vrcanaries Chapter 125 The Crown Prince is Punished
Chapter 125 The Crown Prince is Punished
"Today, I must break into this training ground. You can try to stop me."
The guards of the military camp heard the noise and surrounded Jiang Lige tightly, but they did not dare to act rashly.
Although Princess Zhaohua in front of me is just a foreign princess, she is the apple of the eye of the current Empress Dowager's eye. If anything were to happen to her...
They don't want to be buried with him!
On the other hand, Jiang Lige, even though he was surrounded by people, was not moved at all, and his expression was calm. He maintained the same posture and moved forward step by step, forcing the guards to retreat again and again.
From a distance, Jiang Lige saw Ning Yunxiao at a glance.
In the training ground, Ning Yunxiao was pinned to a torture device by several armored soldiers. His hair, which was usually neatly tied up, was now all messy and scattered, revealing a pale face.
The caning should have already begun. Ning Yunxiao's white clothes were stained with blood. He looked miserable, but there was no fear in his eyes.
Princess Jingyu sat upright on the high platform, sipping tea nonchalantly, with the corners of her lips slightly raised, and she seemed to be in a very good mood.
Standing on his left and right were Jiang Chuchu and Wang Zhuangke, the commander of the Five Cities Army. This Lord Wang was the cousin of Ning Yunxiao's stepmother.
Sitting on the high platform, the view was naturally good. Princess Jingyu was the first to notice Jiang Lige, and a hint of surprise flashed across her face.
"Princess Zhaohua is so bold! She actually dared to break into Sheng Ling's camp with a sword! She is so arrogant! Are you bullying me because I am weak?"
As soon as Princess Jingyu finished speaking, everyone's attention fell on Jiang Lige.
Jiang Lige met Princess Jingyu's gaze without showing any weakness. "Zhaohua is not talented, but I just want to join the camp to learn a few things. Isn't it just a rule of our country, Nanchu, that women are not allowed to interfere in politics?"
"Princess Zhaohua has misjudged you." Princess Jingyu sneered, yet she insisted on maintaining a righteous demeanor. "In ancient times, mothers-in-law would tattoo words to teach their children. Now, Princess Zhao is worried about her son's misdeeds, so she specially asked me to oversee his execution. Princess Zhao is kind-hearted, so what's wrong with that?"
"Then may I ask Princess Jingyu, what crime did the Crown Prince commit to cause such a big commotion?"
Princess Jingyu smiled but remained silent. Wang Zhuangke, who was standing beside her, quickly chimed in, "Prince Zhao Wang sent troops to search for someone without the army's permission, a serious crime. Considering his youth, I have punished him with twenty lashes of the cane. This is the utmost kindness."
"Sir Wang, don't you feel guilty saying this?" Jiang Lige's eyes flashed with sarcasm. "Without Sir Wang's order or a token from the army, who can the prince command in this camp?"
"In any case, this is our Sheng Ling's internal affairs. Princess Zhaohua shouldn't interfere, right?" Wang Zhuangke said, looking away unnaturally. He glared at the soldier carrying out the execution and scolded him, "What are you still standing there for! Hurry up and execute him! Twenty lashes of the cane, not one less!"
"Let's see who dares!" Jiang Lige shouted, his clear voice carrying a hint of intimidation and anger.
"Alright!" Princess Jingyu was clearly furious. She slammed the table and shouted, "There's no need to stop Princess Zhaohua. Just carry out the execution. If the princess has anything to say, just come to me. I want to see how much the Empress Dowager can still protect the princess!"
"you!"
Jiang Lige was furious and was about to take action when he heard a familiar voice from the field. It was Ning Yunxiao who was being tortured on the field.
"Gufan, Xuanying! Hurry and stop Princess Zhaohua!"
Gu Fan and Xuan Ying reacted very quickly, restraining Jiang Lige on the left and right. Although there was reluctance in their eyes, they followed Ning Yunxiao's instructions and told Jiang Lige not to move at all.
Jiang Lige naturally knew what Ning Yunxiao meant. As a princess from a foreign country, even if she had the support of Queen Mother Jiang, if she took action in the military camp today, she would be cruelly punished.
Ning Yunxiao asked someone to stop her because he didn't want her to act impulsively and also wanted to protect her from harm.
"Princess Jingyu, Lord Wang, the princess has always acted impulsively. Today, her actions were unintentional. After all, she is a distinguished guest from a friendly nation. Please do not bother with her." Ning Yunxiao said, then calmly lay down and assumed a posture for punishment. "Begin."
The soldier carrying out the execution glanced towards the platform and saw Princess Jingyu and Wang Zhuangke nodding in agreement, then he continued with the execution.
The military stick raised high fell heavily on Ning Yunxiao, making a heavy sound. His body trembled suddenly and the pain spread throughout his body in an instant. He grasped the edge of the torture instrument with both hands tightly. His fingertips, which turned white due to excessive force, were pierced by the wooden splinters and showed traces of blood.
"Sir!"
Jiang Lige felt heartbroken when he saw this. He wanted to break free but was held tightly by Gu Fan and Xuan Ying. He couldn't move at all. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the executioner in the field, and his voice became hoarse from shouting so hard.
On the high platform, Princess Jingyu looked at Jiang Lige's out-of-control appearance, and an unprecedented pleasure grew wildly like a vine, and she thought to herself.
"Humph! This is what happens when you go against me!"
A military stick is no different from an ordinary board. Twenty sticks are enough to take the life of a strong man!
As the noise of the caning grew louder and louder, and seeing that Ning Yunxiao's life was in danger, Jiang Lige no longer cared about anything else. He struggled to break free from his restraints and was about to plead with Princess Jingyu when a majestic voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
"Stop it, everyone!"
The military stick broke with a sound. Looking back, he saw Emperor Shengwu, dressed in an imperial robe, entering the training ground surrounded by a crowd of people. Beside him stood Jiang Lige's personal maid Feng Quan. Eunuch Lu flicked his whisk and shouted loudly.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Everyone present knelt and saluted, shouting in unison: "Welcome to His Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
Emperor Shengwu stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping coldly over the crowd, finally settling on the wounded Ning Yunxiao.
"How many strokes have you received?"
The soldier who was carrying out the execution shuddered and replied truthfully, "Your Majesty, eighteen strokes of the cane."
"Military orders are as heavy as a mountain. As for the remaining two sticks..." Emperor Shengwu glanced at Eunuch Lu beside him, "You must lead the troops to complete the march. Don't miss a single stick."
Eunuch Lu received the order and withdrew. Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Previously, everyone thought that Emperor Shengwu came to support Ning Yunxiao, but now Emperor Shengwu's behavior made people confused.
Until Emperor Shengwu called out to them to stand up, no one dared to move. Each of them had their own thoughts and kept silent.
"Even His Majesty is mindful that military orders are as heavy as a mountain and cannot be disobeyed. But if someone were to use military orders to attack, abuse their power, or settle a personal grudge, wouldn't that be unacceptable to Heaven?"
At this moment, among the figures crawling on the ground, Jiang Lige in a red shirt suddenly stood up half-straight, knelt on the ground, shouted this sentence, and kowtowed again.