126 Breach

◎What else are you not satisfied with◎

Rong Zhao clutched the letter in his hand and unfolded it for Rong Guangzhao to read. "Look, Father, your majesty, my elder sister doesn't blame you, and neither do I!"

But Rong Guangzhao no longer had the energy to watch. The most important thing right now was to make arrangements for his funeral. Looking at the young heir in front of him, he couldn't bear to leave him alone. However, his fate had come, and he had to walk the future alone.

Rong Guangzhao held Rong Zhao's hand, his thin and withered hand resting on a fair and well-proportioned hand, which was the emperor's last instruction to the crown prince.

He had a weak sense of family affection throughout his life and let down one woman after another, causing his children to grow up in such a fearful environment.

He knew Rong Qianyu's character very well. She would never forgive him until her death. He said he did not blame her, but he was more helpless.

The bonds of blood and family are unbreakable, and everyone becomes a burden to someone else. Wishing him good health from afar is already giving him enough respect. With love and hate, silence is best.

Rong Guangzhao's body became heavier and heavier, his face turned pale, as if he had been boiled in medicine, and he exuded a dead aura all over his body. At this moment, he felt relieved and even looked a bit like a kind father.

"You're a good child. I'm relieved to leave the world to you. But you must keep an eye on your mother and prevent her from causing trouble. Take action when necessary. Ask your uncle about important matters at court. He's a loyal minister who disdains factional strife. And those other veteran officials can all be put to good use. From now on, you'll be the emperor, with the power of life and death hanging in the balance. But you must always be vigilant and don't do things I've regretted, like I did."

Rong Zhao knelt in front of the bed and couldn't help crying, "Son, son, I understand... Father, please don't say anymore..."

Rong Guangzhao gathered all his strength to sit up, his eyelids drooping. "I've ruined my health from taking too much medicine. I'm so sorry for Qian'er. Pingting only left us with this one child, and sent her to such a dangerous place. Then she sent Ru'er along. Her temper... she's so ignorant, I'm afraid she'll get into trouble. If Qian'er needs anything in the future, you must do your best to help. While good relations between our two countries are important, the safety of the people of Rong is even more important!"

"You should think more in the future, learn how to employ people, and be a diligent emperor."

When a dying man is about to die, his words are always kind and he has endless words of advice to say. Rong Zhao's tears fell to the ground drop by drop. He lowered his head, unable to bear to let his father see him in such a disgraceful state.

Birth, old age, sickness and death are the most powerless things. I watch the person I love so much passing away at an irreversible speed and feel helpless.

"I want to go back to... when I first met Pingting. I should have cherished her and protected her... so that we wouldn't be separated forever and filled with regret..."

The man on the bed had already become emaciated, with a tear running down his cheek. Only a faint breath remained. He lay there quietly, and the rise and fall of his body gradually became slow and weak.

After a long time... it completely turned into a piece of dead wood.

The window was suddenly opened, and the wind after the spring rain was bitingly cold. It whistled past, knocked over the tea set on the table, and extinguished the burning oil lamp.

"Father!" Rong Zhao shouted, threw himself on Rong Guangzhao and burst into tears.

The storm subsided, all was still, and the young crown prince inherited the throne from his ancestors. From then on, like countless others before him, he was trapped for life on this uninhabited peak.

The dark clouds dispersed, and on the road I came from was my father's figure. Looking at the road ahead, he was the only one walking forward alone.

Seven days later was the day of the late emperor's funeral. Rong Zhao had already changed his appearance. He put on the dragon robe and his childishness disappeared, replaced by the heroic and stubbornness of a young emperor.

After the funeral, an auspicious day will be chosen for the coronation ceremony. The silence in the palace will not last long. The white banners will be replaced with colorful silks, and then there will be a lively ceremony. Rong Zhao will rightfully take over the heavy responsibility of being the king.

Rong Zhao would have to wait a few more years before marrying. He Wanrou naturally became the most honored woman in Rong State, a queen mother, a position she achieved by murdering her husband. She was an insecure person, not possessing much love for her husband, yet wanting the best for her children.

As a result, the love between husband and wife faded, and the relationship with children became weak, and he became the lonely man he is today.

Rong Zhao was alone in the palace reviewing matters concerning the enthronement, and he hadn't seen He Wanrou for some time.

The young eunuch, as usual, came to deliver the empress dowager's order, "Your Majesty, the empress dowager came this morning, but when she saw you were not there, she left. Didn't you see her?"

"What did you say, mother?" Rong Zhao bent over his desk without looking up.

"The Queen Mother didn't say anything, but she did ask if Your Majesty had written to the eldest princess, asking about the second princess's situation." The eunuch hesitated, then continued, "Also, there's been a lot of discussion in the palace about the title. The Queen Mother asks you to instruct all officials and make a decision as soon as possible."

Since ancient times, the emperor's legitimate sisters have been called the eldest princess. It is indisputable that Rong Qianyu is the eldest legitimate daughter, and Rong Ruoyu was born to the empress dowager. Although they are both legitimate relatives, there must be some differences in their titles.

One was the legitimate daughter of the original wife, and the other was the legitimate princess of the second empress. Who was more noble? There was no ambiguity in the title. There could be no favoritism, and the order of seniority must be maintained, while also satisfying the empress dowager. This was a difficult question for the young emperor and the officials of the Ministry of Rites.

"The Empress Dowager means that she doesn't want His Majesty to neglect my sister."

