Chapter 80: The Power of the Tongue
On the huge square in front of the hunting palace, there were piles of prey of varying sizes.
Tang Ying pointed to the largest pile of prey ahead and said, "Your Majesty, the wild boars that I and my colleagues hunted are in that pile." She also pretended to be surprised and said, "I really didn't know that all these were hunted by the Third Prince."
What this means is that even if your Highness the Third Prince does not drag down other people's prey to make up the numbers, your achievements are actually remarkable.
The Second Prince: “…” Did she really not mean it?
Concubine Wanhuang thought that Yuan Ying was going to compete with Yuan Lang for the first place in today's winter hunt, but since the matter had not yet been concluded, the look she gave him was already unfriendly.
At this point, the Third Prince could only deny it: "Father, those were hunted by me, and the rest were hunted by my brother and his men."
Tang Ying suddenly realized: "Oh, it turns out that the Third Prince dragged his servants and colleagues to hunt for the Second Prince. This is really a brotherly friendship, which is admirable."
The second prince tasted it carefully and felt even more uncomfortable.
She was clearly mocking him for seeking fame and reputation, and for colluding with the Third Prince to take other people's prey to make up the numbers. Even if he stood up now and said that he had no knowledge of it, he would probably not be able to escape the blame.
The palace servants who had been waiting had brought a chair, and the Emperor of Southern Qi sat down immediately. He hurriedly summoned the Fourth Prince and several members of the Imperial Cavalry, Sifeng, and the guards around the Third Prince. Everyone soon gathered in the square, awaiting the Emperor's interrogation.
The testimony of the Fourth Prince Yuan Jian always sounded a bit pitiful: "Father, please understand. This is my first time participating in winter hunting. My riding and archery skills are not very good, and no one is willing to accompany me. I rode alone in the forest, but I went further and further away, and ran into a group of wild boars. I thought I would never see you again, but I didn't expect to meet the people of the Forbidden Cavalry Division. They saved me. Zhang Ying, in particular , is an outstanding archer. He shot three wild boars right away."
As a prince, he doesn't even have a guard around him. Compared with the second prince and the third prince who were always surrounded by people, there is a world of difference.
The other five Feng tribe members all testified, and the reasons they gave were impeccable: "We were ordered to patrol, and it was our duty. If it wasn't for an emergency, we wouldn't have shot the prey. So after saving His Highness the Fourth Prince, we saw that he was alone and feared that he would be in danger again, so we asked him to go with us."
Seeing that the Forbidden Cavalry Division was a tough nut to crack, the Third Prince Yuan Ying pointed the finger at Yuan Jian: "Fourth Prince, you are joking. Everyone has their guards with them, but why are you the only one wandering around in the woods? Don't you have any guards? And you're making up a lie that someone from the Forbidden Cavalry Division saved you to steal my prey!"
When a prince has his own residence, it is customary that he will have a team of people following him, from guards to housekeepers, maids and clerks. But when the Fourth Prince left the palace to set up his own residence, it was still a deserted place with no one to tend it. Not only did the servants assigned to the residence feel that there was no future in following him and that they had no hope for the rest of their lives, but they also felt inferior to the servants in other princes' residences. Even the guards who should have been assigned to the residence were not willing to come.
Yuan Jian had already let it go. Guards were no more than cleaning servants. As long as they could do the work, the guards who protected him were primarily loyal. He had no appeal to make others loyal, so why would he delay others' future? When he finally left the palace to start his own residence, he only had two young eunuchs who had been with him since childhood and were considered his confidants.
After Jindian asked for death, the people from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works felt guilty, so they quickly sent people to repair the mansion and completed the unfinished parts, but that was all, and no guards were assigned.
The Third Prince is taken care of by the Second Prince. Although his team is not as good as the Second Prince's, it is also well-equipped. He has never cared about his younger brother, so he had no idea that the Fourth Prince still has no guards in his mansion.
Yuan Jian immediately complained: "Father, I didn't lie. Since I opened the palace, I have no guards by my side, and no one has assigned guards to me." He lowered his head and said: "I don't need guards when I go out on weekdays, but when I go to the winter hunt... I can only go alone."
The Southern Qi Emperor did not expect that his subordinates would play tricks on him and criticize the prince to such an extent. He was immediately furious: "Who is in charge of this matter? Don't worry, I will investigate it strictly later!"
The Third Prince vaguely felt that his formerly unknown Fourth Prince had tasted the sweetness since he had made a complaint. He had turned into a complaining spirit and would complain to his father whenever he got the chance. It was really annoying.
"Father, even if the Fourth Prince doesn't have a personal guard, he can't lie, right?" He was sure that these people couldn't produce strong evidence, so he could only insist on his argument: "I led people to hunt wild boars, why should I be falsely accused? Father, you can't just listen to the one-sided words of the Fourth Prince , why don't you ask my guards as well!"
The Emperor of Southern Qi took a sip of the hot tea brought by the palace servants, and took the opportunity to interrogate the guards around Yuan Ying. These people shared the same views as their master, and after listening to the testimonies of the previous few people, they also understood what was going on. Although they felt guilty, their master refused to admit it, so there was no reason for them to confess.
