Chapter 59. Chapter 59. Back then.

Zhao Qing led his men to set out the evening meal. Zijuan and a group of maids served the prince and princess their meal, but their eyes couldn't help but dart towards their two masters.

The prince upset the princess, so he offered her his favorite dishes, but she wouldn't touch them.

After a moment of silence, the meal was finished, and the servants tidied up and left. Daiyu got up and went to her desk to read, and Chuheng kindly replaced the lamp with a brighter one for her.

Daiyu remained unmoved.

Chu Heng then moved a stool over himself and sat down next to Daiyu, peeking out to see what book she was reading, but his hand was immediately covered.

"Is Your Highness alright?" Daiyu asked expressionlessly.

This time, Chu Heng dared not confront Lin directly, and honestly said, "I was wrong, please don't be angry, I will never do it again."

A blush crept onto Daiyu's fair face. She snorted softly, "How could the prince be wrong? It's all my fault."

"The ancients said that it is the greatest virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. This is the first time I've made a mistake, so you should give me a chance to correct it." Chu Heng tugged at her sleeve.

Daiyu pursed her lips and said, "What if I don't give it to you?"

Chu Heng shook her sleeve: "Please, please, Miss Lin, please."

Daiyu couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing: "You said I was treating you like a child, but aren't you a child yourself?"

Chu Heng looked at her with a grin: "You're not allowed to get angry when I say something."

Daiyu's eyes were full of smiles: "Don't be angry, just say it."

“You just can’t handle a child. Ever since you met Yongkang, you’ve been quite indulgent towards her, just because you think she’s still a child.” As Chu Heng spoke, he wrapped his hand around Daiyu’s hand again.

Daiyu then said, "Yongkang is just a child, but you're not really a child."

Chu Heng smiled and said, "I'm definitely not a child, you know that best."

Daiyu was taken aback, and when she realized what he meant, she blushed and glared at him: "You..."

Chu Heng quickly said, "Look, there's no one left in the house right now!"

Daiyu was both ashamed and angry at his unrestrained speech. After a while, she gently stepped on his foot and said, "You're not allowed to talk nonsense in broad daylight, even when no one is around."

Chu Heng was distracted by the kick and stared intently at Daiyu, forgetting to remind her that it was already evening.

Although they had only been husband and wife for half a month, Daiyu could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his eyes.

Daiyu blushed even more, fiddling with her sash. She had just finished dinner, and if she turned off the lights now, she would be too ashamed to face anyone tomorrow.

Thinking this, Daiyu decided to divert Chu Heng's attention and asked, "What important matter did His Majesty summon you to the palace for?"

Chu Heng snapped out of his daze. Upon hearing this, all his wandering thoughts vanished. He sighed and looked vacant. "It is said that someone reported that Prince Qi was committing crimes in his fiefdom and was colluding with local officials, plotting a rebellion. His Majesty ordered me to investigate with the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate. The evidence and witnesses are currently being examined, and His Majesty has already sent people to escort Prince Qi back to the capital."

King Chu Min of Qi, the fourth son of the late emperor, was an unreliable young man. Before the emperor ascended the throne, the late emperor sent him to his fiefdom. It seems that he is still old-fashioned and cannot change his ways.

These were things that Daiyu knew.

Daiyu asked in surprise, "Weren't they saying they were still interrogating? How come they've already been escorted away?"

Chu Heng said, "I heard that His Majesty was very angry after reading the memorial. Before he could even summon the ministers to the palace to discuss the matter, he issued this decree."

Daiyu asked in surprise, "Did Prince Qi offend His Majesty in the past?"

“The Prince of Qi has an older brother who is the second son. The late Emperor and Empress Dowager had no children, and they intended to support him to oppose the Emperor. When the Empress Dowager was still a Consort, she fought to the death with the Empress Dowager’s faction.” Chu Heng smiled meaningfully. “Although the Prince of Qi did not get involved in these matters, the Empress Dowager’s faction was later purged, and the second son lost his life. He was also implicated and was banished to his fiefdom by the late Emperor when he was only ten years old.”

So that's why Prince Qi was enfeoffed so early. Daiyu nodded: "Prince Qi was also unlucky. Empress Yuan died young, and Prince Zhao lost the support of his stepmother, so naturally he couldn't compete with the Emperor."

Chu Heng said, "Empress Yuan committed suicide, she did not die of illness."

Daiyu was shocked: "What?"

The suicide of a concubine is no small matter; it has been widely reported long ago. How could there be no news about the mother of the nation?

Chu Heng said, "Heaven helped the late Emperor and Empress Dowager. That year, there was a locust plague, drought, flood, and an earthquake. A series of disasters followed one after another. The late Emperor managed to cover up the little things that happened in the harem with just a little effort."

Daiyu remembered that a year after the Empress Yuan passed away, the late emperor established a new empress and an heir apparent, and for the next three years, the weather was favorable.

It seems even the heavens are on the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's side.

"But...why did the Empress commit suicide?" Daiyu truly couldn't understand what could possibly drive the Empress, the mother of the nation, to take her own life, and why the late Emperor had even helped cover it up...

It must be a scandal.

As expected, Chu Heng said, "The Empress Dowager poisoned the eldest prince and was caught red-handed. Although the eldest prince escaped by chance, there are witnesses and physical evidence, and the Empress Dowager cannot deny it."

