To him, it doesn’t really matter who he dines with, he doesn’t care. What he cares about are these servants, who chatter endlessly while he eats. If they’re not urging him to hurry up, they’re criticizing that he swallows too loudly when drinking soup, opens his mouth too wide when eating, and lacks proper etiquette.
He must remember that the time he has for eating is only as long as an incense stick takes to burn.
If he were to chew slowly and maintain elegant etiquette, he’d starve to death.
These people speak without standing in his shoes, and Jun Ning was getting extremely annoyed with them.
Today, while eating, those people started their chatter again. At first, Jun Ning thought it better to ignore them, believing that avoiding conflict was preferable. However, his tolerance was seen by them as a sign of weakness, making him an easy target.
Initially, their criticism was solely aimed at him, but it gradually intensified, targeting even his mother and father.
Among them, the palace maid Qing Er, who was responsible for watching over him for the Empress, spoke the most outrageously. Follow current novᴇls on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
She directly insulted him, saying he was a worthless fool, dull and stupid, lacking manners, ugly, and inarticulate, behaving like a silly fool all day long. She implied his mother and father couldn’t be any better.
He didn’t care much if she targeted Emperor Yongning, as he held no affection for Emperor Yongning. She could speak as she liked, as long as she didn’t mind the consequences. But when it came to Qiong Hua, Jun Ning could not tolerate it.
He lost his appetite for lunch and ended up having a fierce argument with Qing Er, nearly coming to blows until those nearby intervened, preventing a tragedy.
Still, Jun Ning’s anger didn’t subside, and returning to Jiaofang Palace didn’t improve his mood.
Jun Yu looked a bit worried, wanting to ask what was wrong, but with the Empress watching him read, he didn’t dare to be distracted. He could only press his lips together and suppress his questions for the moment.
That palace maid Qing Er, upon returning to Jiaofang Palace with Jun Ning, moved her eyes slyly and immediately tattled to the Empress.
"Your Majesty, the task you gave this servant to accompany Master Yi Yi is really hard to manage. I beg you, please allow this servant to return to serve by your side?" She knelt at the Empress’s feet, weeping like a pear blossom soaked in rain, appearing utterly wronged.
Jun Ning watched, and let out a cold laugh.
This cold laugh was meant to ridicule Qing Er for being the culprit and then reversing the accusation, but Qing Er seized upon this to make a big deal out of it.
She said to the Empress, "Your Majesty, just look at him. He continues to do wrong despite my many corrections, and now that I can’t tolerate him any longer and wish to resign, he still dares to provoke this servant."
"What?" The Empress set down her refreshments with a thud and stood up angrily, "Audacious Yi Yi, kneel before me."
"I did nothing wrong, why should I kneel?" Jun Ning refused to kneel, remaining defiant.
"You did nothing wrong, huh..." Qing Er sneered through her tears, crying even more dramatically.
Seeing this, the Empress supported Qing Er and asked, "Qing Er, what wrongs has he done? Tell me one by one, and I shall see that justice is served."
Wasn’t this exactly what Qing Er had been waiting for from the Empress?
"Very well, Your Majesty."
Qing Er wiped away her tears and began to enumerate the mistakes Jun Ning had made since moving into Jiaofang Palace.
"Your Majesty, this Master Yi Yi doesn’t rise to accompany the young prince in his studies, deliberately drags his feet during meals, always making the young prince wait, wasting his time. Even worse, whenever the young prince is studying, he’s always there encouraging him to stop, claiming there’s no point in reading. He suggests it would be better to play with him."