Chapter 120: Prince Qiyin and the Ninth Prince
“Alright, everyone leave. I need to ask Concubine Shu a few things.”
Ying waved his hand to dismiss the people around, leaving only three of them in the room.
“Concubine Shu, let’s talk. Why?”
Ying asked casually.
“Sir Ying, what is with that tone? My mother is the victim here! Why does it feel like you’re interrogating a criminal?”
Qin Xiu, upon hearing Ying’s tone, felt disgruntled and was about to continue his accusations but was stopped by Concubine Shu.
The situation had escalated to this point, and Concubine Shu didn’t want Qin Xiu to offend Ying and lose his chance to become Ying’s apprentice.
Indeed, even now, Concubine Shu was still thinking about making Qin Xiu Ying’s disciple.
She was even more confident than before.
Qin Bei dared to take action against her; he would surely suffer severe punishment. Even if Qin Xuan did nothing, he would be affected as well.
“Lord Ying, I don’t understand what you mean.”
At that moment, Concubine Shu’s condition was quite stable. Aside from her aged appearance and loss of cultivation, she was otherwise fine.
Her normal life could continue, though she was breathless when she spoke.
“I need to know why Prince Bei did this. You should know the reason, right?”
“This… perhaps it was due to my private matters with Concubine Chen that led to Qin Bei’s misunderstanding.”
“Private matters?”
“Yes, here’s how it happened…”
Concubine Shu recounted the afternoon’s events but dodged the heavy details.
She admitted to leading people to smash up Qingling Palace.
However, regarding the forcibly removing the spirit embryo from Concubine Chen’s body, she claimed that Concubine Chen dismissed any connection with the Ling family and took it out herself.
Concubine Shu wasn’t afraid someone might gather evidence because the spirit embryo was indeed taken out by Concubine Chen herself.
It was just that she had coerced her; of course, she wouldn’t tell Ying this part of the process.
“Okay, Prince Xiu, take care of Concubine Shu here.”
Having said that, Ying was ready to leave, wanting to verify the matter.
“Wait! Lord Ying! I have to join you in capturing Qin Bei. He must pay for hurting my mother!”
Qin Xiu said coldly.
“Don’t get involved in this, I’ll handle it.”
“But…”
Before Qin Xiu could finish his sentence, Ying had already left.
He was going to ask Concubine Chen and wouldn’t take Concubine Shu’s one-sided story at face value.
Still, deep down, he had a rough understanding.
Qin Bei’s attack was entirely due to Concubine Chen being upset, though he was a bit too ruthless about it.
Qin Xiu looked at Ying’s departing figure, discontent brewing in his eyes.
Since Ying wouldn’t let him interfere, he would find someone who could!
Thus, Qin Xiu left the Imperial Hospital and headed to where the royal family was located.
In all of Great Xia, if anyone could balance the power of Emperor Xia, it was the royal family.
The royal family only cared about one thing: the internal matters of the royal court.
Whenever a royal member made a mistake, the interrogation and punishment were handed over to the royal family.
The Ministry of Justice, on the other hand, could not lay a hand on royal members.
The reasoning behind this is a form of protection for royal members; non-royal members are not qualified to judge them, symbolizing the nobility of the royal clan.
Moreover, delegating these matters to the royal family ensures that as long as it isn’t a major issue like rebellion, the worst consequence would be demotion back to their fief, living as a carefree idle king.
…
Meanwhile, when Ying went to question Concubine Chen, she appeared very surprised.
Since she hadn’t told anyone about her spirit embryo being forcibly taken, why was Ying back to ask her now?
She conjured a terrifying thought in her mind.
Ying provided her with a precise answer, and upon learning of what happened, Concubine Chen nearly lost her balance.
Her heart filled with worry.
In the end, she confessed everything to Ying without a single lie.
As for how to judge this matter, that was Ying’s responsibility.
“Lord Ying, is Xiaobei alright?”
Concubine Chen inquired.
