Chapter 1662

A group of martial arts eunuchs carried out the punishment themselves. After ten strokes, Prince Shuncheng lost half his life, with only one breath left hanging.

This group of eunuchs had a good sense of proportion.

The higher-ups had ordered that Prince Shuncheng could not die in the palace. Therefore, they held back their strength when they acted, and Prince Shuncheng definitely wouldn't die within three days.

As for whether he would die after three days, it would depend on whether his life was tough enough.

Eunuch Wang Hai was responsible for supervising the punishment.

After the punishment ended, he handed the person over to the servants of Prince Shuncheng's mansion, "Hurry and take the Prince back to the mansion and invite a physician to treat him. However, most physicians are not good at treating external injuries; on the contrary, that group of medical officials has top-quality wound medicine."

The butler of Prince Shuncheng's mansion couldn't make up his mind, so he arranged to send Prince Shuncheng back to the mansion and then went personally to ask Prince Ning for instructions.

Prince Ning had a good head on his shoulders, "This Eunuch Wang's reminder is well-intentioned, and I must accept his favor. Hurry to the Heavenly Prison and invite Medical Official Mu to treat your Prince. Hurry, do not delay. When inviting him, be polite. Medical Official Mu once treated the late Emperor. Forget it, I will arrange for someone to go with you to invite him."

The servant follows the master!

The servants of Prince Shuncheng's mansion were of the same ilk as Prince Shuncheng; their brains weren't very good, and they would resort to violence at the slightest disagreement.

Prince Ning was worried they would fail in their task, offend Medical Official Mu of the Heavenly Prison, and delay his brother's life.

After arranging everything, Prince Ning took the time to see Eunuch Wang Hai.

"I thank Eunuch Wang on behalf of Prince Shuncheng."

Several silver notes fell into the other party's hands.

Eunuch Wang Hai pinched the silver notes, tucked them into his sleeve very naturally, and said solemnly, "Your Highness is too polite!"

"Is Prince Shuncheng in danger of losing his life?"

"If a suitable physician can be found, it is just a false alarm."

"Many thanks for Eunuch Wang's guidance. I will invite Eunuch Wang to drink again another day."

"Forget it! I still have errands to attend to, farewell!"

Eunuch Wang Hai was cold and detached, decisively pulling away and leaving. This was a one-time transaction; there would be no drinking, nor would there be tea. Next time, it would be a different price, and it would depend on his mood.

He was now an elder and Grand Steward of the Tianlou Sect, busy with ten thousand things every day. He was busy all day working for the sect and raising silver for the sect, with no time to waste on Prince Ning and his brother.

The Sect Master of the Tianlou Sect, Chen Guanlou, was currently lying in a brothel drinking.

Whatever sect cause or sect future there was, it had long been thrown to the back of his mind, and he couldn't remember it at all.

Medical Official Mu was not wrong; he was just playing house.

Only Eunuch Wang, who was always scheming, took it to heart. And Eunuch Wu Ming, who prided himself on being a sect elder, pondered every day about creating suitable cultivation techniques for the sect disciples to practice.

Although to this day, the sect didn't even have a single proper disciple.

Emperor Renzong flew into a rage at the banquet, alarming Empress Chen, who was hosting the noblewomen in the inner palace.

She cursed quietly, "Going crazy again! Can't even have a peaceful full-month banquet."

"The Emperor is angry because some court officials have requested the establishment of a Crown Prince."

Empress Chen's face collapsed instantly, "Who is plotting against my son?"

"Minister Cao Song also supports designating a Crown Prince!"

"Old scoundrel Cao Song, always doing thankless tasks." Empress Chen was furious and ordered people to watch the child well, so that no mistakes would occur.

Once the matter of requesting a Crown Prince was raised, regardless of whether the Emperor was willing or not, the eldest prince, Song Qiyu, instantly became the target of everyone, an eyesore in the eyes of others.

Empress Chen couldn't even imagine how many hardships she and her son would face in the days to come, or how many conspiracies they would encounter.

She was so angry that her vision went black.

Emperor Renzong vented his anger, his mood improved, and he happily greeted the officials to watch the song and dance performances, listening to the court officials flattering him.

The court officials' moods were up and down, hard to describe.

Cao Song still wanted to use the opportunity to show his presence and once again urged the Emperor to designate a Crown Prince, but he was forcibly held back by Xie Gechen.

"The eldest prince is young; let him grow for a few more years. After he turns ten, I will join you in requesting the designation of a Crown Prince. How about that?"

Cao Song snorted coldly, "Youth is not a reason."

"The Emperor is in his prime, ambitious and far-sighted. Requesting a Crown Prince at this time is nothing but sowing discord between the father and son of the imperial family. Minister Cao, you are no fool; I do not believe you cannot see through even this. May I ask, are you truly acting for the public, or for your own reputation?"

"You?"

Cao Song was furious.

The other party dared to question his intentions.

Outrageous.

"I am naturally acting for the public."

"Since you are acting for the public, please consider the eldest prince a little; do not roast him on a fire. The eldest prince has only just begun his enlightenment; he is young, so why should he bear such pressure at such a young age? If it were your own grandson, would you be willing?"

Xie Gechen's tone became increasingly severe, his attitude unquestionable.

He was one step away from pointing at the other's nose and cursing him as a fame-seeking person who used a young child as a raft—shameless and vicious.

Cao Song was so angry that he blew his beard and stared, "Minister Xie, in the affairs of the world, you are not the only one with a conscience. I also have a conscience."

"Since you have a conscience, please shut your mouth. Before the eldest prince turns ten, do not mention the matter of requesting a Crown Prince again. Also, keep your disciples and followers in check. If they dare to act recklessly, sow discord between the imperial father and son, and ruin my good deeds, I will not spare them."

Xie Gechen's tone was serious, with no room for negotiation.

The eldest prince was an important part of his plan and a key figure in whether his policy could be continued. Whoever dared to plot against the eldest prince was working against him. He would definitely finish them off.

Cao Song gritted his teeth, "What exactly is Minister Xie plotting? The eldest prince is not a chess piece in your hands. I will definitely keep a close eye on you. If you dare to use the eldest prince, I also have a rebellious bone."

Xie Gechen sneered, dismissive, "Everyone may plot against the eldest prince, but I will not. I insist on legitimacy, just not as bluntly and stupidly as you."

"You brat! You dare to insult me!" Cao Song screamed internally, so angry! The Xie scoundrel was becoming increasingly arrogant and was truly an eyesore.

Xie Gechen intended to call a truce and didn't respond, picking up his wine cup to drink with others.

Cao Song had nowhere to vent his anger, his eyes rolled, and he set his sights on Chen Guanfu.

He said bluntly, "Prince Chen, do you trust Minister Xie? I am advocating for the eldest prince to be designated as Crown Prince, I..."

"Minister Cao, say no more." Chen Guanlou's face was gloomy and very dissatisfied, "The matter of designating a Crown Prince is for the Emperor to decide. As officials, we should not be too overbearing. I hope Minister Cao has some sense of proportion."

"Minister Chen, what do you mean by this? As the father-in-law of the Emperor, do you not hope for the eldest prince to be designated as Crown Prince?"

"The eldest prince is young and currently cannot shoulder heavy responsibilities. Minister Cao, you are obsessed with designating a Crown Prince; it was like this in the late Emperor's time, and it is still like this now. May I ask, what is your intention? Could it be that you are seeking the merit of supporting a new emperor?" Chen Guanfu smiled, speculating on the other party's intentions.

The veins on Cao Song's forehead throbbed, and he was furious, "I am acting for the public; how can you question my intentions? You, you don't know what's good for you..."