Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 414 Punished
Li Baizhou was sent back to his residence. Jiang Meiren looked at his right arm, which was temporarily immobilized by a splint, and felt very sorry for him.

"How could you be so careless? Does it still hurt?"

Li Baizhou pretended to be nonchalant and said, "It doesn't hurt at all."

Jiang Meiren glared at him and said irritably, "You fell off the horse, how could it not hurt? There are no outsiders here, you don't need to be stubborn with me."

Li Baizhou leaned closer and pleaded, "Mother, my hand is injured, and I can't go to school tomorrow. Could you please pass on a message to my elder brother, the Crown Prince, and ask him to ask the teacher for a leave of absence for me?"

"Why trouble the Crown Prince with such a trivial matter? Just send a eunuch to inform him."

Li Baizhou insisted, "Please, please tell my brother for me."

No one knows a son better than his mother. Consort Jiang saw through his little scheme and pointed it out: "You just want the Crown Prince to care about you, right?"

Li Baizhou gave a somewhat awkward hum.

Consort Jiang advised, "The Crown Prince is very busy; you can't bother him with everything."

Li Baizhou lowered his head and said sullenly, "It's been a long time since I've spoken to my elder brother Crown Prince alone. Ever since Yan Hengyu came, he's always been by my brother's side. My brother spends more time with him than with me. Later, my brother got married and moved out of the palace to live in the Crown Prince's residence. He has to spend some time with the Crown Princess, and he also has to help Father Emperor with state affairs. Recently, he's been so busy that he hasn't even come to the Hongwen Academy."

Jiang Meiren gently patted his back and comforted him, saying, "He is the Crown Prince, and he has a heavy burden on his shoulders. You must be understanding of him."

"I don't blame him, I'm just a little sad. Before, when I played polo with my elder brother, the Crown Prince, I was always happy, no matter if I won or lost. But today, the Crown Prince didn't come, and I was all alone. Even if I was bullied, I didn't dare to talk back, because I knew no one would help me..."

Li Baizhou became increasingly aggrieved as he spoke, and his eyes gradually reddened.

Jiang Meiren felt a pang of sadness. She pulled Li Baizhou into her arms and gently comforted him, "Don't be sad. I'll have someone send a message to the Crown Prince later to tell him about your injury."

As dusk fell, Li Xuanhe arrived.

"Fifth brother, I heard you were injured, so I came to see you. Are you badly hurt?"

Li Baizhou, who had been listless, immediately perked up when he saw his elder brother, the Crown Prince.

"The imperial physician said that I had a fracture in my right hand, but it was not a serious problem and I would recover after a period of rest."

Li Xuanhe said with concern, "A fracture is no small matter. You need to take good care of yourself to avoid developing any lasting health problems."

Seeing that his elder brother still cared about him, Li Baizhou was especially happy: "Yes, I will take good care of my injuries. Thank you for taking the time to come and see me."

Li Xuanhe sat down in the chair next to him and said helplessly, "I've been too busy lately and haven't been able to take care of you. I've already sent people to investigate the polo field incident. It was the Second Prince who scratched the horse you were riding."

This result was within Li Baizhou's expectations. Li Baizhou was already used to the difficulties caused by Li Mingguang, so he wasn't very angry.

Li Xuanhe, fearing that he might feel wronged, comforted him, saying, "The Second Prince will soon be leaving Hongwen Hall, and you won't see him for a long time. You can rest assured and recuperate in the palace."

Where is he going?

"The Second Prince didn't like being nagged by the teachers at the Hongwen Academy, so he went to Xie Zhan for help. Xie Zhan saw that he wasn't cut out for studying, so he found him a job in the Shence Army. He then followed Xie Zhan and trained in the army for a period of time."

Li Baizhou's eyes revealed envy.

Li Xuanhe saw through his thoughts and asked, "Do you also want to go to the army for training?"

Li Baizhou shook his head: "I envy the Second Prince for having the opportunity to gain experience. You have all left Hongwen Academy, and I am still studying. I feel like I have been abandoned by you all."

“You are still too young to serve in the court,” Li Xuanhe thought for a moment. “How about this, you can hold a position in the Crown Prince’s residence. If a suitable task comes up, I will assign it to you. This way, you can continue your studies and also have the opportunity to gain experience.”

Li Baizhou was overjoyed: "Then it's settled. Thank you, Your Highness!"

"It's getting late, you should get some rest. I'm going back now, I'll come see you another day."

"Wait a minute, there's something else I'd like to ask you for help with," Li Xuanhe gestured for him to say.

"The person who treated my injuries today was Physician Liu. He has only been at the Imperial Hospital for a short time and is not yet aware of the inner workings of the palace. He helped me rashly, and I am worried that Consort Xie and the Second Prince will cause him trouble."

Li Xuanhe understood his meaning and said, "Don't worry, I will send someone to the Imperial Hospital to inform them so that Consort Xie and the Second Prince will not have a chance to make things difficult for Physician Liu."

"I'm sorry to trouble you with such trivial matters, Your Majesty."

Li Xuanhe smiled gently: "We are brothers, and it is my duty to take care of you. If you need anything in the future, just tell me and don't be shy."

"Mmm!" Li Baizhou seemed to have found a strong tree to lean on, his eyes filled with admiration and dependence.

"If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."

Li Baizhou watched Li Xuanhe leave with bated breath.

Once Li Xuanhe's figure was completely out of sight, Li Baizhou reluctantly turned around, only to see Jiang Meiren standing not far away, watching him.

Jiang Meiren asked with a smile, "Are you feeling better now?"

Li Baizhou, no longer dejected, said with a bright smile, "My elder brother, the Crown Prince, said he wants me to work in the Crown Prince's residence!"

Consort Jiang was surprised by such a good thing. She instructed, "This is a good opportunity for you. You must seize it and do not cause trouble for the Crown Prince."

"Yes, I will do my best to serve my elder brother, the Crown Prince, and I will not let him and my mother down!"

"The Crown Prince will inherit the throne sooner or later. You will be his right-hand man and assist him in governing the country."

Li Baizhou was full of enthusiasm: "I will!"

Yan Ciwan watched this scene with mixed feelings.

At this moment, Li Baizhou seemed to genuinely want to follow Li Xuanhe, but in the end, things didn't go as planned.

The scene before us changed once again.

Yan Ciwan found herself in the Imperial Garden. She saw Consort Jiang kneeling on the cobblestone path, with an overturned food box beside her, its contents of jujube paste pastries scattered all over the ground.

Consort Xie sat in the sedan chair, her magnificent red dress making her appear bright and radiant, like a blooming, beautiful peony.

She looked down at Jiang Meiren and said coldly.

"Are you blind? How dare you bump into my sedan chair?"

Consort Jiang knelt on the ground: "It is my fault. I am willing to be punished. I beg Your Highness not to upset yourself."

Consort Xie sneered: "It's not worth getting sick over someone as lowly as you. As punishment for offending me, you shall kneel in this scorching sun for two hours."

Jiang Meiren dared not show any dissatisfaction and respectfully replied, "Yes."

Consort Xie glanced at the jujube paste pastries on the ground and suddenly asked, "Who are you sending these to?"

Consort Jiang hesitated for a moment, but finally told the truth: "I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince was ill, so I specially prepared some food to visit him."

Consort Xie sneered, "Since you're so good at currying favor with the Crown Prince, why don't you go to the Buddhist hall and copy the Heart Sutra to pray for his well-being?"

"How many times do I need to copy it?"

"Copy it a hundred times first. You're not allowed to eat or rest until you've finished copying it."

"Yes."