“Don’t worry, Prince Bei is temporarily safe. He’s hiding in the Demon Suppression Tower now, and probably won’t come out for a while.”
After leaving this statement, Ying departed.
…
On the other side, Qin Xiu arrived at the Royal Family Law Enforcement Hall.
“Ninth Uncle, Qin Xiu seeks an audience!”
Qin Xiu stood outside the hall and performed a grand bow.
“Come in.”
A deep voice called out, and Qin Xiu stood and entered the hall.
“You rascal, what brings you here so late?”
Qin Rui scrutinized Qin Xiu and asked.
Normally, the princes least wanted to see him because encountering him meant trouble and punishment.
He was the ninth son of the former emperor, now the Prince of Qiyin, Prince Rui.
But more people were accustomed to referring to him as the Ninth Prince.
He managed the entire royal clan.
In Great Xia, national affairs were decided by Emperor Xia, and no one could interfere.
But in internal royal matters, the Ninth Prince and Emperor Xia held equal power.
The important thing is that the two have always been at odds, so behind the scenes, they often clashed fiercely, neither backing down.
Qin Xiu looked at the Ninth Prince seated above and felt a bit speechless.
Because at this late hour, the Ninth Prince was actually watching beautiful women dance, sipping fine wine, and enjoying delicacies.
He didn’t care at all about what was happening outside.
“Uncle, please help me!”
Qin Xiu bowed deeply, startling the laid-back Ninth Prince.
“Oh my, what are you doing, nephew? Speak up; I will help you if I can.”
The Ninth Prince hurriedly stood and attempted to lift Qin Xiu up.
However, Qin Xiu stubbornly remained on the ground.
“My mother was seriously injured by someone who broke into the Hundred Birds Palace. My father handed the matter over to Lord Ying, but after several hours, he still hasn’t caught the criminal. Please, Uncle, step in and bring the culprit to justice to restore the dignity of the royal family!”
Qin Xiu declared with righteous indignation, feeling as though he had suffered tremendous injustice.
Of course, in Qin Xiu’s heart, this was genuinely how he felt; he had no clue regarding his mother’s sordid actions.
“What? Someone dared to attack Concubine Shu? What is Lord Ying doing? Has the Shadow Guards fallen this low?”
Upon hearing that a royal member had been harmed, the Ninth Prince instantly erupted in fury.
“Speak! Who? This prince will take the enforcement team to capture them at once and have them beheaded on the spot!”
The reason the Ninth Prince could manage the royal family was not because of exceptional skill or profound cultivation.
On the contrary, the Ninth Prince’s cultivation was rather low, barely reaching the fairyland realm, and while he had some skill, he thrived on pleasure with the lifelong dream of being a carefree idle king.
And the only reason the royal family chose him to control matters was that the Ninth Prince was extremely protective of his own kin!
As long as they were royal family members, he would protect them—regardless of right or wrong. Anyone who offended royal members would find him throwing his weight behind them.
For instance, regarding the situation with Qin Bei and Wen Hua, if the Ninth Prince caught wind of it.
Wen Hua would have to lie down for at least a year.
The royal family wanted this type of individual—one who prioritized royal interests above all.
“Reporting to the emperor, it’s that arrogant and unruly Qin Bei!”
Qin Xiu, seizing the opportunity, quickly spat out Qin Bei’s name.
“Who? Qin Bei?”
The previously towering Ninth Prince suddenly turned pale.
He felt a headache coming on; this was a conflict within the royal family, and these were the matters he least wanted to deal with.
However, he was relieved that it was a prince and a consort involved, not a dispute between princes.
Otherwise, it would only be more troublesome.
Because in his mind, royal members were differentiated hierarchically.
Princes, no matter which one, were always more significant than consorts.
Regardless of whether they were noble consorts, regular consorts, or even the empress, they would all come up short.
Who told these women they lacked royal blood? Then they had to stay on a lower tier.
This was also one of the frequent points of conflict between him and Emperor Xia, leading to endless debates…
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