Zhao Cong didn't dare look Zhao Ying in the eye. He swallowed his saliva and said in a trembling voice, "Ying'er, I can't let father know..."
"Father will definitely destroy me!!"
Zhao Ying stamped her feet in embarrassment. "I know... but... how can we keep our mother's affairs a secret from our father?"
"How can I be worthy of my mother?!"
"We killed our mother... wuwu" Zhao Ying said, and couldn't help crying out sadly.
"But tell the truth to Father, the Queen Mother won't be able to come back!"
Zhao Ying still couldn't stand the condemnation of his conscience and shook his head, "No, I can't lie to my father!"
She grabbed Zhao Cong's arm and said, "Father loves us so much. If we admit our mistakes with a good attitude, Father won't punish us too much..."
Zhao Cong stared at Zhao Ying, pursed his lips and said nothing.
Zhao Ying breathed slowly until her mind cleared up a bit. She said, "Brother, don't be afraid. I'll take the blame for you..."
"My father loves me the most. I'm not the crown prince, so I'm not afraid of him abolishing me!"
"Yes, that's it!"
Zhao Ying said this and was about to go find Emperor Jianxi.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Cong stopped her. Zhao Cong burst into tears and said, "Ying'er, how can I let you take the blame for me?"
"Even if the emperor doesn't punish you, the officials will definitely impeach you if they learn of this. You're pregnant, and if something happens to you... I killed our mother, and I also hurt you so badly. How will I live with myself from now on?"
"I'm your brother and I should protect you. How can I let you protect me?!"
Zhao Cong has always loved Zhao Ying. When he heard that Zhao Ying was going to take the blame for him, all the rationality and coldness that Zhao Cong maintained collapsed.
"Let's go find our father and report the truth... You're right, we killed our mother. We can't keep it a secret any longer. We'll have a guilty conscience for the rest of our lives. Better to die soon and be reborn..."
Zhao Cong said this and resolutely turned and left.
"stop!"
Zhao Cong looked back, puzzled.
Zhao Ying took a deep breath, wiped the tears from her face, pursed her lips, and a sudden coldness flashed across her eyes.
She clenched her fists and said cruelly, "Don't go!"
“I can’t go…”
Zhao Ying sat down, holding onto the corner of the table. He picked up the tea bowl with trembling hands and took a sip of cold tea. When he put it down, the teacup fell over, leaving the tea all over the table.
The brewed tea leaves are like a drifting boat, floating on the water.
Zhao Ying stared at the tea leaves intently, forcing back the tears in her eyes. She said in a quiet voice, "If you go, you won't be able to keep your position as Crown Prince."
"What has the Queen Mother lived her life for..."
"If anything happens to us, Kunning Palace, the East Palace, Guangming Palace... they're all finished."
"The Wei family is finished..."
"What's even more terrifying is... if you become the deposed crown prince, the other princes and their forces will not let you go, and may even... kill you!"
She looked at Zhao Cong, her dark pupils deep and bottomless.
Zhao Cong felt a chill down his spine when he saw this.
"In this world, the closest people to us are only the three of us, mother and son... Even though our father lost our mother, he still has Concubine Rong and three thousand beauties in the harem. He keeps saying he loves our mother, but he's unwilling to dismiss the concubines for her."
"Even though we're gone, our father still has many children..."
"And mother, it's just you and me..."
"Today was just an accident... Queen Mother won't blame us. She loves us the most. Even for her sake, you must ascend the throne. You must also help Queen Mother conquer the Japanese kingdom she longs for... If you are deposed, who will remember her wishes? Who will honor her after her death?"
"Brother, only when you ascend the throne can you posthumously confer the title of Empress Dowager on Mother... the title of the only Empress Dowager."
If someone else ascends the throne, who will remember a queen who died early?
"Only if we live well, will Mother's death be worth it."
Zhao Ying and Zhao Cong discussed the wording, then knocked Nanny Hua unconscious and stripped her of her palace clothes.
Zhao Ying ordered a confidant to put on Nanny Hua's palace clothes, take Empress Xiaomin's token, and leave the palace in a carriage.
She pretended to be Queen Hyomin and knocked Aunt Hua unconscious, then escaped disguised as a palace maid.
The two of them discussed some details, then ran to the Yangxin Palace at night and told Emperor Jianxi.
Emperor Jianxi was shocked and heartbroken and immediately sent someone to look for her. However, he did not dare to make a big fuss for fear of ruining Empress Xiaomin's reputation, so he could only let the crown prince look for her secretly.
The result is obvious. He was the one who collapsed and ran away. If he could be found, would he have told such a huge lie?
…
Of course, Zhao Ying would not tell Emperor Jianxi the truth about the pros and cons. Is she crazy?
She just said that she was afraid of being punished by her father, so she didn't say it.
Even so, Emperor Jianxi's face was darker than the night outside.
After listening to Zhao Ying's narration, Emperor Jianxi could no longer suppress his anger and slammed the table and shouted, "How unreasonable!"
Zhao Ying was startled.
"You and your brother actually colluded to deceive me for ten years!"
Zhao Ying said aggrievedly: "Father, didn't you say you are not angry anymore..."
Emperor Jianxi puffed his beard and glared, "How can I not be angry?!"
"If you tell me the truth, can your mother suffer in the forest for ten years?"
"But...we didn't know Mother was still alive...and even if we told you, you wouldn't be able to find her."
If it weren't for Yue'er's voice, who would have thought that her mother was not only still alive, but also fell into the old forest...
Emperor Jianxi became even more angry upon hearing this, his voice breaking, "How dare you talk back?!"
"Your son..." Zhao Ying said with a sad face.
Emperor Jianxi pointed outside the palace and said three good words in a row, "Good! Good! Good!"
"You are to kneel before me outside the palace now. Do not get up without my order!"
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