"Since I just mentioned that Emperor Jingwu and her prince consort Su Yu didn't consummate their marriage in the first two years, it reminds me of the classic play 'Three Beatings of the Princess's Consort,' which has been passed down since the Great Jing Dynasty."
"It's said that this classic drama was personally written by Emperor Jingwu's seventh brother, Yin Xin, in his later years when he was bored with life."
"Those who watched my last livestream probably remember that Emperor Jingwu's seventh brother was a script fanatic and a hardcore homebody."
"So, while others study to become officials, for Yin Xin, who was born into privilege, he watched and then wrote."
"And when he did write, it was earth-shattering. He directly chose Emperor Jingwu and Su Yu, the imperial couple holding power, as the prototypes for the princess and consort in his play!"
Under the Sky Canopy, at the Seventh Prince's residence, in the backyard.
Yin Xin was originally lying on a rocking chair, leisurely watching the Sky Canopy. Ever since the Sky Canopy first appeared, he had become a loyal fan of Liu Sanqi. He felt that her livestream was more interesting than any script he had ever read. If not for the limitations of time and space, he would have wanted to tip her many times.
But he never expected to be backstabbed by his "idol" today. His expression turned awkward, and he felt restless, because his wife Fang Mingqian was staring at him with bright eyes.
Fang Mingqian had married Yin Xin in early autumn last year. She was very satisfied with the marriage, as Yin Xin was not only of high status but also easy to get along with. Although Yin Xin was often obsessed with scripts, she had no complaints. After all, scripts were inanimate and couldn't affect her real-life status. And currently, he had only her as his primary wife. Fang Mingqian would rather Yin Xin focus on scripts every day than bring her any other so-called "sisters."
However, Fang Mingqian never imagined that reading scripts wasn't enough for Yin Xin. He was so audacious as to write Emperor Jingwu and Su Yu into his own play. At this moment, she couldn't help but fully agree with Liu Sanqi: "Yin Xin, are you really tired of living?"
Yin Xin felt wronged too: "I don't know! I'm only 20 now! How could I understand what I'll think decades later?! I think that guy really is tired of living and wants Yin Ning to send him off early!"
Fang Mingqian was originally furious at Yin Xin, but seeing his pitiful, crestfallen expression, she couldn't help laughing. Seeing her laugh, Yin Xin became even more upset: "How can you laugh? If I wrote something inappropriate in there, how will I ever face Yin Ning?"
"See? You only worry about not being able to face Yin Ning, but not about her chopping off your head. So what am I afraid of?"
Fang Mingqian's words instantly snapped Yin Xin out of his worry. So, after saying that, regardless of Yin Xin's reaction, she turned her attention back to Liu Sanqi on the Sky Canopy. She was now curious about how Yin Xin, who had read scripts his whole life, would write Emperor Jingwu and Su Yu into a play.
"As the title 'Three Beatings of the Princess's Consort' suggests, the main plot is about the princess beating the consort three times!"
"The first time was when the princess and consort first met as children, and under the arrangement of their elders, they had a martial arts sparring match."
"The consort was 9 at the time, and the princess was a year younger, only 8."
"Despite his age advantage, the consort was soundly beaten by the princess. Angry and crying loudly, he declared to the princess, 'A gentleman takes revenge, even if it takes ten years. I will settle this score sooner or later.'"
Under the Sky Canopy, in a simple tea shed.
Luo Chuan, who had been a personal guard for Su Yu for three years, looked at Su Yu across from him as if seeing a ghost. He never imagined that Su Yu, a tough man who never flinched at bleeding or injury, had actually been beaten to tears. Luo Chuan couldn't help asking Su Yu for confirmation: "General, were you really beaten to tears by the princess when you were a child?"
Hearing this, Zheng Jin, another personal guard, also looked up at the stern-faced Su Yu.
Su Yu: "..."
