Chapter 339: Thirty Years in a Moment
It hurts so much.
He was completely exhausted, unable even to fully open his eyes. His eyelids felt like they were weighed down by huge rocks. Through the haze, he could only make out the desolate ceiling swaying and the shadowy figures hurriedly arriving and departing. Panicked voices echoed in his ears, as if someone was shouting for someone to stop the bleeding, someone else calling for the imperial physician. It was as if the shouts were right next to his ears, but he couldn't make them out clearly.
He didn't know how much blood had been shed, but if too much blood had been shed, people would have died.
How did things get to this point? To be stabbed by one's own son is simply ridiculous.
He also once told others that, since ancient times, teachers have been like parents. Zhuo'er killing his teacher was like killing his father, an act of treason. Zhuo'er, having grown up under a tyrant like Emperor Yongde, had become cruel and murderous, so killing his teacher was natural.
Later, Ji Yunyan told him the truth, but he didn't even believe it. He went to investigate privately and found out that his son had been deceiving him. He was angry and regretful about this, but in the end, it all came down to one reason: Heng'er wanted the position of crown prince too much. Everything he did was to eliminate the threat, which was understandable.
In his heart, he forgave his son, using every excuse he could think of. For example, when he learned that Heng'er had massacred the Beidi village, he trusted his generals and didn't punish him for this offense. When Heng'er abandoned him during the fire in Xiayuan Valley, he still found a plausible excuse: he was too afraid of death to abandon his father.
He found an excuse for everything for his selfish and indifferent son, and these excuses piled up into a tall tower. Now the tower collapsed, hitting him and making him bleed.
You must reap the bitter fruit you sow. Blind indulgence and hesitation have led to today's situation. It's not Heng'er who's at fault, it's him, the unqualified father.
Once the imperial physician heals him, he will never make this mistake again. He is still the king of a country, and his words still count. Heng'er stabbed him with a sword, and he must be severely punished, stripped of his throne, and exiled to the frontier.
A pair of strong hands grasped his, but they were not women's. Did Heng'er regret her impulsiveness and come back to find him?
He tried his best to open his eyes a crack. Xiao Zhuo's face was close at hand, blurry and blurry, like an ink portrait with a white background that had been splashed with water, completely smudged.
It was Zhuoer, he arrived as scheduled.
He wanted to smile at his son, but in the end he could only move the corners of his mouth slightly.
Xiao Zhuo held Emperor Ming of Qi's hand and turned to look at the imperial physician standing in the imperial tent.
Several imperial doctors lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze. Only one, a braver one, whispered, "Prince An, your majesty's abdominal wound is too severe. We can't save him..."
Xiao Beiheng said it was a wild boar thorn wound, but everyone knew it was a sword wound. A common wound from a wild beast was no big deal to them. But this sword wound couldn't stop bleeding. Emperor Ming of Qi was on the verge of death, and everyone could only watch him approach the end of his life.
Xiao Zhuo turned his head silently. At this moment, Emperor Qi Ming's lips moved slightly, as if he said something, but it was not clear. Xiao Zhuo leaned over and put his ear to Emperor Qi Ming's mouth.
"Don't... let Heng'er make any more mistakes." Emperor Ming of Qi murmured.
Although this sentence was simple, it told Xiao Zhuo everything he needed to know. Xiao Zhuo's expression was gloomy as he held Emperor Ming of Qi's hand.
"Prince An," Qi Shengjue said from behind Xiao Zhuo, "Prince Ping is missing. You'd better leave as soon as possible. It's too dangerous to stay any longer."
He and all the imperial doctors in the tent knew that it was Xiao Beiheng who did it. But since it involved regicide, none of them dared to publicize it. As Xiao Zhuo's former subordinate, he could only indirectly remind him.
Xiao Zhuo nodded, let go of Emperor Ming of Qi's hand, lifted up the hem of his clothes, knelt in front of the bed, and kowtowed three times to Emperor Ming of Qi.
This was the first time he kowtowed to his biological father, and also the last time. Emperor Ming of Qi seemed to notice it, and two tears slowly rolled down the corners of his eyes, and he pointed his finger slightly outward.
Qi Shengjue noticed Emperor Qi Ming's finger and urged, "Prince An, His Majesty wants you to leave quickly. Please don't hesitate any longer."
Xiao Zhuo stood up, looked deeply at Emperor Ming of Qi, and walked out of the tent quickly.
