Chapter 48 Punishment
Emperor Li Zhuo sat on a high throne with a terribly gloomy expression.
He glared at the chaotic scene below and shouted, "Everyone, be quiet!"
Everyone immediately fell silent and stood there trembling with fear.
Li Zhuo looked at Jiang Yeqiu, his eyes full of disgust: "Jiang Yeqiu, how dare you make such a fuss at the palace banquet and disturb the emperor, what crime should you be punished for!"
Jiang Yeqiu's face was covered with pustules at this time. He knelt on the ground in fear and said incoherently: "Your Majesty, please spare my life, Your Majesty... I... I don't know why this happened..."
Jiang Yuanchan knelt down and begged: "Your Majesty, please calm down. My daughter didn't mean it. Please have mercy on her!"
Li Huan also cried and said, "Your Majesty, we didn't know about this either. Please forgive us."
Li Zhuo snorted coldly: "Humph, Jiang Yuanchan, you are the prime minister, but you can't discipline your own daughter. You will be fined for three months! Li Huan, as her mother, you can't escape the blame either. You will be confined to the mansion for one month! As for Jiang Yeqiu, he will never be allowed to see the emperor again!"
Jiang Yuanchan looked dejected: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy."
Li Huan burst into tears: "Your Majesty..."
Jiang Yeqiu cried desperately: "Your Majesty, please don't, I really didn't mean it..."
Li Zhuo waved his hand impatiently: "Drag him away!"
The guards immediately stepped forward and dragged Jiang Yeqiu away, and Jiang Yeqiu's cries gradually faded away.
Li Zhuo glanced at everyone again and said sternly, "Take today's incident as a warning. If it happens again, I will punish you severely!"
Everyone responded in unison: "Yes, Your Majesty."
The atmosphere at the palace banquet was still tense and depressing.
Jiang Yeqiu looked at Jiang Lingyin with a ferocious face and roared: "Jiang Lingyin, you vicious woman, you are the one who schemed against me! I will kill you!"
Jiang Lingyin, however, looked innocent and sneered, "Jiang Yeqiu, don't slander me. You made a fool of yourself and then blamed others."
Jiang Yeqiu cursed madly: "You are still pretending! You pretended to be the Divine Doctor Bai Yin to deceive me and make me take the poison. You are so cruel!"
As she spoke, she struggled and threw herself at Jiang Lingyin, cursing non-stop: "I'm going to kill you, kill you!"
Li Zhen was horrified and shouted, "Ye Qiu, don't!"
But it was too late to stop Jiang Yeqiu.
Jiang Lingyin's eyes turned cold and she scolded, "Jiang Yeqiu, have you been crazy enough?"
Just as Jiang Yeqiu was about to get close, Jiang Lingyin reacted quickly and kicked Jiang Yeqiu directly.
Jiang Yeqiu screamed, flew out, fell heavily to the ground, and spit out blood.
The guests around were all stunned, and envoys from various countries also shook their heads and talked about it.
Jiang Yuanchan shouted angrily: "Ye Qiu, what are you doing! Aren't you ashamed enough?"
Li Huan also cried out: "Ye Qiu, why are you so confused!"
Jiang Yeqiu lay on the ground, still staring at Jiang Lingyin viciously.
He said intermittently: "Jiang Lingyin... I won't let you go..."
Jiang Lingyin said disdainfully: "Humph, just you?"
Li Zhen looked at the chaotic scene, frowned, and said to Jiang Yeqiu: "Yeqiu, you are too impulsive."
Jiang Yeqiu didn't listen at all, but just stared at Jiang Lingyin, as if he wanted to eat her alive.
When the envoys from various countries saw this sudden chaotic scene, different expressions appeared on their faces.
Some of the envoys looked shocked, with their mouths wide open, looking at Jiang Yeqiu's crazy behavior and the tragic situation in disbelief.
I couldn't help but whispered: "How can this Miss Jiang be so crazy? It's really eye-opening."
