The Useless Miracle Doctor Consort Is Spoiled Rotten by the Prince!

Chapter 1557: Chapter 1552: Punishing the Li Family

Qin Muyan waved his sleeves heavily, his sharp gaze fell on Li Bo like a knife, as if he was subjecting him to a lingering execution.

After reading the report passed to him by Qin Muyan, Qin Rulie found its contents even more absurd than what he had seen this morning, the same report that Li Bo had used to pester Qin Muyan the day before. Enraged, he bellowed, “Outrageous! Do you take the military affairs of Great Wei as child’s play? Guards, drag Li Bo out and administer twenty cane strikes!”

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty, please calm your anger!” Li Bo instantly felt weak in the limbs.

Li Bo was quickly dragged away and, just outside the imperial study, was caned in court. The officials of the Great Wei Dynasty had all witnessed such scenes; emperors who ascended the throne all had made military achievements for Great Wei and possessed the resolute nature of a soldier in meting out punishments, never sparing nor yielding.

This ensured that the royal court of the Great Wei Dynasty always maintained upright and wise governance. With Li Bo’s punishment, many officials introspected and took it as a cautionary lesson.

But no matter how Qin Rulie punished Li Bo, the damage caused to Qin Muyan brought him a sense of guilt.

He leaned on one hand with a headache, “The old Duke is suppressing him at Prince Zhao’s place, while Li Bo keeps making repeated mistakes in the court, truly disgraceful.”

Qin Muyan immediately bowed and said, “Imperial Brother need not worry; even if the old Duke learns of you punishing Li Bo, he will not have any objections against Your Majesty. The old Duke is a person of wisdom and great righteousness. Previously, we had not expected Li Bo to go so far in competing for favor for his daughter—it was a slight oversight on our part.”

It seems he himself was also at fault for placing too much trust in the Li family because of Qin Ge.

“It’s settled then. I’ll send someone to contact the old Duke. You should return to the prince’s mansion to comfort the Princess. Take back with you all the rewards I promised her last night, and don’t let her feel as though Great Wei has wronged her.” Qin Rulie’s expression was stern, yet his tone carried a sense of warmth.

Qin Muyan expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, Imperial Brother. However, concerning the punishment of secondary consort Li, I must inform Imperial Brother that she tried to drug me, her methods for gaining favor were despicable, and she harmed the Princess. I must punish her.”

This point made Qin Rulie somewhat troubled.

If the old Duke was still in the capital, whenever Li Yunshu did something wrong, she would be punished accordingly. But now that the old Duke was appeasing others on behalf of Prince Zhao, if he learned that his granddaughter was punished too harshly, it might foster resentment in his heart…

Qin Rulie still advised Qin Muyan, “Moderation in punishment can serve as a warning. Be mindful of the extent.”

Understanding Qin Rulie’s meaning, though somewhat reluctant, Qin Muyan nodded, “Yes, I understand.”

After leaving the imperial study, Qin Muyan sent Wei Jue to Duke Li’s mansion, instructing him to capture Li Yunshu, who was hiding at home, and bring her back to Scarlet Flame King’s mansion. It was imperative he punished her.

Later, he visited the Empress Dowager to assist with her medicinal soup and also mentioned Rong Yun’s plight to the empress.

Learning of Rong Yun’s suffering, the empress felt deeply distressed, “This poor young girl is truly pitiable. She dazzled me at last night’s palace banquet, but to think she had been drugged. The filthy tactics of the inner quarters of the harem are despicable!”

As the empress who managed the harem with the same strictness as Qin Rulie managed the military, she never envied any favored consort, but also never permitted them to engage in vile tactics out of jealousy or spite.

There had been a consort in the past who drugged Qin Rulie, whom the empress had immediately executed.

If the matter were left to her, she would not have spared Li Yunshu either.

But now, the issue concerning Li Yunshu was too complicated to address with drastic measures. She heard that Qin Muyan had sent people to retrieve her from the Duke’s mansion, and it was Wei Jue leading the palace guards—a rather big movement.

After attending to the Empress Dowager’s medicinal soup, Qin Muyan, seeing the worry in the empress’s eyes, proclaimed loudly: “Imperial Sister-in-law need not worry, I am aware of the consequences of my actions.”

“You have always been aware of propriety, and I am not worried; my only fear is that it would be difficult to explain to my aunt…” The empress spoke very tactfully.

The strength of the Li family and its relation to Qin Ge, as that is Qin Ge’s husband’s family.

Although her husband has passed away, and she has left the duke’s mansion for many years to live alone in the Princess’s Manor, that connection still exists. What’s more, Qin Ge has always doted on Li Yunshu.

No sooner had she finished speaking than a palace attendant came to report that Qin Ge had come to the palace and was heading straight here.

The Empress Dowager had been silent all this time, but now, her hand resting on Qin Muyan’s hand, she showed a smile, “Good child, don’t be scared; your imperial grandmother is here for you.”

Qin Muyan was deeply moved, “Thank you for your favor, Imperial Grandmother. Rong Yun eagerly awaits the pastries from your palace.”

“Haha, such a sweet-toothed young girl, I’ve had someone make them already, all wrapped up; you take them back to her.” The Empress Dowager’s health was failing, her body growing weaker and her complexion paler, but her love for her descendants would not diminish, especially for Rong Yun.

She always felt that the young girl was full of spiritual energy.

“Your Imperial Son pays his respects to Mother.” Qin Ge paid her respects upon entering the palace.

But the Empress Dowager had not let her stand up yet when she rose and, walking over to Qin Muyan, demanded, “Was it you, Wei Jue, who led people to burst into the Li’s duke mansion and capture Yunshu? Do you realize that this is an affront to the duke’s dignity?”

“Your Imperial Son understands.” Qin Muyan rose, his robes furling, with a tall and dignified bearing.

“If you understand, then why…”

“Presumptuous!”

Before Qin Ge could finish her chastisement, the Empress Dowager became angry. Although slightly stricken by age, her eyes were still sharp, exerting a pressure that made one’s blood run cold.

Qin Ge immediately knelt down, gathering her skirts, “Your Imperial Son acknowledges his mistake, and begs Mother to calm her anger.”

“How can I calm my anger? Qin Ge, you are the Eldest Princess. Look at Li Yunshu, whom you have nurtured. How can you not bear responsibility for what she has become? Not to mention her parents – you, as her aunt, are surely the one who has indulged her the most!” The Empress Dowager hit Qin Ge’s sore spot mercilessly, not sparing her any face in front of the empress and Qin Muyan.

Qin Ge’s face turned pale as she knelt and bent slightly forward, unable to argue back while the Empress Dowager’s anger grew more intense, “Look at what she has done now! Drugging His Highness, plotting against the Princess, what won’t she dare to do for favor? What, is the Great Wei’s realm supposed to bear the Li surname now?!”

“Mother, please contain your anger!” Kneeling on the ground, Qin Ge was at a loss for words.

Although she felt that her mother’s words were somewhat harsh, she realized that Li Yunshu really had done wrong.

The bit of resentment she initially felt towards Qin Muyan dissipated completely.

“It seems to me,” the Empress Dowager said, “that there was nothing wrong with Muyan sending people to the duke’s mansion to arrest her! She is already a secondary consort of the Scarlet Flame King’s mansion, and it is an error for her to return to the duke’s mansion without permission. Refusing to take responsibility is all the more an evasion of punishment. This time, there’s no need for Muyan to act, I will personally send someone to punish her.”

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