Chapter 60: Whip Discipline

The Crown Prince accepted these forty-nine lashes of disciplinary whipping with perfect contentment.

Within the towering Forbidden City, wind banners fluttered one after another. In the imperial ancestral temple knelt a solitary figure, silently enduring the punishment of forty-nine lashes.

Zhang Heng, the chief eunuch of the East Palace, had long been executed by dismemberment. Now without any personal attendants by his side, only a young palace maid stood shivering beneath the corridor eaves, clutching the Crown Prince’s fox fur cloak as howling winds and sudden rain raged outside.

When The Eldest Princess arrived, she heard the dull thuds of whip striking flesh echoing from within the temple.

The thought of the Crown Prince kneeling on the cold ground receiving punishment pierced her heart with pain.

The one administering the whip discipline was none other than Pei Ya, the newly appointed Seal-holding Eunuch by His Majesty. This man possessed unfathomable intentions and ruthless methods, having suppressed various palace factions and firmly seized power immediately upon his promotion.

Perhaps the Crown Prince and Shu Fei’s actions during Emperor Jian’s coma had chilled the emperor’s heart. Since awakening, the emperor trusted very few people.

Aside from Grand Tutor Jin who attended him daily, only this rootless creature Pei Ya enjoyed favor.

When The Eldest Princess Li Xuanyi stormed the temple at night, she was blocked by eunuchs guarding the entrance. Unaccustomed to such disrespect, she immediately flared up: “You blind fools! How dare you block my path? If you don’t step aside immediately, I’ll have your heads!”

Had the emperor still been unconscious, The Eldest Princess’s word would have been law, and none would have dared disobey.

But times had changed. Now, both within and beyond the palace walls, those who truly held sway were few.

“Your Highness,” came a clear yet effeminate voice that commanded respect, “We are merely following orders. His Majesty decreed that all forty-nine lashes must be delivered – not one less. Should we fail, we would likewise lose our heads.”

Princess Li Xuanyi followed the voice to see a man emerging slowly from the temple. Of average height, his purple eunuch robes fluttered in the wind, revealing an emaciated frame almost skeletal in appearance.

In the already gloomy environment of the ancestral temple, Pei Ya’s emergence felt like an ill wind blowing straight at her, causing Li Xuanyi to shudder involuntarily.

As the guarding eunuchs bowed on either side, she seized the opportunity to stride across the threshold, demanding coldly: “What evil schemes brew in your heart? What slander have you whispered before Father Emperor to reduce the Crown Prince to such a state? Do you not know he is the nation’s heir apparent, freshly recovered from grave injuries, and cannot afford the slightest mishap?”

In the time it took her to speak these words, Pei Ya had drawn near.

His calm eyes revealed no emotion, yet his lack of basic reverence for royalty made Li Xuanyi intensely uncomfortable.

“Your Highness wrongs us grievously,” he replied in a tone as gloomy as his appearance, still speaking softly yet with every syllable enunciated clearly.

“These forty-nine lashes of discipline, the Crown Prince receives with perfect contentment, even expressing gratitude to His Majesty. If Your Highness doubts this, you may inquire with His Highness yourself later.” As Pei Ya spoke, his eyes took on an increasingly mocking quality, his words heavy with insinuation.

“What do you mean by that?” Li Xuanyi, ever proud, burned with fury at this eunuch’s disrespectful manner.

When he still offered no explanation but instead raised his head to meet her gaze unflinchingly, her chest constricted with rage and she swung her hand forcefully toward him.

Slap! The sound of a palm striking flesh instantly cast an awkward atmosphere over the scene.

The four young eunuchs guarding the entrance and the maidservant from the East Palace all lowered their gazes, holding their breath as if frozen, pretending to have seen nothing.

Pei Ya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand, lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, stepping aside to make way. “The punishment should be over by now. The Eldest Princess may enter to see for herself whether the Crown Prince willingly accepted these forty-nine lashes of Whip Discipline.”

“Hmph—” Li Xuanyi didn’t even glance at him, finding the sight repulsive, and swept her sleeves as she strode inside.

In the center of the ancestral hall, the Crown Prince, having just received the Whip Discipline, was adjusting his robes. He had just meticulously fastened his cloak to conceal the disarray on his back when the Eldest Princess hurried in.

“Your Highness!” Li Xuanyi rushed forward with concern, intending to check his injuries first, but froze the moment she clearly saw the Crown Prince’s expression.

Though somewhat pale, he didn’t appear despondent.

Could it truly be as that wretched eunuch said—that the Crown Prince had requested these forty-nine lashes himself and bore them willingly?

In the dim ancestral hall, wind banners hung high. Amid the flickering candlelight, the Crown Prince’s handsome face appeared sharply defined, his demeanor cold and elegant.

Were it not for the thick scent of blood permeating the room, Li Xuanyi would have found it hard to believe he had just undergone Whip Discipline.

At this moment, his eyes seemed to hold a peculiar light, brimming with anticipation and fervor—a stark contrast to the lifelessness that had plagued him recently.

Li Xuanyi still remembered how, since being injured by an assassin last time, the Crown Prince’s moods had grown increasingly unstable, his actions ever more bizarre and erratic.

Her outstretched hand, meant to support him, involuntarily withdrew. She curtsied and said, “Your Highness, let us leave this place quickly and have the imperial physician examine your wounds.”

Li Jing took a step forward, his footing slightly unsteady, his expression restrained and self-possessed. “I thank my elder sister for her concern. I am fine.”

The Eldest Princess’s tone grew agitated. “Forty-nine lashes of Whip Discipline! Father Emperor meant to beat you to death! It’s all the fault of those blind fools gossiping all day. No, tomorrow I must seek an audience with Father Emperor and make him see the true nature of those eunuchs!”

Hearing her righteous indignation, Li Jing showed no extra emotion on his face. He carefully concealed the fervor in his eyes and reassured the Eldest Princess, “Elder sister, there’s no need to dwell on Pei Ya. He is not our enemy.”

“But this punishment you’ve received—” Li Xuanyi began to ask, only to see a faint smile curl at the corners of the Crown Prince’s lips.

Though it faded quickly, she could tell it was genuine.

Since their mother’s passing, she hadn’t seen her brother smile like that.

The Crown Prince was inherently reserved, rarely showing emotion. Only one person in this world could stir his heart so deeply.

Could it be that this punishment was also because of that woman?

That little wretch who pretended to be of royal blood to seize wealth and status.

It was said she had already followed some wild man from the northwest. Such an unchaste woman—Li Xuanyi truly couldn’t understand what there was to hold onto.

“Royal sister, there’s no need to worry,” Li Jing replied lightly, forcing himself to walk out.

From the ancestral hall to the East Palace, he chose to walk, demonstrating the gravity he attached to this punishment.

And to make Father Emperor see his resolve—that this matter could never be taken back.

From birth until now, he had never felt such gratitude toward Father Emperor. Compared to what he was about to gain, these mere forty-nine lashes of Whip Discipline meant nothing.

Along the snowy path, a young palace maid stood on tiptoe to drape a fox fur cloak over his shoulders, cautiously saying, “Your Highness, His Majesty has just issued an edict to send Shu Fei Niangniang to the Cold Palace.”

Li Jing paused mid-step, understanding this was the Emperor’s preparation for that matter. His heart swelled with profound relief, so much so that even the pain in his back seemed to ease considerably.

He had thought his sordid intentions would be condemned by the world, yet Father Emperor had seen through them at a glance.

The only regret was not being able to personally welcome her back from the northwest…