TV Series: When the Villain Chooses to Stand by

Chapter 196 Yixiu 65

She raised her hand to call Hongshi and wanted to say a few more words to him, but she swallowed the words back when they came to her lips.

On the way back, Concubine Qi was completely distraught.

"Cui Guo? Are you saying that I am wrong?"

"Maybe I'm pushing Hongshi too hard."

Cui Guo raised her eyes and glanced at Concubine Qi's expression, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Perhaps Third Prince is not used to it yet. He will understand your painstaking efforts in the future."

They have the same schedule, the same master, and even the same food.

Anyone can see that the Third Prince has tried his best, but many things cannot be solved by just trying your best.

Concubine Qi looked ahead with empty eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.

After a while, the laughter of children could be heard in the distance. Wen Yi was always followed by a ferocious wolfhound. As soon as Concubine Qi saw it, she knew who was talking.

The distance was too far to hear the specific conversation, but the palace maid behind Shuhe was holding handfuls of rewards.

This is not the first time I have encountered such a scene.

Concubine Qi knew that this was a reward from the Queen. Every time Shuhe received praise from her master, she would receive such a reward.

But Hongshi seemed to have never received such praise.

Something flashed through Concubine Qi's mind so quickly that she couldn't catch it.

The emperor naturally came to see Hongshi when he knew he was working so hard. He didn't like Hongli very much, but he also knew that this child was very diligent, and it was a good thing for the two of them to catch up with each other.

"What have you learned these days?"

"You can recite it fluently, but you don't understand the key points. Is this how you get by after all these years of studying?"

……

Hongshi stammered and couldn't answer. He looked down at the ground and hoped that this conversation would end quickly.

It wasn't the first time he was scolded by the emperor, but he didn't think it was a big deal.

Isn’t this a lot of progress?

The emperor on the side was very angry. When Hongshi came in just now, he had just closed his eyes and rested for a while. Coupled with this result, he became even more furious and his words were particularly hurtful.

"As an older brother, you should teach your younger brother. What are you doing now?"

Concubine Qi, who was standing at the door, clenched the food box in her hand. She only found out that the emperor was inside after she arrived, so she had to wait outside.

I thought the emperor would give me some praise, but who knew he would go further and further.

Thinking of her son's hard work these days, Concubine Qi made up her mind and walked straight in despite Su Peisheng's obstruction.

"My concubine pays your respects to the Emperor."

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Hongshi has been working very hard recently. It doesn't matter if he can't answer it for a while. Please calm down."

The emperor glared at Su Peisheng unkindly, and then he saw the food box in Concubine Qi's hand.

How could he not know that Hongshi was really working hard? He was so diligent but still made no progress. It was obvious that he was being held back by his mother, Concubine Qi.

A good prince has developed this kind of temper and is really useless.

"Didn't the Queen forbid you from disturbing him while he was studying? And with all this soup and water, how can he concentrate peacefully?"

Concubine Qi shuddered and her smile froze on her face.

"It's my fault. Seeing Third Prince lose so much weight makes me feel sad."

"A loving mother often loses her son!"

"I worked much harder than him in my early years. Every one of my brothers went through the same thing. Why is he the only one who is so spoiled?"

The emperor spoke very rudely. In the past, he had a bad relationship with his biological mother. At that time, Concubine Qi cried and begged her not to be too harsh on Hongshi.

The emperor at that time liked Concubine Qi very much, and because of her motherly love, he agreed.

But now Hongshi's academic performance has become so poor, which makes the emperor, who has always been proud, very embarrassed.

Today, Prince Dun even came to the palace to show off and wanted to ask for a Beizi for his son. The emperor's anger was even more uncontrollable in comparison.

But Hongshi added fuel to the fire at this time, "Father, it's my son's stupidity, it has nothing to do with my mother, she just feels sorry for me."

Hongshi saw all of Concubine Qi's fear and embarrassment in the face of the emperor.

After being scolded, Concubine Qi's face turned even paler. Hongshi couldn't bear it any longer and stepped forward to stand in front of his mother.

"Mother has served you for many years and has always been very cautious. Why are you speaking so harshly?"

Concubine Qi felt a lump in her nose and tears instantly fell.

She took a few deep breaths to keep herself from losing composure.

Looking at the figure standing in front of her, she realized that her son was already much taller than her and he was no longer a child who needed her protection.