Emperor Ming of Qi no longer had the strength to turn his head. He could only bid farewell with the corner of his eyes, and then closed his eyes tiredly.
He could feel the life leaving him, his body growing colder and colder, as if he were lying alone in the snow and ice of the Palace Square, with no one around him.
Why didn't his servants light the charcoal brazier and give him an extra blanket? It was too cold.
Where is his sweetheart? He wants to see her again.
"Your Majesty, I'm late." A sorrowful female voice sounded, and then the bed was hit hard, as if someone pounced in front of the bed.
These words were like a feather dropped on embers, suddenly igniting a flame. Emperor Ming of Qi felt his body miraculously regain strength, he could actually open his eyes, and his mind became clear and brighter than ever before.
Scenes from the past emerged in his mind, and thirty years passed in an instant. He completely understood everything in the past.
His meeting with her was not a coincidence at all. There was no such coincidence in the world. It was all a carefully planned plan by her.
She had indeed done so much for him. Why was he so slow to understand such an obvious thing until now?
The white-haired woman in front of him threw herself on the bed, heartbroken.
"Jingyun." He raised his hand with all his strength, wanting to hold her wrist, just like when he helped her escape from Xiao Man's whip.
The white-haired woman didn't let him hold her hand. Instead, she covered her ears and stepped back, letting out a scream of agony: "Still mentioning that bitch's name! Still mentioning that bitch's name! You only have her in your heart, not me."
Emperor Qi Ming wanted to tell her that he was calling her name. But the fire in his body seemed to have burned out, and he didn't have the strength to say it. A strong white light filled his vision, getting brighter and brighter.
He no longer had the energy to care about who was right or wrong; he just wanted to have a good sleep.
The raised hand fell down weakly.
Pei Jingyun turned around and screamed to the people in the tent, "Get out!" Then she turned around and knelt in front of Emperor Qi Ming's bed.
"Why are you like this? Tell me, tell me quickly," she shook Emperor Qi Ming's arm, tears streaming down her face. "I've done so much for you, why do you only have her in your heart?"
Emperor Ming of Qi closed his eyes and did not move, as if he did not want to answer him.
"To be with you, I let her live in the Duke's Mansion, adorned with gold and silver, surrounded by people, while I lived in a leaky, shabby house, starving and doing the laundry and cooking. For you, when the Pei family was wiped out, I was in agony, but I could only pretend nothing happened. To give you my innocent self, I could only stand outside the window and watch that night. I suffered so much and did so much for you, why do you still keep thinking about that bitch? What exactly is she better than me? Tell me."
Emperor Ming of Qi still didn't speak, as if he was asleep, only his body was shaken wildly by her. The white cloth covering his abdomen had turned deep red, and blood was dripping onto the ground.
Pei Jingyun stopped crying and smiled: "Don't ignore me, I was wrong, I shouldn't have yelled like that. But Wen Yi is just the daughter of a poor family. I taught her everything she knows. How can she be better than me? In terms of status, appearance, and wit, she can't compare to me in any way. I'm not afraid of you being angry. Emperor Yongde was reluctant to kill her, so I had someone sneak into the cold palace and kill her. I knew long ago that everything about this bitch must be erased. Only in this way can you forget her."
After a pause, she shook her head violently again, causing the phoenix hairpin on her head to fall off, leaving her white hair loose.
"No, no, no, it's useless even if this woman dies. You still can't forget her. You just spent one night together, and your heart can no longer accommodate another woman. You married me just because you think I'm like her. You treat me well because you think I'm like her. Right, didn't I? But...Brother Ming, I am Jingyun, she is just my substitute. Why are you so devoted to her?"
She was laughing and crying at the same time, not knowing whether she should laugh or cry, and looked crazy.
"The better you treat me, the more painful it is for me. You just treat me like her. The daughter of a great duke, yet you are no match for a lowly woman from a peasant family. I have been planning everything since I was nine years old. I don't know if there is any other woman in the world who can do what I have done. Why? Why? I have sacrificed so much, why? Why?"
She asked repeatedly until she noticed that Emperor Qi Ming's chest had stopped rising and falling. Her red and swollen eyes suddenly widened, and she put her hand under Emperor Qi Ming's nostrils, and then she froze.
After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly jumped up. Although her face was covered with tears, her voice returned to its usual calmness. She said, "Someone come."
Upon hearing the voice, Qi Shengjue entered the tent and bowed.
"Prince An has murdered the king. Quickly order General Zhao Mu to hunt down the traitor and attack Shengjing."
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