Chapter 277
With her unwavering insistence, the group set off on their way back to the capital.
Leng Chuan hurriedly sent a message to the Privy Council in the capital.
At this moment, Duan Gan was not in the Privy Council, but in the Guangzheng Hall of the Imperial Palace. The person on the bed was breathing heavily, his breaths rapid and hoarse, as if he were terminally ill.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
The man wore a moon-white gauze robe, the front open to reveal his slender, fair chest. His delicate face was made up, adding a touch of feminine charm.
He cautiously observed the old man's flushed face and heaving chest, then looked down at his naked, wrinkled body, a flicker of disgust and disdain in his eyes.
Emperor Mingyou's face was pale and his body was emaciated, a disheveled sight of someone who had indulged in excessive pleasure.
Xi Quan gritted his teeth, filled with resentment as he thought of the eldest princess who had sent him to the palace, but the person he hated most was Princess Huaimin, Murong Tao!
But at the same time, he knew that if he didn't do as they said, he wouldn't live to see tomorrow.
In order to survive, he had no choice but to submit to the emperor and endure such humiliation.
Just as he was about to get out of bed, Emperor Mingyou seemed to sense something and murmured, "Xiquan... Quan'er..."
He tried to reach out and grab Xiquan's wrist, but Xiquan dodged him.
A hint of disgust flashed in Xi Quan's eyes, but her voice was charming as she said, "Your Majesty, this servant will go and get you some medicinal soup. It will be good for your health."
Emperor Mingyou, however, once again fell into a state of confusion, occasionally uttering delirious, rambling laughter.
He hurriedly got out of bed, dressed as he walked, and walked out of the inner hall. When he looked up, he saw a man in a black robe. His legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud.
"My lord, this servant greets Lord Duan."
He looked terrified, his whole body trembled, and he was very uneasy.
Duan Gan glanced sideways at the trembling stream on the ground and walked forward without saying a word.
Xi Quan quietly got up, glancing at the shoes passing by out of the corner of his eye. Only when the footsteps disappeared did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief.
He quickly got up and ran outside.
When he arrived at the edge of a rockery, someone was already waiting for him.
She was the princess's personal maid. When she saw Xiquan, she quickly waved to him.
He walked over, and after the two whispered something to each other, the maid took out something wrapped in a handkerchief from her sleeve. When she opened it, it was a black pill.
"This is this month's medication."
Xi Quan's eyes lit up as she carefully held the life-saving medicine in her hands, completely oblivious to the disdainful look in the eyes of the person in front of her.
She silently curled the corners of her lips, turned and left.
Duan Gan strolled in as if taking a leisurely walk. The lewd smell filled the room, and his brows furrowed instantly, a hint of disgust showing in his cold gaze.
He took out a handkerchief and covered the tip of his nose, then gently lifted the bright yellow curtain with his fingers.
Looking at the person on the bed, barely clinging to life, I felt an unusual calm.
"The position of Crown Prince is vacant, and the Third Prince is watching with longing. I cannot deny him this opportunity. How about letting him personally deal with this former Crown Prince?"
"Fighting each other is a good idea, don't you think? Is it good? This is your usual way of doing things. Back then, didn't you also rely on instigating your brothers to fight so that you could reap the benefits?"
When the crown prince ascended the throne, he urgently needed to prove himself with achievements, so he encouraged the crown prince to go to the battlefield. However, even if the crown prince died on the battlefield, it would not guarantee that he could successfully ascend the throne.
Previously, he had always appeared to have no interest in the throne. In addition, he had three brave and skilled brothers who were good at both military and literary arts. So he used a divisive tactic to incite them to fight for the throne.
Therefore, the real reason why the crown prince died on the battlefield was not the enemy, but internal strife.
It was the fourth brother who closed the city gates, allowing the enemy to slaughter them.
He then revealed this information to his sixth brother, who respected the crown prince the most, which prompted his sixth brother to rush to the battlefield and personally avenge the crown prince.
As for the third brother, he was naturally praised to death by public opinion. His arrogant and conceited behavior aroused the dissatisfaction of the court officials, and he eventually brought trouble upon himself.
"Don't worry, Consort Liu will take care of your remaining sons."
"Besides, haven't you always wanted Qi Huan to inherit the throne? I only gave Consort Liu a little pointer, and she immediately understood."
"This is the fate I've chosen for you. How does it feel to be betrayed and abandoned by everyone?"
Duan Gan spoke calmly, without mockery or sarcasm, as still as a stagnant pool.
As Emperor Mingyou listened, his breathing became more and more rapid, his cloudy eyes bulged, and he made hoarse breathing sounds from his throat, which were very unpleasant to hear.
He raised his hand, pointing tremblingly at him, his eyes filled with anger, "...Why...why?"
"Do you still remember the Yang family, whom you executed along with their entire family on charges of treason?"
He was taken aback, not understanding what he meant. What was the relationship between the Yang family and Duan Gan? If it was about revenge, then didn't he spare his mother back then?
His mother was a noblewoman from the Yang family, but at that time, Yang had already married into the Duan family. The Yang family was at most an in-law, so why bother to avenge the Yang family?
Duan Gan seemed to know what he was thinking and said calmly, "My mother was not that noble lady of noble birth; she was just a mute courtesan with unparalleled beauty."
Back then, Yang married Duan Zhize but did not have children for a long time. At that time, the Yang family was a prominent aristocratic family on par with the Duan family.
As a woman of exceptional talent and privilege, Yang could not possibly have had her husband's first child born to a concubine. Moreover, she was proud and arrogant and unwilling to share a husband with another woman.
However, due to her prolonged infertility, rumors began to circulate. By chance, she saw a courtesan from the Imperial Music Bureau who came to the Yang family to play music. She was absolutely stunning and had an otherworldly beauty.
Unfortunately, she was mute, and because of her appearance, she was harassed by many people with ill intentions.
Because most of the women in the Jiaofangsi were daughters of disgraced officials or women from the common people and the imperial court, once they entered the Jiaofangsi's lowly status, they could never escape this status without imperial decree.
Rongniang was mute and had lost her memory. She took the place of the daughter of a disgraced official and entered the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution).
By chance, Yang saw her and came up with the idea of surrogacy. Yang promised to let Rongniang leave the brothel and enter the Yang family as a cousin.
However, after the child is born, they are not allowed to see each other.
But a mother's heart is connected to her child's, and what is meant to happen will happen. From birth to adolescence, he was only able to see her three times.
As for how he knew about this, it was because he keenly sensed that this person was different from him, and there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity between them.
During one of the arguments between Yang and Duan Zhize, he stood outside the door and heard Yang say it herself. Only then did he understand why he felt a strange sense of closeness to the mute girl.
And this also provides an answer to Yang's inconsistent attitude towards him.
That's why he worked so hard in his youth to fight for a powerful position on the battlefield, hoping to bring his mother to live with him once he was able to do so.
Unexpectedly, all of this was brought to light by Emperor Mingyou's order, which pinned unfounded charges on the Yang family.
When he returned from the battlefield, the entire Yang family, including their dog, had died.
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