Rong Fei is not honored

"Aren't you afraid?"

"What are you afraid of? Afraid of Father Emperor? I don't believe you haven't heard of my deeds," Saiyinchahun said nonchalantly.

Yinreng blinked and nodded knowingly. Yes, Sainchahun gets beaten by the Emperor every few days, he's probably used to it by now, but... what about Brother Chengrui? Why isn't he afraid?

Cheng Rui explained, "I am not in good health, so Father Emperor usually does not take action directly."

And that's true. Even if he really made a mistake, his father couldn't bear to beat him. So, usually his father would ask his mother to deal with him.

Yinreng fell silent again. He had originally wanted to understand his father through Consort Rong and had temporarily suppressed his fear of his father. However, as he was about to face his father, the suppressed emotions resurfaced.

The thought that he was actively trying to get closer to his father, the Emperor, made it impossible for him to take those last few steps.

Chengrui didn't want to go with Yinreng to find his father and mother. He wanted to give him a way out, but Saiyinchahun, who wanted to see what kind of trouble Yinreng was going to cause, stopped him.

Just as Cheng Rui was wondering what to do, Liang Jiugong came over and interrupted his dilemma.

"The princes have been wandering around here for ages, is something the matter?"

Saiyinchahun rolled his eyes. He hated Liang Anda for this very thing: he knew everything, but he insisted on pretending to be confused.

Cheng Rui's attitude was quite good. He said frankly, "Mother is most afraid of disturbing Father Emperor, so she rarely comes to Qianqing Palace. This time, she has stayed for so long, which is unprecedented. I am worried that something has happened."

Chengrui was worried that something might have happened in the harem, which is why he asked his mother to come to the Qianqing Palace to see his father. He was also worried about his mother's health, which is why he stayed for so long.

"It's not a big deal. Some time ago, His Majesty confined the ladies of the palace to their quarters. If this goes on for too long, it might cause controversy in the court. Originally, this matter should have been addressed by the Empress, but she is ill. Therefore, Consort Rong has to pay more attention to it."

It was hot, and Consort Rong had walked a long way, so she wasn't feeling well, but she felt better after resting for a while. However, His Majesty, feeling sorry for her, told her to wait until the sun went down before returning home.

Saiyinchahun questioned, "Is it really that simple?"

Liang Jiugong looked at Prince Saiyinchahun in surprise and asked, "What else could it be?"

“It’s common for concubines in the harem to scheme against each other. It’s not the first time Father Emperor has personally dealt with this. My mother hates trouble the most and would rather stay in her own palace. Why would she make such a long trip for this?”

Liang Jiugong's gaze swept over the suddenly frozen Crown Prince, then looked at the puzzled Prince Chengrui and Prince Saiyinchahun, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "Master Rong's mouth is really tight."

"Consort Rong is kind-hearted. Perhaps she is worried that if the confinement in the inner palace is too long, it will damage the reputation of the ladies in the court."

That's possible. If Consort Nara's affair damages the reputation of the concubines in the harem, wouldn't her own mother, Consort Rong, be the first to suffer? If it involves her, her mother wouldn't stand idly by.

But Saiyinchahun still felt that something was wrong, but since there were outsiders present, he couldn't press the matter to find out the truth.

Cheng Rui asked worriedly, "Is Mother alright?"

"The sun is setting and the summer heat has dissipated. Master Rong is already preparing to return, so there's no need for you to worry, Prince."

"With Father Emperor by her side, what could possibly happen to Consort Rong? Elder brother is worrying too much." Yinreng felt a pang of inexplicable bitterness, and naturally, his words were not pleasant to hear.

Sainchahun's face instantly darkened. Before he could say anything, Chengrui, who knew his younger brother's temper well, spoke up first, "Father Emperor has been with Mother all this time? Then I can rest assured."

Liang Jiugong pretended not to notice the complicated expressions on the three young masters' faces and said awkwardly, "This... His Majesty is busy with state affairs... but there are palace servants guarding the palace, so nothing will happen."

Cheng Rui, Saiyinchahun, and Yinreng were all taken aback by Liang Jiugong's words, and an awkward silence gradually spread.

"Both Eunuch Liang and Eunuch Wei are guarding outside Father Emperor's bedchamber, so I thought..."

"It is precisely because His Majesty is unable to attend to everything that he has ordered us to guard Consort Rong."

"Is that so?" Yinreng's tone was ambiguous. He was hit on the head as soon as he finished speaking. "Too many thoughts at such a young age."

"you!"

"What do you mean 'you'? Call me Second Brother."

Yinreng pursed his lips and remained silent, unsure of what he was insisting on.

"Tsk, I was just about to say that even if there is a difference between ruler and subject, His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't need to use honorifics for us elder brothers, but he should still call us 'brother'." With a hint of malice, he ruffled Yinreng's hair. Seeing that the other's expression was getting worse, Saiyinchahun finally felt relieved.

"I don't know how the people around you taught you, but Your Highness, no matter what your status is, you must listen to your father, the Emperor."

Do you think Father Emperor would rather see you trample your brothers underfoot? Or would he prefer to see brotherly harmony and respect? Of course, I'm not a mind reader for Father Emperor, so I don't know what he's thinking, but Your Highness, you certainly do.

This time, it was Sainchahun who got his head hit.

"Just speak, why are you being so sarcastic?"

"Brother! You..." How could you side with an outsider!

Faced with Saiyinchahun, who was clutching his head in a wronged and irritable manner, Chengrui felt truly helpless. As long as his younger brother wasn't being sarcastic, he wouldn't lay a hand on him, no matter how harsh his words were.

When an older brother disciplines his younger brother, he does so under the guise of "it's for your own good." Even if someone later brings up the issue of hierarchical relationships between ruler and subject, the father won't object.

But Saiyinchahun clearly understood this, yet he insisted on using these trivial matters to test his father and their place in his father's heart, as if this would prove that they were special.

Cheng Rui gave Saiyinchahun a warning look, which made Saiyinchahun, who felt he had been seen through, guiltily avoid his elder brother's gaze.

"Don't pay attention to him, but even though what he said was unpleasant, I still..." In the end, Cheng Rui didn't say anything and left with Saiyinchahun.

On the way back, Saiyinchahun said sourly, "Why did you leave? I thought you were going to put in a lot of effort to teach your younger brother, the Crown Prince, a good lesson."

"Giving him a few words of advice is already more than enough. Besides, he's too emotional to listen anyway, so there's no point in saying anything more." Furthermore, should they just block the doorway and embarrass their father and mother?

"Hmph!" Saiyinchahun couldn't help but smile. He knew that he was still his elder brother's favorite younger brother.

"How can you be so childish?"

"Big brother, don't you love me anymore?"

……