Chapter 259: [Emperor's Story 11] Flogged

"Right or wrong?" The Third Prince, who had always been on good terms with the Fourth Prince, slowly passed by, "Everyone here all saw that it was your eunuch who had splashed liquid onto Lady Yun's item, soaking her manuscript. Could you possibly think that everyone's blind?" However, he conveniently left out who had knocked Chu Jiao down, leading to her splashing the liquid out.

"Yeah! Blind fool!" The main culprit, who was the Fifth Princess Jing Ya, didn't feel that she was the least bit wrong at all in this situation. Instead, she put on an appearance as though she was outraged on a friend's behalf, wiping Yun Wan with a handkerchief while angrily commanding, "Servants, drag him off and give him 50 floggings!"

"Let's see who dares do that!?"

Jing Chen dangerously narrowed his eyes, the covered red eye beneath the mask narrowed and his black pupils surged with anger as he glared at Jing Ya, making her instinctively take two steps back.

"What's wrong, Sixth Brother? Are you going to bother Fifth Sister just because of a little eunuch?" The Third Prince put on the arrogant air of an older brother.

Chu Jiao had already gotten used to the palace's customs of treating the deer as a horse. She knew that her identity in this world didn't allow her any leniency to act presumptuously. Moreover, it also wasn't time for the male lead, whose wings had yet to mature, to act as he wanted as well. So as such, she lifted her head and made an obscure shake while her eyes gave a meaningful look to put a stop to Jing Chen's urge to correct his brother.

"Nevermind," Seeing that the spectacle before her had become full of hostility, Yun Wan immediately spoke up to smooth things over, "He didn't do it deliberately. Since the manuscript has been ruined, I'll just rewrite it again."

Even though these forgiving words came out of her mouth, the thought of spending a lot more time rewriting this made Yun Wan feel vexed.

"Ah Wan, you are too kind!" The Fourth Prince wanted to put on a good front before the person he liked, so he tilted his head to cast a disdainful look at Chu Jiao as though she was but just an insignificant ant, "What about this, since Lady Yun had pleaded for leniency on your behalf, we'll disregard the 50 flogs..."

Before Chu Jiao could even take a breath of relief, she then heard him turn the conversation around and say, "Let's do it this way, just sentence him with only 20 flogs, so that discipline will be embedded deep into his bones!"

'Only!?' Chu Jiao mourned for the loss of her soon-to-be-sore bum on the inside, but she also knew that this was the best possible turnout in this situation.

Before her master could even speak to her defense, she kowtowed lowly in front of the Fourth Prince and Yun Wan, thanking them for their kind favor, "Many thanks Lady Yun! Many thanks Fourth Prince!"

Upon lifting her head, while being dragged away by two eunuchs to be taken to receive her sentence, she once again surreptitiously said to Jing Chen, "I'll be fine."

Towards the princes who were high up the imperial rankings, this was but a negligible matter. Jing Ya and Yun Wan were then properly escorted by the princes to the side chamber to have their meals. Yun Wan originally wanted to consult Imperial Preceptor Jiang but was persuaded by the others that she could do it in the afternoon, and so, she relented.

In the next second, only two people were left in the study.

Jing Chen slowly lowered his head without saying a word while the Imperial Preceptor had just finished tidying up his educational materials on his desk.

Separated by only a wall, one could hear the vague sounds of a wooden staff hitting a body as well as suppressed cries of pain.

"How does it feel to have the person you care for be bullied in front of you?"

Imperial Preceptor Jiang hadn't said anything earlier, merely watching the whole development unfold like a common bystander. His observation skills were sharp, having already noticed the treatment Jing Chen used towards his eunuch.

At this moment, while looking at the youth's clenched fists at his side, he poured oil on the fire without any qualms.

"He's just a small eunuch," Jing Chen then loosened his fist, quickly hiding his palms in his sleeves to cover the blood that had started to seep out of his palms, "How could this prince have someone to care for?"

"Haha, youngsters," Imperial Preceptor Jiang didn't dissect Jing Chen's lies, instead, he continued talking to himself, "If one wants to protect the person they care about, then they must possess a power that prevents others from daring to provoke them."

Jing Chen quietly listened to this, his eyes shifting slightly.

How could he not know about this logic? Hadn't he been struggling his best all these years, working so hard to study, to ingratiate himself, all for the sake of climbing to an even higher standing so that no one would dare touch the person he was trying so desperately to protect?

However, in the end, he was still being taken advantage of, just like a fish on the chopping block.

His most important person was dragged away for punishment before his very eyes, he couldn't even plea for leniency on her behalf.

In his brothers' eyes, he was still a person they could bully at any time or any day!

Imperial Preceptor saw that the boy still had an unreconciled look on his face and couldn't help but shake his head on the inside. He wondered who the boy's temper took after.

"Han Shan asked Shi De...." He immediately switched to Buddhism, trying to enlighten him, but he didn't expect for the boy to speak up before he could finish.

"There are people in the world who slander me, bully me, shame me, laugh at me, belittle me, disdain me, contempt me, deceive me. How do I deal with them?"

