TSWPF -Chapter 253 Suspicion

The Duke suddenly dropped to his knees and loudly shouted, “Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long live forever!”

Liu Zhimou and the others were startled for a moment, then quickly recovered and followed suit, kneeling to pay their respects to the Emperor.

Among everyone present, only Mr. Luo did not kneel. Although he remained standing, he did rise to his feet—this was considered proper respect for the Emperor.

The Emperor raised his hand slightly and said calmly, “You may rise.”

After everyone stood up, the Emperor’s gaze shifted back to the Duke. With a half-smile that was not quite a smile, he stared at him. “Duke, would you like to explain what just happened a moment ago to Us? Hmm?”

The Duke’s household had truly become more and more arrogant. If he did not put them in their place now, who knew—one day they might even step all over his head.

Today, he was determined to make an example of the Duke’s household.

The Duke’s heart skipped a beat. He knew he was in serious trouble today.

No matter how hard he thought about it, he never imagined that the Emperor would come to the scene in person—and secretly, at that.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this old minister does not know what there is to explain.”

The Emperor snorted coldly, walked straight to the main seat, and sat down. He picked up the gavel and slammed it down with a loud bang. The Duke was so frightened that he dropped to his knees again with a thud.

Seeing this, Liu Zhimou and the others hurriedly knelt as well.

At this moment, Li Qingling deeply understood the saying: Being by the Emperor’s side is like being by a tiger’s side.

If the Emperor was displeased even slightly, one’s head could be at risk.

This was also her first time facing the Emperor’s authority head-on.

She had to admit that the aura of imperial majesty he carried was truly not something just anyone could withstand.

With just a slight darkening of his expression, the pressure from his presence alone made them feel as though they could hardly breathe.

“Everyone except the Duke may rise.”

Li Qingling and the others thanked His Majesty again before standing up nervously. They stood in place with their heads lowered, not daring to look around carelessly.

The Duke felt a wave of humiliation, yet he did not dare to say a word.

The Emperor looked at the Duke kneeling silently on the ground and slammed the gavel again. “Duke, are you sure you truly have nothing to say? Hmm?”

He was giving him one more chance. If he still refused to repent, then he would have no one to blame but himself.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this old minister truly has nothing to say,” the Duke replied respectfully. He absolutely could not admit to what he had done earlier—otherwise, the Emperor would deal with him on the spot.

In truth, he was gambling—gambling that the Emperor had not arrived that early and had not seen everything he did.

What the Duke did not expect was that the Emperor had seen and heard everything from beginning to end.

“Duke, well done. Truly well done.”

The Emperor no longer slammed the gavel. Instead, he clapped his hands lightly and spoke with a laugh born of extreme anger. “Since you say you have nothing to say, shall We recount what just happened, item by item, to help refresh your memory?”

Did this old man really think that just because he had a daughter who was Empress, he could act however he pleased?

Did he truly believe that because he had contributed a little during the Emperor’s ascension to the throne, he could now disregard the Emperor himself?

At these words, cold sweat instantly broke out on the Duke’s forehead.

He had lost his bet. The Emperor had seen and heard everything.

He no longer dared to act tough and immediately cried out that this old minister deserved death and begged His Majesty for mercy.

Only now did he beg for forgiveness. When His Majesty questioned him earlier, how had he answered then?

Did he think it was already too late?

“Duke, what crime do you want Us to pardon you for? Didn’t you believe you were innocent?”

The Duke pressed his head almost flat against the ground. “This old minister… this old minister was momentarily possessed and confused. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me this once. I will never dare to do it again.”

How had he ended up with such foolish thoughts just now, thinking he could deceive the Emperor? Truly… truly as if he had been haunted.

The Emperor did not bother arguing further with him and directly asked: since he admitted his guilt, how should he be punished?

For the Empress’s sake, the punishment could not be too severe—but it also could not be too light.

Hearing the Emperor’s words, sweat dripped steadily from the Duke’s forehead onto the ground.

Without bothering to wipe it away, he said that he would personally apologize to Li Qingling and ask for her forgiveness on behalf of the Duke’s household.

Clearly, the Emperor was dissatisfied with this answer. He continued pressing him: “And what else? Is that all?”

Did he think that a simple apology would count as punishment?

The Duke swallowed hard and wiped the cold sweat that had flowed into his eyes. “Th-this… Your Majesty, please decide. This old minister will comply.”

If he had to say it himself, all he could think of was apologizing—nothing more.

But when he said that, the Emperor was dissatisfied. Then what exactly was he supposed to say or do?

“To show sincerity, of course it must be proposed by you yourself,” the Emperor replied coolly.

“…” The Duke began to suspect that the Emperor was deliberately making things difficult for him. “This old minister’s mind is not sharp. I cannot think of anything else at the moment.”

The Emperor stared steadily at the Duke. Only when the Duke was so nervous that his heart was pounding did the Emperor finally speak slowly.

“Since the Duke’s mind is not sharp, then perhaps you should step down and let your eldest son inherit the title. What do you say?”

When striking a snake, one strikes its vital point. The Emperor understood this principle well.

Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the Duke froze completely.

Had he dug a pit for himself and then jumped straight into it?

