"That much?"
Yun Shu couldn't help but laugh, though Yun Chuhuan was entirely serious.
"Not at all! Fifth Sister, think about it. When Father Emperor punished me before, he didn't even bat an eye before fining me five hundred taels of gold."
"Now, this matter with Crown Prince Royal Brother is far more severe. Father Emperor even hurled a memorial at someone. That kind of fury? At least five thousand taels, minimum."
"Did it never occur to you that the punishment might not involve money at all?"
Yun Shu arched a brow.
"After all, when the Crown Prince tried to frame me and Eldest Brother, Father Emperor confined him to the palace as punishment."
"That..."
Yun Chuhuan frowned in dissatisfaction.
"House arrest again? Wouldn't that be far too lenient?"
Just being grounded? How was that punishment? He had to pay real gold!
"It probably won't be confinement either."
The Spring Plowing Ceremony was fast approaching, followed closely by the Spring Imperial Examinations.
Both were significant events in the Tian Sheng Dynasty. If the Crown Prince were confined now, speculation would run rampant—would the Emperor really depose the heir?
Unless Imperial Father genuinely intended to remove the Crown Prince, he likely wouldn't risk such a move.
But then... how else could he punish him?
When Emperor Xuanwu had instructed Yun Shu and Yun Chuhuan to "go out for now"—not "go back"—they took it as a sign he might summon them again.
So, rather than returning to Fengyang Palace or Yaohua Palace, they paced idly outside the imperial study, waiting.
Yun Shu had even prepared herself for an afternoon of boredom. Given how enraged Emperor Xuanwu had been, she assumed the fury would last quite some time.
But reality defied expectations.
Barely ten minutes had passed when the Crown Prince emerged from the imperial study with a frosty expression. Behind him followed Shen Jingshu, her face streaked with tears like rain falling on pear blossoms.
Yet the Crown Prince seemed unmoved by her sorrow. The moment he spotted Yun Shu, his lip curled in a smile devoid of warmth, his eyes sharp as blades, cutting toward her before he turned away, striding off in the opposite direction.
Moments later, the Eldest Prince and others exited. Their expressions were... difficult to describe.
Especially the Fourth Prince. After walking a few paces, he suddenly turned as if he couldn't bear it any longer.
"This is unacceptable. I must ask Father Emperor why he would do this—"
"Are you mad?"
The Third Prince seized the Fourth Prince's arm and pulled him aside, his face clouded with annoyance.
"If you want to die, go alone. Must you drag us down with you? This was Father Emperor's decree."
"Of course I know it was Father Emperor's will!"
The Fourth Prince shook off Yun Chuhe's grip, standing ramrod straight, as if the truth he clung to left no room for fear.
"That is precisely why I do not understand! What the Crown Prince and that Shen woman did was blatantly improper. They have trampled upon ritual and decorum!
How could Father Emperor deliver such a baffling verdict? We are not just princes, but subjects as well. You and Eldest Brother said nothing in the study just now—"
"Enough, enough!"
The Fourth Prince had always been this way. When no one challenged the rules he revered, he barely spoke, quiet as a shadow. One might mistake him for a mute.
But once those boundaries were crossed, he could recite teachings until even the most seasoned temple monks fell silent.
Seeing signs of another impending lecture, Yun Chuhe felt a headache coming on. He quickly interrupted.
"Yes, yes. I admit it. I'm spineless, timid, and too afraid to disobey Father Emperor. If you have objections, wait until we're gone. Then go speak with Father Emperor yourself. No one's stopping you, all right?"
"The sages once said—"
"Spare me the sages!"
Yun Chuhe cut him off brusquely.
"What do the sages have to do with me? Everyone in court knows I'm a frivolous prince. You think quoting Confucius at me will change that?
Have you heard of playing the lute to a cow? That's what this feels like. Are you just bored?"
The Fourth Prince: "..."
Yun Shu and Yun Chuhuan, who were still catching up: "..."
Neither of them frequented the study often, let alone wished to be stuck with a lecturing Fourth Prince.
Quietly watching as the Eldest Prince walked away with a grim face, and the Third Prince stomped off toward the palace gates, clearly displeased, Yun Shu and Yun Chuhuan exchanged a glance before hurrying after him.
"Third Imperial Brother! Wait up, please!"
They caught up quickly and stepped in front of him.
Yun Chuhuan looked as though he might write "I want to know the gossip" across his forehead.
"Third Imperial Brother, what happened back there? Why did you argue with Fourth Imperial Brother?
And what about Father Emperor? Did he fine the Crown Prince?"
"A fine?"
Seeing that it was Yun Shu and Yun Chuhuan, Yun Chuhe halted. Still clearly irritable, his words dripped with sarcasm.
"How could Father Emperor stoop to something as vulgar as a fine?
No. He punished Crown Prince Royal Brother by promoting Side Consort Shen to main wife.
And he decreed the newly installed Crown Princess should remain in the Eastern Palace to tend to her pregnancy.
All the finest physicians and tonics have already been arranged.
Father Emperor even said that if anything were to happen to the child, whether by accident or design, all responsible—including the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and any potential culprits—would be charged with attempting to harm the imperial heir."
"What... that's the punishment?"
Yun Chuhuan blinked, stunned. He turned to Yun Shu for help.
"Fifth Sister, how is promoting a side consort to main wife even considered punishment?"
"I... suppose it could be?"
Yun Shu was equally baffled by Emperor Xuanwu's approach.
Granted, confining the Crown Princess to the Eastern Palace to care for her pregnancy was essentially a form of house arrest.
And the imperial edict also made it publicly known that the Crown Prince had behaved improperly, carrying on with Shen Jingshu before his marriage.
His reputation would undoubtedly suffer. The Censorate would have plenty to say.
But compared to the Crown Prince's actual misconduct, this was hardly a punishment. If anything, it was protection.
"Perhaps Father Emperor simply wishes to have a grandchild."
That was the only explanation Yun Shu could come up with.
"Eldest Brother still has no heirs. If Shen—Crown Princess Shen carries the first imperial grandchild, then the child's legitimacy must be assured.
Their safety must be protected. Even the Crown Prince and Crown Princess themselves must not be allowed to endanger this child."
"Who knows?"
Yun Chuhe scoffed, clearly resentful.
"Anyway, Crown Prince Imperial Brother has always been Father Emperor's favorite. And now his favorite son is about to give him his first grandchild. A little extra indulgence is only natural."
...
Everyone believed Emperor Xuanwu's actions stemmed from his favor toward the Crown Prince—and even more so, toward the unborn imperial grandchild.
Even the Crown Prince himself, now safely back in the Eastern Palace, believed the same.