"Your Majesty, I, Zhu Hong, Supervising Censor of the Censorate, impeach His Highness Prince Qing for unseemly conduct!"
"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Jincheng, Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, impeach His Highness Prince Qing for using his power to bully others!"
Among the ranks of the censors, two officials holding court tablets stepped forward one after the other, bowing toward the Yongzhao Emperor and reporting in loud voices.
Hearing this, veins instantly bulged on the Yongzhao Emperor's forehead.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suppressing the fury in his heart, he asked in a cold voice, "What has His Highness Prince Qing done this time?"
This was not the first time he had heard court officials impeach his good-for-nothing son.
Yet every time he heard it, he still felt he had lost all face, and a surge of anger rose within him.
Supervising Censor Zhu Hong was the first to reply, "Your Majesty, your humble servant has learned that over the past two nights, His Highness Prince Qing has lingered day and night at Xiaoyue Pavilion."
"Xiaoyue Pavilion is a brothel. As an imperial prince, rather than keeping himself pure and respectable, His Highness Prince Qing lingers in places of debauchery, which truly damages the dignity of the imperial family."
As his voice fell, Zhang Jincheng, Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, immediately added, "Your Majesty, not only does His Highness Prince Qing linger in places of debauchery, but as your servant understands, last night he even used his status as an imperial prince to oppress Peng Huayu, the second son of Marquis Wuning, and seize a brothel woman."
"The matter has even become common knowledge."
"Added to His Highness Prince Qing's past unseemly behavior, your servant implores Your Majesty to severely punish His Highness Prince Qing!"
When he finished speaking, many censors stepped forward and chimed in one after another.
"Your servant implores Your Majesty to severely punish His Highness Prince Qing!"
Standing beside the dragon chair, Eunuch Cao cast a stealthy glance at the Yongzhao Emperor.
The Yongzhao Emperor attached great importance to the dignity of the imperial family.
With so many censors openly impeaching his son, as a father, he naturally lost face.
At that moment, the Yongzhao Emperor's face was as dark as the bottom of a cooking pot, and his breathing grew heavy.
Suppressing the fierce anger in his heart, the Yongzhao Emperor spoke, "Once We have investigated and verified this matter, We shall deal with it accordingly."
After the morning court session dismissed, the Yongzhao Emperor flicked his sleeves and strode away.
Eunuch Cao followed cautiously behind.
"Cao Yan, is there any report from outside the palace?" On the way to the Imperial Study, the Yongzhao Emperor demanded in a booming voice.
"This old slave will immediately send someone to inquire."
Before long, inside the Imperial Study.
The Yongzhao Emperor sat behind the imperial desk as a palace guard reported in full detail how Zhao Yi and the second son of Marquis Wuning had vied for a woman at Xiaoyue Pavilion the previous night.
After listening, the Yongzhao Emperor's anger subsided a fraction.
Most of those censors relied on hearsay, whereas he could obtain the most accurate information.
Upon learning that it was Peng Huayu, the second son of Marquis Wuning, who had first snatched the person Zhao Yi had chosen, the Yongzhao Emperor understood everything in a flash.
"Come to think of it, Marquis Wuning should be the maternal cousin once removed of the Ninth Prince," the Yongzhao Emperor muttered, as if speaking to himself.
Eunuch Cao caught his meaning, nodded, and replied, "Marquis Wuning is a cousin of the Ninth Prince's birth mother. Reckoning it that way, he is indeed the Ninth Prince's maternal cousin once removed."
"Hmph!" The Yongzhao Emperor let out a cold laugh. "The Ninth Prince has made his move so quickly!"
That was a remark Eunuch Cao dared not answer.
"And this Eighth Prince is truly hopeless!" The moment the Yongzhao Emperor thought of Zhao Yi, his temper flared up again. "If he hadn't been lingering in places of debauchery, how could he have given others an opening!"
Pondering for a moment, the Yongzhao Emperor instructed Eunuch Cao, "Go and summon the Eighth Prince to the palace!"
"I am going to teach this scoundrel a proper lesson!"
"This old slave obeys the imperial decree!"
***
Court of State Ceremonial.
"Who did you say is here?"
Pei Lian stared at the reporting handyman with an expression of disbelief.
"His Highness Prince Qing!" the handyman repeated.
"What is he here for?" Pei Lian frowned.
"His Grace says he is looking for someone who can read Huolu script!" the handyman explained respectfully.
Hearing this, Pei Lian felt his heart skip a beat.
Not many people in the Court of State Ceremonial could read Huolu script, and he was one of them.
Could it be that he has come looking for me?