The other envoy frowned and shook his head.
He sighed softly, "Such a scandal happened at the palace banquet. The Longyuan Dynasty has lost all its face."
Some of the envoys even had a gleam of gloating in their eyes.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he was waiting to see more excitement.
Several envoys also looked at each other with serious expressions, as if they were thinking about the possible impact of this incident on the relations between the two countries.
One of the older envoys stroked his beard and said solemnly, "Such a farce is not a blessing for the country. I'm afraid the Longyuan Dynasty is not at peace."
They whispered to each other and criticized Jiang Yeqiu's behavior.
At the same time, they also expressed varying degrees of concern and thought about the situation of the Longyuan Dynasty.
The atmosphere at the entire palace banquet became extremely complex and subtle because of this series of events.
Emperor Li Zhuo's eyes widened with anger, and he shouted, "Jiang Yeqiu actually dared to commit a crime in front of the emperor. He is so audacious! He deserves the death penalty!"
Jiang Yuanchan kowtowed and begged: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I was confused for a moment. Please have mercy on me!"
Li Huan also cried and said, "Your Majesty, Ye Qiu knows she was wrong. Please forgive her this time."
Li Zhen also knelt down and begged, "Father! Ye Qiu did make a mistake, but please forgive her."
Emperor Li Zhuo snorted coldly: "Humph, you all plead for her. For your sake, I will spare her the death penalty, but she will not be able to escape the punishment of life! Come, drag Jiang Yeqiu away and give him 20 strokes of the cane, then throw him out of the palace!"
Jiang Yuanchan became even more anxious when he heard this: "Your Majesty, twenty strokes of the cane are too heavy. My daughter is too frail to bear it!"
Li Huan also cried out, "Your Majesty, please, reduce the caning."
Li Zhen also said: "Father, this will cost Ye Qiu his life."
Emperor Li Zhuo said angrily: "I have made up my mind, no need to say more! Are you asking for mercy like this to challenge my authority? Or do you want to punish me together?"
Jiang Yuanchan and others were so frightened that they dared not say anything and could only watch as the guards dragged Jiang Yeqiu away.
Jiang Yeqiu cried out, "Dad, Mom, save me!"
Li Zhuo looked at them and said coldly: "Everyone, get up! Stop begging for this ignorant woman, or I will punish you as well!"
Jiang Yuanchan and others stood up helplessly, their faces full of pain and helplessness.
Li Zhen frowned and thought for a while, then looked at Emperor Li Zhuo firmly, knelt down and said: "Father, I am willing to accompany Jiang Yeqiu to be punished."
As soon as these words came out, Empress Zongzheng Fuyue stood up suddenly and angrily scolded: "Zhen'er, what nonsense are you talking about! How can you be so ignorant!"
Li Zhuo also widened his eyes and shouted angrily: "Zhen'er, do you know what you are talking about!"
Li Zhen said stubbornly, "Father, I know that I cannot watch Ye Qiu being punished. I am willing to bear the consequences with her."
Zongzheng Fuyue was so angry that she was shaking all over. She pointed at Li Zhen and said, "You are just fooling around! For the sake of Jiang Yeqiu, you are so foolish!"
Li Zhuo was furious and shouted, "Great, Li Zhen! Since you insist so much, I will grant your wish! Come, give Li Zhen twenty strokes of the cane as well, and confine him to the palace for three months to reflect on his mistakes!"
Li Zhen stood up straight without flinching. Zongzheng Fuyue stamped her feet anxiously: "Your Majesty, no, Zhen'er was confused for a moment, you can't treat him like this!"
Li Zhuo ignored the queen's pleas and said coldly: "I have made up my mind, no one can say anything more!"
Li Zhen said softly: "Mother, I have made up my mind. There is no need to plead for me."
Zong Zheng Fu Yue looked at Li Zhen helplessly, her eyes full of heartache and helplessness.
Everyone around was stunned by this sudden change.
A prince had to be punished in public for a woman.
Li Zhen is confused?