The Qi Country was still dark, so the emperor's tent was adorned with a pattern of black and dark gold.
At this late hour of the night, a loud thud could be heard from inside.
The guards stationed outside the tent dared not breathe, and they only saw the black-clothed figure who had been by the emperor's side for years approaching.
In a cold and hoarse voice, he said, "You have no business here."
Having received the order, they finally dared to bow and retreat, moving away from that area.
Inside the tent, Emperor Qi stood by the table carved from purple sandalwood, coughing violently.
He swept his hand across the table, scattering the ink, brushes, paper, and inkstone onto the ground.
Crown Prince Xiao Yu knelt on the ground, holding an elegant and handsome face, quietly watching as the dark ink soaked into the woolen carpet, staining the pure white with a blemish.
He remained silent for a while before smiling and saying, "Father, please calm down."
"Calm down?" Emperor Qi's grip on the corner of the table was so strong that his fingers almost turned white.
He stared fixedly at the prince's face and said, "Cheng'er's left hand is crippled. How do you expect me to calm down?"
"The Fifth Brother is loyal, brave, filial, yet innocently suffered such a calamity. Your son is also deeply grieved and cannot bear it."
"Grieved? What a noble sentiment!"
Emperor Qi, consumed by anger, grabbed a porcelain cup from the table and fiercely threw it towards the crown prince.
The throw was forceful, and tea splashed on the crown prince's face, mingling with blood that slowly trickled down from his forehead, dripping onto the edge of his robe.
The crown prince did not dodge or cry out in pain.
Gently lifting his fingers, he wiped the blood from the corner of his eye and said in a warm voice to Emperor Qi, "If throwing a cup at me can relieve your anger, then it is not regrettable for your son to die."
The candlelight flickered, and the weapons on the weapon rack reflected a cold gleam.
Emperor Qi silently looked at the crown prince kneeling before him and said, "Sometimes, I would rather not have you as my son."
As more blood flowed down the crown prince's face, unable to be stemmed, he stopped wiping it and smiled helplessly, saying, "Being born in the imperial family, becoming the child of the emperor and empress, was not a choice I made."
These words may have sounded self-deprecating, but they sounded particularly harsh in Emperor Qi's ears.
He turned around coldly and looked at the crown prince, saying, "Your mother has done many good things behind my back, and I am well aware of them."
The crown prince met Emperor Qi's gaze and smiled, saying, "Father, why did you make Empress Mother the empress back then? Empress Mother is also well aware."
"It was my mistake. Perhaps I should not have let your mother take charge of the imperial harem back then. That way, Cheng'er would not have been harmed by you and still be in a coma to this day."
"I never intended to harm the Fifth Brother. Everything he chose was of his own accord."
Perhaps due to the force of the throw, the crown prince knelt on the ground with a slightly weakened voice, saying, "This hunting expedition was specially prepared for the Prince Shen. The Fifth Brother also participated in some of the arrangements, naturally knowing that Prince Shen... must die."
"However, when Prince Shen's life hung by a thread, the Fifth Brother still chose to step forward and save him. These things, your son could not have foreseen."
Emperor Qi played with the Buddhist beads on his wrist, his face expressionless as he said, "Over the years, Prince Shen has removed many obstacles for you. Now that he has ulterior motives and secretly sided with Princess Zhao Yang, he deserves to die."
"But in the process of eradicating Prince Shen, you used the claws of those two beasts to target Cheng'er. It truly disappoints me."
After listening to Emperor Qi's words, the crown prince chuckled lightly.
He stared at the bloodstains on his robe and asked softly, "Have I disappointed you, Father? I wonder if you will depose me?"
"Do you think I dare not depose you?" Emperor Qi narrowed his eyes.
"I dare not, Father." The crown prince lifted his head with a gentle and respectful tone. "I was just thinking, if Father were to depose me in a fit of anger, I wonder who would be chosen as the heir?"
"You, you rebellious son!"
Emperor Qi was infuriated and drew a sword from the weapon rack, almost aiming it at the crown prince.
However, when he saw the fresh blood on the crown prince's forehead, the sword remained suspended in the air and did not fall.
Because what Xiao Yu said was true, according to the rules established by the ancestors, someone with disabilities could not ascend the throne, and someone struck off the imperial register could not claim the title of emperor.
