Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

The eldest prince was puzzled, then shocked.

The officials watching were also stunned by Emperor Wulong's remarks.

The Third Prince's maternal uncle, Minister of War Yi Qiuwei, was also among the onlookers.

Yi Qiuwei was present when the Third Prince made his move, but he did not say anything to stop him. In Yi Qiuwei's view, the Third Prince, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, could not possibly lose to a lowly commoner from the streets, so he not only did not dissuade him, but even stood by with his hands in his pockets, smugly preparing to watch the show.

By the time the Third Prince was beaten and crawling on the ground like a dog, it was too late for him to stop it.

They've already lost face big time.

Upon hearing Emperor Wulong's words again, Yi Qiuwei, who was already furious, was so enraged that he almost vomited blood. Taking sides like this was too blatant!

"Your Majesty!" Yi Qiuwei shouted, stepping forward and bowing indignantly, "The Seventh Prince has no respect for his elders, wantonly beating the Third Prince in front of all the civil and military officials. He has absolutely no regard for the law! I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely!"

Several officials from the Third Prince's faction also bowed and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please severely punish the Seventh Prince!"

Emperor Wulong: "..."

He slowly surveyed the ministers who had petitioned for the throne, flicked his sleeves, and stood with his hands behind his back. He did not speak, but the ministers who were caught in the emperor's gaze felt as if they had thorns in their backs, and were unable to lift their heads due to the invisible pressure.

Xu Zheng snorted coldly and said, "The truth has not yet been clarified, why are you all in such a hurry to judge the case?"

With him around, none of these people can touch Little Deer.

"Your Majesty!" Yi Qiuwei spoke again, relentlessly insisting, "We witnessed the Seventh Prince punching and kicking the Third Prince; how could it be false? If Your Majesty hadn't arrived in time, the Third Prince might have..."

Emperor Wulong waved his hand, stopping him from continuing, and coldly looked at the Third Prince on the ground, saying in a cold voice, "Third Prince, you tell me, was it really Seventh Prince who struck first?"

"Your subject..." The Third Prince avoided eye contact.

He dared not lie in front of Emperor Wulong, even though Yi Qiuwei frequently winked at him.

Despite Emperor Wulong's apparent defense, he was actually unsure of who was right and who was wrong, subconsciously leaning towards You Lu. However, seeing the Third Prince's reaction, he felt reassured. He pointed to the Minister of Rites in the crowd and solemnly said, "Qin Tan, this matter concerns etiquette and education, and falls under your jurisdiction. You shall handle this."

Qin Tan, who was trying to shrink away, was on the verge of tears. He could only stand up obediently, cup his hands and say, "Your Majesty, I only saw the Third Prince following the Seventh Prince. The Seventh Prince suddenly turned around, and the Third Prince accidentally bumped into the Seventh Prince's raised hand. Then the two started fighting."

He paused, then added, "It was the Third Prince who struck first."

Pixiu covered its mouth and chuckled, "The Third Prince has really messed up this time! Didn't expect that, did you? We have witnesses!"

You Lu raised an eyebrow in surprise; this Minister of Rites was indeed honest.

Out of consideration for Qin Tan's words in his defense, he took a closer look at Qin Tan's future, thinking that if Qin Tan encountered any difficulties in the future, he would help resolve them as a way of returning the favor. However, as he looked at the situation, he found that this person's life was surprisingly smooth.

[This Minister of Rites was incredibly lucky! He had a happy and fulfilling family life, a smooth-sailing career, and rose to the second rank at a young age. Even after the fall of the Great Yong Dynasty, he was fortunate enough to survive and return to his hometown with his entire family, living happily ever after.]

The Pixiu patted its chest, thinking, "At least it has a good ending."

Just as it was feeling relieved, a deer exclaimed, "No, no, judging from Qin Tan's face, he looks like a widower. His wife died long ago. How did he manage to stay with his wife until old age?"

"Huh? Did his wife come back to life?" The Pixiu shrank into a ball in fear.

