After spitting out a mouthful of blood, the Emperor could no longer hold himself up. Eunuchs and imperial physicians rushed forward to attend to him.
Chu Zhao and the others stepped back.
Xiao Yu also moved back to Chu Zhao’s side, holding her hand.
"Don’t be afraid," Chu Zhao whispered to comfort him.
Xiao Yu nodded, seemingly not frightened—perhaps he had already been numbed by fear.
However, the eunuchs and physicians were soon dismissed. Though the Emperor appeared much weaker than before, he managed to prop himself up halfway and fixed his gaze on Chu Zhao, demanding, "Tell me, how can I not be angry?"
"Your Majesty," Chu Zhao bowed in acknowledgment of her fault, "this humble girl is guilty. When I said, 'Your Majesty, do not be angry,' I did not mean that you should not feel anger."
The Emperor looked at her and sneered, "Then what did you mean?"
Chu Zhao replied, "I meant that I feel heartache for Your Majesty."
Heartache for Your Majesty? The Emperor was taken aback. Beside him, Deng Yi glanced at Chu Zhao, pursed his lips, and lowered his head.
"So much has happened, all involving Your Majesty’s closest kin. How could you not be angry? But anger is futile—it only harms your own health," Chu Zhao continued. "This humble girl is powerless and can only uselessly say, 'Your Majesty, do not be angry,' hoping that you will take good care of yourself."
Powerless, hoping that Your Majesty will take good care of yourself—is that what she meant? The Emperor studied the girl, his expression shifting, and suddenly he laughed.
"If you don’t know how to speak properly, then speak less," he said, no longer in the mood to scold her. He then glanced at Xiao Yu beside Chu Zhao, as if about to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
There was no point anymore.
"Take A’Yu and leave."
Chu Zhao was startled. "Leave? To where?"
The Emperor looked at her. "To the Border Commandery, to find your father. You know how capable your father is. So, take the Little Highness and go."
To think—Chu Zhao couldn’t help but look at Deng Yi.
Deng Yi met her gaze. "Miss Chu, what I said at the city gate tower was not meant to harm the Little Highness. I advised you to take him away because it is the best choice for him. Staying here is not safe for the Little Highness."
Chu Zhao turned back to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, the Little Highness is safest by your side."
The Emperor let out a soft "oh." "I am about to die. Once I am dead, will he still be safe by my side?"
Chu Zhao was stunned. About to die? She did know the Emperor would die, but—
"I will die very soon," the Emperor said, observing her expression and pointing at the bloodstains on the ground. "I have been poisoned and will die shortly."
So, it was poison. Chu Zhao suddenly understood, her expression turning sorrowful as she stared blankly at the blood on the floor, listening to the Emperor’s voice.
"Once I am dead, will A’Yu be safe if he remains here?"
Chu Zhao lifted her head. "Your Majesty, if A’Yu is not in the Imperial City after your death, he will be even less safe."
Knowing she would not give up easily, Deng Yi refrained from speaking or scolding her and remained silent.
The Emperor looked at Chu Zhao, his eyes clouded, a faint, ambiguous smile on his lips.
"He is the Crown Prince’s son, your eldest grandson. If he leaves the Imperial City, he will be nothing. This world will have no place for him," Chu Zhao said.
The Emperor’s gaze shifted to Xiao Yu, his expression indifferent. "He is the Crown Prince’s son, my eldest grandson. With the Crown Prince dead and me dead, he truly will be nothing."
The young child probably could not comprehend what it meant to be nothing. He simply held Chu Zhao’s hand, motionless, waiting for others to decide his future.The doting gaze that once belonged to his imperial grandfather was nowhere to be seen, and after just a single glance, it shifted away.
It seemed as though this child had no connection to him whatsoever.
The Emperor’s gaze then turned to Chu Zhao.
“You, who are nothing, should stay far away. Isn’t your father formidable? Go to him.”
After saying this, it seemed as though his strength had drained away. He slowly lay back down, unwilling to utter another word.
Chu Zhao understood completely at this moment: not only had Deng Yi chosen Xiao Xun, but the Emperor had also chosen Xiao Xun.
