pdf-ebookys Chapter 115 Punching the Prince
Chapter 115 Punching the Prince
Shen Shixi ignored him and took a sip of the rose dew.
Unable to defeat her, the Prince of Jin and his wife turned to Li Yuange to complain, "Your Majesty, we had no such intentions! Please, Your Majesty, see the truth!"
The two knelt down and touched the ground with their heads.
Princess Consort of Jin said, "Your Majesty, Consort Yuan has uttered rebellious words and wantonly slandered a prince. I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice."
The emperor remained silent.
Shen Shixi sneered and continued, "Princess Consort of Jin, what do you mean by 'speaking rebellious words'? This is simply speaking the truth. You can't even tolerate a few words of truth? Prince Jin, allow me to remind you, you and the Emperor are brothers from the same bloodline, but I am not!"
"How dare you threaten the Prince?" Madam Pei finally couldn't hold back anymore.
The concubines and other members of the imperial clan were also dumbfounded. They had all heard how arrogant the Emperor's Consort Yuan was, daring to kick a concubine. Today they finally witnessed it firsthand, as she even dared to threaten a prince.
Prince Jin, a prince of the highest rank, was the legitimate son of the late Empress. Before his death, the late Emperor made the Emperor swear that Prince Jin's life must never be harmed, and that he should enjoy a lifetime of wealth and honor as a prince.
Otherwise, how could this couple dare not perform the grand ceremony?
He arrived even later than the Empress Dowager.
"What are threats? Back when I was in Binzhou, I dared to take action against your illegal iron mining and weapon forging. Do you think I wouldn't dare to take action against you? So what if Prince Jin is a descendant of the late emperor? Haven't the late emperor's bloodline already dwindled enough?"
The Prince of Jin trembled with rage and roared, "I am a prince, and you, a mere concubine, dare to be so disrespectful to me!"
"Didn't you all learn this from Prince Jin? How dare you disobey the great principles of loyalty between ruler and subject! What are you? You only got the title of Prince Jin because you were born into the right family and were fortunate enough to stay in Empress Wenzhen's womb for more than nine months. That's how you received the protection of the late emperor, surpassed many meritorious princes, and were granted the title of Prince Jin."
Although I am illiterate, I remember the story of "Chulong Persuades the Queen Dowager of Zhao," which says, "He was granted fertile land and many important weapons, yet he was not ordered to perform meritorious service to the state." Therefore, today I would like to ask, "The Prince of Jin has rendered no service to the state; how can he entrust himself to our Great Zhou?"
It's mainly because it was on the college entrance exam back then, so I remember it vividly!
The Prince of Jin trembled with rage, "That title was personally bestowed upon me by the late Emperor! Why can't I stand on my own two feet?"
She scoffed, "Why? Just because you were born into the right family? That's laughable! Even women in the harem have to earn their positions through merit. Even the Emperor, though supported by the entire nation, works tirelessly day and night, serving the country with his own efforts!"
But Prince Jin, "holds a high position yet performs no merit, receives a generous stipend yet does no labor, and carries many important weapons!" On what basis? Why should the common people support you like this? Among the princes present, which one is not a descendant of the founding emperor?
Princess Consort of Jin retorted angrily, "You're right, just because the Prince is the son of Empress Wenzhen!"
Shen Shixi laughed and said, "Princess Consort Jin, your words are not accurate. You should say that the Prince has half of Pei's blood in his veins! Although there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, I will accept it!"
But the burdens on one's shoulders and the treatment one deserves should always be equal. Even Empress Dowager Zhao understood this principle, and I believe everyone present understands it.
Princess Jin was so angry she nearly had a stroke. "According to you, there's a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, so shouldn't the Emperor be sitting on the dragon throne today?"
The Empress exclaimed in surprise, "Elder sister!"
She quickly looked at the emperor, but his face was ashen and his expression was unreadable.
Everyone in the hall tensed up, and Princess Jin regretted her impulsive words.
Shen Shixi smiled and said, "Princess Consort of Jin, you really dare to dream! Imperial power is divinely ordained and destined by Heaven. How can mortals like you and me interfere or even covet it?"
Let's count on our fingers. From the First Emperor to now, there have been a total of 202 emperors. Excluding those puppet emperors installed by powerful ministers and relatives of the empress, only two were legitimate sons who became emperors. Do you understand what's going on?
These numbers are shocking!
This perfectly illustrates Shen Shixi's words: it is destiny's will.