Jing Chen painfully recalled the year he had started school. The Fourth Prince had placed crotons in his meal as a prank, and when he vomited it out on his return, he laid paralyzed on his bed for an entire day, leading the little eunuch to whisper words of comfort in his ear.

"You only need to endure him, let him, avoid him, tolerate him, respect him, ignore him, and after a few years, look at him."

.....

"Sixth Prince, let's not care for the Fourth Prince's wicked schemes. Just you wait, after a few years, with that temper of his, he'll soon die by his own hand!"

"A little eunuch like you dares to curse Fourth Brother, you simply have no fear for your life!"

"Hehe, as long as the Sixth Prince is well, this slave will gladly use her life!"

.....

"Isn't that right?" Imperial Preceptor Jiang stroked his beard, finding the boy worthy and promising to teach, "Some matters shouldn't be acted on in haste."

Jing Chen knew what Imperial Preceptor Jiang meant but didn't agree with it. The aftermath of not acting on something only resulted in the other party's increased unbridledness in bullying!

"If one were to put one's own safety before matters of principle and allowed others to continue taking unfair advantage," he paused and looked back to the old man, "Then one day, when I finally hold true power, the people I want to protect may not be there anymore. In that case, what would be the meaning of working so hard?"

He was just a youth in his teens, yet his words were sonorous and powerful. A complicated look flashed across Jiang Shan's eyes as he fell into deep thought. His lips twitched slightly, but he remained silent for a good while before heaving a sigh, walking to the boy and saying in earnest, "I've only taken in two disciples my entire life, and I am unsure if Your Highness is willing to become this old man's last disciple?"

Everyone knew of Imperial Preceptor Jiang's erudite, and countless students have wanted to become his disciple. However, he merely accepted two people among all of them. Jing Shen felt surprised on the inside and didn't agree to it immediately.

"Imperial Preceptor must have heard of Jing Chen's situation," he raised his hand and slowly took off his mask, revealing the hideous side of his face, "Jing Chen's birth mother is of lowly status, while his appearance is defected and is not a good talent." His implication was that there weren't any prospects of him ascending to greater heights. If Imperial Preceptor Jiang wanted to use their master-disciple relationship, expecting reciprocation, then it wouldn't be worth being his disciple.

When the old man laid eyes on his countenance, he didn't mind it at all. Instead, he caught onto Jing Chen's words and said rather unhappily, "What's wrong? Does Your Highness look down on your own birth mother?"

"That is not the case," Jing Chen shook his head in disagreement, "Mother gave birth to Jing Chen, so Jing Chen only feels love and gratefulness towards her. However, in this palace, this... nobody cares about this." What everyone cared about was identity, power, and status.

"Ah, this palace..." Jiang Shan shook his head, revealing mockery on his face but didn't say any displeased words. Rather, he changed the topic, "You should not worry about your appearance, you should not care about your identity. I only want to ask you, are you willing or not?"

Jing Chen looked at the conscientious appearance of the old man and also became serious, straightening out his attire, lifting his gown, and bending his knee, "Master, please accept this disciple's bow!"

Jiang Shan looked at the whirl on his head, and a glint of excitement flashed through his eyes, "Alright, alright. Get up."

"With your master, you don't need to say any more false words," Jiang Shan happily stroked his beard and fumbled inside his sleeve, taking out a porcelain bottle and delivering it to Jing Chen, "Showing off your ability today is not a good matter at all." He referred to the excellent wit the youth had displayed today, becoming a thorn in other people's eyes.

"Asking Master for guidance!" Jing Chen quickly followed.

"Before one has absolute power... At times, retreating is also advancing." Jiang Shan calmly patted his shoulder. After he said this, he then left the hall.

Jing Chen was left alone standing in place, his head down, his appearance deep in thought.

The two people didn't notice that outside the study, a moonlight-white corner of a dress could be seen at the side.

※

Jing Chen pressed the anxiety he felt all the way down his heart until class was dismissed, finally walking back to Qiu Xi Palace just as always. However, if anyone were paying attention, they would realize that his steps were a little flustered and disorderly.

After Chu Jiao endured 20 floggings, she was taken by two eunuchs back to Qiu Xi Palace and thrown inside a room.

Jing Chen usually allowed only her to attend to him, which was why Chu Jiao didn't need to be squeezed into a room filled with all the other eunuchs and was able to sleep in the side room of the Sixth Prince's quarters.

"Sixth Prince, Eunuch Chu had chased us slaves out upon our return, not letting us slaves get close to him." When the two eunuchs saw Jing Chen return, they immediately explained.

They usually attended to the Sixth Prince, and even though they were only responsible for the miscellaneous chores, they could see how close the Sixth Prince was to Chu Jiao. And, now that Chu Jiao had been punished, the Sixth Prince must certainly be worried about him, and they were worried that he would take his restless energy out on them.

"That's enough. Go boil some water and leave it outside. Don't come in without my instructions!"

On the inside, Jing Chen was worried that his little eunuch had delicate skin and quickly waved his hand, signaling for the two to leave before he pushed the hanging screen aside and entered the room.

[Completed]