Chapter 250 Flames
The sound of war drums outside the city could be faintly heard even in Fengqi Palace inside the imperial city.
Emperor Yongde sat on the highest steps of the main hall of Fengqi Palace, his hair disheveled, his right hand resting on his sword, silently gazing at the wide-open palace gates. Thick smoke billowed darkly into the morning sky, obscuring the rising sun.
There were no servants, ministers, guards, or palace maids around him...all of them were nowhere to be seen.
Everyone thought Emperor Yongde had gone completely mad. He not only killed the princes, but also the ministers, concubines, and palace maids. No one had the courage to stay by his side.
"Your Majesty," a general rushed through the palace gates and shouted from a distance at the bottom of the steps, "General Zhang has surrendered, and the combined forces of the King of Qi and Shengzhou have reached the city."
He did not dare to approach Emperor Yongde, for fear that he would suddenly jump up and stab him to death.
"I understand," Emperor Yongde nodded stiffly, as if his neck was rusted. "Is there any news about Zhuo'er?"
The general shook his head: "No reinforcements were seen in the west."
"What am I thinking? Of course he won't come," Emperor Yongde muttered to himself, "I killed Jingyun and am now hunting him down... He's not my son... Haha, even my son is attacking me, how could he come to save me?"
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Qi is not attacking the city," the general warned, noting that Emperor Yongde was mumbling to himself. "He said he's holding off on the attack for the sake of the people. He also said he and your Majesty are brothers and would never harm you. Please rest assured and move to the top of the city wall to speak with him."
"I understand. Go away." Emperor Yongde raised his hand and waved, ordering the generals to retreat.
When he was alone, Emperor Yongde supported himself on the cold steps with one hand and stood up tremblingly: "See him... How could I possibly go see him? Haha... No matter what I say, I will never harm him, he will never let me live."
"I am the emperor of Dayan, not an animal to be slaughtered." He turned around and walked into the hall staggeringly with his sword in hand.
As he passed the wall where Queen Pei's portrait had previously hung, he stopped and stared at the bare white wall.
He still remembered the moment when he tore the portrait into pieces and let the fragments fall to the ground like white petals.
"Jingyun, you're not wrong. I'm the one who's wrong," Emperor Yongde stared blankly at the bare wall. "You know my character. You know that if you tell me the truth, I'll not only kill you, but Zhuo'er as well..."
A wave of dizziness hit him, and Emperor Yongde lost his balance and reached out to hold on to the wall.
In a trance, he seemed to have returned to the age of ten.
I remember that the capital city at that time was also prosperous and bustling.
I remember that I was just as reckless and irritable as I am now.
"Xiao Ming, you're my brother." He pointed the whip at the boy opposite him angrily, "Why are you protecting this girl? You don't even know her."
The boy in front of him was called Xiao Ming, one year younger than him, and was his half-brother.
Xiao Ming protected a little girl who was lying on the ground crying behind him. The little girl was about five or six years old and was crying loudly.
Whether it was him, Xiao Ming or the little girl, they were all followed by servants. All the servants knew who was fighting, and no one dared to intervene.
The boy opposite said, "Xiao Man, don't go too far. The other person just scared your horse, and you hit him with a whip."
"For frightening the prince, beating her is too light a punishment." He was so angry that he raised his whip and threatened to strike. "You actually turned your elbow outward. Believe it or not, I will beat you too."
Xiao Ming grabbed the girl's hand and ran, shouting as he ran: "Wait, I'll tell father that you're bullying others by taking advantage of your power."
He wanted to catch up, but he was reluctant to abandon his pony, so he had to retract the whip.
Looking around, the girl's companion was still at the scene. She was about four or five years old, standing there stupidly, holding a big pear and chewing it.
He said to the little girl eating the pear, "Hey, who is that silly girl to you?"
"It's my sister," the little girl said, looking fearfully at the whip in his hand. "You...you should eat a pear too. My mother said you can eat a pear when you're angry, as it can soothe heat."
"What's your sister's name?" he asked curiously.
"Pei Jingyun." The little girl answered timidly, "My name is Pei Shaoya. Prince, do you want to eat pears?"
"No," he said, raising his whip to threaten her, "go away."
The little girl threw away the pear and disappeared in a puff of smoke. His speed was so fast that it shocked him.
"So it's Duke Pei's daughter," he turned, tapping the whip lightly against his palm. "So it turns out that when the emperor said he and Duke Pei were betrothed, he was referring to her. This silly country girl can't even watch her way when she walks. This must be her first time in the capital... I don't want to marry such a fool."
However, ten years later, he ascended the throne and married the silly girl who had bumped into his horse.
That silly girl has grown into a charming and beautiful girl with unparalleled talent and fame, becoming the only choice for the emperor or empress.
In the bridal chamber, he said to Pei Jingyun: "I whipped you that year because I was too young and too reckless. I will definitely treat you well in the future."
"It won't change," Pei Jingyun shook his head with a worried look on his face. "Your Majesty was still young then, and he only knew how to whip people. Now Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and you can decide life and death. Things are different."
At that time, he was in the joy of his wedding and did not take Pei Jingyun's words seriously, thinking that she was just concerned about what happened in the past.
Looking back now, Pei Jingyun already knew what kind of person he was when they first met.
"You were afraid that I would kill Zhuo'er, so you kept it a secret for twenty years."
Emperor Yongde sighed heavily. "Why did you tell me the truth? You knew I was a fool who couldn't bear this. It would have been better to keep it a secret. That way, nothing would happen. You and I would die sooner or later, and Zhuo'er would ascend to the throne. Why did you tell me the truth?"
He stumbled towards the room at the end of the corridor, holding on to the wall.
"You've endured twenty years of torture. Is it the guilt that has crushed you..." He pushed the door open, but tripped over the threshold and rolled into the room.
As he turned, the sword in his hand hit a can, which shattered and fuel gushed out.
Emperor Yongde sat up and looked at the cans that filled the room. The smell of fuel filled his mouth and nose, and he remained silent.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," a voice called from afar, "There is news from the West."
Emperor Yongde was in a trance at this time and heard "West" as "King of Qi".
"He really can't help it anymore and is urging me to die," he laughed heartily. "Is this God's will?"
He swung his sword and knocked down the candle on the table.
A small flame fell into the fuel on the ground and instantly turned into a dazzling flame. The whole room was engulfed in flames, wrapping him in flames.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com