Previously, his father was worried that people would discover his identity, so he always played the role of a stepfather who kept his distance from him.

His mother treated him well, but she was more attentive to the other two.

“You know very well that things are not as you say, which is why you were able to sow discord during the years I was on the run.”

My father and mother thought I was holding a grudge against them, which is why I refused to return to the capital. They also made me think that my own mother wanted to kill me, which made me feel heartbroken and disappointed, and unwilling to go home.

What you're saying now is nothing more than an excuse to justify your fratricide and the theft of your sister-in-law.

Xie Tingzhou was well aware of Yun Wang's plans.

In this life, the Prince of Yun has indeed committed only these two crimes. The Emperor and Empress both love their children. They will be angry about the Prince of Yun's assassination of his brother, but they will not take the Prince of Yun's life.

That's why Xie Tingzhou didn't kill Yun Wang directly, but endured his hatred to heal his wounds.

It is highly likely that Prince Yun will feign pitifulness and admit his mistake, then request to go to his fiefdom to join the Zheng family. At that time, he might actually rebel.

How could Xie Tingzhou let the tiger return to the mountain? Only by keeping him under his nose could he find an opportunity to kill him legitimately and avenge Ye Zhen.

He asked the King of Yun sarcastically, "Put your hand on your heart and ask yourself, did you really not know that I was innocent during the autumn hunt back then?"

Even if he didn't know at the time, if he sensed that someone else was trying to assassinate him, Prince Yun should have guessed that the autumn hunt was a conspiracy against the Crown Prince.

But he said nothing. Not only did he murder his brother, but he also deceived his parents, who happened to be the emperor and empress. That would be the crime of deceiving the emperor.

The Emperor and Empress, whose hearts had just been clenched by Prince Yun's weeping, instantly realized what was happening after Xie Tingzhou's reminder.

The Empress, exasperated, punched Prince Yun in the chest. "You still dare to sow discord? Why do you look like this?"

She felt extremely heavy-hearted. The second brother wanted to kill the eldest brother, causing the eldest brother to be displaced for many years and suffer endlessly. She should have killed the second brother to give the eldest brother an explanation.

But her second son was also her son, a piece of her own flesh and blood; how could she bear to part with him?

But if she does nothing, she'll be letting down her boss, and she's already let him down enough.

The eldest son knew about the second son's crime, but instead of publicizing it, he dealt with it behind closed doors as a family of four. Wasn't he just trying to see how his parents would react?

The queen felt helpless; she wished she could use her own life to settle the score between her brothers.

"From this day forward, you will be confined to the Prince Yun's residence and not allowed to leave. We will wait until your elder brother ascends the throne and becomes emperor, and then we will discuss whether to release you based on your performance."

After the Empress finished speaking, she glanced at the Crown Prince with a guilty look.

She had once again failed her eldest son, so she continued, "It is your mother's fault for not teaching you well. From this day forward, your mother will also observe a period of fasting and worship Buddha..."

"No, I don't want to."

Before the Empress could finish speaking, Prince Yun cried out.

If he were imprisoned until the crown prince ascends the throne, wouldn't that completely deprive him of his chance to compete for the throne and hand over his future to the crown prince?

He inexplicably thought of Ye Zhen's hatred. Although he didn't know why, Ye Zhen was the Crown Prince's man, and the Crown Prince wouldn't let him have a good ending.

He refused.

The emperor was so angry that he slapped him across the face, saying, "Don't push your luck."

They have forgiven him enough; how can he be so oblivious to his parents' good intentions?

It was their forgiveness that emboldened Prince Yun, who claimed that his parents favored the crown prince.

In reality, he knew very well that his parents loved him and would not easily take his life, which is why he dared to cause such a scene.

"Why have you never seen me? You used to arrange my life, and now you're taking away my freedom. Since you gave birth to me, why can't you treat me fairly?"

He played his trump card: "Will you only be satisfied if I die?"

The Empress was extremely disappointed in her son, who was acting so unreasonably!

She wiped away her tears and looked coldly at Prince Yun. "The daughters of the Zheng family are all pawns used to pave the way for the family. They didn't initially cultivate and place high hopes on me."

It was the late emperor who took a liking to me, which is why they focused their attention on me, but at that time I already had someone I liked.

But they still married me off to the late emperor. They all knew that the late emperor humiliated and oppressed me, but no one came to my rescue...

"Empress!"

Realizing what she was about to say, the emperor quickly stopped her.

The Empress looked at the Emperor pleadingly, "I am the root of all this. Let me tell you, or I will never have peace for the rest of my life."

The emperor thought that the crown prince already knew, while the prince of Yun was still bothered that his own son was not as good as his stepson, so he finally nodded.

"The late emperor drugged me and had beasts bully me. It was your father who saved me and cured me of the drug. That time, I became pregnant with the crown prince."

The Empress squatted in front of the low couch, looked at Prince Yun, and said slowly and deliberately, "The Crown Prince is your older brother from the same father and mother, and he is also your father's son."

However, out of consideration for his mother's reputation, his true identity could never be revealed, and he could never acknowledge his father as his father.

Your maternal grandfather knew about the Crown Prince's identity. He was also present when the late emperor drugged me. The Zheng family could even abandon their daughter like me. How much genuine affection do you think they have for you, their grandson?

Furthermore, the Zheng family knew that the Crown Prince was also your father's own son, yet they still wanted to kill him and support you. Do you know why?