Chapter 132: I'll Beat Your Behind Into Eight Pieces

These remarks left the Prince of Ping and his son feeling even more ashamed. What could they do? Considering various factors, this brat absolutely had to be taught a lesson!

Otherwise, if the label of harming a royal heir were pinned on the Prince of Ping’s estate, they would never have a chance to recover in their lifetime. Although the royal clan held an esteemed position, they did not wield real power like the Shen family. Even if Qin Zhiqing found it difficult to take action against his elders, the Shen family would not hesitate. The child in Shen Fuyu’s womb was the Shen family’s grandson; if the Shen family decided to make life difficult for them in the imperial court, there would be absolutely nothing they could do.

"It is all because I failed to discipline him properly; it is my fault!" the Heir to the Prince of Ping knelt and kowtowed on the ground. "I will certainly discipline him strictly upon our return!"

"Your Grace, it seems I have yet to hold you accountable, have I?" Shen Fuyu’s gaze was cold. "Just now, when you arrived, you didn't ask if Qin Yuanqi had done something wrong, but instead immediately blamed me for striking him."

"Not only that, but you actually tried to strike me as well." Shen Fuyu’s eyes chilled. Of course, you didn't manage to land a hit.

A weakling.

A weakling who couldn't even survive three moves against her.

Caught in the act and met with disdain, the Heir to the Prince of Ping felt utterly stifled, yet he knew that he was bound to suffer for this!

"Qin Zhining, you are simply insolent!" Qin Zhiyi addressed him by his given name to reprimand him. "Do you still have any semblance of a court official or a father?"

"Your Majesty, please show mercy!" Qin Zhining knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the floor.

"Issue an imperial decree: the Heir to the Prince of Ping has failed to discipline his son and has acted against his superiors. He is hereby stripped of his position as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Works and shall return to his estate to reflect on his mistakes." Qin Zhiyi waved his hand, removing the man's official rank. "Since you cannot discipline your child, there is no need to speak of doing so at home. Since the Grand Tutor is currently free and the boy has reached the age for enlightenment, he shall remain in the palace. He will return only when he has learned his lesson."

Upon hearing that the child was to remain in the palace, Lady Qiu was immediately displeased. Just as she was about to speak, Qin Zhining pressed her down. "Your subject accepts the punishment."

"Husband..." Lady Qiu grew anxious. How could she be separated from her child?

"Enough. It is a good thing for Yuanqi to stay in the palace. To be taught by Grand Tutor Cui is something many in this world would beg for but never receive." Qin Zhining was also pained, but what else could be done? Grand Tutor Cui was the man who had raised Qin Zhiyi himself, a figure looked up to by scholars across the land. Since even Grand Tutor Cui had been brought into this, it was clear that Qin Yuanqi had no choice but to stay.

"Yuanqi!" Lady Qiu hugged the child and wept bitterly. This was a piece of her own flesh; how could she bear to part with him?

"Waaah—Mother, I don't want to stay here! I don't want to, I don't want to!"

"Insolent!" The Prince of Ping finally spoke. "His Majesty has shown mercy by allowing you to study in the palace. If you behave disobediently again, your grandfather will disown you!"

Lady Qiu dared not resist. Why did everyone want to separate her from her son? Shen Fuyu hadn't even truly miscarried! Nothing had actually happened, had it?

She cast a vicious glare at Shen Fuyu, but no matter how much Lady Qiu hated her, she dared not defy her husband and father-in-law. She could only reluctantly hand over the child.

"Let the servants from my side follow Yuanqi to attend to his daily needs..." Lady Qiu still refused to give up.

"There are plenty of nannies in the palace who have cared for children; he will certainly lack for nothing." Shen Fuyu watched as the wailing Qin Yuanqi was dragged away and smiled from the heart. With such a bratty child in need of correction, her days ahead were sure to be pleasant!

Just the thought of it was satisfying!

Amidst the cries of the brat, the people from the Prince of Ping’s estate left the palace in a dejected state.

The moment the great doors closed, the volume of Qin Yuanqi’s voice dropped instantly. Perhaps realizing that his family was gone and that there was truly no one left to stand up for him, he grew quiet when he looked back at Shen Fuyu’s smiling face.

"Your Majesty, just leave the boy in my palace. The String Moon Palace is so large, it can easily accommodate a few more people." Shen Fuyu shattered the child’s last bit of hope.

"As you wish." For once, Qin Zhiyi did not object. The child had been raised without knowing right from wrong; it wouldn't be bad for Shen Fuyu to discipline him occasionally. While he was still young, there was always a chance to set him on the right path.

Qin Yuanqi was carried back to the String Moon Palace by a young eunuch. For once, he did not scream or throw a tantrum on the way. The boy was actually quite clever and knew how to read the room, but unfortunately, the indulgence of the Prince of Ping’s estate had fostered a host of bad habits.

An imperial physician followed along, bringing medicine to tend to Qin Yuanqi’s backside.

By custom, on the fifteenth of every month, Qin Zhiyi would go to the Empress’s palace. He had been quite punctual lately, using the Puppet Pill to fulfill his promises to Jing Lanxi.

But today, Shen Fuyu kept him back.

"Your Majesty, my heart is quite uneasy; please keep me company today." Shen Fuyu was insistent and would not let him leave.

Qin Zhiyi: ...

You were the most enthusiastic one when it came to hitting the boy!

However, he did have some things on his mind, so since Shen Fuyu invited him, he went along with it and stayed.

"I will count to three. If you are still making a fuss and not in bed sleeping, I will beat your backside into eight pieces!"

Qin Yuanqi had been making trouble for the physician and the palace servants, but now he dared not move at all.

"Alright, Your Majesty, let us go back to sleep as well." Shen Fuyu’s eyes curved into crescents. "There will be palace servants watching you sleep tonight. If you aren't well-behaved, I will beat you again when I find out tomorrow!"

Qin Zhiyi glanced at Qin Yuanqi, then turned to walk back alongside Shen Fuyu. On the way, he said, "I..."

"Your subject..."

Both spoke at once, and they felt a momentary awkwardness. Shen Fuyu smiled. "Your Majesty, please speak; I am listening."

"I am preparing to send Qin Zhining to the western counties that have been hit by disaster to oversee relief efforts," Qin Zhiyi said. "Since he is from the Ministry of Works, and the court has been pushing this hot potato back and forth for days with no one willing to go, I have a headache over it."

"It seems Your Majesty has already made up your mind, so I have nothing to say." Shen Fuyu felt quite gratified; perhaps this was the feeling of watching a child grow. "I will keep this brat with me. By the time his father returns, I should be able to whip him into shape and send him back."

"I never knew you had such a kind heart," Qin Zhiyi remarked, which was quite rare for him.

Shen Fuyu placed her hands on her hips. "Do I look like the kind of person who would be merciless to a child?"

She was actually quite friendly toward children! Of course, this brat hadn't reached the point of being beyond redemption. Dragging him back to the right path while harvesting some rage points along the way—she quite liked it.

"However, the locust plague is indeed difficult to handle," Shen Fuyu noted. "Although the imperial court is rushing to divert grain from various places, I fear that by the time it arrives, riots will have already started."

"What do you mean?" Qin Zhiyi asked her.

"With no harvest, the common people will soon exhaust their meager surplus and grow restless. Scuffles will inevitably break out, and at that point, local order will collapse. When the imperial relief grain arrives, do you think those starving, desperate people will wait in line for the court to distribute it?"

"The imperial relief grain must first be gathered in the capital from various places before it can be dispatched. Even at the fastest pace, it will take half a month for the first batch to arrive..."