Chapter 130: A Shameless Family

Jun Zijin casually grabbed a spoon from the table, flicked her wrist, and the spoon tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, flying straight toward Imperial Concubine Xin and striking her squarely in the knee.

A miserable cry of "Ouch!" escaped Imperial Concubine Xin, followed by a "thud" as she knelt before the Emperor and Empress. The Emperor immediately set down the teacup he had been about to drink from, staring coldly at Imperial Concubine Xin without saying a word.

The crowd gasped; judging by the sound of that impact, Imperial Concubine Xin's kneecap was surely shattered. They shook their heads, blaming Imperial Concubine Xin for her own stupidity. The Gao family was already finished, and at a time like this, with the political winds having shifted, why was she still desperately trying to curry favor with Imperial Consort Gao at the cost of offending Princess Qingping and the Empress? Did offending those two not equate to offending the Emperor? Furthermore, she had dared to curse the Crown Prince; who could she blame for seeking her own death?

How could Quan Tianjiao stand by and watch a mere princess of a different surname humiliate his birth mother in front of everyone? If he, as her son, could still sit still, everyone would surely point fingers at his spine.

Quan Tianjiao's look of simple-mindedness was replaced by a furious expression. He stood up with a swoosh, pointed at Jun Zijin, and barked, "Audacious! What is your status that you dare to be so insolent!"

The atmosphere in the hall turned tense in an instant, and everyone held their breath, as if a conflict could erupt at any moment.

Jun Zijin, however, remained composed. She smiled faintly, though the smile did not reach her eyes, and her tone was as cold as frost as she retorted mercilessly:

"Imperial Concubine Xin kneeling to pay respects to the Emperor and Empress of our Tianqi is her honor. Why, Prince Liang, are you unhappy about it?"

Hearing Jun Zijin imply that he was rebelling right in front of the Emperor and Empress, Quan Tianjiao was so furious his eyes nearly split. He pointed at Jun Zijin and roared, but he only managed to get the word "You" out.

Quan Tianchen struck out with his palm, and with a "crash," without any warning, the table in front of Quan Tianjiao was split in two by the force of his palm wind.

The fruit plates and dishes on the table scattered across the floor, and tea and wine splashed all over the Fifth Imperial Prince, Quan Tianjiao.

Quan Tianjiao was so shocked he choked off his words. He jumped up with a start, eyes fixed on Quan Tianchen, and shouted, "Fourth Brother, what are you doing?"

The crowd gasped again. When had they ever seen the gentle, immortal-like Prince Chen lose his temper? Yet, the immortal before them was clearly enraged.

Quan Tianjiao's jump was truly comical, and someone at the banquet let out a "pfft" of laughter.

Quan Tianjiao could not save face. The Emperor and Empress had not yet spoken, yet a princess of a different surname dared to be so arrogant, and Fourth Brother, who had always worn a gentle mask, was also acting so arrogantly today.

He could neither out-talk Princess Qingping nor defeat Fourth Brother in a fight, so he intended to ask the Emperor and Empress to reason for him. But before he could open his mouth, he heard the Empress say coldly:

"Jiao'er, you are becoming increasingly insolent!"

"I..." Quan Tianjiao was speechless, and his heart felt stifled.

Once the Empress said this, Quan Tianjiao remembered that Fourth Brother had been raised by the Empress and was practically the same as her own son; how could he expect to gain any advantage?

That was not all. The Empress paused and added, "Everyone is sitting, and your mother is also kneeling. You standing was already quite thoughtless, and now you jump up suddenly—what for?"

Quan Tianjiao stared at the Empress with wide eyes. Was this something a person would say? Everyone had seen how his mother ended up kneeling—was it not because she was struck by that princess of a different surname in front of everyone?

His mother was wrong to speak out of turn, but what about a princess of a different surname striking someone in public?

The Empress was not finished, her voice rising by several decibels:

"Jiao'er, why are you glaring at me? You are not only clamoring against my daughter-in-law, but when your Fourth Brother disciplines you, you remain unconvinced. I have only said a few words to you, and with this attitude, are you truly intending to rebel?"

At the Empress's mention of "rebellion," Quan Tianjiao's knees went weak. With a "thud," he knelt down, burying his head deep into the ground:

"This son dares not."

The Empress could say anything, but could the word "rebellion" be thrown around so casually? He wanted to ask if the Empress only had eyes for the Sixth and Fourth brothers, as if his other sons were not human, that she could utter "rebellion" so easily, but he dared not. He felt a bit of resentment toward Imperial Concubine Xin; she could not help him in ordinary times, and at critical moments, she only added to his troubles. While others gave birth to Imperial Princes and attained the rank of Consort or Imperial Consort, she remained a mere Imperial Concubine, often dragging him down to suffer the consequences. If not for this useless mother of his, he would not be suffering such humiliation today.

Quan Tianjiao knelt on the ground, his face burning, yet he was helpless.

"This son knows his wrong; I beg Mother to forgive me." Quan Tianjiao had long forgotten about dignity and kowtowed incessantly.

"Hmm." On the high platform, the Empress nodded solemnly. "It is good that you know your wrong. You are also my son, and I always hope that you can all do well. Especially you, Jiao'er—your mother is still kneeling; you should at least try to win some dignity for her."

Quan Tianjiao found the Empress's words incredibly hypocritical, and his anger flared up again. But hearing her mention Imperial Concubine Xin, his heart tightened, and he forcefully suppressed his rage, his hands clenched into fists beneath his sleeves:

"This son will strictly follow Mother's teachings."

"Rise." Finally, the Empress nodded.

Seeing that the Empress had finished handling the matter, the Emperor, Quan Wuji, spoke up:

"Prince Liang, Princess Jiahe is your fiancée, is she not? I heard she committed violence and injured people at the palace gate, nearly harming my daughter-in-law. Instead of managing her, why are you picking a fight with your future sister-in-law?"

The crowd wanted to roll their eyes. Princess Qingping was his daughter-in-law, but was Princess Jiahe not also one?

The point was that everyone present understood clearly: the Emperor was shielding Princess Qingping in every word. So what if she hit Imperial Concubine Xin? She hit her for nothing. This couple truly refused to suffer the slightest loss; they had raised a son of the same ilk and found a daughter-in-law who appeared calm on the surface but was actually vengeful. With this family gathered together, if outsiders wanted to take advantage, the outcome would be, at best, broken limbs like Imperial Concubine Xin, and at worst, having their entire clan wiped out like Prime Minister Gao.

Quan Tianjiao had never imagined there could be such shameless people in the world, capable of saying such shameless things. The grievance and anger in his heart erupted like a volcano, but what could he do? One was his Imperial Father, the other his Imperial Mother; he could only stand with his hands hanging down, not daring to speak.

Palace servants immediately cleaned up the mess and replaced the table for Quan Tianjiao.

The Empress then said, "Why are you still standing? Sit down!"

Only then did Quan Tianjiao dare to sit down silently, his heart full of resentment but not daring to show the slightest bit of it.