The eldest prince of that year is now the emperor. Daiyu clenched her fists. So such a thing happened back then. If the Empress Yuan's conspiracy had succeeded, it wouldn't have been Prince Qi who was implicated, but Chu Heng.

"Of course the Empress Dowager wanted to punish a dog that had fallen into the water. She went over in person, and I don't know what she said to Empress Yuan, but that very night, she committed suicide," Chu Heng added.

Daiyu exclaimed, "You suspect it's..."

Empress Yuan did not commit suicide; it was the Empress Dowager who orchestrated it.

Chu Heng shook his head: "No one knows for sure. Anyway, the late emperor believed the Empress Dowager's suicide, and he believed even more..."

At this point, Chu Heng suddenly stopped and remained stunned for a long while.

Daiyu had no idea what he was thinking. Considering his age, Chu Heng was only six or seven years old at the time, just beginning to understand things. Such a thing was indeed too much for a child.

Daiyu held his hand and said softly, "It's all in the past, it's all in the past."

Over the years, Chu Heng had only shed tears once for what happened back then, but now, upon hearing Daiyu's words, he suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

"The late Emperor thought it was just a coincidence that the Fifth Prince ate the soup laced with poison. The Consort favored her youngest son, and because he insisted on eating his older brother's soup, she fed it to him herself. No one knew that the soup was laced with deadly poison." Chu Heng's tone was flat, and he even smiled at the end. "But in fact, the Consort and the First Prince both knew what was in that bowl of medicine."

Daiyu could hardly believe her ears: "Wh...what?"

Chu Heng said, "This move was very effective. Afterwards, the Consort ascended to the position of Empress as she wished, and the eldest prince, being the legitimate heir, was naturally the undisputed crown prince."

Therefore, the Empress Dowager favored her youngest son, and the Emperor doted on his younger brother, because they had used him to pave the way for their own future.

It turns out that Chu Heng was not born weak; he had ingested poison when he was a child, which led to his long and lingering illness.

"You..." Daiyu began, her voice choked with emotion, "When did you find out?"

Chu Heng stroked her cheek and said softly, "It's alright, it's all in the past. I'm fine now. Luckily, I met you, didn't I?"

Daiyu shook her head with tears in her eyes and stubbornly asked, "When did you find out?"

Chu Heng sighed softly: "I think I was around ten years old, I can't remember exactly. That's when I started learning calligraphy. It seems like I was dying once when I vaguely heard the Empress Dowager and the Emperor talking. That's when I realized that it wasn't just the two of them, but my fifth sister also knew about this. I was just a fool who was kept in the dark and used to death."

Chu Heng was their tool to deal with the Empress Yuan's faction, and also a tool to show their love as a loving mother and elder brother. Even if Chu Heng died, they could still receive praise by crying.

Daiyu covered her mouth, but still cried out, "You've suffered so much, you've suffered so much..."

Chu Heng held her in his arms and gently patted her back. His eyes also reddened. "Why are you crying? Don't cry. Everything is fine now. I'm okay. Don't cry. It hurts me to see you cry. It hurts me more than when I was sick."

"How could they do this to you? How could they do this to you?" Daiyu sobbed, crying for Chu Heng of the past, and for Chu Heng of the present.

Young Chu Heng, unaware of the truth, was pushed by his mother and brother to become a tool in their power struggle, and his life was in danger several times.

Even though Chu Heng knew the truth when he grew up, there was nothing he could do.

"How sad and heartbroken you must have been back then..." Daiyu felt heartbroken just thinking about it.

Chu Heng paused slightly as he patted Daiyu's back. After a moment, he said, "At that time, I wasn't actually that sad or heartbroken. I hated them a lot. I wanted to kill them, and I wanted to kill everyone, but I didn't have the strength or the ability."

Daiyu slowly stopped crying and listened to him continue: "Later, I became so sick that I couldn't even open my eyes. After a long time, I can't remember how long, I woke up. At that time, the Empress Dowager was by my bedside. She took care of me without taking off her clothes. I was like that..." He laughed hoarsely, "I thought it was really funny. She was the one who wanted me to die, but later she was the one who was afraid I would die."

“At that time, I thought, I was born from her ten months of pregnancy, I owe her a life, she can do whatever she wants with my life, overthrow the empress, or play the role of a mother who loves her son with all her heart, it’s up to her. If I die one day, she can grieve for real or fake, and everyone will come to comfort her and praise her for her loving motherly heart. Then I will have repaid her debt of gratitude for giving me life.”

"Actually, look, over the years His Majesty and the Empress Dowager have bestowed upon me many priceless treasures. What is a life worth? Besides, I haven't actually died yet. All things considered, I've actually gained over the years. Moreover, if they really let me die on a whim, wouldn't that cause chaos in the world? His Majesty is also a good emperor. In recent years, the government has been efficient and the people have lived in peace. Consider it as a sacrifice for the country and its people. I haven't lived in vain as a member of the imperial family."

Daiyu's tears, which she had just stopped, fell again. She sobbed, "Don't say...don't say such things. They never gave you a choice."

“It’s all in the past.” Chu Heng lowered his head and touched Daiyu’s wet cheek. “I shouldn’t have told you this, making you cry so much. I’m sorry.”

Daiyu shook her head vigorously: "Thank you for telling me."

Chu Heng smiled gently, as tender as ever: "We don't talk about this between us."