ebookland Chapter 221 Punishment
Chapter 221 Punishment
At this point, he turned his gaze to Yu Jie.
“Yu Jie was already wrong to leave the capital and infiltrate the military camp without permission. When the enemy was eyeing the city from the outside, she opened the city gates without permission, which was simply making matters worse.”
He then looked at Yuan Tianxiong, who had his head bowed, and his voice became unusually serious.
“While Ning’er was away from the military camp, Yuan Tianxiong failed to guard the city properly, allowing Yu Jie to take advantage of the situation and open the city gates, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of our elite soldiers under the enemy’s swords and arrows. Although the enemy also suffered losses, you are also suspected of dereliction of duty. This matter is of great importance. If I do not punish you, others will follow suit!”
"Father..."
Before the Emperor could punish him, Wei Jianning spoke first.
"Your subject is the commander-in-chief. Even if there is a mistake, it is your subject who is at fault first. Please punish your subject as well, Father."
The Emperor frowned and looked at him.
“Ning’er, you have suffered a lot during this time. Even if you have made a mistake, I will not punish you. However, because of Yuan Tianxiong and Yu Jie, tens of thousands of our Northern Wei soldiers have died. Their crimes cannot be forgiven lightly. So don’t plead for them.”
“Father, although they have made mistakes, the damage has been done. Your son begs that you punish them leniently.”
Seeing this, Lin Xingliang, who had been silent all along, also clasped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, please be lenient with General Yuan and Princess Yujie."
Zhu Kui had come with the intention of watching the show, and seeing that Lin Xingliang had already pleaded for them, it would be a bit conspicuous for him not to say anything.
Moreover, Princess Yujie is the Emperor's most beloved princess. Even if the Emperor wanted to punish her, it would only be a minor punishment as a warning to others.
Since it's his turn to protect himself now, why not do him a favor?
Thinking of this, he clasped his hands in a fist and said:
“Your Majesty, Princess Yujie is young and in a moment of panic, she opened the city gate without permission. Her intention was good. Even if she made a mistake, she should be punished only as a warning. As for General Yuan, he has not been on the battlefield for five years. He has failed in his duty this time and should be punished lightly. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider.”
Wei Jianning was surprised that Zhu Kui was able to plead for them, but Lin Xingliang scoffed at the idea.
This expedition made Lin Xingliang see what kind of person he really was, and he will be more wary of him in the future.
Just then, Qin Shun came in to report.
"Your Majesty, Consort Duan has arrived."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor frowned and waved his hand in refusal:
"I have matters to attend to now, let her go back!"
"emperor……"
Before Qin Shun could go out to announce her arrival, Consort Duan hurriedly walked in.
The Emperor immediately questioned him in displeasure.
"Consort Duan is becoming more and more rude. I am dealing with important matters. What are you doing coming in?"
Consort Duan glanced at Yu Jie kneeling on the ground, then immediately knelt down herself and began wiping away her tears.
"Your Majesty, I only have one daughter, Yu Jie. I heard that she has committed a serious crime, and I am very uneasy about it. No matter what she has done wrong, I beg Your Majesty to show her special mercy in consideration of my years of devoted care for Your Majesty."
Although Consort Duan was not the emperor's most favored concubine, she was his favorite and the one who made him feel the least troubled.
Because she was always a quiet person, she disliked disputes and was not jealous. Regardless of whether the emperor visited her or not, she would not make a fuss like other concubines, and seemed to never get angry.
Over the years, she has remained quietly in her palace. When the emperor visits, she serves him; when he doesn't, she waits.
Such an understanding woman compels the emperor to consider her feelings.
After pondering for a long while, the Emperor nodded rather helplessly.
"Since you have all pleaded for them, I cannot be too heartless. Yuan Tianxiong and Yu Jie, you two are spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. Go outside and each receive twenty strokes of the cane, then stay at home for a month to reflect on your mistakes, and have half a year's salary deducted."
Upon hearing this, Consort Duan immediately became anxious.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't hit her! Yu Jie is frail; wouldn't twenty strokes of the rod kill her?"
"Hmph! She's frail, but she's incredibly bold. Not only did she dare to sneak out of the palace and infiltrate the military camp, but she also dared to open the city gates and let the enemy in. If she were my own daughter, I would have ordered her head to be chopped off long ago to comfort the fallen soldiers. Now, I'm giving her twenty lashes, and you still think it's too much?"
At this point, the Emperor looked around and asked angrily, "And those two maids beside her, they are guilty of the same crime and shall be punished together with her."
Seeing that the Emperor's expression was growing increasingly grim, Yu Jie quickly shook her head at Consort Duan, then kowtowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I thank you for sparing my life. I will now go to receive my punishment."
Yuan Tianxiong also kowtowed in gratitude at this moment:
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your mercy. I will now accept my punishment."
The emperor waved his hand impatiently, and the two of them stood up and walked outside together.
The Emperor waved his hand at Consort Duan again.
"You may leave now. From now on, you are not allowed to enter without my decree."
Consort Duan knew that she had acted impulsively and rushed into the palace without the Emperor's permission, which was quite inappropriate. The fact that the Emperor did not punish her for it was already a great act of mercy.
"Chen and concubine retire."
She hurriedly returned the Emperor's greeting and expressed her gratitude, then stepped back a few paces and left the Qianqing Palace.
"Ning'er, you haven't rested properly these past few days, you may leave now! I still have matters to discuss with Lord Lin and Lord Zhu."
Although Wei Jianning's capture was a loss of face, there were reasons for it, and since he was the most promising of the princes, the emperor naturally treated him differently.
Wei Jianning was indeed tired. After bowing to the Emperor, he left the Qianqing Palace.
Outside the Qianqing Palace, Yu Jie and Yuan Tianxiong were being punished together. Wei Jianning stepped forward and instructed the two guards:
“Princess Yujie is slender, so just a gesture will suffice.”
Yu Jie immediately looked at him with eyes full of gratitude.
"Fourth Brother, you're still the best to me."
A guard holding a stick nodded hurriedly in agreement.
"Yes, Your Highness, I understand, but His Majesty demands a total of twenty strokes of the cane..."
Wei Jianning smiled wickedly, then glanced at Yuan Tianxiong and said coldly:
"Add the force that Princess Yujie suffered less from, and consider it as him taking the blow for the princess."
"Your Highness..."
Yuan Tianxiong let out a wail, and Wei Jianning had already turned around. He waved to the guards beside him and said:
"We'll carry him to the Crown Prince's residence later."
Clearly, he had already foreseen Yuan Tianxiong's fate, and it was probably impossible for him to walk back on his own.
"Your Highness, wait for me!"
Yuan Tianxiong called out again, but Wei Jianning walked away without turning his head.
"what!"
As the guard struck him with his club, Yuan Tianxiong cried out, then gritted his teeth and endured the next blow.
Yu Jie wanted to reprimand the guards to go easy on him, but when she thought of his cold attitude towards her before, she swallowed the words back.
……