Chapter 268 Uncle and Nephew Meet

Emperor Tai'an was so shocked by the news that he felt dizzy and his heart was filled with huge waves of shock.

A handsome boy suddenly appeared in his mind.

That was Qi Ming, his nephew and the eldest son of his brother Emperor Pingle.

Emperor Tai'an calmed down, slowly sat back down, and his expression regained its composure.

Cheng Maoming was tactful and kept silent, giving the emperor time to adjust his mood.

After an unknown amount of time, a deep, hoarse voice sounded: "Where is he?"

He naturally asked Yang Zhe about this.

As Emperor Tai'an spoke, the heavy and frightening atmosphere was broken. Cheng Maoming secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said with a bow, "Your Majesty, Qi--"

In the end, he decided to address him by his public identity: "Yang Xiuzhuan was disguised and preparing to leave the city, but was stopped in time by my humble servants. He is now also in the Jinlin Guard."

"Well done." Emperor Tai'an said this absentmindedly, his entire mind occupied by Yang Zhe's true identity.

There was another long silence, and Cheng Maoming carefully observed the emperor's expression with his peripheral vision.

"Go and bring him here. I want to see him."

Cheng Maoming received the order and escorted Yang Zhe to the palace in secret.

Emperor Tai'an sat upright on the dragon throne, looking at the young man standing below tied with ropes. His heart was far from being as calm as he looked on the surface.

During the imperial examinations in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the handsome and graceful top scholar caught his eye. He saw him as a future minister who would assist the new emperor and secure national security, and promised him the princess. After being accused of poisoning the crown prince, his behavior was such that even if he was proven innocent, he would not let him go alive. However, he tolerated him out of respect for his talent.

Who would have thought that the young man who won his favor was his nephew.

"Don't you know how to greet me when you see me?" Emperor Tai'an suppressed his excitement and asked calmly.

Yang Zhe looked at the middle-aged man on the throne, his temples already white with frost, and raised the corners of his lips slightly: "Nephew greets Fourth Uncle."

Calling him "Fourth Uncle", he openly admitted his identity.

Emperor Tai'an looked at Yang Zhe, oh no, it should be Qi Yang, and asked in a deep voice: "Are you really Qi Yang?"

Hearing these two words from Emperor Tai'an's mouth made Qi Yang's curved lips straighten suddenly.

He had thought many times about what would happen if his uncle discovered his identity.

The little prince who fled the capital city in fear under the protection of guards was willing to have the cold knife cut across his face inch by inch, turning him into another person, in order to regain the throne for his father and regain his status as the crown prince.

Relying on his new identity and talent, and with the secret guidance of the great scholar who fled with his father, he successfully became a student, a scholar, a juren, a gongshi, and even the famous top scholar in the Great Zhou.

Then, he used secret medicine to help King Wei get rid of his obesity, successfully won King Wei's trust, and waited for the opportunity to poison the new prince.

This is something that even the pawns who have been lurking in the capital for many years cannot do.

He knew his uncle's suspicious nature, so he made a big bet to clear his suspicion and escape unscathed.

When the Great Zhou fell into the embarrassing situation of having no heir and was attacked from both internal and external troubles by Northern Qi and Yu Liu, as long as he was still the top scholar and could be close to the center of imperial power, he would have the opportunity to cooperate with his father and take back what rightfully belonged to them.

By then, how shocked would the emperor's uncle, who has become a prisoner, be when he knew his true identity?

He only thought about what would happen after he succeeded, but never thought about the moment of failure.

In other words, he doesn't want to think about failure.

Only by looking forward to success can he have the strength to carry on despite other people's difficulties.

In the end, he failed. I wonder how the emperor's uncle plans to deal with him?

Qi Yang looked at Emperor Tai'an, who had a complicated expression, and nodded gently: "It's me."

Emperor Tai'an closed his eyes for a moment, holding back his breath. "Was it your father's idea to turn you into this?"

His brother, the emperor, was not good at being an emperor, but these tricks were quite innovative.

"Isn't it my fourth uncle who made me like this?" Qi Yang said in a light tone, finally revealing a hint of resentment.

This dignified and solemn uncle also stroked his head when he was a child.

After a moment of silence, Emperor Tai'an sighed, "Forget it, there's no point in saying this. Qiyang, now that your identity has been exposed, you should understand the situation. Tell me about the spies lurking in the capital and your father's hiding place. I will make you a king and ensure you a life of peace."

Emperor Tai'an was not lying. Different people should be treated differently based on different considerations. It is far better to keep the old prince alive than to kill him.

"Those who have been in contact with my nephew have all been discovered by my uncle. As for the others, I don't know." Qi Yang refused bluntly, looking at Emperor Tai'an with a sneer in his eyes. "If my uncle doesn't believe me, you can just hand my nephew over to the Jinlin Guards. They are not the most resourceful."

When did this cunning uncle of the emperor know that the real person Mingxin was far away in the sky and yet right in front of him?

Thinking about it this way, I don’t feel so depressed anymore.

Cheng Maoming, who was standing aside as an invisible man, twitched his mouth.

The uncle and nephew were chatting happily, so why did they suddenly start talking about him, a small commander of the Jinlin Guard?

Seeing that Emperor Tai'an had no intention of killing him, Qi Yang's usually cold heart seemed to be fueled by a fire. "Instead of focusing on questioning my nephew about things he doesn't know about, Fourth Uncle should focus on the external enemy. I think the news of the Crown Prince's death should have spread by now."

"Shut up!" Emperor Tai'an was furious, but he calmed down again after looking at Qi Yang's cold face. "I want to ask you, was Princess Lingque's death your fault?"

The timing of killing Princess Lingque and framing Princess Yian was too coincidental, and his nephew just happened to win the hearts of the two princesses.

"It's just something I did for fun." Qi Yang said in a light tone. The two princesses who had been engaged to him one after another seemed like passers-by to him.

"What a convenient move!" Emperor Tai'an sneered, "Qi Yang, have you ever considered the consequences of killing Princess Yu Liu?"

Qi Yang stared at the angry emperor, sighed inwardly, but said steadfastly, "The consequences will be like poison to you and honey to me."

"You--" Emperor Tai'an was furious. Under the gaze of those smiling eyes, he swallowed the words he was about to say.

There is no point in saying more. From the moment he took over, his brother's branch would rather see the things that were taken away destroyed by outsiders than let him get away with it.

Emperor Tai'an waved his hand and said, "Take him away and keep him under guard."

Cheng Maoming walked up to Qi Yang and said, "Qi... Master, let's go."

Seeing Qi Yang approach the door, Emperor Tai'an stared at his tall and straight figure and asked, "Qi Yang, if you succeed, do you think your father will leave the things he has taken back to you in the future?"

Qi Yang paused and looked back to meet Emperor Tai'an's gaze.

"Fourth Uncle, there's no need to sow discord between us father and son."

After he said that, he strode out.