They talked at once, describing in a very vivid way how the Third Prince encountered seven wild boars and how he led them to hunt them. They also added more drama to the Third Prince and flattered him very well, making him a warrior with superb archery skills. Even the Second Prince felt that Yuan Ying mentioned by these people was very unfamiliar. He looked embarrassed and had already made up his mind.
——I’m afraid this kid really did something opportunistic just to please me.
The more the Southern Qi Emperor listened, the uglier his expression became. However, he suppressed his anger and listened to the confessions of these flatterers. It was rare for him to put on a businesslike attitude: "Besides the testimony, do you have any other evidence?"
The Third Prince: "Father, the arrows on those wild boars are all common military standard, and they were all caught in the hunting grounds. That's why my Fourth Prince could team up with them to frame me. My Fourth Prince is too..." He said sadly: "I know my Fourth Prince doesn't like me, but you can't do such a thing just because you are jealous of my close relationship with my Second Prince, right?" He really is a good brother. Even though "he was framed, he still maintained a tolerant heart and tried to make his brother change his ways."
"Fourth brother, if you want to go hunting with us in the future, just tell us. There is no need to do such a thing of confusing right and wrong. We are all brothers. Is there anything that cannot be discussed calmly? And don't hurt the relationship between brothers!"
Yuan Jian was not a good debater to begin with, and Yuan Ying was blaming him for what he had done. He was about to speak in anger and shame, but Tang Ying grabbed his sleeve and gently pulled him twice.
He turned his head to look, but saw that Brother Zhang had a calm expression and was even looking at the Third Prince with a slight smile. He didn't seem to be upset by what he said, but rather looked at him as if he was watching a clown. "Have you finished speaking, Third Prince?"
Yuan Ying wanted to teach the ignorant Yuan Jian a few more words, but the most urgent task was to convince his father that Yuan Jian had a problem with his character and dared to take advantage of his prey. He stopped arguing and said to the Emperor of Southern Qi, "Please make a wise decision, father!"
Emperor of Southern Qi: "Tang Ying, do you have anything else to say?"
The Fourth Prince: "Who is Tang... Tang Ying?"
"Me." Tang Ying winked at him, signaling him to be patient, and ended the fight for prey with two sentences: "Your Majesty, there is one thing I haven't said clearly. The arrows used by the Imperial Cavalry Division to hunt this time look exactly like the military standard, but there is a mark of the Imperial Cavalry Division at the end of the arrow shaft, hidden in the feathers. Your Majesty can send someone to check the feathers on those wild boars!"
She also sought benefits for Yuan Jian: "It is too dangerous for the Fourth Prince to enter the hunting ground alone. I and others have official duties to attend to. It is just that the Fourth Prince was lucky to have encountered you today. If not, the consequences would be disastrous."
Your Majesty, if you care about your son, please send him a few reliable guards as soon as possible.
The Third Prince seemed to have been hit on the head by a club. He cried out in shock, "You are talking nonsense! How is this possible?"
Fu Chen came out to testify at the right time: "Your Majesty, what she said is true. It was me who ordered the arrow feathers. I was afraid that the people in the department would be too ostentatious."
The Emperor of Southern Qi immediately sent people to check the arrow feathers on the wild boars. The imperial guards went forward and cut off half of the arrow shaft and brought it over. After cleaning the feathers at the tail of the arrow shaft in front of the Emperor of Southern Qi, they saw the mark of the Imperial Cavalry Division on the arrow shaft. The arrows on the seven wild boars all had this mark.
The Third Prince's legs went weak and he knelt down in front of the Southern Qi Emperor: "Father, this is all my fault!" He had been practicing flattery since he was a child, so he was quick to recognize opportunities and admitted his mistakes as soon as he found out: "I was just bewildered for a moment..."
Seeing that their master had knelt down, the guards around him dared not say anything more and also knelt down at the feet of the Emperor of Southern Qi.
The Second Prince was really embarrassed, but at this moment, the seven wild boars were piled up in his prey pile. Even if he had cleared himself of all the responsibility before, he could not escape joint responsibility. He glared at the Third Prince hatefully and knelt down in front of the Emperor of Southern Qi unwillingly: "Father, it is because I failed to discipline my Third Prince well that he did such a thing. It is all because of my failure to discipline him strictly. Please punish me, Father!"
Concubine Wan felt sorry for her son. She glared at Yuan Ying with disgust and pleaded with the Emperor of Southern Qi: "Your Majesty, Lang'er was also deceived by the third brother. If he knew, how could this happen?"
Yuan Lang: "Mother, my third younger brother wanted to take advantage of the situation. As an elder brother, it is my responsibility to teach and admonish him. I have not fulfilled my responsibility as an elder brother, and I have caused your father to worry about him. It is all my fault!" He turned to Tang Ying and apologized sincerely: "I'm sorry Miss Tang, it's all my fault. Can you forgive my third younger brother?" He looked like a magnanimous, humble and responsible brother.
Tang Ying smiled slightly: "What are you talking about, Second Prince? I just mentioned it casually when chatting with Your Majesty. Didn't you ask Your Majesty to summon the Third Prince to ask questions? It's not a matter of forgiveness or not. I think the Third Prince should apologize to the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince is not good at speaking, but he is kind and honest. The Third Prince shouldn't use his tongue to bully the Fourth Prince!"
