flamboyant - Kapitel 99
The atmosphere at home has been strange these past few days. Zimo and his father aren't speaking, the old woman and my mother aren't speaking, and Lu Susu has refused to see any guests. I'm also feeling unwell, so it's really quite lonely.
I lay in bed watching Zi Mo work. Zi Mo would occasionally smile at me when he paused, and I idly counted my hairs. "Didn't the Emperor think I was slacking off?"
"His Majesty tells you to take good care of your injuries. He will come to see you in a couple of days."
"Oh!" He only came two days later; he must be angry with me. So petty and narrow-minded. "If he's coming, tell him to make a big show of it. Tell him that if he's traveling incognito, then we can skip it."
"What do you want to do?" Zi Mo asked knowingly, without intending to stop him.
I counted out a hundred and put them aside: "This will raise my profile, so that no one can hit me whenever they want." Hitting me requires skill.
Zi Mo shook his head and smiled, then buried himself in his work.
I was lying in bed, so bored. I scratched my arm; it was definitely going to get infested with bugs. It'll get moldy if it's cloudy and rainy without sunshine. I sniffed it; did it smell bad?
"Your Excellency, my humble son is unworthy of your personal visit."
Hey! Chou Qian is here. What a nice guy! A smart person is a smart person. He's much more loyal than that stingy guy.
Zi Mo put aside his official duties and helped me sit down.
Chou Qian pushed open the door and entered, followed by the eager Xiao Cao and the person bowing and scraping.
The shameless guy was about to offer Ugly Qian a seat when Ugly Qian ignored him completely, walked straight to my bedside with a normal expression, and asked calmly, "Who hit you?"
Asking a question you already know the answer to? Fine! I like it.
Upon hearing this, the shameless man behind him wiped his sweat and said humbly, "My son is unruly, Your Highness..."
Before he could speak, Chou Qian continued, "Zi Yi, who hit you!"
The question was asked calmly, yet it carried a murderous air.
The shameless man knelt down with a thud: "Your humble servant..."
"Shut up, I don't want to hear nonsense. I only know that some people don't respect me." Chou Qian spoke in a cold and indifferent tone, yet his words were full of intimidation.
It seems this question wasn't directed at me. I bit my nails, watching my adorable Ugly Qian avenge me.
Zi Mo stood silently behind Chou Qian, his expression knowing yet unwilling to face the situation.
He'll definitely be favored if he's thick-skinned; under the system's education, he can't bring himself to "sacrifice family for the greater good."
With thick skin and his forehead pressed to the ground, he said in a trembling voice, "This humble official deserves to die!"
Chou Qian lifted my shirt, and the whip marks on my back were visible without even looking for them; they were shocking and very effective.
Chou Qian gently lowered the hem of my clothes, his cheek twitching slightly: "You really put your heart into it when you hit me."
"This humble official deserves to die."
"I have never seen Minister Shen so devoted to the country in his daily life."
"Your Majesty..." The shameless man was so anxious that he wanted to knock a hole in the floor.
See, serves him right.
"How about entrusting the task of welcoming the West Wind Envoy to Minister Shen?"
"I beg Your Excellency to give me another chance. I will never dare to make such a grave mistake again."
Chouqian sat quietly by my bedside and bestowed upon me unparalleled honor in front of a minister.
I moved closer to him, leaning against him to relieve my stress. Chouqian casually fiddled with the hair I had carefully counted.
This time, the shameless man really broke the floorboards: "Your Excellency, I will never dare to do it again."
"You were really fierce when you hit me!" I took the opportunity to complain.
Chou Qian smiled gently, not at me, nor at Thick-skinned; he was simply smiling and asking, "What do you want?"
I shook my head: "I don't know. Killing it would make me seem unfilial. But if I don't, I'll get really angry. What do you suggest?"
"How about being demoted to a commoner?"
That's too cruel! My eyes lit up immediately. This way, it's not that I'm unfilial, but that he has a problem himself.
The shameless man never expected that beating a child on a rainy day could turn into a national case.
Just as I was about to agree with Chouqian's suggestion, the shameless man burst into tears, crying, "It's all my fault, Eleven! Tell the Prime Minister to withdraw his order! I know I was wrong!"
Thick-skinned tried to pull me forward, but Ugly Qian flicked his index finger so fast I didn't even see his technique. Thick-skinned was like a piece of trash that was used and then thrown away, easily swept away by Ugly Qian to the side of the door.
I quickly closed my eyes, pretending not to see the bloody and cruel scene.
Zi Mo looked at him with mixed feelings, moved her foot slightly, and then refrained from looking again.
I nudged Chouqian and whispered, "Zimo's here, don't go too far." He's definitely unhappy. After all, he's his father, a caring yet gentle and strict father. Chouqian's actions are tantamount to provoking him, which will affect his opinion of Chouqian and, consequently, his career prospects in the court.
I suppressed the urge to slap the shameless man, and for Zi Mo's sake, I decided to just consider myself unlucky this time: "Forget it."
Chou Qian stood up, unsurprised: "Satisfied."
I nodded, leaned back on the pillow, and continued counting my hairs. I had no energy left since there was no show to watch.
Chou Qian glanced at the figure huddled by the door and said indifferently, "Lord Shen, you'd better know your place and keep your position in check. You'd better keep what we're holding dear. If Zi Yi is dissatisfied, be careful your official hat might fall from your head."
"Thank you, Prime Minister Xie. Thank you, Vice Minister Shen. This humble official knows what to do." The shameless man weakly got up, smeared the smeared "commoner" on his face, and obediently stood aside as a commoner.