"No," Youlu shook her head. "I looked at his past more carefully and finally found a clue. His wife is indeed dead, and she was switched before her death. His current wife is a man in disguise!"

"Damn!" Emperor Wulong, Prime Minister Su, and Xu Zheng, who had been eavesdropping, all gasped in shock.

This is huge gossip!

The three of them looked at Qin Tan simultaneously.

Qin Tan was completely bewildered.

Emperor Wulong coughed lightly, withdrew his gaze, and spread his hands helplessly, saying, "My dear ministers, what Xiao Qi said is true. It was indeed the Third Prince who bumped into his fist and then, unable to contain his anger, struck first. Xiao Qi only retaliated in self-defense."

Yi Qiuwei gritted his teeth and glared at You Lu with a sinister look. "Even so, it is a fact that the Seventh Prince injured the Third Prince. If he is not punished, he will only become more arrogant and disregard etiquette in the future."

The third prince also clung to Emperor Wulong's leg, weeping and pleading, "Father, you must do justice for your son!"

Seeing this, Youlu pouted, thinking, "Anyone can act cute."

He stopped eating his melon and rushed forward to hug Emperor Wulong's arm. "Father, I'm so scared! My third brother is so fierce, he's going to hit me!"

The ministers who witnessed the entire murder were speechless.

Don't you know who hit whom?

Emperor Wulong's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "You can cry even more fakely."

It was impossible to expose him; on the contrary, Emperor Wulong enjoyed seeing his quirky and mischievous nature. However, the Third Prince had been beaten so badly that an explanation was indeed needed.

"Ah, this..." Emperor Wulong pretended to be embarrassed, but secretly gave Xu Zheng a wink.

Xu Zheng understood and said loudly, "It's normal for the young prince to be unfamiliar with the palace rules since he has just been brought back. We can teach him slowly in the future. Third Prince and Lord Yi, please be lenient and don't argue with a child. In my opinion, we should resolve this matter by turning a big issue into a small one and a small issue into nothing, so as to demonstrate the harmony of the imperial family."

Prime Minister Su echoed, "Lord Xu is quite right. The young prince has suffered so much outside, it's inevitable that he will find it difficult to adapt to being brought back to the palace so suddenly. The Third Prince has always been magnanimous, so I think he won't hold it against him."

The two of them exchanged words, and in just a few sentences, they managed to get the Third Prince onto the high platform.

"I... this..." The Third Prince stammered, and could only look to his uncle for help.

Before Yi Qiuwei could speak, Emperor Wulong said in a deep voice, "While Xiao Qi is certainly at fault, are you, Third Brother, also without fault? Knowing that Xiao Qi has just returned, instead of showing concern and love for your younger brother, you stirred up trouble. He doesn't understand the rules, but don't you either?! I often teach you to be respectful and loving towards your elder brothers. Have you taken my words to heart?!"

"Cough cough!" The eldest prince almost choked. He tried hard to recall if his father had ever taught them to be respectful to their elder brothers.

After reprimanding the Third Prince, Emperor Wulong turned to Youlu, "And you! Being young is no excuse for your misbehavior. Now that you're back in the palace, you must abide by the palace rules! I've always been fair in my rewards and punishments. Considering this is your first offense, I'll give you a small punishment as a warning. You'll be confined to the wall for three days. If there's a next time, I will not let you off lightly!"

[Facing the wall? Doesn't that mean I can stay in my room forever and not have to go to court in the morning?! Great!]

The deer cheered and said happily, "Your subject knows his mistake and is willing to accept punishment."

Emperor Wulong, who had seen through his thoughts, gritted his teeth inwardly. Damn it, this brat had found a loophole.

Emperor Wulong, still unwilling to accept defeat, thought for a moment and then said, "Now that you're back in the palace, you must learn the rules properly. In addition to facing the wall in meditation, I will also punish you by making you learn the rules from Prime Minister Su."

Prime Minister Su's old face immediately broke into a wide smile, and he hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Your subject obeys."

Everyone was shocked. Was this a reward or a punishment?