Fang Xuanling was completely stunned when he received the urgent report personally written by Wang Yifang. He quickly handed it to Changsun Wuji, wondering if he was seeing things.
Changsun Wuji was also shocked to learn that Li Yuanying had followed the ship to Japan. This kid was already causing trouble in Chang’an, and now he was acting recklessly in his fiefdom. Had he forgotten that a feudal lord should not leave his fief without permission?
Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling exchanged glances, and both of them stood up at the same time, preparing to report the matter to Emperor Li immediately. After all, it wasn’t their brother, so let Emperor Li worry about it! Why did he always spoil Li Yuanying? Look at what he had turned him into!
Emperor Li’s mood had been quite good lately, the only thing that bothered him was that since he scolded Li Yuanying the last time, Li Yuanying had stopped writing letters to him. He had written a few letters to Li Chengqian, however. That kid was clearly doing it on purpose!
Emperor Li watched as his eldest son, Li Chengqian, behaved arrogantly, always finding fault with him. Li Chengqian, who was normally confined to the imperial court, was informed that Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji had arrived together, and a headache came over him. It meant that there was another thorny matter for Emperor Li to decide.
Emperor Li had been asking for his opinion a lot lately.
Li Chengqian straightened his posture, ready to face another round of Emperor Li’s tests.
After Changsun Wuji finished explaining the situation, Li Chengqian was stunned.
His uncle had gone to sea?!
Li Chengqian quickly looked at Emperor Li.
Emperor Li’s face was dark enough to drip water. The new ship had just been built, and Li Yuanying dared to follow it for a sea trial. He simply didn’t value his own life! Even though he could swim, he wouldn’t stand a chance against a storm at sea. The vast ocean surrounded them, how far could he swim?
Li Chengqian hurriedly took the report and read it through. He told Emperor Li, “Father, Wang Changshi has sent people to pursue him. Maybe Uncle has already been brought back.”
Emperor Li said coldly, “Hopefully!”
If Li Yuanying dared to follow the fleet to Japan, then none of Li Dejian’s people should stay in Tengzhou. It was impossible to not notice such a large living person on board. They knew Li Yuanying was on board but didn’t return, which meant they were deliberately defying orders!
Emperor Li assigned a group of people to immediately go to Tengzhou and bring Li Yuanying back. If he resisted, they were to bind him!
Without Li Yuanying in front of him, Emperor Li’s anger had nowhere to go. He scolded every official who came to report on their work.
Soon, the entire court knew that Li Yuanying had sneaked off to Japan for a vacation. Thinking about their own misfortune, everyone decided to write a memo to scold Li Yuanying. Some said he was reckless, some said he was wicked, and some urged Emperor Li to execute him directly.
Emperor Li was even angrier after reading these memos.
Li Yuanying was already causing trouble, but these people were adding to it. It seemed that his brother had no influence in the court, everyone wanted to take this opportunity to crush him!
Emperor Li didn’t sleep well for several days. He was angry at this and that, and finally when he fell asleep, he had a dream. He dreamt that Li Yuanying had sailed to Japan, and he saw the beautiful mountains, rivers, and delicious food. He wrote a letter to Emperor Li, saying, “It’s so amazing here, I don’t want to go back.”
Emperor Li woke up with a start.
His attendants cautiously approached and said, “Your Majesty, you’ve only rested for an hour.”
Emperor Li waved his hand, dismissing them. He sat by the bed, watching the candles that lit up the entire room.
Out of all his brothers and sons, Li Yuanying was the most like him, the most like him in his youth. That’s why he was willing to indulge Li Yuanying. He wanted to prove that he was different from his father. He could let Li Yuanying do whatever he wanted without any restrictions.
But, it wasn’t enough.
Tengzhou was already far enough. He wouldn’t allow Li Yuanying to go further.
The people Emperor Li sent quickly arrived in Tengzhou. Learning that Li Yuanying hadn’t returned, they said nothing to Wei Jiu and the others. They went straight to the harbor and waited for the fleet to return.
Even though these people didn’t say anything, Wei Jiu and the others could sense Emperor Li’s wrath.
They had no energy to scold Li Yuanying anymore. They only hoped he could safely survive this ordeal.
After two more days, the fleet finally returned from the east. All the ships were intact, without a single loss. Li Yuanying jumped off the ship excitedly. He was about to tell Wei Jiu about his discoveries on the journey when he was apprehended by the people Emperor Li had sent.
Li Dejian had already explained the seriousness of the situation to Li Yuanying along the way. But Emperor Li’s swift response still caught him off guard. These people didn’t say a word and were determined to take him back to the capital. He couldn’t actually lead a rebellion, so he could only comply.
Seeing Wei Jiu rushing towards him with worry, Li Yuanying quickly comforted her, “It’s alright, I’ll go and explain everything to my brother. He’ll forgive me.”
Wei Jiu said, “Even if the Emperor forgives you, it’s not an excuse for you to sneak onto the ship and sail out to sea.”
Li Yuanying felt a pang of guilt. He knew if he had discussed it with them, they wouldn’t have allowed him to leave. But the ship was already built, and the sea was so vast, he had to see it! He pulled Wei Jiu’s hand and promised, “Just this once, I won’t do it again. Don’t be angry with me, my dear Jiu.”
Seeing him soften, Wei Jiu couldn’t say anything harsh. She held his hand back and said, “You’ll have to face some hardships when you return to the capital, I’ll go back with you.”