Such words would inevitably anger the emperor, so Concubine Qi stepped forward and pulled Hongshi's sleeve, wanting him to apologize.

Hongshi felt the movement behind him but did not retreat. He could accept that the emperor looked down on him, but he could not accept that he hurt his mother's heart like this.

"Bastard!"

"Is this your attitude as a son?"

The emperor put the book in his hand heavily on the table, raised his eyes and looked at the other party expressionlessly. He did not expect that Hongshi, whom he never dared to speak, would actually stand up and say such words.

"I'm right. My poor academic performance is my own fault. Mother is a good person. She's not wrong."

Hongshi lowered his head but kept his back straight.

The person he was standing behind was the most important person to him.

"Inverted!"

The emperor threw the tea bowl to the ground suddenly, and the splashed porcelain pieces and tea hit Hongshi's clothes, leaving some marks.

The threat from the military generals of the previous dynasty was successfully resolved, and Lao Ba and others were also dealt with. The emperor had not felt the feeling of being disobeyed for a long time.

The harem, which should have been the most stable, frequently got out of control.

From the empress, Chao Gui to Hongshi, these were the people the emperor looked down upon the least, but now each of them dared to play tricks and sing a different tune.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It is my fault. Third Prince did not mean to do it. It is all my fault."

When Concubine Qi heard the sound, she hurried to check on Hongshi's condition and was relieved to see that he was not injured.

Then she quickly stepped forward to apologize. The emperor's attitude was very important in this palace, and she absolutely could not allow a real rift to arise between father and son.

"Mother!"

Seeing the pleading look in Concubine Qi's eyes, Hongshi closed his eyes heavily and knelt down.

But the emperor would not allow things to end like this.

"Of course it's your fault. If you hadn't begged me, Hongshi wouldn't have been so lazy in his studies in the past few years. It's all thanks to you, my mother, that he's like this now."

"Even this brain is yours."

The emperor revealed nakedly what Concubine Qi had been unwilling to admit for a long time. She could no longer control her tears and fell to the ground.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am willing to accept the punishment. Please don't be angry with the Third Prince."

During the days that Hongshi was studying, Concubine Qi was upset every day.

She recalled Hongshi's childhood countless times, and kept imagining whether Hongshi would be more relaxed now if she had been stricter at the time.

At the very least, don't be compared so tragically.

Hongshi felt a pang of pain in his heart when he heard the emperor's accusation. He looked at Concubine Qi who was unable to cry, then looked up at the angry emperor.

He had never felt so incompetent.

Scenes of the easy and happy times in his early years flashed through his mind, and he once felt that he was the happiest person.

Compared with those cousins, he has a gentle mother and a strong father.

How could this happen in the blink of an eye?

"What's the point of punishing you? Look at the good son you raised."

The emperor's attitude gave Hongshi courage.

He stood up and looked directly at the other person, "Father, even if I am stupid, it has nothing to do with Mother. My slackness over the years is solely my fault."

"It is my son who is not talented and is greedy for pleasure. Mother has served you wholeheartedly for decades. Please take back what you just said."

Hongshi also came to terms with it. Now there were only two princes in the palace.

I haven't done anything wrong. At most I will be punished and ignored. Can they kill me?

Without a reasonable reason, the royal family will not agree.

As for the verbal conflict, once this embarrassing thing gets out, he will be accused of disrespecting the emperor and his father, and the emperor can't escape it either.

Doesn’t he value his reputation as an emperor the most? If he has the guts, he can kill himself.

Thinking of this, Hongshi's eyes became more determined. As a son, if he saw his mother who loved him so much being humiliated but remained indifferent.

He might as well just die.

Inherit the throne? After all his studies, Hongshi is not smart but not stupid.

Without a strong mother family and outstanding abilities, even if one manages to gain power by chance, he will become a puppet of various forces.

In this case, Hongshi has nothing to fear.

Looking at his son standing in front of him with a burning gaze, the emperor took back the words he had originally intended to say.

How dare he talk to me like that?

The emperor couldn't help but have doubts in his mind, thinking about how he had been very cautious in front of the late emperor, fearing that a single mistake would bring disaster.

In an instant, the emperor seemed to see his own aging.

I also understand the former emperor's mood swings. The energetic lion is constantly testing the old lion king, and no one can remain indifferent.

The emperor's majesty cannot be challenged.

"Pa!" The emperor slapped him hard.

