Xue Shen picked up the wine pot and filled his cup again. Xue Heng took the cup, but Xue Shen did not let go. Neither of them loosened their grip, and the cup remained frozen in the center of the stone table.
Xue Shen said slowly, "If elder brother is willing to take a step back, it doesn't have to be this way."
This statement seems to provide an answer to everything, whether acknowledged or not.
Xue Heng closed his eyes, feeling the pain of his limbs being severed. His voice was hoarse and strained: "If I'm willing to back down, are you willing to back down?"
Xue Shen released his wine cup and gestured for him to leave: "Behind me is a sheer cliff, withered bones and vengeful spirits. If I retreat, I will die without a burial place."
Xue Heng was startled, picked up his wine cup, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
He placed the wine cup on the table, looked at Xue Shen, and said, "No matter what, you will always be my brother."
Xue Shen looked at him, his expression unchanged, and calmly reminded him: "But you are not just yourself, you are also the Crown Prince, the Emperor's son."
This identity will inevitably stand between the two of them.
He wanted to kill Emperor Cheng'an to avenge himself and restore the throne to its rightful place. Based on his understanding of Xue Heng, even though he was now estranged from Emperor Cheng'an, he was still the father he had once respected and admired, and he could not stand idly by.
Even if he might have already guessed what Emperor Cheng'an had done.
Xue Shen, having been a son himself, understood his concerns and selfish motives, and therefore never blamed him for pretending to be confused about this matter.
But understanding doesn't mean he'll back down.
His expression was firm, without the slightest wavering.
Xue Heng stood up, intending to leave, but stopped after taking a step. Looking at the clouds gathering and dispersing in the distance, he said in a low voice, "The imperial physician said that after Father Emperor's stroke last time, all the lesions in his body have flared up. Now he can only rely on medicine to keep him alive, and I'm afraid it won't last long."
He seemed to be merely stating Emperor Cheng'an's condition, but Xue Shen knew that he still wanted to plead for mercy.
Emperor Cheng'an will not live much longer. Perhaps Xue Heng will succeed to the throne and follow the example of the immortal abdication, returning the throne to him. But this is not what Xue Shen wants.
His father, mother, the unborn child in his mother's womb, and countless court officials and subordinates who were loyal to his parents and to him but were eliminated by Emperor Cheng'an... all these are wronged souls, each a blood feud, deeply etched on Xue Shen's spine, supporting him through the most difficult times and helping him reach where he is today.
He wanted more than just Emperor Cheng'an to die; he wanted the murderer to be brought to justice, the truth to be revealed to the world, and for everyone to know that Emperor Cheng'an, this villain who murdered his brother and usurped the throne, was unworthy to be emperor.
A ripple appeared in Xue Shen's eyes, and he said in a slow, heavy voice, "Not enough."
Xue Heng paused, looking at him with a complicated expression, and said nothing more. He nodded to Xue Shen and left with heavy steps.
Xue Shen stood there watching him leave, and realized that since he was punished to guard the imperial tomb, he had aged so much in such a short time, with even his temples showing streaks of white hair.
He lowered his eyes and stood alone on the mountaintop for a long time.
*
Shen Youying heard that the Crown Prince had left and that Xue Shen had not returned for a long time, so she came looking for him herself.
Xue Shen stood quietly by the railing, his posture upright. The wind billowed his robes, making him appear even more solitary and lonely.
Shen Youying lifted her skirt, walked to his side, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
Although she didn't know what the Crown Prince had said to Xue Shen this time, she could roughly guess some of it based on Xue Shen's plan.
It wasn't easy to accept for close relatives to turn against each other in the past.
She stood quietly with Xue Shen for a while, thinking that if he wanted to speak, she would take the initiative to do so.
Before they had been standing there for long, Xue Shen took off his outer robe and draped it over her. He then squeezed her hand to make sure it wasn't cold before taking her hand and saying, "It's windy on the mountaintop, let's go back."
Shen Youying turned her head to look at him, hesitant to speak.
Xue Shen smiled and said slowly, "I expected this. No matter how unpleasant it was, I was prepared. Fortunately, Zhao Zhao doesn't need to worry."
Shen Youying stared at him, her brows furrowing slightly: "Don't lie to me."
Xue Shen's smile froze. After a long while, he sighed, his face showing deep weariness.
He bent down, buried his face in Shen Youying's neck, inhaling her scent, and said in a hoarse voice, "Let me hold you for a while."
Shen Youying hugged him back and gently stroked his back.
The two embraced in the wind for a long time before Xue Shen straightened up and took her hand, saying, "Alright, let's go back."
Shen Youying observed his expression, slowly nodded, and went back with him.
In the evening, Xue Shen had dinner with her. Afterwards, Shen Youying read a storybook, while Xue Shen sat beside her with a military book so she could lean on it and use it as a soft pillow, as if everything was normal.
But Shen Youying observed carefully and found that although his eyes were fixed on the book, he did not turn a single page for a long time.
Shen Youying sighed inwardly, knowing that she must have said something to the Crown Prince today and was feeling unwell. However, he was probably used to silence, and even if his wounds were deep and painful, he would only show a little bit of it.
She put down the storybook and nestled into Xue Shen's arms. Xue Shen was tall, almost a whole size bigger than Shen Youying. In this position, Shen Youying nestled perfectly into his embrace, and if she looked up, she could kiss his chin.
Xue Shen didn't want to talk about it, and she didn't want to force him. She could only try other methods to distract him and offer some comfort.
Shen Youying looked up and kissed his chin. Her soft, moist lips lingered on his chin for a moment before landing on his prominent Adam's apple.
Xue Shen's Adam's apple was large and prominent, and because of his martial arts training, powerful veins were visible on the side of his neck. Shen Youying licked his Adam's apple and then carefully traced the raised blue veins.
Xue Shen's Adam's apple bobbed as he pressed down on the back of her neck, looking down at her with a deep gaze.
Shen Youying smiled at him, took the opportunity to kneel in his lap, kissed him on the lips, and said boldly and passionately, "I kind of want to."
Xue Shen's Adam's apple bobbed, and his hand slid down to her waist. Just as he was about to do something, Shen Youying pressed his hand down. She gently shook her head and whispered in his ear, enduring the shame, "Don't move. I'll do it myself today."
She mimicked Xue Shen's comforting gestures and gave him a sweet kiss on the corner of his lips.
Then he unbuckled his belt and kissed his way down the open front of his clothes.
Her movements were very clumsy, and because she lacked technique, her hair quickly became disheveled, and she was breathing heavily. Xue Shen tried to stop her several times, but she refused. Finally, she kissed him through the fabric, and Xue Shen's body trembled. He gripped the back of her neck like a taut bowstring.
Because of this action, Shen Youying looked up at him from below, her eyes brimming with tears.
Xue Shen was panting heavily, and after a long while, he finally spoke with difficulty: "You don't have to do this."
He could do everything he could to please her, but when he asked Zhao Zhao to do things for him, he felt it was too much of a disservice to her.
Shen Youying blushed and met his gaze, biting her lip, unwilling to give up halfway.
But it was truly shameful, and she was too embarrassed to argue, so she simply shook her head and leaned down to kiss him again.
Xue Shen gasped, and then he couldn't stop.
*
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
