Chapter 463: Chapter 257: Bestowing a Marriage upon the Fourth Prince
Before the early morning court session began, Prince Zheng hit the Fourth Prince at the palace gate. As soon as he got out of the carriage and saw the Fourth Prince, he furiously swung his fist at him. However, the Fourth Prince did not just stand there getting hit. After taking a random punch from Prince Zheng, he immediately retaliated. Thus, the two brothers started fighting at the palace gate.
While hitting the Fourth Prince, Prince Zheng angrily scolded him.
Don’t be fooled by the scholarly and refined appearance of the Fourth Prince; when it comes to fighting, he is not the least bit weak. Prince Zheng was no match for him and was soon knocked down by the Fourth Prince. If no one had intervened, Prince Zheng would probably have been beaten very badly by the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince is both literate and skilled in martial arts; his martial skills are as good as his talents.
When Prince Zheng first started hitting the Fourth Prince, he had an overbearing demeanor, but in just a few breaths, the Fourth Prince had him crying out loudly.
The corner of the Fourth Prince’s mouth had a bruise, which was inflicted by Prince Zheng when he wasn’t paying attention. Meanwhile, Prince Zheng was beaten so badly by the Fourth Prince that it was unbearable to look at.
"Fourth Brother, I am your elder brother, and you actually dared to hit me." Prince Zheng’s mouth was bleeding from the punch, and his supposedly handsome face was black and blue from the Fourth Prince’s blows. His court attire was also messed up, and his jade crown was slightly askew, making him look utterly disheveled, completely devoid of his usual suave and carefree demeanor.
He covered his face with one hand and pointed at the Fourth Prince with the other, furiously scolding: "Fourth Brother, you have no respect for your elders! You are rebellious! You are arrogant and presumptuous! You are insolent and overbearing..." Prince Zheng never expected to be beaten by the Fourth Prince with no power to retaliate.
Before he could finish his words, the Fourth Prince shot him a cold look, instantly chilling his heart, causing him to shut his mouth in fright.
The Fourth Prince did not respond to Prince Zheng, maintaining a cold expression.
Prince Zheng felt that he had been too cowardly earlier, so he stiffened his neck, bracing himself to continue angrily scolding the Fourth Prince: "Fourth Brother, you vixen..."
The Fourth Prince interrupted Prince Zheng, saying coldly, "Third Brother, choose your words wisely."
"I..." Prince Zheng wanted to say something but was silenced by Marquis An Yang, who covered his mouth.
Marquis An Yang knew why Prince Zheng was angry with the Fourth Prince. If Prince Zheng continued to argue, the one who would be humiliated and embarrassed would only be Prince Zheng.
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm..." With his mouth covered, Prince Zheng waved his arms in frustration.
Seeing Prince Zheng’s bruised and battered appearance, Marquis An Yang felt that it would be inappropriate for Prince Zheng to attend court, and he was about to suggest that Prince Zheng take a leave of absence. Just then, the palace gates opened.
Prince Zheng could no longer leave.
Marquis An Yang’s mood suddenly became heavy.
The early morning court session had not yet begun, and the ministers first went to the side hall of Chengguang Hall to wait.
Sun Kui, along with a young eunuch, brought hot tea and snacks to allow the ministers to wet their throats and fill their stomachs before the court session. Sometimes, the early morning court could last a long time, often not ending until noon. On some occasions, it would continue into the afternoon. Therefore, preparing tea and snacks for the ministers before the early morning exercise was essential; otherwise, if the court session extended too long, the ministers would become both thirsty and hungry.
When he saw both Prince Zheng and the Fourth Prince with injuries on their faces, he was greatly shocked and quickly inquired with concern about what had happened.
Prince Zheng stubbornly insisted that he had just fallen.
Sun Kui: "..." Prince Zheng, do you think I am a fool?
Immediately, he asked the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince did not lie, candidly saying, "Prince Zheng hit me."
"Fourth Brother!" Prince Zheng slammed the table beside him, stood up, and glared at the Fourth Prince, "How dare you report me, you have no shame!"
The Fourth Prince coldly stared at Prince Zheng, saying, "I am merely telling the truth!"
"You..."
The Fourth Prince no longer paid attention to Prince Zheng, turning back to Sun Kui, politely explaining in detail how Prince Zheng had hit him earlier.
"Fourth Brother, you despicable and insidious..." Prince Zheng cursed the Fourth Prince with a livid face.
The Crown Prince had just walked into the side hall when he heard the Fourth Prince’s words and Prince Zheng’s enraged curses. With a stern face, he rebuked, "Third Brother, you first struck the Fourth Brother—you’re in the wrong. How can you then curse him?"
Prince Zheng was most annoyed with the Crown Prince adopting an elder brother stance to criticize him. With an unsatisfied expression, he retorted to the Crown Prince, "Big Brother, this has nothing to do with you. Why do you interfere?"
Ministers supporting the Crown Prince sternly rebuked Prince Zheng, saying he was the one who was rebellious and arrogant, lacking respect for the elder brother and the Crown Prince.
Prince Zheng was about to say something when Sun Kui returned to invite him and the Fourth Prince to see the Emperor.
Upon hearing this, Prince Zheng’s heart tightened, and he instantly became afraid. The bravado he had shown earlier at the palace gate when hitting the Fourth Prince vanished completely.