Li Yuanying was immediately overwhelmed with affection. He pulled Wei Jiu into his arms and hugged her tightly.
The people Emperor Li had sent felt they weren’t here to arrest anyone, but to break up a couple!
Wei Jiu had already made up her mind to return to the capital with him. She wouldn’t hesitate. She quickly gathered her people and followed Li Yuanying’s group. She brought him food when he was hungry, and clothes when he was cold. She didn’t let him suffer at all, while the people who came to arrest him suffered a lot on the rushed journey.
But it was still a rushed march. Li Yuanying had just disembarked, and now he was rushing back to Chang’an. He had lost a considerable amount of weight from the exhaustion, looking quite pitiful.
At the palace gate, Wei Jiu was stopped and sent back to the Wei family.
Wei Zheng wasn’t home, and Wei Jiu couldn’t find out how Emperor Li planned to deal with Li Yuanying. She could only anxiously wait for Wei Zheng’s return in the study.
Li Yuanying was brought outside the council chamber. He wasn’t allowed to enter, but he heard Emperor Li order someone to give him thirty strokes with a cane, then carry him inside.
Li Yuanying had been thinking about how to get away with it all the way here. When he heard Emperor Li’s order, he was completely dumbfounded. He was confused until he was pushed down to the ground. The moment he was hit on the buttocks, tears of pain streamed down his face.
Li Yuanying felt that this was the longest and most agonizing moment of his life. Even though the cane only struck his buttocks, his entire body ached. As the pain intensified, he became sorrowful. His brother really didn’t like him anymore.
His brother wasn’t just his brother, he was also the Emperor. Just like how his brother used to love his fourth nephew, in the end, he would still deal with him as he saw fit. And Qi Wang, whose fiefdom was next to his, hadn’t even survived.
Now his brother was going to have him beaten to death.
Recalling the past, Li Yuanying became more and more heartbroken, crying uncontrollably. After thirty strokes, he felt like there wasn’t a single piece of good flesh left on his buttocks, but when he was carried into the council chamber, his tears had stopped. He no longer had the heartbroken look from before. He quietly lay down wherever he was placed, saying nothing.
Emperor Li didn’t pay any attention to him, and continued to discuss matters with Wei Zheng and the others. When things came to a close, Changsun Wuji said, “Your Majesty, why not have someone apply medicine to Prince Teng first? Don’t let him develop a chronic condition.”
Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng also joined in the persuasion.
Li Yuanying was even more heartbroken. He had reached the point where even Changsun Wuji was interceding for him. He stubbornly turned his head away, closed his eyes, and refused to look at Emperor Li again.
Emperor Li sent Changsun Wuji and the others away.
Changsun Wuji and the others exchanged glances and didn’t stay any longer.
Once everyone was gone, Emperor Li went to Li Yuanying and looked at him.
Li Yuanying felt Emperor Li standing in front of him, and he immediately turned his head to the other side.
Emperor Li sat down in front of him and shouted, “Turn your head back to me!”
Li Yuanying dared not disobey, he turned his head and opened his eyes to look at him.
Emperor Li sneered, “You’re feeling wronged, are you? Do you know how many memos have been sent asking me to execute you?”
Li Yuanying felt miserable. He didn’t have his usual wit and mumbled, “Then just kill me.”
Emperor Li was furious at Li Yuanying’s words, and ordered someone to carry him back for medical treatment. The place where Li Yuanying lived was still reserved, and Emperor Li instructed someone to watch him. He was to stay confined there, and couldn’t step out of the palace until he had properly reflected on his wrongdoing.
It was already autumn, and Li Yuanying was dressed relatively warmly. The executioners had clearly shown mercy, so his injuries weren’t serious, just painful.
The Imperial Medical Bureau sent several people to take care of him, all personally appointed by Emperor Li. Many couldn’t help but whisper in their hearts: You care so much for him, why did you have him beaten?
Li Yuanying had endured the pain silently in front of Emperor Li, but when the imperial physicians came to treat his buttocks, he couldn’t help but wail.
The senior physician who was in charge of this treatment saw his reaction and advised him with a heavy heart, “Your Highness, just apologize to His Majesty, and this matter will be over.” If he had cried like this in front of Emperor Li earlier, there wouldn’t have been any trouble!
Hearing this, Li Yuanying stopped crying and said gloomily, “My brother had me beaten, he doesn’t like me anymore.” His brother loved him, so he could act recklessly. Now that his brother didn’t like him anymore, he wouldn’t do anything like that again.
The senior physician said, “Since he learned about you going to sea, His Majesty hasn’t had a good night’s sleep.” They shouldn’t reveal Emperor Li’s health condition to others, but Li Yuanying was clearly the reason why Emperor Li couldn’t sleep, so the senior physician had to break the rule. He didn’t want Li Yuanying to continue arguing with Emperor Li. The senior physician said, “Your Highness, you’ve lost a lot of weight. His Majesty must be worried when he sees you. Don’t say anything hurtful to him anymore.”
Li Yuanying turned his head away and ignored the senior physician’s advice.
It was all fake, his brother just wanted to kill him. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he even see him before ordering him to be beaten?
Li Yuanying refused to cooperate, so the senior physician had no choice but to have him properly treated.
Unexpectedly, Li Yuanying developed a fever that night.
**Author’s Note:**
Little prince: My brother doesn’t like me anymore, I’m so sad QAQ
Today was also a day of updating while traveling!
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