The Duke regretted it so deeply that he wished he could slap himself awake.

“Th-this old minister’s eldest son is still not capable enough. He needs more training. When the time comes, this old minister will step down voluntarily and let him inherit.”

If he were to step down now and let his eldest son inherit, who knew what the Duke’s household would become?

He still needed to discipline his eldest son properly. Otherwise, he truly could not放心 handing the household over to him.

In truth, he favored his third son to take over. That child was like him—decisive, never dragging things out, striking when it was time to strike, never soft-hearted.

Unlike his eldest son, who had a soft temperament and an even softer ear. Persuade him a little, and he would change his mind.

How could such a person manage the Duke’s household?

But ancestral rules dictated passing to the legitimate line, not the concubine-born; to the eldest, not the younger.

Otherwise, he would have pushed his third son forward long ago. There would have been no need for him to continue struggling on, supporting the Duke’s household by himself.

The Emperor knew the situation of the Duke’s household well. He curled his lips slightly. “Then how does the Duke intend to punish himself?”

He handed the choice back to the Duke. Whatever punishment he proposed himself, he would have to bear it.

The Duke clenched his teeth and said that he would buy the shop Li Qingling wanted and give it to her, and that Fifth Madam would receive ten strokes of the cane.

After waiting a long while without receiving the Emperor’s approval, the Duke took a breath and added that he would also provide porridge at the city gates for one month.

When the Emperor heard this, a faint smile finally appeared on his face. He looked toward Li Qingling. “Madam Liu, do you agree with the Duke’s proposal?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Li Qingling froze for a moment. She raised her head and glanced at Mr. Luo. Seeing him nod, she then respectfully replied that she agreed.

After all, the Duke was the Empress’s biological father and the Crown Prince’s maternal grandfather. The punishment could not be too excessive, or it would harm the Empress’s and the Crown Prince’s dignity.

Still, this incident alone would be enough to make the Duke’s household the talk of the town for quite some time.

The Emperor slammed the gavel once more. “Very well. We’ll do it that way. Guards, carry out the punishment.”

Fifth Madam had just opened her mouth to cry out, “Your Majesty, I am wronged—” when her mouth was stuffed and she was pressed down to receive the beating.

Only after ten full strokes was she released.

By then, Fifth Madam was in so much pain that she could not even speak.

She had always lived a life of luxury and had never been beaten with a cane before. This time, being struck ten solid strokes without mercy left her unable to move.

Fearing she might cause more trouble, the Duke quickly ordered people to carry her back to the Duke’s residence.

“Teacher, it’s been a long time since We last played chess with you,” the Emperor said. “I happen to have some free time today. How about a few rounds?”

After a pause, he added, “Your grandson and granddaughter-in-law should come as well.”

How could Mr. Luo not understand the Emperor’s intentions? Still, in front of so many people, it was difficult to refuse.

He stood up, brushed off his robes, turned to nod at Liu Zhimou and Li Qingling, then lifted his foot and walked out.

Seeing this, the Duke hurriedly spoke up. “Madam Liu, where should the deed for the shop be delivered to you?”

“The Xue Residence. Please trouble the Duke to send it to the Xue Residence. Thank you.”

The Xue Residence?

“Is that the residence of Imperial Physician Xue?” the Duke asked.

“Yes.”

Hearing this, the Duke looked at Li Qingling with a complicated expression. He had not expected that not only was she connected to Mr. Luo, but also to Imperial Physician Xue.

Smiling, he asked what relationship she had with Imperial Physician Xue.

Li Qingling answered honestly, “He is my grandfather.”

Grandfather?

Imperial Physician Xue had never married. Where would he get a granddaughter?

An adopted relation?

The Duke wanted to ask more, but when he saw Mr. Luo’s half-smiling gaze, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.

Forget it. He could simply have someone investigate later—there was no need to ask further now.

As the Emperor walked ahead, he glanced back at the light cyan robe Mr. Luo was wearing and raised an eyebrow. “Teacher, I’ve known you for so long, and this is the first time I’ve seen you wear something other than white.”

Mr. Luo’s robes had always been white—nothing but white. Seeing him in this color today truly surprised him.

Mr. Luo proudly stroked his robe, lifted his chin slightly, and said, “My granddaughter-in-law made it for me by hand.”

“Oh?” The Emperor drew out the sound, glancing at Li Qingling. It was clear her needlework was quite good.

“Does it look good?” Mr. Luo asked.

“…”

The Emperor suddenly suspected that the person in front of him was not his teacher at all. Since when had his teacher become so childish?

“It doesn’t look good?” Mr. Luo frowned when he did not hear a reply.

“It looks good, very good,” the Emperor quickly nodded. “The color suits you perfectly, Teacher. Wearing other colors occasionally is indeed quite nice.”

The smile on Mr. Luo’s lips widened. He stroked his robe again and quickened his steps, revealing the shoes on his feet. “I think so too. It matches even better with the shoes my granddaughter-in-law made.”

These thousand-layered shoes were truly comfortable.

“There’s also a sapphire-blue set at home. I like that one very much as well.”

Hearing this, the Emperor’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

Was this really his ethereal, immortal-like teacher?

Was it?