Chapter 59 "Who wouldn't want to be the mother of a nation?"

The King of Song did not confess.

Song Jie told Xie Yushu everything he could, except for his own background.

This was like a hidden ailment he was ashamed to talk about. He couldn't tell Xie Yushu that he was also Wan Susu's son, an illegitimate child that Wan Susu had been forced to give birth to, that his biological mother wanted to poison him, and that his biological father hated him.

If Xie Yushu knew all this, what would she think of him? What does he have besides money that makes him worthy of her attention?

He seemed afraid that Xie Yushu would ask about his background, so he tried his best to avoid mentioning himself, only telling Xie Yushu that it was the Prince of Song who saved him after he was poisoned by the cold.

Fortunately, Xie Yushu did not ask about these things.

He should have known then that Xie Yushu had no interest in his background, because Xie Yushu's first words after hearing it were: "Xiao Dao is the real prince. The reason why the Prince of Song is unwilling to acknowledge Xiao Dao's background is because he wants to take revenge on the emperor for the late emperor, right?"

Song Jie didn't answer, but simply looked at Xie Yushu in the candlelight. She lowered her eyes, lost in thought, then looked up and said, "Prince Song is the late Emperor's man. He took away the true prince, Xiao Dao, and replaced him with an infant from who-knows-where. That infant is the current Fourth Prince, Xiao Zhen. I'm wondering if Xiao Zhen might be the late Emperor's son? Prince Song's goal isn't just revenge, but to make the late Emperor's son the emperor?"

Song Jie saw unprecedented ambition and strategy in her eyes, and he was deeply shaken. He had never thought of Xie Yushu's guess: could Xiao Zhen be the late emperor's son?

Several years ago, he learned from the Prince of Song that Xiao Zhen was not Emperor Xiao Xu's biological son. That's why he had always wanted to support this fake prince to succeed to the throne and take revenge on the emperor and Wan Susu. But he never thought that Xiao Zhen was the late emperor's son.

If that's the case, then Song Jie is truly just a pawn of the King of Song.

The King of Song rescued him, told him about Xiao Zhen's background, and helped him all the way, but only so that he would support Xiao Zhen's succession to the throne.

Song Jie sat by the brazier. Suddenly, he found himself ridiculous, realizing he had actually believed that the King of Song, whom he had never met, had saved him out of pity.

He actually thought he had "victory in his grasp" and could use Xiao Zhen, the fake prince, to take revenge on Wan Susu. In the end, he was just a pawn, a stepping stone for Xiao Zhen to inherit the throne.

How ridiculous! He's like a servile dog. Whoever gives him a little favor, he'll wag his tail like crazy and work for them, acknowledging their authority.

This applies to the Prince of Song, and it also applies to Xie Jianing.

How can someone like him be qualified to talk about love? He has never been loved, nor does he understand what love is.

He even ridiculously thought that he had at least been briefly loved by his master and Xie Jianing... Now he was hoping that Xie Yushu would love him temporarily.

How ridiculous! How could he possibly be worthy of that?

The lamp flickered, and thunder rumbled faintly outside the window.

Xie Yushu finally asked, "Song Jie, what do you plan to do?"

What does he plan to do?

Song Jie's weak and confused mind regained some rationality at this moment. Yes, what should he do next?

Is it to protect the King of Song, to get him to confess, and to find a way to get him out of trouble?

Or should we play along, disregard the life or death of the Prince of Song, continue to be his pawn, support Xiao Zhen to ascend the throne, and complete this revenge?

He remained silent for a long time, unsure of what he wanted to do for the first time. Even if the King of Song only saw him as a pawn, the King of Song had truly saved him, and he was unwilling to personally... torture and kill the King of Song.

His chest felt icy cold, and he couldn't help but cough again.

Xie Yushu poured him some warm water, then moved even closer, reaching out to cover his chest through his nightgown, and softly asked, "Do you want to be closer to me?"

Her palm was still so warm. Song Jie remembered when he was unconscious, this hand covered his mouth, and Xie Yushu kept calling his name and telling him: Swallow it, swallow it so you can live.

Xie Yushu wanted him to live, didn't she? She didn't hate him so much that she wanted him to die, did she?

He dared not hope for her love, he only wanted to be closer to her. Anyway, he didn't have long to live, and he prayed to God that he could taste a little bit of sweetness before he died.

Song Jie slowly grasped Xie Yushu's hand, his throat hoarse and strained as he said, "You don't blame me anymore?"

His eyes were slightly red from coughing, and he looked as thin as a dying man.

Even at this point, he was still asking: Is she still blaming him?

No ambition.

Xie Yushu looked at him, feeling both resentment and pity, so he didn't lie to him and said, "I can't help but blame you, but I don't hate you so much that I want you to die."

Song Jie looked at her, his chest heaving as he coughed twice, then chuckled hoarsely, "That's good, that's good... You can blame me, you can hate me, it's all my fault, but please don't refuse to see me."

His voice was hoarse, as if he were about to cry: "I have a lot of money, Xie Yushu. After I die, my house, my money, all my assets will be yours, but don't forget me."

As if afraid she would pull her hand away, afraid she would refuse, he tightened his grip on her hand and said, "This is my payment to you. Don't refuse. You've taken care of me for so long and been so good to me... You deserve this."

Yes, she deserves all of this, but it's not enough.

Xie Yushu simply said to him, "Since Xiaodao is the real prince, why can't you support him?"

Song Jie paused, then suddenly understood, and asked her, "You want Xiao Dao to be the emperor? You... like Xiao Dao, and want to be his empress?"

He had met Xiao Dao before and knew the way Xiao Dao looked at Xie Yushu—a look of wanting to give her everything. If Xiao Dao became emperor, Song Jie had no doubt that Xie Yushu would be the empress.

