PDLP Chapter 372 Waiting to Return Home
Chapter 372 Waiting to Return Home
The Sixth Prince also offered his congratulations lightly.
The banquet was mostly over, and the eldest prince had a few drinks and was more talkative than usual: "Sixth brother, when the poisonous bees attacked that day, your swordsmanship was so sharp and superb that I admire you very much. You were also the first to react and go up to the high platform to protect our father and mother. I am very grateful to you!"
The Sixth Prince said, "Big Brother, you are too kind. My brothers have all married, so naturally they must protect the important people around them first. Didn't Big Brother and Second Brother also go up to the high platform to protect Father and Mother? We have all received many rewards from Father, and the others have also been comforted by him."
The Third Prince was speechless. He hadn't been able to protect the Third Prince's Consort, and Concubine Yang had also been stung by a poisonous bee and was a bit frightened. He hadn't even bothered to care about his father, the Emperor, and his mother, the Empress, who were on the high platform. The Third Prince lowered his head slightly.
The eldest son-in-law echoed, "I heard that the Third Prince's wife was stung quite badly, but the rest of the royal family in the front hall are fine. I wonder how the Empress is doing?"
The Sixth Prince nodded gently: "My mother is fine now. Thank you for your concern, Prince Consort!"
The eldest prince's attention was elsewhere: "Sixth brother, remember to call me when you practice swordsmanship next time. I need to learn from you. One sword can freeze the nineteen continents. Sixth brother, you can wipe out the killer bees with one sword!"
The Sixth Prince just smiled and said nothing. He just raised the wine glass in his hand and toasted everyone present again.
The atmosphere at the banquet gradually became lively. The Second Prince and the First Prince Consort had many of the same interests and hobbies, and they actually got along very well.
The two men each held a glass of wine and went to the window. They looked down at the long street from a high vantage point, and the bustling scene of half the street was in full view.
The Second Prince said with emotion, "I'll introduce Xiao Qi to you someday. Although there's a few years between us, we have very similar interests. You two will definitely get along well. Especially since Xiao Qi's paintings are a true reflection of our mother's. You'll definitely be delighted to see them."
The eldest prince consort asked curiously, "Since you are all here, why doesn't the Sixth Prince invite the Seventh Prince as well? We are just short of the Seventh Prince."
The Second Prince smiled in understanding, "Of course, it's because Sixth Prince, as the older brother, is solely concerned about his younger brother and doesn't want Little Seven to be involved in these matters too early. Of course, this is also because Little Seven was born weak. The rest of us, even Father, would intentionally or unintentionally avoid Little Seven when doing anything."
The prince consort understood and nodded slightly.
The Sixth Prince and the First Prince also walked to the window and looked at the various scenes of life on the long street.
Only the third prince, the fourth prince and the fifth prince were left at the table. The third prince was worried about the third prince's wife. The third prince's wife was seriously injured and could not get out of bed until now. Her temperature kept rising. According to the imperial physician, it was because of the residual poison. Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu were alarmed. Lan Qingwu specially sent Nie Wushuang to treat the third prince's wife, and her condition gradually improved.
The fifth prince drank one glass after another. He looked at the fourth prince with a gloating look in his eyes.
The Fourth Prince, who was always taciturn but also very sensitive, naturally sensed it. His face darkened slightly, but he turned to the Third Prince: "Third Brother, how is Third Sister doing lately? Is she all right?"
The Third Prince paused slightly, sensing the Fourth Prince's implication. He removed the wine glass from his lips and said calmly, "Fourth Prince, what do you think Sixth Prince wants to do by bringing us together?"
The fourth prince's eyes darkened: "What do you think? I'm just afraid that my mother's incident is just the beginning! Third brother is not afraid that the queen mother will suppress the concubines with princes, but it's just the beginning!"
The third prince put down the wine glass in his hand. He had noticed that there were some faint marks on the fourth prince's forehead, which were left by his plea for mercy to Concubine Bai.
The Third Prince couldn't help but wonder, "Fourth Brother, Concubine Bai is a commoner with no background. Even if Mother wanted to suppress her, she wouldn't choose Concubine Bai, right? This matter..."
The Third Prince was reluctant to criticize his elders, so he could only vaguely answer, "This incident happened because of a eunuch in the palace. His fellow townsman had been missing for a long time, but he had never given up searching. This palace is like a huge, unfathomable castle. The disappearance of a small eunuch is really insignificant. Their lives are like plankton, fleeting every day, humble, weak, and lowly. However, they also have people who care about them. These people will worry about the people they care about, get to the bottom of the matter, and even risk their lives, even everything!"
This matter was truly the fault of Concubine Bai. Perhaps it was because she had been poor and suddenly rich, or perhaps it was because she had lived a life of luxury for a long time. Concubine Bai, who had risen from the bottom of society, had surpassed countless noble ladies to enter the palace, and had surpassed countless concubines of higher birth and status than herself. Once she became pregnant and gave birth to Emperor Shenwu's fourth son, how could Concubine Bai not become arrogant? Instead of showing sympathy for the eunuchs and palace maids under her, given her humble background, she intensified her abuse, humiliation, and even murder, in order to highlight her increasingly noble status.
The Fourth Prince's expression became increasingly grim, but the Third Prince continued, "Fourth Prince, you're not wrong, are you?"
You allowed your mother to vent her temper and beat, killed, and abused the palace maids without any dissuasion or even connivance, and even more...
At this moment, the eldest son-in-law exclaimed: "Why are these people gathered together? What are they doing?"
"Isn't this a eunuch from the palace?" the eldest prince also asked in confusion.
The Sixth Prince turned his phoenix eyes towards the Fourth Prince, dark and deep: "Fourth Brother, come here!"
The Fourth Prince seemed to have a premonition of something. He stood up stiffly and walked step by step to the window.
I saw a group of men and women with no similarities in clothing or age walking down the long street. The only thing in common was that they all held an urn in their hands, and their faces were all filled with sadness.
The eldest son-in-law's mind turned slightly. He naturally knew what had happened in the palace. He frowned and guessed who those people were.
The Fourth Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fifth Prince walked to the window one after another. The most distinguished princes of the Dasheng Dynasty watched these sad-faced people slowly walk by downstairs.
The Sixth Prince didn't turn around to look at the Fourth Prince. He just stared at the long street. "Today is the day for the eunuchs and maids in the palace to meet with their relatives outside the palace. The Queen Mother specially arranged for the ashes of those who died unexpectedly to be returned to their families. These people are here to take their relatives home!"
The Fourth Prince's face was stiff and pale, but a subtle flicker of disapproval flashed in his eyes. After all, they were just a bunch of lowly and humble people. If it weren't for the Empress's insistence on holding on to them, even his father would have been ready to let the matter go!
The Sixth Prince knew what the Fourth Prince was thinking without even looking. He continued, "These people are as lowly as dust, so we can naturally look down on them from our high position. Among them is a father who lost his daughter, a man who has been waiting for his bride to leave the palace, a sister who is waiting to be reunited with her sister... Fourth Brother, this world is made up of these dust particles! It is these people that Father has devoted all his energy and blood to protecting! Father is the master of the world, protecting and supporting all the people. Naturally, he can control the life and death of these people, but what right does anyone have to kill them at will? Even Father himself is tolerant and never tortures these people at the bottom!"