Why?
In her previous life, it was one thing, but in this life, the Little Highness was still alive.
“Your Majesty,” she asked bluntly, “the Little Highness is still alive. With the Crown Prince gone and you gone, he is no longer nothing. He is the master of the Imperial City, the master of the realm.”
The Emperor looked at the girl and laughed heartily, pointing at Xiao Yu.
“Miss Chu, with the Crown Prince gone and me gone, do you think he can become the master of this realm and the Imperial City? Miss Chu, if he truly becomes the master, that would be the path to his death.”
Deng Yi looked at Chu Zhao. “Miss Chu, matters of state and family cannot be swayed by emotions. His Majesty knows what he is doing. Take the Little Highness and leave. Go to your father. That is the best path for the Little Highness.”
Chu Zhao looked at them. In truth, she understood the decisions of the Emperor and Deng Yi. In the current state of the realm, the Crown Prince of Zhongshan was the most suitable successor, the only choice left. Xiao Yu, a mere six-year-old child, despite his direct lineage, had lost both the Crown Prince and the Emperor. The Prince of Zhongshan and his son could easily swallow him whole.
Rather than being eliminated and having his position usurped, it was better to retreat early and secure a chance at survival.
Indeed, for Xiao Yu, this was the best path.
In this life, she would not marry Xiao Xun again. She would take Xiao Yu and leave the capital, retreating far to the Border Commandery, where they could live freely from then on.
Hadn’t she always wanted to return to see her father?
Thinking of her father, Chu Zhao felt both joy and sorrow.
“Your Majesty,” she said, “my father is also going to die.”
Silence fell over the hall.
The Dragon Body Emperor looked at her, his gaze momentarily blank. Yes, he remembered now—it seemed someone had mentioned that Chu Ling was ill.
It seemed he had even written a letter, saying he was about to die, bidding farewell to His Majesty.
Where had that letter gone? Probably thrown into the incense burner and burned.
The Emperor lowered his gaze and said indifferently, “Even in death, General Chu will ensure you are taken care of.”
Her father would undoubtedly do so. In that previous life, she had survived for so long because of her father. Though he had died, he had still protected her for many years.
No.
Chu Zhao raised her head. Her father was formidable, but precisely because he was formidable, how could Xiao Xun let her go?
With the Emperor dead and her father dead, if she took Xiao Yu to the Border Commandery, accompanied by the Dragon Guard Army, how could Xiao Xun, as Emperor, possibly spare her?
Not just Xiao Xun, but also the Xie family—Xie Yanfang.
With the Crown Prince’s untimely death and Xiao Xun ascending the throne, how could Xie Yanfang accept his fate? In that previous life, even without Xiao Yu alive, he had still rebelled.
In this life, with Xiao Yu alive, how could he possibly give up?!
In this realm, there was no escape for her.
“Your Majesty,” she raised her head and looked at the Emperor, “if you believe my father can protect the Little Highness in the Border Commandery, why can’t you believe that he can protect the Little Highness and secure the throne for him?”
Deng Yi glanced over, though there was nothing strange about her words. Chu Zhao had brought Xiao Yu into the palace with the intention of having the Chu family protect the throne. Such a great merit—who would willingly pass it up?That was why he had objected to her entering earlier—because this goal was impossible.
The Emperor looked at the girl and was amused by her words: "Didn't you say he's dying? How can he protect the realm?"
"Though he may die, as long as the people see his heart in protecting the realm, it will be as if he still lives," Chu Zhao said.
The Emperor shook his head: "How can they see that?"
No one saw him while he was alive—how could they see him after death?
Chu Zhao lowered her head to look at Xiao Yu. The dazed child noticed immediately, lifted his head to look at her, and without speaking or asking, simply tightened his grip on her hand.
"Let me—" Chu Zhao raised her head and said, "become the Little Highness's Empress."
It was as if a bolt of lightning had flashed through the hall.
Deng Yi looked at the girl, momentarily stunned.
So, it could be done this way.
...
(End of Volume)
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