Does Xie Yushu also like knives?

Is she asking so many questions and saying so much tonight because she wants Xiaodao to be emperor?

The candlelight illuminated Xie Yushu's naked ambition in her eyes. She said without any pretense, "Who doesn't want to be the mother of a nation? If I could, I would love to be the emperor myself."

Song Jie's heart pounded wildly as he stared at her in disbelief. She wasn't joking; just like when she said she liked money, she genuinely meant it.

A woman becoming emperor—what an absurd idea, yet she said it with complete naturalness.

She even said in a more contemptuous tone: "If a fool like Xiao Zhen can become emperor, why can't I? The capable should be the one to rule the world."

What she said made so logical that Song Jie didn't think she was talking nonsense at all. The capable should be the one to succeed. If he could support a fake prince, Xiao Zhen, to become emperor, why couldn't she? Just because she wasn't born a man?

Her warm hand grasped his, her fingertips gently brushing against the back of his hand, and she said to him in a rarely tender tone, "Song Jie, can you help Xiao Dao?"

Song Jie was speechless. He realized that her gentleness and sweetness tonight were purposeful; she wanted to use him to help Xiao Dao.

But... he was so reluctant to let go of this brief moment of tenderness.

She moved closer to him, looked at him, held his hand, and gently pressed her fingers against his chest... All the fragrance rushed towards him, and he couldn't help but be captivated.

Song Jie's throat bobbed, and he said softly and with a ticklish tone, "But I have the same goal as the King of Song."

He couldn't help but tell her, "I hate Emperor Xiao Xu, I hate Xiao Zhen, and I hate Wan Susu even more."

It felt like there were needles in his throat, and every word he spoke was excruciatingly painful, yet he still said, "I've become like this because of Wan Susu... Yushu, do you know that I survived the torment of the cold poison just to take revenge on her? How could I possibly support her own son to become emperor?"

But he spoke so softly, so uncertainly.

So Xie Yushu easily refuted his words: "Do you think Wan Susu and the Emperor can accept that Xiaodao is their biological son? They can't. The Emperor's investigation and torture of Prince Song are not to prove that Xiaodao is his biological son, but to prove that Xiaodao is not, and that Xiao Zhen is."

This was the answer the emperor most wanted to hear.

“If you and the Prince of Song tell the Emperor that Xiao Zhen is his biological son, he will simply accept it,” Xie Yushu said confidently. “It’s better for Xiao Zhen to be his son than for Xiao Dao, that illiterate beggar, to be his son.”

Her fingers pressed against Song Jie's chest as she frowned and said, "Don't you understand? At this point, Xiao Zhen is a useless pawn. Even if you prove he is the real prince, the emperor, with his suspicious nature, will not pass the throne to him. Since that's the case, why not tell the emperor that your own son is a beggar who has been trained to be an assassin?"

Thunder rumbled around them. Song Jie stared at her in surprise, realizing that everything she said was true. Even if the King of Song didn't confess, the Emperor would no longer appoint Xiao Zhen, whose identity was questionable, as the Crown Prince.

Xiao Zhen's move is now useless.

She stopped, slowly withdrew her hand, and said to him, "Song Jie, didn't you want to stay by my side? Then please me. I'm giving you a chance to please me now."

What an enticing opportunity, what incredible ambition.

The chill in Song Jie's heart turned into a bitter taste, trembling as he thought over and over again: If she could treat him like this every day, what was wrong with wanting to be emperor? There were precedents for regency and dual rule, and even if there weren't, why couldn't she be the precedent? She was so smart and ambitious, how was she any less capable than Xiao Zhen?

If he can support Xiao Zhen, why can't he support her?

Anyway, he's going to die soon, so dying for her is worth it.

He gripped Xie Yushu's hand tightly, pleading with her, "Come closer to me, it's too cold... Yushu."

3 o'clock, that's a lot.

She looked at Song Jie, who bent down like a fragile crane and gently rested his cold cheek in her palm, pleadingly saying, "I will try my best to please you, Yushu."

※

The rain continued until dawn.

Xie Jianing changed her clothes and washed up early in the morning before entering the palace to meet the emperor, but she did not see Song Jie, only Xiao Zhen.

He stood in the hall, much taller and thinner than before. He looked up at her and smiled, his eyes gentler than ever.

Xie Jianing lowered her head, her cheeks burning, remembering how he had gently kissed the corner of her eye under the moonlight before she disappeared, just as tenderly.

She bowed and knelt down, somewhat dazed, when she heard the Emperor say that Song Jie had fallen seriously ill last night and would not be able to accompany them out of the city to welcome the soldiers and the Crown Prince today.

Only then did it dawn on me: had Song Jie fallen ill again?

Xie Jianing recalled how Song Jie used to be when he had an attack, and couldn't help but worry. Did Song Jie make it through last night?

The Emperor excused her from the formalities and waved his hand at her, telling her to raise her head.

Although Xie Jianing did not understand, she still slowly raised her head, not daring to look directly at the Emperor.

But then the Emperor laughed and said, "The Xie family's daughter does resemble her somewhat; you do indeed look a bit like her in the eyes and brows."

Her? Does that refer to Xie Yushu? The Emperor actually met Xie Yushu and even mentioned her in this hall?

Xie Jianing felt a subtle discomfort, but said in a joking tone, "Your Majesty, I am the elder sister and she is the younger sister. If anyone should resemble someone, it is her who resembles me."

The Emperor simply smiled, as if listening to a child throwing a tantrum.

She didn't like being treated this way, and she especially disliked being told that she resembled Xie Yushu.

---t--------------------

Author's Note: Song Jie: It's just being an emperor, not asking me to die! Fine, I'll be one!