Rong Zhao closed the roster, raised his head and closed his eyes for a moment, then stood up and said, "We still need to discuss this matter. Forget it, let's go pay our respects to the Queen Mother!"

After Rong Guangzhao's death, He Wanrou had nothing to do. She ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures every day and rarely went out. She was completely different from her energetic appearance when she was the queen.

"My Lord, the eunuch said that you have seen me this morning, and I have come to pay my respects to you."

He Wanrou dismissed the servants and asked Rong Zhao sternly, "Why did you write to her, you silly boy? Ruo'er is your real sister, and you didn't even say hello. All you said was to Rong Qianyu!"

Rong Zhao explained calmly, "Of course, I have to talk to my elder sister about the affairs of Rong State. As a concubine, how can I discuss government affairs with the monarch?"

Her delicate eyebrows were inadvertently stained with anger. She patted the man next to her, motioning him to stand up, and couldn't help raising her voice.

She put one hand on her waist, frowned slightly, and asked, "Ruo'er is your biological sister. How can you help outsiders guard against your biological sister?"

Rong Zhao also refuted without hesitation: "Mother, you should know better than me why my father has been ill for so long."

He Wanrou was a little surprised that her huge secret had been discovered by her son. "What did you say?!"

Rong Zhao had already investigated the cause of Rong Guangzhao's death. The soups and food he had been taking for the past year had been contaminated with trace amounts of Luohui. Over time, if taken, the user would gradually become unconscious and comatose, until no other medicine could cure them.

This poison can kill people without being noticed, but the appearance after death is very easy to identify. Rong Zhao carefully asked the imperial physician, and only then did he confirm the fact that He Wanrou had poisoned the person.

"I also know everything about my eldest sister falling into the water and the late queen's difficult childbirth."

He Wanrou looked at Rong Zhao helplessly. She had done everything perfectly, and her youngest son was always well-behaved... How could this happen...

"What are you talking about?"

"My mother wanted to help me ascend to the throne, but you're too eager for quick success. What will the people say about me? I'm not legitimately in power and I'm trying to usurp the throne. Not only that, you even went so far as to marry your own daughter to the Zhou Kingdom as a concubine for the emperor. How can there be a mother like you in this world?"

He Wanrou immediately took his hand. There was no need to hide things now. She complained, "Zhao'er, you are the legitimate son and the crown prince. Isn't it right for your mother to pave the way for you?"

He Wanrou begged bitterly, as if she had suffered countless grievances. After so many years, the couple had become separated, and it was not entirely because Rong Guangzhao felt guilty towards his first wife.

He Wanrou's words and actions are indeed not those of a good wife.

The imperial physician reported this to Rong Zhao. When he first heard the news, he was stunned, shocked and puzzled.

When he could remember things, his mother had already become the queen. In his hazy memory, his mother was gentle, but he never expected that she would be the murderer of his father.

Her father was in poor health and often needed Luohui to relieve pain and calm him. He Wanrou never asked anyone else to administer the medicine. Therefore, whatever was needed was sent to her palace, which gave her the opportunity to administer the medicine.

If it weren't for Rong Qianyu's letter, I probably would never have thought of these things until my death. At that time, I was skeptical and asked the imperial physician for diagnosis, but it uncovered this deeply buried injustice.

Rong Zhao didn't understand why his mother did this. He had always lived a carefree life and was unaware of his mother's situation. He was the crown prince, the adored queen, while his mother was the reviled empress dowager. Perhaps they really hated each other and had no choice.

He shook off He Wanrou's hand and stood in the empty and magnificent hall, like an abandoned child, wondering, "So you're doing these shameful things, ruining the lives of your two sisters and making me bear the infamy. And when have you ever considered your sisters? What else are you not satisfied with?"

The shadows of the trees outside the window were swaying, the wind was blowing hard, and He Wanrou's body was shaking. This was the first time that the mother and son had such a big quarrel, and none of the palace servants outside the hall dared to approach.

Recalling the day when she was about to poison Rong Guangzhao, it was also such weather. She clenched her fingers and pinched her palms, her nails digging into the flesh, and she could not bear to do it.

But this huge palace gradually eroded people's kindness. For the sake of her children and her family, her love was eventually exhausted, forcing her to become a hateful and resentful woman in the deep palace.

"You've seen it all these years. I became the Queen, but what was the result? Your father doesn't care about me at all. Our marriage is estranged and we're divorced. How could he possibly like you, the Crown Prince?"

He Wanrou complained, and the repression of nearly twenty years finally broke through. She was like a mad woman in the market, venting the depression of the past twenty years.

She never believed in any vows or promises. Only the power in her hands was real. Fang Pingting's bloody example was right in front of her. She could not become such a political victim.

"You obtained the Phoenix Seal by this means, which was not legitimate in the first place. What have you done over the years? Are you blaming me and my sister for your separation?"

"Then who am I doing this for? Whose son are you? It's as if you and Rong Qianyu are siblings!"

"You caused the death of the late queen and two others. My elder sister fell into the water and has been weak since she was a child. My elder sister is so competitive. My elder sister has had such a hard time in the Zhou Kingdom. And you still want to send my elder sister over there, letting them share a husband. Aren't you forcing them to kill each other!?"

Rong Zhao paused, calmed himself down, and continued, "Do you know how much trouble my sister has gotten herself into? It was only out of sympathy that I spared her. Now, I can no longer protect her!"

He Wanrou finally came back to her senses, "What happened to Ruo'er?"