The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 19

“Don’t kneel. Just explain your thoughts clearly to me.”

Qiu Junyao really disliked the habit of kneeling in ancient times; it wasted time for conversation: “Tell me, what do you need me to do?”

“Your Majesty, those suffering from Pain Puppet Syndrome are not foolish; on the contrary, they are very intelligent…”

Doctor Qiu paused and continued, “But no one is perfect. Since they possess extraordinary talent, they must pay a corresponding price.”

“I understand this,” Qiu Junyao nodded, “Go on.”

“Yes.” Doctor Qiu cautiously glanced at Qiu Junyao’s expression, weighing his words carefully before speaking: “However, because patients with Pain Puppet Syndrome cannot control their actions, they need assistance from others to correct their behavior.”

“And from my observations, only pain can stimulate the patient to perform the correct actions.”

“?” Qiu Junyao was taken aback: “Go on.”

“In simple terms, when the young prince exhibits incorrect behavior, physical punishment or sensory stimulation is applied to correct it.”

At this, Qiu Jingxiu seemed to understand Doctor Qiu’s words. He wriggled his small butt in Qiu Junyao’s arms, then buried his soft face into Qiu Junyao’s chest, peeking at the doctor with bright, curious eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Qiu Junyao soothingly patted the restless child. When that didn’t work, he picked him up and began to pace, gently rocking his arms. He looked at Doctor Qiu with a hint of hesitation: “What level of pain stimulation are you talking about?”

“It doesn’t need to be particularly intense,” Doctor Qiu hurriedly replied. “The young prince is still small. With some gentle correction, he can improve. If we wait until he’s older and the condition worsens, even whipping might be ineffective.”

Qiu Junyao: “…”

Listening to Doctor Qiu felt like not listening at all. The old doctor was indeed skillful with his words, avoiding the core issue. After waiting for a long time, Qiu Junyao still didn’t get a concrete answer.

Qiu Junyao wanted to ask more, but soon Qiu Jingxiu began to fuss again, muttering incoherently and grabbing at Qiu Junyao’s hair to chew on it. Startled, Qiu Junyao had to soothe the little one all over again.

Yingyuan also came over, speaking softly to Qiu Jingxiu. The intimate atmosphere among the three was so exclusive that no one else could intrude. Understanding the situation, Doctor Qiu quickly cupped his hands and took his leave.

“Your Majesty, do you really intend to follow the doctor’s advice and treat Jingxiu this way?” Yingyuan, feeling soft-hearted, looked worriedly at Qiu Junyao: “Do you have a plan?”

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” Qiu Junyao glanced at him, then lowered his head to gently touch the child’s hair, their faces close for comfort. “He’s still young. Unless absolutely necessary, I won’t punish him physically.”

After Yingyuan and Qiu Junyao took turns pacifying Qiu Jingxiu, the child wriggled out of Qiu Junyao’s arms and started crawling around on the floor, behaving like a little puppy and causing a ruckus. The palace maids and eunuchs chased after him, pleading for him to slow down.

Coincidentally, Qiu Jingyue was visiting the palace to pay respects to his mother. Passing by the Pi Xiang Palace, he heard the commotion and boldly entered, just in time to see Qiu Jingxiu crawling out of the hall. They collided, falling into a heap.

“Ah… ugh!”

Qiu Jingxiu fell on his butt and rolled around like a little meatball, wincing in pain. After steadying himself, he didn’t cry. Instead, he puffed out his cheeks in anger, opened his mouth to reveal a row of neat white teeth, and quickly crawled to Qiu Jingyue, biting down hard on his arm.

“Ah!”

Qiu Jingyue screamed like a pig being slaughtered, as if someone had dug up his ancestors’ graves: “It hurts! It hurts!”

His delicate face twisted in pain. He shook his arm vigorously, but couldn’t dislodge Qiu Jingxiu, who, driven by a strong desire to win, bit down even harder, making low growling sounds like he intended to tear a piece of flesh from Qiu Jingyue’s arm.

“Why are you all standing there?”

Qiu Jingyue was nearly in tears, his eyes welling up with tears of pain as he yelled at the nearby eunuchs and maids: “Quickly, drag this insolent brat away from me!”

“You dog! Once I’m free, I’ll cut you into pieces!”

Qiu Jingyue glared fiercely at Qiu Jingxiu, but to his surprise, Qiu Jingxiu wasn’t afraid at all. He lowered his eyelids and glared back even more viciously.