From the bottom of his heart, Pei Lian looked down upon this legendary good-for-nothing prince of three strikes.
In the past, both openly and covertly, he had frequently mocked Zhao Yi.
Now that Zhao Yi had suddenly come knocking, he felt somewhat guilty of a guilty conscience.
However, Pei Lian quickly dismissed the thought.
He had no dealings with Zhao Yi.
Besides, the Emperor had already bestowed a marriage decree; his paternal first cousin Pei Yiqiu was soon to be wed to Zhao Yi.
The two sides would soon be relatives by marriage.
Zhao Yi had no reason to cause trouble for him.
Thinking of this, Pei Lian breathed a sigh of relief.
He straightened his robes and walked toward the main hall.
"Your humble servant pays respects to Your Highness." Seeing Zhao Yi, Pei Lian offered a bow.
"You are?" Zhao Yi cast an inquiring look.
Pei Lian smiled. "I am Pei Lian, Assistant Administrator in the Office of Rites and Ceremonies within the Court of State Ceremonial."
Pei Lian deliberately put heavy emphasis on his surname Pei, and after finishing, looked at Zhao Yi with expectant eyes.
He thought Zhao Yi would understand his meaning, but Zhao Yi did not give it a second thought and instead asked directly, "Can you read Huolu script?"
The smile on Pei Lian's face froze instantly.
He grimaced in displeasure, curled his lip, and nodded. "I can read it."
Zhao Yi's eyes lit up as he hurriedly pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Pei Lian. "Do you know what the words on this mean?"
Pei Lian took it, glanced at it, and replied, "The one at the top is the word 'kill', and the one at the bottom is the word 'subject'."
Hearing this, Zhao Yi's pupils constricted slightly.
There were a total of five characters on that slip of paper.
Not wishing to expose the information on the note, Zhao Yi had merely copied the first and last characters for someone to identify.
Even these two characters alone were enough for Zhao Yi to smell a conspiracy in the air.
"Your Highness, why are you asking about these two characters?" Amidst his thoughts, Pei Lian suddenly asked.
Regaining his composure, Zhao Yi replied, "This prince suddenly finds the script of Huolu quite interesting and wishes to learn a bit of it."
With that, Zhao Yi's expression brightened. "Do you have any translations of Huolu texts here?"
"Have them, we do, but..."
"Get them for this prince quickly!"
Before Pei Lian could finish speaking, Zhao Yi urged impatiently.
With a bitter expression, Pei Lian said, "Your Highness, we only have a single surviving copy here, and it is not convenient to lend it out."
"This prince is borrowing a book from you, and yet you dare to raise all these obstacles!" Zhao Yi's playboy persona instantly went live. "Go and fetch it at once, and don't force me to use physical force!"
Such arrogance and bullying!
Pei Lian inwardly cursed, yet obediently went to fetch it.
After getting it, Zhao Yi flipped through it a few times and tucked it away with satisfaction.
Then he patted Pei Lian on the shoulder. "This prince will return it to you after someone makes a copy."
With that, he strode away in a grand manner, taking his guards with him.
Watching the direction in which Zhao Yi left, Pei Lian curled his lip and shook his head. "Hmph, putting on airs, wanting to learn some Huolu script—no telling what kind of mischief he is up to again!"
***
Prince Qing's Estate.
Chief Secretary Xu stood at the entrance, pacing back and forth anxiously.
The moment he spotted Zhao Yi's carriage, he hurried forward to meet it.
"Your Highness, you have finally returned!" Chief Secretary Xu said, his face full of distress. "Someone has come from the palace; His Majesty has summoned Your Highness for an imperial audience."
Zhao Yi frowned slightly. "Did they say what he wants with me?"
Chief Secretary Xu let out a sigh and recounted everything in detail. "Your Highness, in the imperial court today, two censors impeached you for lingering at Xiaoyue Pavilion over the past two days and using your power to oppress the second son of Marquis Wuning."
"His Majesty is extremely displeased, and thus has summoned Your Highness into the palace."
Hearing this, a cold gleam flashed in Zhao Yi's eyes.
He finally understood why Peng Huayu had acted that way yesterday.
"Do I have a feud with the people of Marquis Wuning?" Zhao Yi looked at Chief Secretary Xu with some puzzlement.
Chief Secretary Xu glanced at the guards behind Zhao Yi and made a gesture of invitation to him. "Will Your Highness please step aside a moment so we may speak?"
Zhao Yi was slightly stunned, then understood Chief Secretary Xu's intent. He walked a few paces away from the guards, and only then did Chief Secretary Xu lower his voice to speak.
"Your Highness, Marquis Wuning is a man of His Highness the Ninth Prince!"