Except for the second prince who died young, among his four sons, only the crown prince met the criteria. He possessed exceptional talent and a natural disposition befitting an emperor.
Thinking of this, Emperor Qi's aura suddenly diminished. He had lived for more than half his life and had seen too much, leaving him exhausted.
In just a few days, he had lost two princes one after another, and the combination of grief and anger left him sitting on the chair, coughing incessantly.
While coughing, the long sword slipped from his palm and fell onto the carpet.
Emperor Qi looked at the sticky blood between his fingers and asked in a hoarse voice, "Why did you design for Qing'er to pick those flowers? The place was muddy, so why did she insist on going?"
"Because Qing'er's personal maid is under my command." The crown prince admitted everything calmly. "Although Qing'er loves brightly colored flowers, she wouldn't necessarily dirty her clothes to pick them. But Qing'er is still young, and if someone close to her tries to dissuade her, she will insist out of spite."
Emperor Qi remained silent for a moment before saying, "You have always been good at understanding people's hearts."
"I have only scratched the surface, Father. Your praise is too generous."
"Yu'er, your heart is so cruel. All I wanted was the life of Prince Shen, but you plotted against Qing'er behind my back... That's not all, I have already designated you as the heir, entrusting everything to you, so why did you plot against Cheng'er? He is your own flesh and blood, loyal to me and always respectful of you as his older brother!"
Even with blood staining his forehead, the crown prince continued to smile softly and said in a gentle voice, "Father, everything you have entrusted to me can be taken back at any time due to a single rumor."
Emperor Qi spoke coldly, "That is because your mother was disloyal to me first. She betrayed me, and yet I did not execute her but allowed her to continue as the head of the harem. That is already great leniency."
"You indeed did not execute Empress Mother, but during the occasion of Princess Zhao Yang's blood cleansing the court, you allowed the Crown Princess's party to overshadow the power of Empress Mother's family."
"Your mother was involved in that matter, and I couldn't protect her either."
The crown prince asked with a smile, "Father, is it because you couldn't protect Empress Mother, or because you wanted to use Princess Zhao Yang to overthrow the powerful clans? You know better than me."
Emperor Qi remained silent.
The crown prince asked, "Back then, when you honored Empress Mother as the main wife, it was undoubtedly to win over the Lu family. But why did you reject Miss Lu, who deeply loved you, and instead choose Empress Mother, who was the second choice? Let me think... Is it because..."
"That's enough." Emperor Qi interrupted the crown prince's words with a cough, his gaze filled with a hint of killing intent for the first time. "You resemble me the most, and you are the son I trust the most. I won't direct my anger at you because of the empress, but what you have done today has truly disappointed me."
The crown prince's voice was clear and even carried a hint of a smile. "So, Father intends to name the third prince as the crown prince?"
"No." Emperor Qi looked coldly at the crown prince. "I want you to make amends for your actions and personally resolve Prince Shen's matter."
"I obey your command." The crown prince stood up and respectfully performed a bow.
Emperor Qi, however, closed his eyes, as if he didn't want to see the crown prince anymore, and waved his hand. "Leave."
The crown prince complied and left, paying no attention to the large patches of fresh blood flowing down his face. He turned around and, though his figure wavered slightly for a moment, continued walking outside.
After taking a few steps, Emperor Qi called him back. "Why did Cheng'er want to save Prince Shen?"
The crown prince's footsteps halted, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
It seemed like mockery, yet also like ridicule.
Xiao Cheng was aware of the plan to have the white tiger kill Prince Shen.
However, if it was just Prince Shen's death, Xiao Cheng might not have acted.
But with Xiao Qing's injury in mind and seeing Prince Shen on the verge of being killed by white tiger—how could Xiao Cheng stand by and do nothing?
Thinking this, the crown prince answered without looking back, his voice weak. "Because Prince Shen's consort has shown kindness to the Fifth Prince."
"When did this happen?"
The crown prince lifted his hand and wiped away the blood on his temple, then weakly smiled. "During the time when you ignored the Fifth Prince, and the Fifth Prince wasn't favored."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translator's note: Damn, this Xiao Family is so chaotic, even the sons are greedy for power and beauties. Sigh... I'm glad Xiao Jin is different 😌.
TO BE CONTINUE...