Qiu Jingyue: “…”

???

Seeing the two about to fight again, the eunuchs and palace maids hurriedly separated Qiu Jingxiu and Qiu Jingyue. However, as Qiu Jingyue was being pulled away, he still growled threateningly, making Qiu Jingyue even angrier, almost jumping up:

“You little brat, I’ll kill you!”

“Jingxiu!”

Hearing the commotion from a distance, Qiu Junyao hurried over. Seeing Qiu Jingyue and Qiu Jingxiu glaring at each other, neither willing to back down, with a few eunuchs and palace maids standing around looking helpless, he demanded:

“What happened?!”

“Father!” Seeing Qiu Junyao appear, Qiu Jingyue seemed to find his savior. He walked angrily to Qiu Junyao, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a round, bloody bite mark. Both aggrieved and furious, he said:

“This brat actually dared to bite me! It’s outrageous!”

He continued, “I don’t know which palace this slave escaped from, but I request Father to hand this brat over to me for punishment.”

After speaking, he glanced triumphantly at Qiu Jingxiu, as if showing off.

Qiu Jingxiu, not one to be trifled with, immediately responded with a “woof” and made a dismissive expression, infuriating Qiu Jingyue even more. He pointed at Qiu Jingxiu’s nose and shouted:

“You!”

“Enough, enough, he’s your brother, not a brat,” Qiu Junyao said, rubbing his aching head. He beckoned to Qiu Jingxiu:

“Come here.”

Qiu Jingxiu, who attacked everyone equally, was obedient only to Qiu Junyao. He crawled over and grabbed Qiu Junyao’s leg, who then picked him up:

“Woof!”

“Stop pretending to be good,” Qiu Junyao warned, glaring at him. “Did you cause trouble again?”

Qiu Jingxiu avoided his gaze by burying his face in Qiu Junyao’s neck, occasionally glancing up to gauge Qiu Junyao’s expression before quickly looking down and playing dead.

“Father…” Qiu Jingyue never expected this “brat” to be the newly favored younger brother in the palace. He was momentarily embarrassed, but quickly remembered he was the victim and righteously stomped his foot, complaining:

“Father, he bit me!”

Qiu Junyao: “…”

Yin Yuan also approached. Seeing her, Qiu Jingyue’s eyes lit up as he shuffled over to her, rolling up his sleeve and almost pressing the bite mark into her eye:

“Mother, look at this~~~”

Qiu Jingyue’s voice was long and rhythmic, as if a puppy wagging its tail for justice. Faced with his babyish expression, Yin Yuan couldn’t help but pass the issue to Qiu Junyao:

“Your Majesty, look at these two!”

Feudal patriarch Qiu Junyao: “…”

Holding the troublemaker Qiu Jingxiu and looking at Qiu Jingyue, he couldn’t show too much favoritism, so he scolded both:

“Alright, stop arguing.”

He patted Jingxiu’s bottom, sternly saying:

“Apologize to your fourth brother.”

Qiu Jingxiu puffed out his cheeks, ready to be angry, but knowing he was at fault, he couldn’t stay mad. However, his stubborn nature refused to apologize, so he lay in Qiu Junyao’s arms, turning his back to Qiu Jingyue and staying silent.

Seeing this, Qiu Jingyue puffed up like an inflated pufferfish, almost exploding. He clung to Qiu Junyao’s sleeve, shaking it and demanding justice with a face full of grievances:

“Father, look at him~~~~”

Judging by his posture, if Qiu Junyao didn’t give him an explanation, he might cry on the spot, completely different from his earlier fierce demeanor.

Qiu Jingxiu, mimicking him, grabbed Qiu Junyao’s other sleeve and tugged hard, lowering his eyelids and pouting, looking pitifully at Qiu Junyao.

Before Qiu Junyao could react, his sleeve suddenly made a loud tearing sound. Both sleeves split neatly, exposing his pale arms. Qiu Jingyue stared in shock at the sleeve in Qiu Jingxiu’s hand, his expression shifting from anger to admiration, then to pity as if looking at someone doomed.

Qiu Junyao: “…”

Yin Yuan: “…”

Looking at the torn sleeves, Qiu Junyao’s temple throbbed, veins bulging on his forehead. He glared at the stunned Qiu Jingxiu, gritting his teeth and saying:

“Qiu, Jing, Xiu!”

“Howl—”