The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 550: He Deserved It

The officials did not expect such a thing to happen. They saw Prince Zhuang’s face turn pale with pain, feeling fortunate that they hadn’t rushed to curry favor just now, otherwise they would have been the ones kicked.

They looked at Eunuch Feng with a hint of sympathy, but then thought, Eunuch Feng is the most trusted person by the Emperor. If even Eunuch Feng gets kicked, the Emperor would certainly be furious.

Eunuch Feng, three steps away from Prince Cheng, dared not move forward. Holding the horsetail whisk, he bowed and said, "Prince Cheng! Prince Cheng!"

The snoring continued, unaffected, rhythmic and steady.

Seeing this bizarre scene, everyone couldn’t help but laugh. How tired was this Prince Cheng? Sleeping standing up and completely unresponsive to being called.

Eunuch Feng’s mouth corners had turned bitter. He gathered his courage, stood at a distance, bent over, and tried to extend the horsetail whisk forward, brushing it against Prince Cheng, while calling again, "Prince Cheng!"

Touching a prince with a horsetail whisk was considered disrespectful, but Eunuch Feng was trying to save his life. He dared not get too close. With the whisk and bending forward, extending his arms desperately, it was over four feet long, much safer. At worst, he would later beg the Emperor’s forgiveness!

The snoring quieted down.

Eunuch Feng felt a surge of joy, thinking that just a touch was enough to wake him up, and that Prince Cheng did not lash out.

This gave him more courage, and he moved closer, deliberating for a moment, feeling that using the whisk again was too inelegant. He was afraid Prince Cheng would give him trouble upon waking. So, after gathering his resolve, he finally summoned the courage, gently pushed with his hand, raised his voice, and called out again, "Prince Cheng! Wake up!"

Prince Cheng, who was sleeping soundly leaning against a pillar, opened his eyes.

Awake, he looked dazed, wiped the corner of his mouth, realizing he hadn’t drooled, and smiled.

Then he said kindly to Eunuch Feng, "Rushing day and night these days, too fatigued. Thank you, Eunuch, for waking me."

Eunuch Feng revealed an awkward yet polite smile, secretly heaving a sigh of relief, thanking the ancestors for not being harmed in any way!

As he stepped away, he revealed Prince Zhuang lying on the ground, who was currently complaining to the Emperor, weeping with tears flowing, dragging one leg straight, lips showing traces of blood, looking pained.

Prince Cheng chuckled lightly, his voice tinged with mockery, "Third Brother, what’s the matter? Doing another martyr’s act?"

Prince Zhuang: "..."

A saint’s act your ****, who breaks two ribs and almost breaks a leg in an act, hurting so much they see stars?

Dare he deny it in front of so many people?

He pointed angrily at Prince Cheng: "Old Fifth, you broke my leg with a kick and now you’re saying sarcastic things here!"

Prince Cheng blinked, looked at Prince Zhuang as if he were an idiot, and sneered, "I was sleeping against the pillar the whole time, are you blind? Framing someone and blaming me, do you think Father and the officials are blind ornaments too?"

The officials: "..."

It seemed like their eyes were just decorations.

Prince Zhuang said, "It was clearly you!"

Prince Cheng furrowed his brow, righteously said, "Even if I hate you for sending people to assassinate my son in the street, I would ask Father to seek justice, and not take revenge on you privately! Even if assuming, you and I are in the grand hall, Father above, Ministers on the side, would I attack you? Wouldn’t that be giving you the handle to hold over me? Am I that foolish?"

The officials: "..."

He spoke so reasonably, if they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would’ve believed it! So do they believe it now, or not?

Originally pale from the pain, Prince Zhuang’s face turned blue with anger, pointing at him, "You just kicked me in front of everyone, everyone saw it, Father saw it too, and you still deny it?"

Prince Cheng looked incredulous, his gaze swept across the hall, finding the faces of all were speechless.

The Emperor’s face was gloomy, although without extra expression. But this face spoke volumes that Prince Zhuang wasn’t lying.

He scratched his head, puzzled, "Was it really me who did it?"

The officials shook their heads silently, was Prince Cheng still muddled from sleep? His misconduct in the hall, assaulting Elder Brother, the matter isn’t very serious yet not negligible either, if the Emperor blames him later, enough trouble there. Though he lost a son, causing the Emperor to pity him a bit, from the Emperor’s attitude, the pity was limited!

If Prince Cheng immediately confessed, surely the Emperor would be lenient?

They thought if Prince Cheng was sensible, he would plead at this moment, only to see Prince Cheng turn to Prince Zhuang: "Third Brother, are you certain it was me?"

Prince Zhuang, in pain and anger with no Imperial Physician yet, about to faint from the pain, gritted his teeth and said, "If not you, then who? So many eyes watching! Father could see clearly too!"

"Then it was me!" Prince Cheng did not deny.

The Emperor’s face darkened, coldly said, "Old Fifth, your misconduct in front of the hall, gravely injuring your Third Brother, what punishment do you deserve?"

Prince Cheng bowed, "Injuring someone in my sleep, misconduct in the hall, is my fault! But Third Brother, he deserved it!"

At these words, the whole hall fell silent.

The Emperor, already angry, did those words not amount to provocation?

The Emperor’s eyes were cold, in a deep voice, "Presumptuous!"

Prince Cheng said, "Father, if you let me ask Third Brother a few questions, you’ll understand why I said that!"

Prince Zhuang was also raging, gritting his teeth in pain and anger, shouted, "Old Fifth, you defy the emperor, defy your brother, it’s treason, and you dare twist words and use rhetoric?"

Prince Cheng’s eyebrows drew together, his whom presence exuded an air of authority, or rather anger, stared straight at Prince Zhuang, said, "Third Brother, were you getting close to me just now? Were you trying to harm me?"

Prince Zhuang had a hidden intent to harm, which was a secret thought, not to be admitted on the surface, he sternly denied, "You’re talking nonsense, I was just following Father’s order to wake you, just got close, and you kicked me twice! Even my ribs were broken by you, using sleep as an excuse, secretly harming me, your heart is harsh! Your methods vicious!"

Prince Cheng coldly laughed, his expression full of righteousness, voice sonorous, with a trustworthy aura: "My fief in Yunzhou, Qingyuan County, at the southern border of Nanxia, I remember when I first went, the Sun-cutting Country and Fire Flame Country with various tribes often gathered troops to harass the border, every time, it was a bloody battle. Those foreign nations somehow learned, knowing I was a prince, titled a prince, besides border harassment, constantly sent experts to assassinate."

He spoke calmly, but the officials couldn’t help but picture a scene of swords clashing in their minds.