Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!-Chapter 112: Furious Rebuke

The fists hidden in her sleeves clenched tightly, letting her nails dig into her flesh. Her eyes were red, her anger burning her rationality. Surely, the Prince still had a place in his heart for the dead one. Why, after all these years?

Why?

Could it be that she was not even as good as a dead person?

She took a deep breath, swallowing all her grievances and unwillingness.

Covering her burning face, she turned with tear-filled eyes to look at the man before her, "Prince, if this slap can calm your anger, I will take it, just hope that the Prince will give Jing’er a way to live."

King Qi felt not much guilt or heartache for slapping his own Princess Consort in a fit of rage. He was now utterly furious. The mess caused by her and their son was beyond words. Punishing someone would not settle the matter.

Thinking back, only two counties outside Yanzhou County were barely holding on. Elsewhere, there were corpses everywhere in the mildest cases, and cannibalism in the worst. These horrific disasters had already persisted for twenty days.

If he hadn’t received a secret letter three days ago, he would still have been kept in the dark. When he received the letter, he couldn’t believe it at all, but the letter pointed out for the Dark Guard Commander to investigate personally, avoiding the Deputy Commander, the shock in his heart was imaginable. There was someone with unknown status who knew all about his power and even who among his Hidden Guards betrayed him, truly frightening. However, he still had the Dark Guard Commander investigate in secret.

The investigation results left him feeling as if plunged into an icy cave, only then realizing the disastrous plight of the afflicted commoners was irreparable. He then had the Dark Guard Commander investigate the Fourth son’s deeds in recent years and was nearly infuriated to death on the spot.

This morning, two historians risked their lives to seek an audience, one even directly killed himself by running into the main hall beam, finally the truth was out and his dear sons came forward to confess.

How utterly laughable.

What he couldn’t accept the most was that his son, in the dark, committed heinous acts, seized ordinary women, recklessly squandered his power, with countless wronged souls dying at his hands, reaching an extreme level of atrocity of which he was completely unaware.

A perfect deceit. Perhaps the palace attendants serving him, the soldiers in his camp, the officials in court, all had spies arranged by his good Princess Consort, watching his every move.

One was his wife whom he had loved for most of his life, the other his most cherished son, yet in private, they committed all sorts of evil, emptied his treasury, now wanting to relieve the disaster, yet having neither silver nor provisions, with the disaster worsening by the day, he had painstakingly managed his fief for decades, and never thought it would end like this, he feared his time as King Qi was at an end.

"Father, Father, how can you hit Mother Consort? It’s me who made the mistake, I shouldn’t have kept it from you, I just didn’t want you to be worried and overworked, I wanted to handle it myself."

King Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, dangerously staring at the unrepentant fourth son below, at this moment he still didn’t know where he went wrong?

He snorted coldly, "So, have you handled it?"

Zhou Yanjing became even more indignant at this, "Father, it’s all those wretched people’s fault, your son was kind enough to give porridge, they didn’t appreciate it and even complained it wasn’t filling, still wanting to enter the city and enjoy life, the number of those vagrants was large enough to threaten your son, how could your son possibly let them have their way, could only kill a chicken to warn the monkeys, as a result, they gathered to rebel, even wanting to rob this young master’s things, absolutely hateful."

The righteous indignation-filled Zhou Yanjing didn’t notice that his father’s face was becoming increasingly sullen.

He continued, "Father, these lawless people must be dealt with, now can only suppress them by force, you send fifty thousand elite troops to your son, your son can definitely..."

Bam!

The flying brush holder again hit the previous wound, worsening the injury, fresh blood soon oozed out, the interrupted Zhou Yanjing then noticed his father’s face as dark as ink.

"Still thinking of sending troops to suppress the refugees, you wretched son, how did I give birth to such a beast, are human lives just like vegetables to be cut down at will in your eyes?"

Furious, King Qi pointed at Zhou Yanchun, "Third son, is this what you think too?"

Zhou Yanchun fearfully said, "Father, I did not, I just didn’t expect those refugees to be so frenzied, not listening to arrangements, didn’t dispatch people in time to stop them, allowing the refugees to breach the city, causing countless casualties inside."

Zhou Yanchun’s voice grew smaller, not daring to look up at his father, kneeling still on the ground, not daring to retort, fearing his father would also strike him again.

King Qi had long foreseen, this illegitimate son of his lacked insight, always following the fourth son’s lead, how good could he be?

Truly infuriating, not a single one to ease his worries.

Zhou Yanjing cast a puzzled glance at his mother consort, questioning why the father was so angry, wasn’t it just messing up the disaster relief? At worst, let the mother consort subsidize with some money.

He was already smashed like this, yet the father’s anger didn’t dissipate.

The Princess Consort Qi caught her son’s signaling glance but didn’t respond, a faint unease in her heart, wondering if the Qi King knew something?

Looking at the mess in the hall, and a room full of people awaiting judgment, King Qi had nothing to say, he could only collapse feebly into his chair, filled with darkness and sorrow.

It was all his fault, his trust and indulgence that emboldened them, leading to recklessness, now reaping what he had sown, all just retribution.

His eyes wandered dejectedly far away, the resonating words in his mind, only "retribution."

As he thought and thought, a spark appeared in his eyes, right, he still had his eldest son, that uniquely handsome countenance, so much like his mother consort, he was his flesh and blood, the Princely Heir he had personally appointed.

Thinking of the Princely Heir being silent and not close to him, recalling the last betrayal he suffered, nearly losing his life in an assassination attempt, heartache suddenly climbed to his chest. Scenes of past events flitted across his mind like a horse lantern.

He struggled to recall the scenes of those years, dazedly seeming to hear that crisp jubilant voice, calling, "Father, Father!"

"See! I can make a paper kite now!" The innocent, carefree child, merry and skipping.

"Oh? Let Father take a look." Putting down the book in his hand, just about to take the kite...

At that moment, a gentle female voice sounded, "Lan’er, how could you be so playful, sneaking out before finishing the lessons taught by the tutor."

"Mother consort, I finished the tutor’s lessons before coming out to play," the child said earnestly.

"Really? Children mustn’t tell lies!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Mr. Xu, who taught the Heir, came searching, "Oh my! Young Prince, how could you wander off during lessons!"

Then, as if only just noticing King Qi and Princess Consort Qi, knelt to apologize. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Mr. Xu, has the Heir really not completed his lessons?" King Qi inquired.

Mr. Xu lowered his head, not daring to meet King Qi’s gaze, respectfully replying, "Yes, yes!"