The old emperor lay on the bed, his face ashen, barely breathing.
In a corner outside the hall, Lu Yuyan said to Lu Xiaoyun, who had just come out, "Sister, although the old emperor has taken too many pills, damaging his internal organs and hitting his head, if I do my best, I can still protect him for half a year."
He dusted off his clothes and sneered, "However, why should I exert all my strength to save such a person? I am unwilling, so I only used silver needles to prick his acupoints to save his life for three days."
Lu Xiaoyun chuckled: "It's fine as it is now. There's no need to waste our energy on him. An emperor like him isn't worth it."
Lu Yuyan nodded: "I'll head back to my residence first."
"good."
When Lu Xiaoyun entered, only the old emperor, whose fate was unknown, remained in the hall. He had driven everyone else out.
"Get out of here, all of you! Get out of here!" The old emperor roared weakly as he lay on the bed.
Lu Xiaoyun stepped forward and looked down at the old emperor who was barely clinging to life: "Just now, Ayan told me that if he had used all his strength, he could have saved your life for six months. He was unwilling, so he only used silver needles to acupuncture points to save your life for three days."
The old emperor suddenly opened his eyes, staring intently at Lu Xiaoyun: "You, you all have such audacity! Zhu, Zhu Yu, you, you have committed regicide and patricide!"
"Heh." Lu Xiaoyun sneered coldly, "Killing the emperor? Killing your father? You are heartless, selfish, cold-blooded, incompetent, suspicious, self-righteous, arrogant and conceited. Do you deserve Ayan's efforts to save your life for half a year?"
"You, you, you..."
"You've always been suspicious of Zhu Yu, constantly on guard, wanting to kill him as soon as possible, worried that if Mother knew his true parentage, Zhu Yu would rebel against the Great Zhou? Ha, do you know that Mother knew about Zhu Yu's origins long before he was born, and Zhu Yu knew about his origins long ago too? Yet you deceive yourself, how ridiculous!"
The old emperor trembled all over, his eyes wide, his hands weakly clenched, and he pointed shakily at Lu Xiaoyun.
"You, you're not Zhu Yu, you're not him, you're not him..."
Lu Xiaoyun sneered. She said it on purpose, neither denying nor admitting it. She wanted to drive the old emperor into madness.
"You dog emperor, you are wary of your mother and want to kill Zhu Yu, isn't it because you're afraid that Zhu Yu will overthrow the Great Zhou Dynasty? But have you forgotten that Zhu Yu is also your son! Zhu Yu's surname is Zhu, not Qi! Zhu Yu is your son! When you hired assassins from the Yongfeng Yue State to kill Zhu Yu on your wedding day last year, did you ever think that Zhu Yu was your own son?!"
"When you targeted Zhu Yu at every turn, showing him not a shred of fatherly love, and even hoping every day that he would die under the iron cavalry of Northern Qi, did you ever think that Zhu Yu was your own son?!"
"You sent Ruoling away to marry a foreign ruler, disregarding her life and death! When you were held hostage by the Duke of Ying, you actually wrote that edict, ordering the deaths of me and my fifth brother. Ha, who in this world can compare to your ruthlessness!"
"You're so heartless, why should Ayan save you! Do you deserve it?!"
"Do you know that Zhu Yu has never cared for this throne!"
Blood kept gushing from the old emperor's mouth, his eyes fixed on Lu Xiaoyun, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
Lu Xiaoyun stepped forward, picked up his sleeve, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth little by little: "Grandmother is right. The only right thing you did in your life was to make your fifth brother the crown prince."
She tossed the old emperor's blood-stained sleeve aside, stood up, and said coldly, "Now, you can die!"
After saying that, Lu Xiaoyun walked away without looking back.
The old emperor gazed at his fourth son's resolute back, his hand trembling as he reached out, trying to grasp something, but grasped nothing, and his hand fell limply to the ground: "Zhu, Zhu Yu, Zhu Yu..."
Zhu Yu waited at the door. When she came out, he took her arm, and the two walked hand in hand on the palace road in silence.
After a long pause, Zhu Yu finally spoke: "Actually, it's fine if you don't say these words to him. I'm used to it and don't feel wronged."
“That was before. Zhu Yu, from now on you have me, your mother, your father, your brother, your sister-in-law, and Ayan.”
"Yes." Zhu Yu smiled, tears welling in his eyes. "I have family now, such a big family."
In his life, Zhu Yu also had family.
Lu Xiaoyun grasped Zhu Yu's hands, turning him to face her: "Zhu Yu, Ruoling, I will not let her go to Nanliang for a political marriage."
"I don't know either," Zhu Yu said.
“I don’t know either.” Zhu Dan walked over and looked at the two of them. “At the beginning of the year in Nanliang, I discovered that the power struggles between the princes of Nanliang were extremely fierce. Although the crown prince of Nanliang is talented, he is tyrannical by nature, and there are many voices in the court that oppose him.”
"The other princes were also extremely dissatisfied with this crown prince. The emperor of Southern Liang was over sixty years old and wanted to reform the court, but he was willing but unable to do so. The internal strife in Southern Liang was about to break out."
Lu Xiaoyun then said, "So you want to cause internal strife in Southern Liang ahead of time?"
“That’s right. I went to Southern Liang with the Grand Preceptor. I returned ahead of schedule, but the Grand Preceptor has not returned. I just sent someone with a fast horse to deliver a letter to the Grand Preceptor, urging him to expedite this matter.”
Zhu Yu, as if remembering something, asked, "Where is the letter of state from Southern Liang?"
"What do you want to ask in the Imperial Study, Fourth Brother? I remember the contents of the book."
Who was the wedding envoy from Southern Liang?
"The Third Prince of Southern Liang".
"The Third Prince's mother is Consort Ru of Nanliang."
"Yes, he is also the most popular prince in Southern Liang. The most intense competition for the throne within Southern Liang is between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince."
Lu Xiaoyun looked at Zhu Yu: "What came to mind?"
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