Xue Heng closed his eyes and felt his soul being split in two, being pulled to both sides.
However, after the truth was exposed, Emperor Cheng'an finally took off the mask of hypocrisy he had worn for many years when facing his only son who could rival Xue Shen.
He chuckled, coughed softly twice to suppress the itch in his throat, leaned back in the dragon throne, and said with a disdainful expression, "You are good in every way, except that you are too soft-hearted. The imperial family is ruthless. Since ancient times, the throne has been held by the capable. The late emperor and I were born from the same mother, and we fought together to conquer the Great Wei. Since that is the case, why can't I sit on the throne?"
Xue Heng stared at him in astonishment, as if he had never met the person in front of him before.
Seeing this, Emperor Cheng'an softened his tone and said slowly, "I know that you were raised by the late Empress and have a special bond with Prince Qin. But you must know that no matter what happened to the late Empress, she is already in the ground. I am your biological father."
At this point, Emperor Cheng'an's face showed genuine sadness: "Your mother passed away early, and I was often away on campaigns and couldn't take care of you. I could only entrust you to the care of the late Empress, which is why you became estranged from me. My later indulgence of Prince Chen was also because you and I, father and son, grew increasingly distant. If you and I, father and son, had been of one mind, how could there have been so many twists and turns later on?"
Xue Heng shook his head, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by his heart-wrenching cough.
Emperor Cheng'an coughed for a while, then coughed up another mouthful of blood. He casually threw the handkerchief on the table, propped himself up and got down, pressing hard on Xue Heng's shoulder: "My body is failing. All the important matters of the court can only be entrusted to you. Xue Shen has been plotting for many years and is very aggressive. You must remember not to be soft-hearted again."
Seeing Xue Heng instinctively back away, he gripped Xue Heng's shoulders tightly, his eyes bloodshot as he said, "Do you think that because you care about our past relationship and take the initiative to back down, he will let my son and me go? Don't forget, the current Prince Qin is no longer the former Crown Prince Yuan Jin. He is tyrannical. If you back down, my son and I will both die without a burial place!"
"Are you really going to just stand by and watch him send your father to the guillotine?!"
Xue Heng's body trembled, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word.
Emperor Cheng'an observed his expression for a long time before letting go of his hand, then sat back down, exhausted, breathing heavily.
"I'm afraid my body won't last much longer. If you don't want to see your father die with his eyes open and not find peace even in death, then think about how to deal with Xue Shen."
*
Xue Heng didn't even know how he got back to the Eastern Palace.
He drifted through the vast Eastern Palace like a lost soul, feeling as if the dark sky above him was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
Palace servants brought in large stacks of memorials, but his mind was in a daze, and he merely mechanically reviewed them.
By the time I put down my pen, it was completely dark outside.
He summoned a palace servant and asked, "What time is it now?"
The palace maid replied, "It's three-quarters past midnight."
Xue Heng put down his pen, sat quietly for a while, and said, "Prepare the horses."
Without having any guards follow him, Xue Heng led his horse out of the East Palace, only then belatedly realizing that a curfew had been imposed in the city at this hour.
A sense of desolation and aimlessness suddenly welled up in his heart.
As he stood alone, a palace servant dressed as a eunuch cautiously stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xue Heng's sharp gaze pierced the other person: "Who are you?"
"This servant serves in Her Majesty the Empress's palace. Her Majesty has something she wishes to discuss with His Highness."
It was already improper for the Empress to meet with the Crown Prince in private, and Xue Heng was about to refuse when the eunuch hurriedly added, "It is related to the death of the Crown Princess."
Xue Heng swallowed the refusal that was on the tip of his tongue and gestured for the other party to lead the way.
Seeing that he acquiesced, the eunuch tactfully led the way.
At this hour, Empress Zhou somehow left the palace and found herself waiting for Xue Heng in a secluded courtyard.
Upon seeing the person arrive, she adopted the demeanor of a loving mother and said, "Your Highness looks much more haggard. The affairs of the court now depend on Your Highness, so Your Highness must take care of your health."
Xue Heng had no intention of beating around the bush with her: "What does Your Majesty the Empress want to say to me, that you've gone to such lengths to have people keep an eye on my movements?"
Seeing his directness, Empress Zhou smiled and stopped beating around the bush, pushing the items in front of him: "These are some things I've found out these past few days, Your Highness, please take a look."
Xue Heng took the document and flipped through it. His expression changed halfway through, and he sneered, "The evidence against Prince Chen for drugging me is irrefutable. What is Your Majesty trying to do by bringing up these documents now?"
Empress Zhou said, "Why is the Crown Prince so angry? My son was confused for a moment and harmed the Crown Princess. But you also ruined him, so it's even. You are a smart man. I showed you these things today to make you understand that we have never been enemies, but allies with shared interests."
Her fingertips, painted with bright red nail polish, landed on the stack of documents: "The one who injured you during the hunt was the King of Qin, and the one who instigated your conflict with the King of Chen to reap the benefits was also the King of Qin. If he hadn't instigated my son to fight against you, how could my son have been provoked to poison the Crown Princess?"
Empress Zhou's tone shifted at this point: "The Prince of Qin has been secretly plotting many things. Do you think... he knows about the Crown Princess's poisoning? If he doesn't, that's fine, but if he does..."
She sighed softly, "If you really want revenge, you should go after the King of Qin first."
Xue Heng remained silent.
His gaze wandered, fixed on the evidence before him, recalling the assassin he had fought on the night of the autumn hunt. The opponent used an uncommon knife, his attacks swift and deadly.
Even now, he can still recall the feeling of the blade piercing his body.
No wonder they couldn't find the killer no matter how hard they investigated. No wonder the other party was able to fight him to a standstill, or even be stronger.
It turned out that the person was Xue Shen.
A tremendous sense of absurdity welled up in Xue Heng's heart. Everything he had firmly believed in seemed to have been completely shattered in this one night, and everyone had become someone he didn't recognize.
He didn't want to doubt Xue Shen, but Empress Zhou's words kept echoing in his mind—
"Does Xue Shen know about the Prince of Chen poisoning the Crown Princess?"
Empress Zhou didn't mind his silence and said slowly, "In the past, we often clashed because of Prince Chen. But today I am willing to put aside our hatred. I hope the Crown Prince will also think about this carefully. To be honest, you, His Majesty, and I are family. Prince Qin is our common enemy."
She didn't need Xue Heng's answer. After finishing a cup of tea, she stood up and said, "It's late, and I should return to the palace. What I said today was truly from the bottom of my heart. I hope the Crown Prince will consider it carefully."
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