The viewers in the live stream and Xiao Zhixing were all waiting for Zhao Lin's answer.
I wonder what he's willing to go to for Consort Zhang?
Zhao Lin's fists clenched slightly, his face turning pale. "So you really do know everything."
This was a secret he had kept hidden, a secret he dared not even reveal in his dreams.
To keep this secret, he made himself withdrawn, cowardly, and unsociable, and even after marriage, he dared not sleep with the princess consort, Xu.
Only two eunuchs could get close to him.
He feared that if the truth were exposed, his mother and the Zhang family would be doomed.
Xiao Zhixing nodded, "I also know that your biological father is Luo Wei of Xia Prefecture, the fugitive Imperial Tutor of the Northern Frontier."
Zhao Lin's back slumped down, his face was deathly pale, and his eyes were blank.
After a long silence, he finally asked in a trembling voice, "What does Your Highness want me to do?"
Xiao Zhixing smiled slightly, "Do you want to protect your mother or the Zhang family?"
Zhao Lin's eyes showed struggle; he knew he had to abandon one side.
Finally, with tears in his eyes, he said, "I want to protect my mother!"
Compared to the Zhang family, his mother was the one who cherished him the most. He was unfilial and could not give her wealth and honor, so he had to save her life.
Xiao Zhixing tapped the table lightly. "You personally write to His Majesty, accusing the Zhang family of confusing the royal bloodline. I will arrange the rest."
Since Consort Zhang is already dead, there's no need to convict her; just turn her into a living dead and hand her over to Zhao Lin.
That would actually be a good thing for Consort Zhang and Zhao Lin. He probably doesn't want Consort Zhang to fall into pain again after waking up. It would be good if she could just sleep like that until she's old.
Besides, it's a fact that she harmed Xiao Yan, so Xiao Zhixing couldn't possibly be so generous as to let her continue to live a carefree life.
Zhao Lin remained silent in a daze, then bowed deeply, turned his wheelchair, and left. Mo Mei appeared and led him out.
[Yellow comment: Sigh, Zhao Lin is actually a pitiful person. He cut off his own legs and severed his reproductive rights; it was all in an attempt to save himself.]
Xiao Zhixing thought that no matter how pitiful he was or whether he had ever had that ambition, he could only be an ordinary civilian in the future.
A new day has begun.
The city of Shengjing was still buzzing with excitement from the military parade, and the talk of the town was full of the day's festivities.
Even the Emperor System was unusually free of any sarcastic remarks, and they even said they could do more of it in the future.
However, for a moment it was disoriented. This military parade sounded familiar. Could it be that it had heard it somewhere before?
The outside was bustling with activity.
However, in the inner palace, in the Shengde Hall, the room was completely quiet.
More than a dozen ministers were present, with the emperor and empress dowager seated at the head of the table, and Zhao Zhong, the clan chief, also making an appearance.
At first, no one knew why the emperor had summoned them. But when the eldest prince's wife pushed the eldest prince into the hall, the couple knelt down.
Fu Lu explained the situation with a pained expression.
Zhang Rengui knelt down with a thud, drenched in sweat. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, no, I didn't know, I really didn't know!"
His face was filled with anger and bewilderment at being deceived by Consort Zhang and the First Prince. He kowtowed repeatedly, tears and snot streaming down his face, "Your Majesty is wise! Even if I had the greatest courage, I would not dare to protect Consort Zhang and confuse the royal bloodline!!"
Zhao Lin said without any sadness or joy, "Lord Zhang knows that when I was five years old, you and my mother had a quarrel over this. I heard it and you asked my mother to keep it a secret. You even destroyed her favorite Buddha statue."
Zhang Rengui was so grief-stricken that he stood frozen in place.
Zhao Lin continued, “Mother and that man corresponded through your connections. You were reluctant to give up the conveniences and treasures he provided, and you didn’t want me to lose the title of the First Prince.”
Zhang Rengui's expression changed drastically, and he suddenly lunged forward with a ferocious look, ready to slap him, yelling, "You unfilial and disobedient son!"
Unexpectedly, Xu Zhen'er stopped him and pushed him away, saying, "Get out of my way! Don't hurt my husband!"
Two eunuchs rushed over and pulled Zhang Rengui away and pinned him down.
The Shengde Hall was completely silent, save for Zhang Rengui's rough, labored breathing and struggle.
Xiao Zhixing stood with his hands in his sleeves, looking completely indifferent.
Above, the Empress Dowager rubbed her forehead, her face full of disgust and exhaustion. "Emperor, you handle this matter. I don't want to hear about it."
Zhao Yunqi rose to see the Empress Dowager off, then slowly walked to Zhao Lin and looked down at him. "You cut off your own legs and cut off your own offspring. I'm very curious, did you really never think about my throne?"
Zhao Lin boldly looked back at the emperor for the first time, saying, "When I was still thinking, I already knew about my background. At that time, I was still fantasizing about your fatherly relationship with me. Later, I realized that you must have known about my background all along."
That's why he was cold and distant towards himself. It took him two years to go from resentment to bitterness to resignation.
"Given such a reality, how could I dare to covet something that doesn't belong to me?"
If he dares to have any ideas, the first person to punish him will be the emperor.
Zhao Yunqi sighed, "You are quite clear-headed."
Despite attempts by Luo Wei, Zhang Pin, and Zhang Rengui to brainwash him, they failed to ignite his ambition.
As expected of Lowe's son, he has an exceptional mind.
Zhao Lin smiled calmly, "What doesn't belong to me, if forcibly taken, is nothing but a mirage."
He knew he had no ambition and was not capable of shouldering the responsibility of the world, so why should he bother with it?
Zhao Yunqi turned around and surveyed the crowd. "Gentlemen, the facts are before us. How should I deal with them?"
Everyone was still in shock.
Zhao Lin wasn't the emperor's son?!
Doesn't that mean the emperor's lineage is effectively extinct?!
Zhao Zhong had some difficulty breathing and almost lost his footing.
Could it be the emperor...?
Everyone instantly broke out in a cold sweat and involuntarily knelt down.
In the end, only Xiao Zhixing remained standing there, standing out from the crowd.
Zhao Yunqi calmly pointed at her, "Yuan Sheng, what do you think I should do with them?"
Xiao Zhixing cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty’s decision on how to deal with the Zhang family is none of my concern, but Zhao Lin and Zhang Zhong are from the Gentlemen’s Academy. They just gave me their full support the other day, and I would like to protect them.”
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