui Prince Manor’s private army—”
Yan Huai listened with an expressionless face, “Then what?”
The commander straightened his posture, “Then Prince Ti asked three questions: what the punishment was for disrespecting superiors in the Shuo Xi army, what the punishment was for disrespecting the commander, and finally, what the punishment was for disrespecting Your Majesty. Prince Ti’s guards answered each question, then the Young Lord said he was only talking about Prince Ti and the Rui Prince. He said if Prince Ti touched him, he would have Your Majesty punish Prince Ti. By then Prince Ti was furious and ordered his men to act.”
“When the Young Lord was being beaten, the Feng Manor guards dared not intervene, and the Young Lord continued to curse angrily. This servant felt it was improper and tried to stop it. Prince Ti had intended to spare the Young Lord if he admitted his wrong, but the Young Lord cursed Prince Ti as… as a son of a bitch… so Prince Ti didn’t stop his men. Later, when the Young Lord was beaten severely, he finally yielded after falling to the ground.”
Listening to the commander’s account, though Feng Zhang couldn’t find any obvious bias toward Yan Ti, something felt wrong—he was portrayed not only as speaking outrageously but also as completely cowardly, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Yan Huai listened and asked, “Then what?”
“Then Prince Ti, seeing the Young Lord crying in pain, ordered us to bring him to the palace for the Imperial Physician. He said to ensure the Young Lord never commits such evil acts again, and that was all.”
After the commander finished his respectful report, Yan Huai remained silent for a moment, then nodded, “You may withdraw.”
The two men bowed and retreated, leaving the hall empty. Feng Ling Su grabbed Yan Huai’s arm, “Your Majesty, did you hear? That Crown Prince of the Rui Prince Manor truly showed no respect for Zhang’er, ordering his men to beat Zhang’er severely…”
Yan Huai glanced at Feng Zhang, “Why should he show respect to Feng Zhang?”
Feng Ling Su froze as Yan Huai’s expression darkened, “More than ten grown men surrounding a young girl—no wonder Yan Ti called him worthless. If not for Yan Ti, what would have happened to Miss Nine from the Qin family today?”
Speaking thus, Yan Huai pulled his arm from Feng Ling Su’s embrace, “Even Yan Ti knew Miss Nine was treating the Empress Dowager and couldn’t be offended, yet Feng Zhang didn’t know?!”
As Yan Huai’s mood changed, Feng Ling Su was stunned. She knew very clearly that while Yan Huai might show her tenderness and listen to her pillow talk during intimate moments, when he was truly angry, not even her tears could sway him.
Meanwhile, Feng Zhang was also stunned, “Your Majesty… Your Majesty… I just…”
“Just what?!” Yan Huai shouted coldly, “It’s bad enough that you commit evil acts in the capital, bringing shame to the Loyal Duke Manor and Noble Consort, but today you dared to set your sights on Miss Nine from the Qin family?! Did you think Miss Nine would be easy to bully because she’s a girl, or did you think the Empress Dowager’s condition was unimportant?!”
Feng Zhang’s throat tightened, and he quickly crawled down from his chair. Kneeling on the ground, no longer appearing as weak and helpless as before, he pleaded, “Please, Your Majesty, consider! Please understand, this humble one would never dare have such intentions, it’s just… just at that time…”
“Even worse, you dared to try to drive a wedge between me and the Rui Prince Manor?! Yan Ti was right—what merit has your Duke’s Manor and you, Feng Zhang, brought to Great Zhou? Yet you dare to criticize the Rui Prince and the Shuo Xi army, and you Feng Zhang even claim to know my thoughts? You can speak on my behalf now?!”
Hearing this, Feng Zhang’s face turned pale, and he immediately kowtowed, “This humble one wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare! This humble one just… just acted rashly without thinking clearly… The Shuo Xi army has been in the west for many years under the Rui Prince’s command, so inevitably… This humble one was confused. Please forgive this humble one, Your Majesty. This humble one will never dare again.”
Seeing this, Feng Ling Su quickly knelt with tears in her eyes, “Your Majesty…”
As soon as she spoke, Yan Huai raised his hand to stop her words, “In today’s matter, Feng Zhang was indeed wrong. Though Yan Ti had you beaten, he showed restraint, so this beating was not undeserved.”
Feng Ling Su looked at Yan Huai, wanting to speak but holding back. Yan Huai said, “Yan Ti was also wrong to resort to violence, but I will deal with that later. Noble Consort, take Feng Zhang away now—whether to treat his injuries or to cry about it, don’t disturb me again with such absurd matters.”
“Your Majesty…” Feng Ling Su whimpered, “Yes… your concubine understands. Your concubine takes her leave.”
Feng Ling Su stood up and looked at the Chang Xin Palace eunuchs waiting at the hall entrance, “Quickly help the Young Lord!”
Several eunuchs came forward to support Feng Zhang. Feng Ling Su bowed again before leaving with Feng Zhang.
Yan Huai stood and returned to his desk. After a while, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Looking at Yuan Qing, Yan Huai asked, “What do you think?”
Yuan Qing hesitated for a moment before saying, “Though the Young Lord was wrong, Prince Ti also acted improperly in this matter. The Young Lord’s fault was greater, but… but overall, both were at fault.”
Yan Huai smiled, “You’re good at compromising.”
Yuan Qing smiled, “Your Majesty already knows clearly what is right and wrong.”
Yan Huai lightly tapped his desk twice, “It’s a small matter. A Yan Ti who makes mistakes is more to my liking.”