Chapter 453 I Don’t Hate You
There was silence in the palace.
There was a cautious tone of tentativeness in the emperor's words, and anyone could see how much he hoped Hu Xiner would stay.
The more deeply he was hurt by the prince's betrayal, the deeper his love and guilt for Hu Xin'er.
The son whom he had placed high hopes on for half his life actually hated him deeply, and his daughter who had been separated from him for many years became the only person who stayed by his side in times of crisis.
I'm afraid that ordinary people would fall seriously ill after encountering such a tortuous fate.
But he could not allow himself to show too much sadness and vulnerability. He was the king of a country and was responsible for the operation of the entire country.
In just five days, the emperor's physical wounds were healed, but the wounds in his heart could not be healed.
Hu Xiner looked at her nominal father and pursed her lips in embarrassment.
Although she was touched by the tenderness in the emperor's eyes, she knew that this tenderness was not for herself, but for the original owner.
Seeing her hesitation, the emperor understood her choice, and a sadness was revealed in his eyes that was hard to conceal.
God knows how lost he felt after learning that the Lu family had escaped from the city. For a moment, he even wanted to send someone to bring the Lu family back.
However, he also understood that the outcome today was due to the fact that he had done too many wrong things in the past and could not be trusted.
If he were in the Lu family's position, he would have fled without hesitation, and might not have even accepted Hu Xiner's identity so easily.
He and the Lu family are destined to be in opposition, and if he forcibly imprisoned the Lu family, it would only push Hu Xiner further away.
The eunuch serving the pens and ink said softly, "Miss Xin'er, His Majesty hasn't slept for several days, and the eldest princess hasn't been feeling well lately. Are you really not going to stay and see them?"
Hu Xiner was in a dilemma, but saw the emperor waved his hand to stop her eunuch from speaking.
He looked at Hu Xin'er and asked with kindness why they came.
After learning that Mother Lu was ill, a flash of guilt appeared in his eyes. After all, if the tragedy had not happened that year, Mother Lu's mental state might not have become what it is now.
When Old Man Dou learned that Mother Lu's condition had relapsed, his expression became serious. He picked up his medicine box and went to treat Mother Lu.
The rest of the Lu family went to take care of Lu's mother, leaving only Hu Xiner and Mu Qing in the Yangxin Palace.
The emperor was the first to break the silence. He casually asked, "After you left the city, the prince shouldn't have troubled you again, right?"
Mu Qing knew his wife was embarrassed, so he bowed and replied seriously, "I was just about to report to His Majesty that the Crown Prince seems to have another team under his command. We were pursued after leaving the city."
"What?!" The emperor opened his eyes wide in disbelief. "Then how did you escape? Are you injured?"
Mu Qing's wounds had almost healed during those days in Lingyin Temple.
He was always quiet in front of outsiders and didn't want to show it to the emperor, so he simply glossed over the danger of the situation: "Your Majesty, don't worry. We were lucky to escape after being chased. It's just that my mother was frightened by the scene of battle, so we returned to the palace to seek treatment from a famous doctor."
He paused here and bowed again: "I would also like to thank Your Majesty for sending people to rescue Doctor Dou."
Hu Xin'er also followed suit and thanked His Majesty.
The emperor looked at the couple who were in harmony with each other, and his expression gradually became solemn.
He looked at Mu Qing meaningfully: "I used to think you were an upright gentleman, aloof and unsympathetic, but now it seems you are quite cunning."
These words sounded light and nonchalant, but Mu Qing felt a strong sense of oppression suddenly rising from this seemingly kind old man.
The emperor actually said he was cunning? That was not a good word.
"Why do you say that, Your Majesty?" he asked with some doubt.
Whenever the emperor saw him in the past, he always smiled and said that his words and actions were all in line with his wishes.
But now, the emperor looked at him with an indifferent expression, his eyes as deep as a lake.
"You and I have a paternal grudge, and we are sworn enemies of the Lu family. Yet, you concealed all your hatred and reported your observations to me as usual."
When the emperor said this, his eyes suddenly became sharp: "Lu Yunjue... No, Mu Qing, I really look at you with new eyes!"
He felt that Mu Qing, as the son of Prime Minister Lu, should be the one who hated him the most.
But now such a bland performance is obviously not convincing enough. Either Mu Qing is suppressing the hatred in his heart and not showing it, or he has other intentions.
Seeing his aura suddenly change, Mu Qing thought that he had some malicious intentions in his heart and couldn't help but be on guard.
But after hearing the emperor's reasons for doubting him, he showed some helplessness on his face: "Actually, I don't hate Your Majesty."
When these words were spoken, even Hu Xin'er was stunned.
Mu Qing didn't hate the emperor? Then why did he flee the city?
Besides, how could a person not hate the murderer of his father?
"Are you saying this for Xin'er?" The emperor was also very surprised, but he immediately found a reasonable explanation for Mu Qing's behavior.
He looked at Mu Qing, his eyes softening. "Even in times of crisis, you never thought of giving up Xin'er. This makes me very satisfied."
He felt that Mu Qing must care too much about his wife, so he said that he didn't hate him so as not to embarrass Hu Xiner.
Hu Xiner thought so too, and a look of emotion appeared in her eyes.
But Mu Qing shook his head: "That's not the case."
The emperor looked at his genuine expression and suddenly shouted angrily, "If it's not for your wife, then for fame and fortune, are you disregarding your biological father?"
Mu Qing was not intimidated by his aura, but shook his head again: "Your Majesty has misunderstood. I simply have no feelings for Prime Minister Lu."
He was harmed by the evil deeds done by Lu Xiang and became extremely ugly. It can be said that he helped Lu Xiang bear half of the sins.
But as soon as she was born, she was rejected by Prime Minister Lu and fell into an endless life of displacement.
The emperor obviously couldn't believe his statement: "You have such a close relationship with your family, how could you have no feelings for Prime Minister Lu?"
He could tolerate Mu Qing hating him, because that at least proved that Mu Qing had a clear distinction between love and hate, but he could not tolerate Mu Qing being a hypocrite!
Seeing the emperor's gaze becoming dangerous, Mu Qing protected his wife behind him and replied in a deep voice, "Prime Minister Lu has meant nothing to me except the grace of giving birth to me!"
Everyone in the Lu family, including Lu Yunjue, has had contact with Lu Xiang and has complicated feelings towards him.
Lu's mother has mixed feelings about him, Jiang Yao hates him to the core, and Lu Yunjue has always been loved by him since he was young, and he cannot say that he does not love his biological father.
But Mu Qing is different.
Since he came into this world, he only saw his biological father once.
That was Lu Xiang’s funeral.
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