Bai Qingzhou intended to scratch his face, but found that his fingers were weak and powerless.
The Emperor had already walked to his side, grabbed his neck, and lifted him up. "I ask you, who are you?"
"?" Bai Qingzhou had difficulty breathing, and dark shadows appeared before his eyes.
In a daze, the emperor's once handsome face gradually became grotesque and distorted, like a ghost.
What does the Emperor mean? Is he forcing him to admit he is Prince Jin, and then... keeping him in the palace as Prince Jin's stand-in?
Because his neck was being squeezed, Bai Qingzhou couldn't speak. Even if he could, he wouldn't say that he was the Prince of Jin.
"Lingyu, do you really not have me in your heart? I've been so good to you. From childhood to adulthood, whatever you like or want, I've always given it to you immediately!"
You told me to be a good emperor, and I did. You said you wanted to be far from the capital, so I... also granted you a fiefdom farthest from the capital, and gave you military power.
You gave me an heir, and I accepted that; we even have a crown prince. Why do you still avoid me? Haven't I done enough?
"Why are you still avoiding me after all these years?"
"Lingyu, are you trying to drive me insane?"
"Since you left the capital, I haven't had a single happy day. I think about you day and night, do you know that?"
"I am truly unhappy! Don't leave... Please stay in the capital, and I will be a good emperor, okay? Don't go..."
The suffocating feeling made Bai Qingzhou increasingly powerless to resist. He didn't want to hear the Emperor say these things, and he didn't want to hear about any royal scandals.
Unfortunately, he was still forced to listen, and he knew... his life was over.
They were either forced to stay in the palace as a substitute for Prince Jin, or they were silenced.
Silencing him... it's not a big deal. The father regains his fertility, and the mother is pregnant. Even if he dies, they can still live. But what about Mianmian?
Why couldn't he die when he most wanted to, and now that he wants to live, he must die? Is this... the impermanence of life?
Just as Bai Qingzhou closed her eyes, preparing to accept her fate of dying from suffocation, she was finally discovered by the insane Emperor Rui De.
Emperor Rui De hurriedly laid the dying Prince Jin on the ground, pressing on his philtrum while shouting, "Guards! Summon the imperial physician! If anything happens to Ling Yu, you will all be executed!"
The palace maids around were terrified and rushed out to find the imperial physician.
Princess Rui'an, who was waiting at the door, also rushed in amidst the chaos. When she saw the deranged Emperor Rui'de holding the unconscious Bai Qingzhou in his arms, her face turned pale instantly.
She approached cautiously, "Your Majesty, do you still recognize me?"
Emperor Rui didn't even glance at his elder sister, tightly embracing his "beloved." "Lingyu, wake up! What do you want? Tell me, and I'll give it to you! Do you love the throne? How about I give it to you?"
Princess Ryan's eyes widened, her gaze instantly filled with murderous intent, and she turned to look at the palace servants still guarding the palace.
The palace servants were already terrified and knelt on the ground, trembling. They all believed that their lives were numbered. Even if the emperor didn't want their lives, Princess Ruian would still take action for the sake of the royal secret.
Princess Ruian pondered for a moment, then mustered her courage and rushed forward, snatching Prince Bai from the Emperor's hands.
Heaven bears witness: if the person in the Emperor's arms were not Prince Bai but someone else, Princess Ruian would never have risked angering the Emperor to save him.
Caught off guard, Emperor Rui De was pushed aside. He then reacted and roared in fury, "How dare you! I will exterminate your entire clan!"
Princess Rui'an placed her finger under Bai Shizi's nose to check if he was alive or dead, and said, "Your Majesty, please tidy yourself up. Prince Jin will be here soon, and he will be angry if he sees you like this."
Emperor Rui's cloudy eyes were filled with confusion. "Jin...Wang? Lingyu?" Then he looked at the person in Princess Rui'an's arms.
Princess Ruian quickly turned to the side, blocking the face of the young master Bai. "This person is not Lingyu. He is the son of Marquis Anning. Please don't look at him like that, otherwise Lingyu will be unhappy. Lingyu will be here soon. A palace servant has already informed him."
"Really...really? Lingyu is...coming?"
The emperor, the supreme ruler, was now becoming increasingly deranged. His distorted features made it impossible to tell whether he was crying or laughing, and tears streamed down his withered, ashen face.
In an instant, scenes from the past in Kunning Palace flooded into Princess Ruian's mind... Yes, from childhood to adulthood, the Emperor had always been strangely kind to Lingyu, even more so than to his own brother, who shared the same father and mother.
At the time, she only thought that Prince Jin was raised by the Empress Dowager and that the two had a good brotherly relationship. But now she realized that it was not a brotherly relationship at all!
Why didn't she think of that before?
After being reminded, Emperor Ruide began to tidy his appearance exaggeratedly, gesturing wildly, and soon tore his clothes to shreds.
At this moment, the imperial physician was summoned by the palace servants. When the imperial physician saw the mess in Yonggan Palace, although he was alarmed, he was not too alarmed.
Princess Rui'an could tell from the imperial physician's reaction that this was probably not the first time he had seen such a situation; the fact that she was unaware of it before meant that he had been keeping it from her all along.
Afterwards, the imperial physician first used silver needles to calm the emperor's emotions before examining the condition of Prince Bai.
It is said that Prince Bai was simply physically weak, and had just inhaled too much of the Dream Incense, which, combined with the mental stimulation, caused him to faint.
Princess Rui'an looked at the unconscious Prince Bai, torn between conflicting emotions.
If Prince Bai were not Prince Bai, but someone else, she would never have let him leave the palace; she would not allow such an absurd royal scandal to spread.
but……
She had watched this child struggle to survive, and couldn't bear to ruin his life like this.
While the imperial physician was treating the emperor, Princess Ruian had someone help Prince Bai out of the palace and into the courtyard.
After a short while, Bai Qingzhou, whose breathing was clear, slowly woke up. When she saw Princess Ruian, she neither greeted her nor spoke, but simply looked at the princess quietly.
Princess Ryan felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly by a hand, the pain so intense that she opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word.
After a long pause, accompanied by a sigh, Princess Ryan asked with a wry smile, "Qingzhou, you saw it all, didn't you?"
Bai Qingzhou knelt before the princess, his face calm. "Your Highness, I saw nothing."
Princess Ryan's eyes flickered, and she leaned down to whisper, "What did you see after entering the palace today?"
Bai Qingzhou continued without changing his expression, "Your Highness, I am physically weak and fainted as soon as I entered the palace, as the imperial physician can attest. Moreover, since I was poisoned, I have been frequently experiencing hallucinations, and I feel that I may become insane."
Princess Ryan's eyes lit up, as if she were seeing the child for the first time.
Just then, a servant announced – Prince Jin has arrived.
Princess Ryan stood up and looked towards the palace gate, only to see Prince Jin, dressed in official robes, approaching calmly with a solemn expression and complex eyes.
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