Chapter 205 - 206: Bullying
After the archery and equestrian class, Prince Zhao went to Hanzhang Hall for an audience with the Emperor.
Since the Emperor had only summoned Prince Zhao, it wasn’t appropriate for Hua Manman to tag along. But she couldn’t very well leave the Imperial Palace on her own, either.
So, she found a secluded spot near Chongwen Hall to squat down, planning to eat while she waited for Prince Zhao.
She had brought a food box with her when she entered the palace, filled with plenty of snacks.
Prince Zhao didn’t care for them, so they all ended up with Hua Manman.
She was eating with gusto when she suddenly heard voices up ahead. They were quite loud.
"How do you have the nerve to come to class at Chongwen Hall?"
Hua Manman swallowed the mung bean cake in her mouth, stood up, and walked toward the sound of the voices.
After rounding a corner, she saw a group of people.
Leading them were the Second Prince, Li Hao, and the Fifth Prince, Li Yan. A group of eunuchs and guards followed behind them.
Just moments ago in class, the two brothers had been arguing, yet now they were standing together peacefully.
Standing opposite them was the Fourth Prince, Li Ying.
Li Ying had only a single little eunuch with him.
Li Hao cursed arrogantly.
"A bastard like you, born from a bitch, has no right to attend classes with us. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay in your damn kennel and not come out to make a fool of yourself!"
Li Ying remained silent.
He just stood there with his head bowed, as if he were deaf, offering no response.
Li Yan sneered.
"The day before yesterday, I warned you not to come to Chongwen Hall again.
And yet you’ve shamelessly shown up again.
Why are you so shameless, just like that bitch of a mother of yours?"
Even as his own mother was being insulted, Li Ying said nothing.
The little eunuch behind him, however, was pale with fright, trembling so hard he looked like he could burst into tears at any moment.
Hua Manman raised an eyebrow.
’Whoa, so there’s school bullying in the Imperial Palace, too!’
When she was reading *Palace Intrigue*, it mentioned that Li Ying had been bullied as a child.
But since Li Ying was just a supporting character, the descriptions of his past were very brief, and the details of his bullying were glossed over.
Now, seeing Li Ying being bullied with her own eyes, Hua Manman could somewhat understand why he was later ruthless enough to act against his own brothers.
’Given their awful relationship, it makes perfect sense that Li Ying would want to kill them!’
Faced with Li Ying’s silence, Li Yan finally lost his patience and gave him a hard shove.
"Say something!"
He used a lot of force, but Li Ying remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.
Seeing this, Li Yan grew even more furious and said coldly,
"Don’t think we can’t do anything to you just because you won’t talk. Men, teach him a harsh lesson!"
Without hesitation, the guards behind them actually made a move.
And from their casual demeanor, it was clear this wasn’t the first time they had done something like this.
Four guards ganged up on Li Ying.
Li Ying was highly skilled in martial arts, but he couldn’t reveal his full strength in front of these people. More importantly, he couldn’t injure the guards, or Li Hao and Li Yan would surely use it as an excuse to tattle to the Father Emperor.
Given the Father Emperor’s disdain for him, not only would he not receive justice, but he would likely be severely punished.
Similar incidents had happened before.
Li Ying could only focus on defending himself.
But even the best defense couldn’t hold up against an attack from four grown men.
A fist struck him in the chest.
He fell to the ground with the force of the blow.
The guards surrounded him and kicked him several more times.
Li Ying covered his head and curled up, trying his best to protect his vital areas.
The guards only stopped when Li Hao said it was enough.
Li Yan noticed a small sachet had fallen on the ground.
It must have been dropped by Li Ying accidentally.
Judging by its color and pattern, it was clearly something a young girl would use.
Just as Li Yan was about to bend down and pick it up, Li Ying beat him to it, snatching the sachet and stuffing it into his robes, unwilling to even let anyone get a good look at it.
The more Li Ying treasured the sachet, the more Li Yan wanted to see what was so special about it.
He held out his hand. "Hand it over."
Li Ying struggled to his feet, clutching his chest, and said in a hoarse voice,
"It’s only a sachet. Is the Fifth Prince really in need of one?"
When the guards beat him, they only hit his body; his face was always left unscathed.
Unless someone lifted his clothes, no one would know he was injured.
It had always been like this.
The guards knew that beating a prince was a grave offense. Even under orders from the Second and Fifth Princes, they didn’t dare be too conspicuous.
As long as the Fourth Prince looked fine on the surface, everything was alright.
As for how he was truly faring, no one in the palace cared.
Li Yan sneered, "Of course I don’t need a sachet, but I want the one you have. Hand it over now!"
Li Ying refused to give it to him.
So Li Yan ordered his men to grab him and take it by force.
Li Ying clutched his chest tightly, not letting anyone touch the sachet.
Seeing that the guards were about to rain blows on him again, Hua Manman couldn’t watch any longer.
She hid behind the wall and shouted in a shrill, altered voice.
"Prince Zhao, what are you doing here?!"
The moment Li Hao heard Prince Zhao’s name, his expression changed instantly.
He still wanted to learn martial arts from Prince Zhao; he absolutely couldn’t let Prince Zhao find out he was bullying his younger brother.
Li Hao decided to leave.
Seeing him go, Li Yan naturally didn’t want to stay behind alone, so he left reluctantly.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to throw a parting threat at Li Ying.
"You just wait. We’ll see how I deal with you later!"
Once the sound of footsteps faded away, Hua Manman cautiously peeked her head out from behind the wall.
She saw Li Ying get up from the ground.
His clothes were covered in dirt and torn in several places. He looked utterly wretched.
Yet his face was expressionless, maintaining that same silent, reticent demeanor.
The little eunuch beside him said through tears,
"Fourth Prince, it’s just a little sachet! If they wanted it, you should have just given it to them! Why suffer another beating over it?!"
Li Ying ignored him and took the small sachet out from his robes.
Because it had fallen on the ground, the sachet’s surface was covered in dust.
He carefully wiped the dust away before tucking it preciously back into his robes against his chest.
From a distance, Hua Manman couldn’t see clearly what he was holding. Seeing him take something out and then put it away again, she just assumed it was some kind of treasure.
Li Ying raised his head and looked toward the direction the shrill shout had come from, his eyes meeting Hua Manman’s just as she peeked her head out from behind the wall.
Both of them froze.
Hua Manman gave an awkward but polite smile.
Li Ying knew she was the one who had just helped him.
But he only gave her a single glance, said nothing, and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Hua Manman actually breathed a sigh of relief.
She had stepped in purely because she couldn’t stand to watch any longer.
But she didn’t want to get involved with Li Ying over such a small matter at all.
’After all, I’m on Prince Zhao’s side.’