"How dare you! Do you really think I can't bear to punish you?"

"Ah~" Concubine Qi covered her lips and exclaimed softly, looking at Hongshi's cheek with heartache.

She anxiously wanted to do something, but was afraid of escalating the situation.

It was obvious that these two people would not listen to him at all.

Hongshi tilted his head to cover his beaten face. Having said so much, he didn't mind saying a few more words. He couldn't guarantee that he would have the courage to do so next time.

"I will naturally admit my mistakes."

"But what about you? What did my mother do wrong?"

Thinking of the rumors in the palace, Hongshi looked at the emperor with a bit more arrogance in his eyes. He seemed to be possessed by something tonight.

I just want to express all my dissatisfaction.

"My mother wore pink for years because you said you liked it. It was her love. Now, decades later, you've made her a laughing stock with just one sentence."

"Mother cried for a long time, and then she wore lake blue again. She has listened to you all her life. Is that wrong?"

"You are not unaware of my son's indulgence in play over the years, but haven't you chosen to ignore it?"

"How come it's all my mother's fault now?"

The emperor suddenly looked at Concubine Qi lying on the ground, and subconsciously ignored the second half of the sentence. He only heard about the clothes, which he had just mentioned casually that day.

The news that Concubine Qi was not very good at controlling the palace maids soon spread, but the empress quickly dealt with those people, and the emperor thought it was just a small matter.

"How dare you! What does an underage child know about love?"

"Who taught you this? Concubine Qi?"

Hongshi stood in front of Concubine Qi and said, "Father, there is no need to do this. I am young and don't understand love, but my mother's eyes have always been red and swollen these days. I have seen it all."

In the past, Hongshi thought that he should work hard and strive to be better so that he could support his mother.

Now he just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to say a few more words.

"You don't need to ask about my affairs, I'm talking about you!"

The king's grace is like flowing water, and all men in the world are like this.

But this does not mean that the emperor can accept such a thing being exposed in front of his son, which makes him feel a little ashamed for a while.

The original anger towards Hongshi was also suppressed.

He couldn't let his son think that he was a heartless and lustful person, and he couldn't explain it, so he had to change the subject forcefully.

"What are you thinking about all day instead of studying hard? Go back and study hard. Starting today, your homework will be doubled."

"Su Peisheng, have the palace servants around the prince be severely punished. Anyone who dares to gossip in front of the prince and princess will be punished according to the palace rules."

"Concubine Qi!"

The emperor wanted to punish Concubine Qi, but when he turned around and looked at Hongshi with his neck stiff, his eyes darkened again.

I was afraid that this unfortunate child would say something shocking again.

"You will also return to the palace to reflect on your actions and be confined to your room for a month."

"For the sake of your deep mother-son love, I will forgive him this time. If he dares to speak rudely again in the future..."

The emperor looked at Concubine Qi coldly, "I don't necessarily want this son."

After saying that, he snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeves. He didn't want to stay here for another second.

After the emperor left, Hongshi collapsed to the ground, his back covered in cold sweat.

Concubine Qi quickly stood up and supported him, "You child, how can you still laugh at this time!"

"Where did you get such courage? The emperor only reprimanded me a few times, and my mother wasn't hurt at all. But what can you do if you make your father angry?"

"If anything happens to you, how will I live alone?"

Feeling the pats on his body, neither too heavy nor too light, Hongshi's smile became even brighter.

"Mother, I can protect you. Whether I become the emperor or not, I can protect you."

Concubine Qi paused, and the tears that she had been unable to stop flowed out again.

"Good! Good boy, it's your mother who is useless. You are a good boy."

The mother and son hugged each other and cried bitterly.

Concubine Qi also saw today's situation and knew it would be very difficult to make the emperor change his mind.

There is really no need to force your son to suffer in vain.

After that, Hongshi quickly returned to his previous state. He still took the courses seriously, but he no longer forced himself to memorize things that he could not understand at the moment.

I even read travelogues from various places in my spare time.

The emperor was angry but there was nothing he could do. Hongshi just said, "Your son is dull and not good at studying. It is better for you to cherish your life."

The emperor, who only had two sons, was unwilling to depose one of them casually, so he could only ask the master to supervise him more strictly.

Such a change naturally could not escape Hongli's eyes.

Life in the palace was really boring. In order to find out what had happened, he specially asked someone to prepare wine and food and invite the other party to a banquet.