Really.
If he hadn’t been suppressing it.
A mouthful of blood would have really sprayed into the ancestral hall.
He just wanted to know how vomiting blood from poisoning can be contagious?!
Taking a deep breath, Xie Jingchen stepped into the ancestral hall and knelt properly on the prayer mat.
Posture correct, impeccable.
Su Jin stood behind him for a while, saying, "Are you really, really, really planning to kneel for three hours?"
Xie Jingchen didn’t answer her.
Behind him, a nanny sternly scolded, "Kneel properly! Once in the ancestral hall, I don’t care whether you are the Eldest Young Master or the Eldest Young Madam!"
Su Jin turned around to see Xingxing standing outside the room, looking at her.
Her gaze a bit worried.
The girl had never been punished from childhood; the worst punishnt was Madam scolding her for being immature. The girl would lie on the bed crying for half the day. If she had to kneel for three hours, she feared the girl might crash into a wall.
She wanted to tell Marquis and Madam, but the girl wouldn’t allow it. What should she do?
Just as she was fretting, she heard Su Jin say, "Xingxing, accompany Nanny to chat about life."
Xingxing exclaid in confusion, "Can we talk about sothing else? I’ve seen ginseng, but never eaten it. I don’t know what it tastes like. Nanny probably hasn’t eaten it either, has she?"
Su Jin, "... ."
Xie Jingchen, "... ."
Su Jin held her forehead.
How could there be a lack of tacit understanding at the crucial mont?
"You can talk to the nanny about stead buns," Su Jin said with a black line.
The nanny, her face darkening, said, "I’m very busy and don’t have ti to chat idly with maids. Young Madam, kneel properly."
Severe beyond comparison.
Su Jin knelt properly.
The nanny turned and left.
As soon as she left, Su Jin sat down, but then the nanny unexpectedly returned, catching Su Jin red-handed.
The nanny said in a deep voice, "Young Madam kneeling like this, even for a whole day, wouldn’t make up for the three-hour punishnt."
Speaking so harshly to her girl.
This nanny was really hateful.
Xingxing was a bit unhappy.
Marquis and Madam had never spoken so harshly to the girl!
Watching so closely, the girl couldn’t even slack off a bit.
The nanny watched for a while, then turned to her tasks.
Su Jin breathed a sigh of relief. She had never knelt before, and already her whole body ached shortly after.
While massaging her knees, she saw Xie Jingchen kneeling straight and admired, "Kneeling so upright and not changing his expression after so long, were you trained by being punished to kneel since childhood?"
Xie Jingchen, "... ."
He looked up at the incense burner.
The incense inside had only burned half a little finger’s length.
Couldn’t even endure for such a short while, and she deliberately provoked him with words—
"Are you really planning to make vomit blood with rage?" Xie Jingchen said.
Su Jin stared outside the door, "What are you talking about, isn’t this just an opportunity to deepen our understanding of each other amidst shared challenges?"
Changing the topic, she asked, "How many tis have you been punished to kneel from childhood until now?"
"This is the first ti!"
Su Jin appeared slightly surprised.
Xie Jingchen’s face was full of displeasure.
Su Jin blinked and said with a suppressed laugh, "Did I accidentally monopolize another of your firsts again?"
Xie Jingchen, "...!!!"
Outside, the nanny was sweeping leaves.
Xingxing went to help, grabbing the broom, but the nanny wouldn’t let her and told her to let go.
This little maid was very obedient.
Once she let go.
The nanny staggered back, knocked into a flower pot on the ground, and fell backward.
Imdiately, cries spread out.
"My old waist!"
Inside, hearing that miserable cry, Su Jin found it hilarious. Her maid could hardly be inconsiderate.
But soon, she couldn’t laugh.
The injured-waisted nanny did not go see the doctor, nor did she lie down in her room. She took a small stool to sit inside, diligently and infuriatingly fulfilling her duties.
Su Jin, "... ."
Xie Jingchen, "... ."
Su Jin turned back.
Xingxing, holding a broom, stood outside the room, her small face full of apologies—
Miss, I’m sorry to you.
The nanny, full of anger, unable to move due to her waist pain, shouted, "Hurry and sweep the leaves!"
Xingxing walked away, looking back three steps.
Su Jin couldn’t kneel for much longer; if she moved, the nanny would cough.
After kneeling for a while, Su Jin was about to explode, and at this mont, footsteps ca from outside the room.
The nanny supported herself against the wall to stand up, smiling, "Why has Manager Li co?"
Manager Li stood outside and said, "Eldest Young Master, Eldest Young Madam, the Emperor has summoned you to the palace."
Su Jin wanted to stand up but was held down by Xie Jingchen, unable to rise.
"Return the ssage to the eunuch and say that my wife and I are being punished for breaking family rules and will enter the palace after the punishnt," Xie Jingchen said indifferently.
Su Jin raised an eyebrow.
Xie Jingchen’s reaction—
The Duke Zhen Country Mansion wouldn’t plan to let them enter the palace, see the Emperor, and then return to continue kneeling, right?
