The next day, he attended court.
The crown prince wrote down all his observations and experiences from his travels and presented them to the emperor.
The emperor took the memorial, flipped through it, and said, "Your Highness has worked hard."
The Crown Prince replied earnestly, "This is all I should do; it's not hard for me."
The emperor tentatively asked, "Is there anything else the Crown Prince wishes to say to me?"
The crown prince looked up and met the emperor's probing gaze. His pupils contracted, and at that moment, he even had the feeling that the emperor had seen right through him.
The prince replied, "No."
Undeterred, the emperor asked, "Really not?"
The crown prince shook his head.
The emperor subtly clenched his fist, lowered his eyes to conceal the disappointment within.
[Alas, the Crown Prince is now on the verge of disaster; who could have imagined he would rebel?]
The courtiers. "???"
Crown Prince? Rebellion?
Is the world crazy, or are they deaf?
In an instant, countless people went to see the Crown Prince.
The prince felt those gazes, but he didn't take them seriously. There was still a quarter of an hour before it started, and his palms and back began to sweat.
Emperor: " Alin."
Xue Lin stepped forward and stood before the emperor, saying, "Your subject is here."
The emperor smiled and said, " The Ministry of Rites says the second day of next month is an auspicious day."
"Your subject understands."
For some reason, seeing this scene of "filial piety and parental love," the Crown Prince's previously uneasy heart suddenly calmed down.
Since his father didn't treat him as a son, why should he continue to treat his father as his father?
The emperor noticed the change in the crown prince. He frowned as he looked at the prince. He and the empress had been devoted to each other, and the crown prince was their first son. The emperor had high hopes for him.
But now, they are all going to betray him.
At first, when Xue Lin told the emperor, the emperor did not believe him. He even hoped that Tong Aning's thoughts were wrong.
But he also knew in his heart that Tong Aning's feelings had never been wrong.
The Crown Prince and the Empress were completely oblivious to Tong Aning's true feelings.
The emperor's forehead veins throbbed; the time for the crown prince's planned rebellion was fast approaching. Whether it was true or false, the truth would soon be revealed.
"His Majesty."
The guards stationed at the main hall rushed in, announcing, " The Crimson Shadow Army is heading towards the main hall."
The Crimson Shadow Army was now under the command of the Empress's elder brother. With their last glimmer of hope extinguished, the Emperor could no longer deceive himself. He looked at the Crown Prince and asked, "Crown Prince, what do you intend to do?"
His tone wasn't harsh, just angry and disappointed.
He practically gave this child his heart, so why was he treated like this?
The crown prince looked at the emperor on the dragon throne and said, "Father, you've sat on this throne long enough."
The emperor, his face cold, stepped down from the dragon throne and walked to the crown prince. He asked, "So, what do you intend to do with me? Kill me?"
The crown prince's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly said, "Your subject never intended to take Father's life."
The emperor laughed heartily, then pointed outside and said coldly, "Your uncle's Crimson Shadow Army is surrounding the palace, and you tell me you have no intention of killing me? Don't you understand the principle that if you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring breeze?"
The crown prince was utterly bewildered. "Father..."
"Don't call me Father," the emperor waved his hand, "I don't have a son like you who forces me to abdicate."
This remark must have touched a nerve with the crown prince, for he shouted, "Do you think I want to be your son?"
The emperor stared at the crown prince in disbelief. "What did you say?"
The crown prince clenched his fists, forcing himself to calm down, but his voice still trembled involuntarily. "Father, am I really your son? Have you forgotten that I am your son, not Xue Lin!"
Without a second thought, the emperor said, "You did something wrong, yet you try to implicate Xue Lin..."
The Crown Prince sneered. Even at this point, his father was still speaking up for Xue Lin. A bitter feeling welled up in his heart. He said, "As expected, Father, you only know how to protect Xue Lin. Ever since Prince Yong and his wife died, you've been doing everything you can to be good to Xue Lin. You've helped him win the hearts of the people, you've let him marry the daughter of a marquis, you've let him inherit the title. Next time, will you expect me to hand over the position of Crown Prince?"
The crown prince's voice grew louder and louder, his questions sharp and incisive.
The emperor was stunned. "Why would you think that?"
The crown prince wiped away his tears, then grinned, revealing a smile that was even more painful than a grimace. "It's hard for me not to think this way."
The emperor looked at the crown prince as if he didn't recognize him.
The Empress entered, surrounded by the Crimson Shadow Army. She glanced at the Crown Prince, then at the Emperor, and said, "Crown Prince, come to my side."
The crown prince walked to the empress's side.
The emperor and empress were childhood sweethearts, supporting each other and treating each other with utmost respect. But this time, when their eyes met, all that remained was tension.
The emperor asked, "Is that what you think too?"
The Empress said, "Your Majesty, this is not my fault. If anyone is to blame, it's you for being too good to Xue Lin. You wanted to make it up to him too much. Why did you want to make it up to Xue Lin so much?"
The emperor was unusually at a disadvantage, and the empress pressed on, "Is it because you did something wrong to the Prince Yong's Residence?"
The emperor's face turned ashen. "Shut up!"
The Empress understood, and she said sarcastically, "So it was all because you felt guilty, Your Majesty."
Just because he feels guilty, he can mistreat their children.
How ridiculous! The Empress had previously thought the Emperor wanted to train the Crown Prince.
Xue Lin looked at the emperor, and in those eyes that resembled those of Prince Yong, there was an emotion that was unfamiliar to the emperor.
