Chapter 452: That Is Tearing Living Flesh from Your Majesty
"Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, please allow this servant to announce you, Empress Dowager..."
At that moment, the pleading voice of a eunuch outside grew closer. Hearing the sound, the Youning Emperor immediately stood up and went to greet her. Reaching the doorway, he faced the furious Empress Dowager and hurriedly bowed in salute: "Mother..."
"This old woman does not deserve it." The Empress Dowager avoided the Youning Emperor's gesture, her face cold as she refused to look at him.
Seeing the situation turning sour, Liu Sanzhi immediately dismissed the eunuchs and palace maids, leaving only the Empress Dowager and the Youning Emperor in the room.
"Mother, I never intended to harm Qilang," the Youning Emperor explained in a low voice.
The Empress Dowager turned around, her gaze sharp as she stared at him for a long time without speaking: "Kicking down the bridge after crossing the river—isn't that your usual tactic? Qilang isn't your flesh and blood, yet you poisoned him, brought him to this state. He's already not long for this world, and you still aren't at ease? Must you insist on putting him to death?"
"Mother, the poison in the Cheese Cherry back then was not administered by me," the Youning Emperor patiently explained once more, his voice filled with helplessness. "The poison in the Cheese Cherry was likely meant for me. Qilang accidentally consumed it."
"Accidentally consumed?" The Empress Dowager let out a scornful laugh, looking at the bitterly smiling Youning Emperor with a mix of mockery and sarcasm. She then said, "Fine, let's assume Qilang accidentally consumed it. Doesn't that mean he saved your life? If he hadn't eaten the Cheese Cherry, think for yourself—if you had eaten it, would you have survived to this day?"
"All these years, do you have any idea how much he has suffered because of the Unique Poison? It was only in the last two years that he improved slightly. In previous years, whenever the poison flared up, his entire body would turn icy cold. Even when boiled in a large vat, he would be so cold he lost consciousness. When autumn arrived, he would cough incessantly. At the peak of the poison's onset, he would cough up blood until his hands were covered..."
"If it were you, would you have been able to achieve today's great accomplishments? Would you have been able to focus on handling court affairs?"
"He struggled to survive until today, merely staying alive has been this difficult for him. What exactly are you still guarding against?"
As the Empress Dowager spoke, her eyes reddened, and her voice choked with emotion: "How much did your elder brother owe you in his past life to be treated like this by you in this one?"
"Blinded by greed and ambition, you killed him. Now, you won't even spare his last remaining bloodline? If you don't want to pass the throne to him, I won't blame you. When you decided to establish him as Crown Prince, you knew perfectly well that you were the one who benefited the most!"
"Just depose him. But you can't bear to, because as long as he remains, he can ensure your reign remains stable for a few more years. You want to use him, yet you guard against him, tormenting him like this. Is your heart even made of flesh?"
As long as Xiao Huayong remains in the position of Crown Prince for a day, the other princes, even though they know Xiao Huayong's life is short, may have begun secretly scheming to seize the succession, they would not dare to act openly. The ministers would not so quickly choose sides; most would still remain loyal to Your Majesty.
This benefits Your Majesty's control over the court, allowing many policies to be implemented and promoted with maximum effectiveness.
This is why the Youning Emperor, despite having caught Xiao Huayong's inability to distinguish colors and his physical disability—which would make it easy to depose the Crown Prince—did not depose him. Instead, he chose to test Xiao Huayong.
"Mother..." the Youning Emperor called out heavily and at length, his tone filled with deep exhaustion and helplessness. "Whether you believe me or not, I have never treated Qilang differently from my other sons."
"If he could live a long life, I would sincerely be willing to pass the throne to him. This is my debt to Brother. I just want to know..." The Youning Emperor raised his eyes, gazing deeply at the Empress Dowager. "Does Qilang... hate me?"He suspected that Xiao Huayong had already learned of his true origins. He could return the imperial throne to Xiao Huayong, provided Xiao Huayong had the capability to claim it, but he could not tolerate Xiao Huayong attempting to take his life and scheming against him at every turn.
He was the emperor. He could give, but he would not allow others to seize.
The Empress Dowager, meeting his deep and probing gaze, said coldly, "Do you suspect me of sowing discord between you and your 'father-son' bond?"
It was indeed she who had revealed Xiao Huayong's origins, right after the Cheese Cherry incident. Sensitive, clever, and suspicious, Xiao Huayong had been only eight years old at the time but managed to uncover that the poison might have been administered by the Youning Emperor. For him, it was a fatal blow.
He could not understand why his father—the father he admired, revered, doted on him, and cared for him so meticulously—would inflict such harm upon him. He vomited blood daily, feeling as though the entire world had abandoned him. A small child, he lost all will to live. What could she do?
If she had not resolved this turmoil in his heart, Xiao Huayong would likely have perished at the age of eight.
He was the only flesh and blood left by her eldest son. In this life, the person she had wronged the most was her eldest son. How could she stand by and watch him abandon himself, allowing the relentless poison to consume him?
Later, as she watched him struggle against the poison day after day, she regretted and lamented, thinking it might have been better to let him pass peacefully back then.
"Mother, it is true that Qilang was taken by my men. I will not hide this from you, but I truly had no intention of harming him," the Youning Emperor withdrew his gaze and explained in a softened tone. "I also did not expect the third prince to intervene at this time, causing Qilang to fall into his hands."
"Heaven sees all that one does. It is because you have committed too many evil deeds that Heaven is now making you pay the price," the Empress Dowager said sharply. "If anything happens to Qilang, I will hang myself at the palace gates."
With that, the Empress Dowager had no desire to argue further with the Youning Emperor and strode away.
When Shen Xihe returned to her residence, she heard that the Empress Dowager had gone to see His Majesty and that they had parted on bad terms.
"The Empress Dowager understands the Emperor far better than we do," Shen Xihe thought of the Youning Emperor's past actions in his pursuit of the throne.
In truth, if anything were to happen to Xiao Huayong, the Empress Dowager would naturally assume it was the Emperor's doing.
The Emperor only wanted to force Xiao Huayong to reveal his true intentions, but he had not expected Xiao Huayong to counter every move, escalating the situation to such an extent.
Now, with Xiao Huayong's fate unknown and rumors spreading that his disappearance was the work of the Emperor's Hidden Guards, public sentiment was in turmoil, and everyone was filled with anxiety. How many court affairs would be delayed as a result?
"When will His Highness return?" Biyu was quite worried about Xiao Huayong.
This time, His Highness was undoubtedly making a deal with the devil. How could the Jiachen Crown Prince possibly let him go?
"The Jiachen Crown Prince will not harm him," Shen Xihe was the least concerned about Xiao Huayong's safety.
Just as Li Yanyan had not exposed Xiao Huayong that day, the Jiachen Crown Prince, knowing that this was a scheme orchestrated by Xiao Huayong, would firmly believe in Xiao Huayong's origins. They shared a common enemy—the Emperor.
The Jiachen Crown Prince himself had no means to overthrow the Youning Emperor. Like Li Yanyan, he hoped for Xiao Huayong to confront the Youning Emperor head-on. Not only would he not harm Xiao Huayong, but he would also comply with and assist Xiao Huayong.He would not believe this was a scheme orchestrated by Youning Emperor and Xiao Huayong, father and son, to lure his entire army into annihilation. From the moment Xiao Huayong sought him out, he had understood that if Xiao Huayong intended him harm, there would be no need for such elaborate maneuvering, nor would it require Your Majesty to sacrifice so greatly.
Those who perished were genuine elites, a true gouging of flesh from Your Majesty’s very being.
(End of Chapter)
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