"Eldest Young Master, you and the Eldest Young Madam had better enter the palace first; it’s unreasonable to keep the Emperor waiting..."
"Just relay the ssage as is."
Manager Li turned back and sent a servant to report to the Old Madam.
Soon, the servant returned.
The Old Madam forgave them from punishnt.
The Emperor summoned them, and the younger generation were taking advantage of it like it was an imperial order; we, as elders, couldn’t be unreasonable.
They were curious as to why the Emperor would summon the two of them to the palace, and so coincidentally, just as they were punished with kneeling.
The eunuch ssenger had been waiting in the front courtyard for half a day and, when no one showed, went straight into the inner courtyard.
Princess Nanzhang asked with a smile, "Eunuch, please be patient. They are already on their way. Do you know why the Emperor has summoned them to the palace?"
This was exactly what Su Jin and Xie Jingchen wanted to ask.
The eunuch laughed, "The Emperor asked the Eldest Young Master to enter the palace to save his father-in-law, the Marquis Dongxiang."
Su Jin: "...."
Xie Jingchen: "...."
Poor Xingxing was hoping to have the Marquis Dongxiang co to save her, but little did she know he too was waiting to be saved.
Princess Nanzhang turned green in the face.
Their punishnt was lifted, yet it was to let them into the palace to save the Marquis Dongxiang?!
To save that bandit leader!
Princess Nanzhang felt a breath stuck in her chest, almost suffocating her.
Su Jin was a bit uneasy.
"Whom did my father offend that even the Emperor can’t save him?"
"Marquis Dongxiang offended the Emperor and was punished by Him," the eunuch replied.
"...."
Are you kidding !
The Emperor punished her father and then asked them to enter the palace to save him; this kind of punishnt is quite capricious. Couldn’t He just release her father directly?
Su Jin looked at Xie Jingchen.
Did you bribe the Emperor to help?
Xie Jingchen glanced back at her.
He didn’t feel good about this.
It felt like a catastrophe was looming.
He tried to stay calm.
"What mistake did the Marquis Dongxiang make?" Xie Jingchen asked.
"Marquis Dongxiang fainted an Imperial Censor during the morning court," the eunuch replied.
"...."
Not wanting to keep the Emperor waiting, the eunuch urged Su Jin and Xie Jingchen to enter the palace.
After leaving Qihao Hall, Xingxing boasted, "The Marquis sure is impressive. Even though he’s been punished, he can still help the young lady and young master out of trouble."
Su Jin: "...."
Xie Jingchen: "...."
Before they left the Duke Zhen Country Mansion, Su Jin and Xie Jingchen questioned the eunuch about what mistake the Marquis Dongxiang had made.
The Imperial Censors have the duty to inspect all officials.
The Dongxiang Marquis Mansion is a key target for inspection.
Yesterday, a delivery from Feihu Village at Qingyun Mountain arrived in the Capital, and two boxes of gold fell at the city gate, almost causing a panic.
The Imperial Censorate learned of this and reported to the Emperor, urging Him to severely punish the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion for flaunting wealth. Ideally, they should confiscate all the money the Marquis seized and turn it over to the National Treasury, to prevent common folks from seeing this as a profitable venture and turning to banditry.
After the Emperor learned about this, He asked the Marquis Dongxiang, "Was the incident at the city gate an accident or a deliberate show of wealth?"
"Deliberate," the Marquis Dongxiang replied honestly.
Because saying it was an accident wouldn’t convince anyone.
The Emperor was furious; couldn’t he just say it was an accident and gloss over the issue?!
If others didn’t believe it, as the Emperor, He could still choose to believe it, couldn’t He?!
"What else do you have to say?" the Emperor asked angrily.
The Marquis Dongxiang looked at the Imperial Censor—
"Why are all the Imperial Censors so thin? Can’t we appoint so who are fatter? With a broad mind and fuller figure, they wouldn’t cling to trivial issues so tightly," he said.
As soon as he finished speaking, a stout Imperial Censor stood up.
He was instantly embarrassed.
In the court, officials are only allowed to step forward to speak or remain at their positions.
Unfazed by the situation, the Marquis Dongxiang swaggered over to the stout Imperial Censor’s side, pinched his shoulder, and thumped his chest, looking satisfied.
"You’ve got a sturdy build. After the court session, don’t leave. Wait for at the palace gate; we’ll have a chat."
In the Political Discussion Hall, in front of the Emperor, the Marquis Dongxiang openly threatened the Imperial Censor.
The Emperor was infuriated.
The Imperial Censor might have fainted out of fear of being beaten by the Marquis Dongxiang or perhaps because of that thump; he couldn’t bear it and fainted anyway.
Then all civil and military officials jointly impeached the Marquis Dongxiang.
The Marquis Dongxiang countered the entire court, "When I’m broke and try to inflate my status, you say I’m pretending. When I have money, you say I’m flaunting wealth. What exactly do you want from ?"
"If I don’t get a satisfactory answer today, none of you should think about leaving!"
He was overwheld with a bandit-like aura.
Hmm.
In the end, everyone left.
Only he was kept by the Emperor to reflect in the side hall.
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