Xue Lin asked, "Uncle, what are you feeling guilty about?"
Although he tried his best to restrain himself, his face was pale and his voice was trembling.
Tong Aning walked to Xue Lin's side, took Xue Lin's hand, and gently patted Xue Lin's back.
The emperor, watching all this, found it all rather ironic.
He sighed and said, "So be it, so be it."
He propped himself up on the steps and sat down, looking as if he had aged ten years. He looked at Xue Lin and said, "I have known for a long time who killed your parents."
With tears welling in his eyes, Xue Lin pressed on, "Who is it?"
"He's dead. I personally ordered his execution."
Xue Lin was somewhat confused. Since his uncle had already ordered the execution of the murderer who killed his parents, why didn't he tell him, and why did he feel guilty?
The Empress, however, considered a possibility: she had two elder brothers. Her eldest brother was currently in command of the Crimson Shadow Army, while her second brother had been ordered to commit suicide by the Emperor.
It was from that time that a rift developed between her and the emperor.
The Empress gritted her teeth and said, "You actually pinned all this on a dead man?"
The emperor's usually sharp eyes were somewhat clouded. He said, "At that time, I had just ascended the throne, and my position was unstable. The forces that supported me were worried that Prince Yong would threaten me, so they secretly conspired to have the empress's second brother take action."
Half of the forces supporting the emperor came from the empress's maternal family.
[This is where the emperor's guilt lies: his wife's family was involved in the plot to murder his own brother, yet he can't bring the mastermind to justice, let alone sever ties with his wife's family.]
The Crown Prince covered his head and laughed loudly, "This is ridiculous! You are absolutely ridiculous! Just because of this, you treat Xue Lin with such favoritism. And what about me? When you sent Xue Lin to investigate human traffickers, did you have any selfish motives? Did you ever think of me?"
The crown prince stared intently at the emperor, as if grasping at a straw.
The emperor's voice was hoarse, "Yes, I want you to go."
The crown prince stood there, stunned. He said in a low voice, "But in the end, you still let Xue Lin go, didn't you?"
"Yes."
As the emperor, he was always good at balancing things. He thought he could balance Xue Lin and the crown prince, but now it seems he has done neither well.
"Your Majesty, I don't have time to listen to this. Brother, do it!"
Just as the Crimson Shadow Army was about to make their move, Tong Fengye and Feng Chu led the Imperial Guards in.
The Empress witnessed all of this. Having shared a bed with the Emperor for over a decade, how could she not have imagined that she and the Crown Prince had been trapped in a cage by the Emperor!
A defeat is a defeat.
The empress did not argue; she simply stared coldly at the emperor.
The emperor waved his hand wearily, "Take the Crown Prince and Empress away."
The fifth day since the Crown Prince and Empress began their rebellion.
The emperor decreed that the crown prince and empress be stripped of their titles and banished from the capital forever.
In the end, he couldn't bring himself to kill them.
*
When Xue Lin returned from his bath, Tong Aning, who had been leaning against the edge of the bed, was already on the bed. As soon as Xue Lin lay down, Tong Aning immediately wrapped her arms around him.
Xue Lin asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Tong Aning nuzzled Xue Lin's face against hers, "I've been waiting for you."
Xue Lin's heart softened. "Alright, I won't have nightmares anymore. You can sleep peacefully now."
Ever since the Crown Prince's rebellion, Xue Lin has been having nightmares. These past few days, Tong Aning has been staying by his side, only going to sleep after he has fallen asleep.
Tong Aning mumbled, "I don't believe it."
Xue Lin chuckled, turned to look at Tong Aning Tong Aning, who was braiding their hair together.
Xue Lin put his arm around her and pressed his forehead against hers, saying, "I've been in a daze these past few days. I'm so sorry to have troubled you, Aning."
Tong Aning smiled gently, "What's so hard about it... What did His Majesty say to you when he kept you behind alone today?"
Xue Lin's eyes darkened. "Uncle still feels sorry for me."
"Right, he wasn't the one who did it, but he's still involved in the deaths of my father and mother."
"Yes."
So what are your thoughts?
Xue Lin said blankly, "Uncle, he's very good to me."
"Um."
"I think, let things continue like this."
"That's more like it," Tong Aning said, patting Xue Lin's face. "Don't keep making things difficult for yourself. I'll be there for you."
"Yes, I know." Xue Lin held Tong Aning's hand, paused, and then said, "But this matter was a great blow to my uncle. He even asked me if I wanted to become emperor."
"So, do you want to be one?"
Xue Lin looked at Tong Aning, "Do you want to be the Empress?"
Tong Aning blinked. "Not interested."
"Then I..."
Tong Aning suddenly sat up, looking down at Xue Lin. Her black hair cascaded down her back, making her eyes appear as bright as stars. She half-jokingly said, "How about I become the emperor?"
Xue Lin paused, thinking that if Tong Aning really became emperor, it would be a good thing for the Great Xia Dynasty, but...
[I'll keep ten or eight male concubines for him then.]
Tong Aning has lofty ambitions.
Xue Lin: "!"
He pulled Tong Aning Tong Aning back down and hugged her.
"Eh..."
Xue Lin said sullenly, "Go to sleep."
Tong Aning was overjoyed.
Author's Note: The main story ends here. There will be an extra chapter later. Thank you all for your support! [fireworks][fireworks][fireworks]
Next book. "The Palace Maid is Gossiping Today Too"