Becoming an emperor is a matter of fate, not something anyone can control. Even the previous emperor might not have been able to choose his favorite son as crown prince, and even if he did, very few of them would eventually ascend the throne.
You can't argue with Shen Shixi!
The Emperor of the Jin Dynasty wept, "Your Majesty, today is your birthday, and I have come with a heart full of joy to offer my congratulations. However, Consort Yuan has accused me of harboring disloyal intentions. I am ashamed to face Your Majesty and beg Your Majesty to see the truth and grant me justice!"
The emperor twirled the wine cup in his hand and looked at him coldly.
Shen Shixi made a very good point: the late emperor left a will, and Li Yuanke really couldn't do anything about Li Yuanzhi, which is why he was so arrogant.
Li Yuanke was a man who disdained underhanded schemes and treachery.
Back then, Zhu Di wanted to kill Mei Yin, who was Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite son-in-law. Because he refused to serve Zhu Di, Zhu Di disliked him and couldn't act openly. So he hinted to someone to push Mei Yin into the Jinshui River and drown him.
The Empress was also furious. This time, she specially arranged to invite her sister and brother-in-law to the palace.
She wasn't feeling well today, always irritable, and her complexion was a bit pale, but she still forced herself to speak up for her sister and brother-in-law.
"Your Majesty, while Consort Yuan's words may have some merit, the princes are descendants of the founding emperor, and Prince Jin is the late emperor's eldest son. It is truly inappropriate to determine their titles based on merit."
Moreover, today is His Majesty's birthday. For Consort Yuan to be so arrogant at the birthday banquet, His Majesty should issue an edict to reprimand her; otherwise, it truly disrupts the proper order.
The Empress Dowager said displeasedly, "Alright, we've gotten carried away with the conversation. We're all family, why is the Empress so petty? Besides, Consort Yuan was sitting there peacefully when the Princess Consort of Jin insisted on dragging her into this. Now the Emperor has to intervene and uphold justice, what's the point!"
It means that after trying to seduce someone repeatedly and failing, they turned to the emperor for help.
Princess Jin was clearly displeased and shrieked, "Empress Dowager, how can you be so biased..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Shixi was already on the verge of vomiting blood. She was already given a name that imperiously called her domineering, so why not be more unrestrained!
She raised her hand and smashed a wine jug across the Princess of Jin's forehead. Blood immediately flowed down her forehead, still dazed. She raised her hand to wipe it away, then screamed, "Ah!"
Shen Shixi had already walked over and slapped her twice across the face. "What do you mean, 'huh'? You think I'm joking? I've put up with you for a long time!"
[It was you who spread those dirty rumors about me back then, saying I was having an affair with the Emperor, which ruined my life. I was sixteen years old and no one came to propose marriage! The whole capital laughed at me!]
This turn of events was too sudden; no one expected that Shen Shixi would actually dare to make a move!
She actually dared to hit someone at the Emperor's birthday banquet, and that person was none other than a princess.
The Prince of Jin was already furious, "You shrew, you, you, you..."
He rolled up his sleeves, ready to attack Shen Shixi, but Shen Shixi grabbed the table in front of Lin Guiyou, raised it, and smashed it at him.
When Prince Jin saw that she had a weapon, he immediately tried to flee, but Shen Shixi had already smashed down with a bang. Everyone heard the sound of bones cracking, followed by Prince Jin's scream as he clutched his shoulder.
The Empress Dowager stood up abruptly, but before she could say anything, Shen Shixi, without hesitation, hurled the table at Princess Jin. Princess Jin did not dodge and was hit on the leg.
The couple both fell to the ground in glory.
Prince Jin, being a man after all, was so angry that he forgot everything else and picked up a table leg to smash Shen Shixi.
The emperor shouted, "Prince Jin, stop!"
While the Prince of Jin hesitated, Shen Shixi seized the opportunity, grabbed the table leg, and slammed it at the Prince of Jin again.
Fearing she would kill the Prince of Jin, she smashed the stone onto his leg, causing him to howl in pain.
The emperor rushed over and pulled Shen Shixi into his arms.
Prince Jin had lost his chance to fight back, and stared at Shen Shixi with venom in his eyes.
"Prince Jin!" the emperor shouted, blocking the prince's view.
Shen Shixi seemed to belatedly realize her fear, shrinking into his arms. "Your Majesty, because of the illegal iron ore mining in Binzhou, Prince Jin and his men want to kill me! Waaah, Your Majesty, I'm so scared!"