Daqing Reborn Prince, Intercepting Si Lili at the Beginning

Chapter 16: Qingniao Fainted on the Street? Li Chengyuan Punished with House Arrest!

After leaving Zuixianju, everyone parted ways and headed home. Since the Jing Prince’s Mansion and the Prince of Li’s Mansion weren’t far apart, Li Hongcheng and Li Chengyuan shared a carriage on their way back.

On the road, Li Chengyuan asked Lao Huang how he had enjoyed his night. Li Huang grinned sheepishly, baring his teeth but didn’t reply. His expression, however, revealed everything. It seemed that he had a great time last night.

Had Li Chengyuan not known from Li Hongcheng that Li Huang spent the whole night drinking without doing anything else, from Li Huang’s lecherous appearance, Li Chengyuan would’ve thought he had performed some mighty feats!

’

On the way home, they chatted casually. Suddenly, Li Chengyuan heard a commotion ahead. He peeked out from the carriage and found someone had collapsed. He immediately ordered the carriage to stop and got out to check.

A crowd had gathered, but no one stepped forward, likely to avoid getting involved. Li Chengyuan squeezed through and took a look, immediately freezing in surprise. Lying on the ground was a frail figure, seemingly a young girl. What shocked him was that she was holding a long spear in her arms!

This is… Qingniao?

Startled, Li Chengyuan hurriedly squatted down, flipping the girl over. Her face was a bit dirty, but Li Chengyuan recognized her immediately—it was indeed Qingniao.

Why did Qingniao appear like this???

Cursing inwardly, he quickly stopped thinking about it. Without further ado, he lifted her in his arms and rushed back to the carriage.

“Quick, back to the mansion!”

Ignoring the murmurs of the onlookers, Li Chengyuan, once in the carriage, ordered the driver to hurry.

“Your Highness, what is this…?” Li Hongcheng, seeing the unconscious Qingniao in Li Chengyuan’s arms, was baffled.

Li Chengyuan casually explained, “Nothing, just a young girl I’ve met before. Not sure why she fainted.”

“Oh!” Li Hongcheng didn’t ask further, seeing that Li Chengyuan was reluctant to elaborate. After all, it was just a young girl, not worth worrying over.

’

Soon, they arrived near Shixin Gate, an area where the wealthy and powerful lived. The Jing Prince’s Mansion, Prince of Li’s Mansion, and the Second Prince’s Qin Prince’s Mansion were all nearby.

The carriage stopped at Shixin Gate. Li Hongcheng got off and bid farewell to Li Chengyuan. Not long after, Li Chengyuan returned to the Prince of Li’s Mansion. The moment the carriage stopped, Li Chengyuan carried Qingniao down and sprinted towards the mansion.

“Li Huang, go get the imperial physician to the rear courtyard, quick!”

“I’m on it!” Li Huang replied instantly, vanishing in a blink, likely using his qinggong.

Li Chengyuan was also swift, and before long, he reached the rear courtyard. Finding an empty room, he placed Qingniao on the bed. Just then, Sang Wen arrived, having heard the commotion.

“Your Highness, what happened?”

“Nothing, I found an old friend injured on the way and brought her back. By the way, where’s the imperial physician?”

“The physician will be here shortly. Also, Young Master, there’s a eunuch from the palace, here to deliver an edict from His Majesty. He’s been waiting for a while!”

“Hmm?” Li Chengyuan was taken aback for a moment before quickly asking, “Where is he?”

“In the main hall,” Sang Wen quickly replied.

Li Chengyuan was about to say something when Li Huang returned with the imperial physician on his back.

Li Chengyuan immediately instructed, “Li Huang, Sang Wen, you two stay here and take care of Qingniao. I’ll go to the front to receive the decree.”

“Understood, Your Highness, we’ll handle things here,” Li Huang promptly responded.

Li Chengyuan glanced at Qingniao lying on the bed, then quickly left without further delay.

’

Li Chengyuan hurried back to the main hall, where he saw Eunuch Hou leisurely sipping tea. Hearing the sound of footsteps, Eunuch Hou quickly stood up as soon as he saw Li Chengyuan.

“Oh dear, Your Highness, you’ve finally returned!”

“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” Li Chengyuan said courteously.

Eunuch Hou immediately replied, “Oh no, Your Highness, please, there’s no need to be so polite with an old servant like me. I’m not worthy of such courtesy!”

Li Chengyuan smiled faintly. He knew full well that Eunuch Hou held quite some sway with Emperor Qing, so it wasn’t wise to offend him. A single careless word from Eunuch Hou could lead to much trouble. Although it was unlikely Eunuch Hou would dare speak ill of a prince, maintaining good relations was still prudent.

After some small talk, Li Chengyuan directly asked, “What brings you here, Eunuch Hou?”

“Oh my, I almost forgot the important task. Your Highness, I bring an imperial decree from His Majesty. Please prepare to receive it.”

Li Chengyuan nodded and knelt, saying, “I, your son, am ready to receive the decree.”

Eunuch Hou assumed an official posture and solemnly declared, “His Majesty’s decree: The third prince, Li Chengyuan, has been indulging in debauchery at brothels, neglecting propriety and royal dignity. As punishment, you are hereby ordered to remain under house arrest for half a month and to transcribe ten thousand characters as a means of self-reflection. May you reflect on your actions and cultivate yourself!”

“I accept the decree,” Li Chengyuan said, bowing once more before standing up.

“Eunuch Hou!” Li Chengyuan discreetly took out fifty taels of silver and attempted to hand them to Eunuch Hou.

Eunuch Hou immediately panicked, waving his hands. “Oh no, Your Highness, I cannot accept this. If you have any orders, just say the word, but I dare not take your money!”

Seeing Eunuch Hou genuinely decline, Li Chengyuan didn’t insist. Instead, he asked directly, “Eunuch Hou, I understand the house arrest, but this matter of transcribing ten thousand characters seems unclear. May I ask what exactly His Majesty wishes me to transcribe?”

Eunuch Hou chuckled. “His Majesty didn’t specify a particular text, only that you transcribe ten thousand characters. If you ask me, His Majesty likely wants to admire your ‘slender gold script.’ So, the content doesn’t matter as much as the quality of your handwriting. It would be best if you used your slender gold script!”

“I understand,” Li Chengyuan suddenly realized. It seemed that Emperor Qing had taken a liking to his calligraphy and seized this opportunity to have him transcribe something for his enjoyment.

With that clarified, Li Chengyuan continued to probe, “Eunuch Hou, was this punishment because someone in court impeached me?”

“There were indeed a few memorials to the throne,” Eunuch Hou replied. “You know how those censors at the Censorate are—always quick to submit reports whenever something happens. But rest assured, His Majesty didn’t seem angry. This house arrest is likely just to give you some rest. After all, Your Highness, you have been quite… ‘busy’ lately.”

Li Chengyuan: “……”

“Also, His Majesty has already ordered for your poetry and your creation of the slender gold script to be published in the newspaper. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be known as one of the capital’s great scholars!”

Hmm?

Li Chengyuan was stunned.

Newspaper?

’’