frightfiction Chapter 1353: There will be more ruthless measures waiting for you later (172 million reward points)
Chapter 1353: There will be more ruthless measures waiting for you later (172 million reward points)
"Your Highness the Prince of Jin cares deeply about the country and its people. He just made a generous donation in the palace, which is admirable."
"Your Highness is a man of great generosity. How could he bother with a humble servant like me just because of a trivial suggestion?"
He said this lightly, as if he meant it sincerely.
They were all trying to relieve His Majesty's worries, so Zhou Yuhu had nothing more to say.
In fact, Bai Mufeng did not believe that King Jin was broad-minded. He was clearly certain that he had embarked on another boat and there was no turning back.
Therefore, even the resentment of King Jin seemed insignificant.
……
The inner courtyard of Prince Jin's Mansion.
Concubine Qi sat by the window, twirling a chess piece between her fingers.
The black and white pieces on the chessboard in front of him were scattered in a disorderly manner, showing that the person playing chess was in a state of anxiety.
The dusk outside the window gradually deepened, casting long and twisted shadows on the rockery bamboos in the courtyard, just like her chaotic mood at the moment.
The prince has been taken to the palace for a long time and has not returned yet.
The summons to the Yangxin Palace was no ordinary conversation.
There have been undercurrents of turmoil in the court recently, which has made Concubine Qi feel vaguely uneasy.
Although the prince was known for his composure and forbearance, the emperor's mind was deep and unpredictable, and no one knew what the next move of the supreme ruler would be.
I don’t know how long it took, but finally I heard familiar footsteps in the corridor.
Concubine Qi immediately stood up, straightened her clothes, and went to the door.
Prince Jin appeared at the door, his gentle features appearing somewhat blurry in the dim light.
He raised his hand to dismiss the maid who was about to come forward to serve him: "Everyone, go away. No one is allowed to come near without my order."
"Yes."
The servants retreated in a well-trained manner and closed the door gently.
The moment the door closed, the mask of gentle elegance on Prince Jin's face suddenly shattered. A gloomy and murderous aura surged out like a tide, instantly suffusing his entire face with a hideous, ferocious look.
Concubine Qi's heart tightened, and she took a step forward and called softly, "Your Highness, you..."
Before he finished speaking, Prince Jin suddenly raised his hand, and with a fierce palm wind, he slapped Concubine Qi in the face with a "slap"!
The slap was so powerful that Concubine Qi was caught off guard. She staggered a few steps and fell heavily to the ground.
Her hair was disheveled, her pearl hairpin was askew, and clear red marks from five fingers quickly appeared on her left cheek, burning with pain.
Concubine Qi's eyes went dark and her ears were buzzing...
Before she could catch her breath and say anything, Prince Jin stepped forward, bent down, roughly grabbed her carefully combed hair, and lifted her up from the ground!
A sharp tearing pain came from her scalp, and Concubine Qi couldn't help but cry out in pain.
But before he could finish his words, King Jin's fists rained down like raindrops!
"Well……"
His fists hit her abdomen, shoulders, back, and leg bones...
Prince Jin seemed to have completely shed all his disguises and turned into a wild beast consumed by rage, venting madly!
He said nothing, only his heavy breathing and the dull thud of fists and feet hitting flesh echoed in the inner room.
Concubine Qi curled up on the ground, shielding her head and face, silently enduring this familiar tyranny...
The pain and humiliation were real, but in this extreme pain, a long-lost shudder strangely arose in her heart.
The prince had not laid a hand on her for a long time since he needed her to go out frequently to socialize, mingle with the ladies of the various mansions, and build a network of contacts for him in the capital.
He always spoke softly and gently, making her almost forget the feeling of being completely controlled and ravaged.
And now, the familiar feeling is back.
The pain stimulated Concubine Qi's nerves, making her clearly feel that she was still alive and still needed by the prince, even if it was in this most unbearable way...
A twisted emotion that was almost like enjoyment, mixed with pain and fear, quietly grew.
Concubine Qi even relaxed her body, allowing herself to immerse herself more thoroughly in this violent beating.
After an unknown amount of time, the King of Jin seemed tired of fighting and finally stopped.
He stood beside her with a gloomy look on his face, his chest heaving violently, his handsome face distorted by rage, his eyes bloodshot, not a trace of his usual gentle demeanor.
The only sound in the room was Concubine Qi's suppressed and intermittent breathing.
She took a long time to relax before she struggled to support her aching body with her arms and raised her head.
His nose was bleeding, his mouth was cracked, his eyes were bruised, and his face was swollen beyond recognition. His hair was completely disheveled, and his clothes were torn to shreds.
Concubine Qi wiped the blood from her nose with the back of her hand. Her voice was broken, yet strangely calm: "Your Highness...what exactly happened? Why...why are you so angry?"
Prince Jin stared at her intently, his eyes looking as if he wanted to bite her.
He fiercely kicked an embroidered cushion at his feet, sending it careening into the air with a resounding clang. Finally, he roared in utter fury, "My royal brother, in the Yangxin Palace today, in front of all the ministers, literally tore a piece of flesh from my body!"
Concubine Qi's heart skipped a beat. She endured the severe pain all over her body and asked, "Your Majesty...did he force the prince?"
"It's more than just coercion!"
Prince Jin gnashed his teeth, veins throbbing in his forehead. "First, he let that damned third place winner put on a show, donating half a year's salary, and pretending to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic!"
"And then they turned the conversation around to me, saying I was kind and compassionate, caring about the people, and a role model for the royal family. And then they put me on the fire!"
The Prince of Jin grew increasingly angry as he spoke, pacing back and forth like a caged beast: "Those sycophantic ministers are joining in the commotion!"
"If I don't donate, I'd be stingy and uncaring, not caring about the lives of the people! How can I refuse?!"
Concubine Qi reluctantly analyzed, "But... even if you want to donate, Your Highness can only do it within his ability."
"According to one's ability?"
Prince Jin suddenly stopped and glared at her with red eyes: "What do you know?!"
"My royal brother has clearly come prepared, testing my limits! If I only offer three to five thousand taels to send off a beggar, do you think he'll be satisfied?"
"He will only think that I am perfunctory. I will definitely use more ruthless means to deal with him later!"
"I must come up with a number that satisfies him and temporarily makes him feel that I am sensible, so that I can shut him up and make him let down his guard!"
Prince Jin stretched out two fingers, almost poking them in front of Concubine Qi's eyes, and squeezed out a voice from between his teeth: "Twenty thousand taels! A full twenty thousand taels of silver! Did you know?!"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Qi gasped, even forgetting the pain in her body for a moment, and muttered, "Twenty thousand taels?!"
"Your Majesty, this...this is too much!"
"We're raising those soldiers and horses in Bingzhou. Food for them, munitions for them, and weapons for them. Which one of them isn't a money-sucking hole?"
"Businesses in various locations have seen average profits in recent years, so there's not much cash available on the books."
"These twenty thousand taels..."