"Seriously? You didn't lie to me?"
The old emperor looked at the person in front of him and spoke excitedly.
The emperor was over fifty years old, with white hair on his temples, many wrinkles on his face, and the bitter smell of Chinese medicine on his body, perhaps from taking medicine all year round.
"It's true, Your Majesty. The Ninth Prince is not dead. You and the Queen's child are still alive."
A serious old man spoke, with tears of excitement in his eyes.
The old emperor held his hand, overwhelmed with emotion, and couldn't help shedding tears. "That's great, that's great, teacher, that's great. I knew it, I knew it, the child of Qiqi and I wouldn't die so easily."
"Where is he now? Huh?"
The old emperor looked at him expectantly, eager to get an answer.
Master Fu smiled with tears in his eyes, "They are on their way, on their way. Your Majesty, don't worry. Take good care of yourself. Otherwise, when the Ninth Prince returns and sees Your Majesty like this, he will be heartbroken."
The old emperor leaned against the headboard, coughed twice, his eyes dim. "Will Xiaojiu feel sorry for me? Maybe he'll even blame me. I'm not a good emperor, nor a good father. I caused his mother's early death, and made him live among the people, suffering so much. I listened to slander and even killed General Qi's family. I regret it."
When Grand Tutor Fu heard this, his eyes flashed with sadness, depression, self-blame, and an inexplicable torment.
He knelt down tremblingly, and his already hunched body seemed to collapse even more.
Tears streamed down his aged face as he choked out his words, "This old minister's fault. I failed to raise my daughter well, allowing her to commit such a heinous crime. She even colluded with others to frame General Qi's family. I am also the culprit who indirectly caused the Queen's death and the murderer who caused the Ninth Prince to be exiled until now."
"I am guilty, I am ashamed. I feel guilty for the Emperor's grace, and even more guilty for the three hundred members of the Qi family, for the Empress, and for the Ninth Prince."
As Master Fu spoke, he knelt on the ground and cried silently.
Seeing his expression, the old emperor coughed weakly twice and said, "Teacher, please get up. I have also let myself down by the Qi family. If I had not been blinded by suspicion at that time, this would not have happened."
"I... am not a good emperor."
Grand Tutor Fu raised his head, tears streaming down his face. He said, "This old minister has one more sin for which I have not yet apologized to Your Majesty."
The old emperor looked at him and said, "Ahem...Teacher, go ahead."
Grand Tutor Fu wiped his tears with his sleeves before speaking, "After the Empress hanged herself, it was this old minister who secretly had the Ninth Prince sent away, falsely claiming he was dead."
As soon as these words came out, the old emperor said calmly, "I know. That's why I stopped you when you wanted to die as an atonement. I was blinded by suspicion at the time. Because the Qi family holds great power and is deeply loved by the people, I was afraid that his achievements would surpass mine and threaten my throne. I was wrong. I was blinded."
"So when you sent Xiaojiu away, I tacitly agreed. I thought at the time that instead of keeping him in the palace, where he would be looked down upon and bullied all day long because he was not favored, it would be better for him to live freely outside the palace. Moreover, the palace was not peaceful at the time, so keeping him would be dangerous."
"The only ounce of sanity I had left at the time was for my and Qiqi's child. I thought if he could survive after leaving the palace, it would be fine. If not... that would be fine."
"I... am really not a good father."
"Teacher... do you think Xiaojiu will blame me?"
There was a hint of nervousness in the old emperor's words.
Grand Tutor Fu smiled and said, "How could that be? Blood is thicker than water. The Ninth Prince must also be thinking of the Emperor."
When the old emperor heard this, he felt a little relieved and began to look forward to meeting Xiaojiu.
I don’t know, what does Xiaojiu look like now?
Is she more like him or Qiqi?
But unexpectedly, a voice was heard at this time.
"Ninth Prince? Is that my younger brother who died young? I'm afraid Father will be disappointed. I'm afraid he won't be able to come back."
The third prince, dressed in a blue brocade robe, walked in. He had a handsome face, but his eyes were as cold as a venomous snake.
The old emperor saw him coming, turned his head and looked over, and said in a deep voice, "Third brother? What are you doing here? I didn't summon you."
The Third Prince laughed heartily, his eyes gleaming with sinister intent. "What are you doing here? Father, oh Father, look at you. It was you who first became suspicious of the Qi family, fearing that his achievements would overshadow yours. So you allowed your men to act in such a way that you could eliminate him. Later, the Qi family perished as you wished, and now you're living in guilt."
"And Queen, you were the one who forced her into the palace in the first place, wasn't it to contain the Li family? But you never imagined that after pretending to be sincere for so long, she died, and you actually fell in love with her."
"Besides, you're just afraid that my ninth brother will grow up and hold a grudge against you for forcing his grandfather's family and his mother to death. So, even though you knew the Grand Tutor was sending him away, you didn't stop him. Aren't you just trying to let him fend for himself out there?"
"How come now... now that you're old, you've started to focus on relationships?"
"Father, Father, are you getting senile and confused?"
The old emperor's face instantly darkened after hearing what the third prince said.
The old emperor shouted angrily, "How dare you! Get out of here!"
The Third Prince said with amusement, "Why? Did your son get it right? Are you angry out of shame?"
Grand Tutor Fu also stood up at this time, pointing at the Third Prince, his hands shaking with anger, "Third Prince, you...how could you be so treasonous! To say such words to your own father!"
The Third Prince glanced at him sideways, but instead of answering, he said in a cold voice, "Come here! Please ask the old Grand Tutor to leave. Remember, be gentle and don't hurt the old Grand Tutor."
As soon as he finished speaking, two guards came in and carried Master Fu out.
Master Fu was forced to be carried forward. His eyes were filled with panic, and his old bones struggled in vain.
He turned around and shouted at the Third Prince, "Third Prince! What on earth do you want to do? Are you trying to kill the king? In my opinion, you are the one who is confused! You are defying the wrath of the world! You will be cursed by the whole world!"
The Third Prince scratched his ear and said helplessly, "Shut his mouth. It's annoying to hear him."
The guard coldly tore off the corner of his clothes and stuffed it into Grand Tutor Fu's mouth.
For a moment, Master Fu could only make a "mmm" sound, and then he was carried away.
The old emperor glared at him, coughing furiously, "You rebellious son! What do you want to do?"
The Third Prince looked at him with a smile, his eyes revealing viciousness. He stretched out his hand, and a eunuch came forward respectfully and handed him a bowl of medicine. He then respectfully retreated and closed the door.
For a moment, there were only the old emperor and the third prince in the huge Yangxin Palace.
The atmosphere was suffocating and suffocating.
The Third Prince smiled and spoke in the softest of voices, speaking the harshest words, "Father, why do you ask me what I am here for? Of course, I am here to see you off."
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