Seeing Su Yu's silence, Zheng Jin was shocked. Luo Chuan's eyes widened: "No way, General, you were such a weak... adorable kid?"
Under Su Yu's cold, deathly glare, Luo Chuan quickly changed his words, fearing he'd be abandoned in the wilderness before reaching Jingshi. But even so, Su Yu was still irritated by Luo Chuan and Zheng Jin's reactions. He said coldly, "I did not cry loudly!"
Luo Chuan and Zheng Jin, as Su Yu's personal guards, were not stupid. They quickly analyzed Liu Sanqi's words based on their understanding of Su Yu. He only denied crying loudly, not crying at all, so obviously he was beaten to tears by the princess. He didn't deny making threats, meaning he still refused to concede defeat even after being beaten to tears.
Luo Chuan imagined a young Su Yu, after losing, crying with a cold, aggrieved expression, and he pursed his lips tightly to avoid laughing. But his forced restraint only made him look more deserving of a beating in Su Yu's eyes. Su Yu couldn't be bothered to look at him again and instead looked up at the Sky Canopy.
"Although the consort vowed revenge on their first meeting, when he was 15, just before going to the battlefield, the princess came to see him off and beat him again in a sparring match."
"This time, the tables turned, and the princess was the one making threats."
"To the young consort who lost again, the princess said, 'Be careful on the battlefield. Don't die out there, because you're too weak.'"
"After such merciless verbal abuse from the princess, the once-spirited young consort was again provoked to tears."
Under the Sky Canopy, Su Yu's face turned black. He glared at Luo Chuan, who was sneaking a look at him, and said, "I lost, but I didn't cry. I got sand in my eyes!"
"I understand! I understand! General, I absolutely believe you! I know you're a man of iron, not a crybaby!"
Seeing Luo Chuan pretending to cover for him, Su Yu's hands itched to beat some sense into him, to stop him from thinking nonsense. Su Yu was fuming at Luo Chuan's "cleverness," while at the Northwest Marshal's Mansion, Su Lei, his father, was laughing so hard he was bent over, tears streaming from his eyes.
Su Lei said gleefully to Wen Changrong, "Knowing how face-conscious Su Yu is, seeing this on the Sky Canopy midway must be driving him crazy. But he'll grit his teeth and endure, not letting others see how much it bothers him!"
Hearing this, Wen Changrong thought of Su Yu's expression and couldn't help smiling. Su Lei was just enjoying the show, not caring about the trouble. Meanwhile, in Jingshi, Su An, seeing Xiao He's scrutinizing gaze, quickly distanced himself: "I didn't cry! I never liked crying as a kid! I'm not like my brother!"
Xiao He said calmly, "That's good, because even if you did cry, you still couldn't beat me."
Su An: "..."
Su An hadn't planned to cry, but hearing Xiao He's words made him angry, yet he was helpless. After all, Xiao He was four years younger than him! In Su An's eyes, even though Xiao He was more skilled in martial arts, she was still a child.
Standing nearby, Su Zheng and Shi Qingyuan saw Su An afraid of being misunderstood as a crybaby by Xiao He. They exchanged glances and couldn't help smiling. Shi Qingyuan lowered her voice and said to Su Zheng, "I seem to remember that the princess once said when she first visited the Su family, just before returning to the palace, Su An hugged her leg and cried loudly, saying he didn't want her to leave."
Su Zheng smiled and nodded, "That's right. He was only a little over two then. Whenever something didn't go his way, he would cry at the top of his lungs. I was traumatized by his crying for two years."
Seeing Su Zheng complain but with a gentle smile in his eyes, Shi Qingyuan remarked, "Su Yu and Su An are lucky to have an uncle like you."
Su Zheng was initially composed, but suddenly hearing Shi Qingyuan praise him, he felt joy, then a bit flustered. In the end, he just gave her an embarrassed smile.
Shi Qingyuan didn't notice anything amiss, thinking Su Zheng was just introverted.