The princess regretted it.

Chapter 313 Jiaoyu gets beaten

The emperor snapped back to his senses after Jin'an's reminder. Remembering his newly appointed Consort Xian, he helplessly rubbed his brow, sighing inwardly that he had indeed been negligent in the past, considering the incident that had occurred in the harem during the celebration banquet. He looked at Jin'an and whispered, "Alright, father, I understand."

Seeing this, Jin An tactfully said no more, knelt and bowed, and gracefully retreated. As soon as she left, Eunuch Fuquan quietly walked in.

The Emperor cast his gaze towards Fuquan and said in a deep voice, "Go and tell Consort Xian to get ready. I will come over to have lunch with her at noon."

"Xian?" Fuquan was stunned for a moment when he heard the name, then he reacted and quickly responded and retreated in a hurry.

The Second Prince returned to his residence in a dazed state, as if he had lost his soul. His steps were unsteady, each one weighing a thousand pounds. He entered the house and raised his hand to close the door. The muffled "bang" seemed to hit him hard in the heart.

He sat alone in a chair, his eyes empty and lifeless, his mind replaying uncontrollably everything Yundou said and did in the Health Hall. Every scene was like a sharp blade, piercing his heart.

Yundou, that was the sweetheart his mother had brought to his side since he was very young. For so many years, she had meticulously taken care of every aspect of his life, from his travel schedules to his daily dietary preferences. He had never harbored the slightest doubt about Yundou. In his mind, she was like his own sister, one of the few people in this cold palace who could offer him warmth.

But now, reality had dealt him a heavy blow. He had never imagined that Yundou would betray him and fabricate such vicious lies to frame him. He held his head in his hands, pulling at his hair in pain, feeling aggrieved and confused. He simply couldn't understand why all this had happened.

At that moment, his door was violently pushed open. As if swept by a strong wind, the two doors slammed heavily against the walls on either side, then bounced back slightly. Just from the noise, one could imagine the force used by the intruder, the rage in their heart threatening to set the room ablaze.

Jiaoyu stormed in, her chest heaving violently and her face flushed crimson, clearly furious. It turned out she had already heard everything that had happened in the Health Hall.

When she learned Yundou had been arrested, her heart skipped a beat and she began to panic. She knew Yundou knew too many secrets and was afraid she wouldn't be able to withstand the torture and would reveal everything. So she quickly had people closely monitoring the Health Preservation Hall's every move, so she could be informed of any developments and respond accordingly.

When she learned Yundou had uttered those false accusations against her second brother, her first reaction was a sense of something being amiss, a sense of inexplicable suspicion. After all, her second brother had had no hand in the matter; he wasn't even aware of Concubine Chun's pregnancy. Why would Yundou suddenly accuse him of this? Furthermore, Jiaoyu had always sensed Yundou's feelings for her second brother, a caring and loyal devotion that was no pretense. Therefore, she was certain Yundou wouldn't betray him.

But now that the facts were before her, she was full of doubts and couldn't understand why Yundou did this. She was so anxious that she hurried to find Zhang Pin.

After hearing what Jiaoyu said, Zhangpin was so angry that she trembled all over and slapped Jiaoyu in the face. Jiaoyu was stunned at the time. She had been pampered in the palace since she was a child and had never suffered such an injustice. She stared at Zhangpin blankly, her eyes full of disbelief and tears of grievance, and her eyes instantly turned red.

After Zhangpin slapped Jiaoyu, she regretted it when she saw her pitiful appearance. But at that time, she was really angry at Jiaoyu's rash behavior. She had repeatedly urged her to borrow Concubine Cen's knife to kill Concubine Chun, so that she could achieve her goal and clear herself of any connection with the matter.

Who knew Jiaoyu would take it upon herself to let Yundou do it? If it had been a well-planned operation, it would have been fine, but it ended up with so many flaws and even implicated her own son. She was shocked and angry. In a moment, her anger completely overwhelmed her rationality, and her hand swung up uncontrollably.

After the beating, Concubine Zhang suppressed her reluctance and did not go forward to comfort Jiaoyu. Instead, she sat heavily on the couch, covering her face with her hands, filled with regret and self-blame. She knew that it would be extremely difficult to salvage the current situation, but she had to find a way to protect her son and not let him suffer this unprovoked disaster.

Filled with resentment and grievance, Jiaoyu wanted to turn around and leave this heartbreaking place without looking back. But as soon as she took a step, the fear in her heart quickly wrapped around her like a vine. She knew that if Yundou really gave her away, the consequences would be far more than just a slap from her mother. If that happened, she would be doomed in this deep palace.

So, she bit her lower lip so hard that her teeth were almost broken, and she suppressed the impulse. She turned around slowly, walked to Zhang Pin with heavy steps, and knelt down with a "thump". Her knees hit the ground with a dull sound.

She raised her tearful eyes and choked up to Zhang Concubine, "Mother, it was my fault. You were right to hit me. You must think of a solution now. What should I do with my second brother? If something happens to my second brother, we'll be finished." As she spoke, tears flowed out like a flood.

Zhang Concubine slowly raised her head. Time had left its mark on her face, and her once radiant face now looked haggard. Two tear marks on her eyes, like winding streams, silently flowed down her cheeks. She looked at Jiaoyu's face, the red slap marks on her face, which made her tearful appearance even more pitiful.

Zhang Pin's heart softened. She slowly raised her hand, her fingers trembling slightly as she gently stroked Jiaoyu's fair and delicate face, as if trying to soothe the pain in her heart. She sighed and said, "Jiaoyu, you are really too reckless. Your mother hit you because she hopes you can be alert. This harem is no longer the harem when your mother was in power. Nowadays, everyone in the harem is a people who change with the wind. You must not act rashly on things you are not sure of. Look, because of your momentary impulse, you have caused so much trouble. Not only did you hurt yourself, but you also implicated your second brother." Her words were full of pain and helplessness.

Jiaoyu cried bitterly, saying, "Mother, I know I was wrong. Please don't be sad. How about I go find my uncle and maternal grandfather? They hold great power and have extensive connections. They will definitely help my second brother clear his name."

Jiaoyu used to be incredibly clever and shrewd, handling matters within the harem with ease. However, recently, a series of incidents befell her and her family, like a nightmare, leaving her feeling unbalanced. When one is impatient, their minds become tangled, unable to calm down and think, making them prone to mistakes, leading to the catastrophe that unfolded today.