Emperor Cheng'an's face flushed red as he was mercilessly exposed. He pointed at Xue Heng's nose and shouted, "How dare you!"
Xue Heng smiled bitterly and knelt down: "I had to say these things today, and Father Emperor is free to punish me."
Emperor Cheng'an's arms trembled, his chest heaved, and for a moment he truly wanted to throw his disobedient eldest son into prison and make him suffer. But the bleak reality made him hesitate again.
He was old, his second son was dead, and his third son was crippled. He only had this one son who could fight Xue Shen. If the father and son were to fall out, he would truly become a fish on Xue Shen's chopping board.
Realizing this, Emperor Cheng'an softened his tone, dragged his old and weak body forward, helped Xue Heng up, and said with tears streaming down his face, "If I were to punish you, wouldn't that only cause pain to my loved ones and joy to my enemies?"
Xue Heng looked at his red eyes and felt a moment of tenderness, but Emperor Cheng'an's words quickly shattered that tenderness.
"Everything Father Emperor has done is for you."
Xue Heng's expression turned cold. He avoided his hand and shook his head, saying, "Father is not doing this for me, but to protect this dragon throne."
But he didn't understand what was wrong with returning stolen goods to their rightful owner.
Compared to Emperor Cheng'an, and even compared to himself, Xue Shencai was more deserving to be a monarch.
Xue Shen harbored hatred in his heart, but he never stood idly by while the people suffered, nor would he easily hand over the territory conquered by his ancestors.
His ambition since childhood was to protect his country and even joked with Xue Shen that he would become a great general guarding a region in the future. But reality often goes against his wishes. He led his troops into battle with great ambition, but fell into the enemy's trap and was unable to return to provide timely reinforcements.
His father, the ruler of the country, couldn't even wait for his return. He was about to hand over the three towns and treat the people like cattle to be trampled on by the Northern Rong. All this was to get rid of Xue Shen and to ensure his own safety on the throne.
All of this was something he couldn't accept.
When he learned that Xue Shen had led his troops in a surprise attack and defeated the Northern Rong army, he felt relieved and somewhat at ease.
Because of this blood relation, he has already done many things against his will.
Faced with matters of national importance, he could no longer convince himself to selfishly protect an incompetent emperor, because he didn't know if there would be another siege by the Northern Rong.
Emperor Cheng'an didn't understand this principle, nor did he want to. He hadn't expected that even after he had been so tolerant, Xue Heng would still be so aggressive.
“
He was, after all, the emperor, accustomed to being a ruler whom everyone obeyed. After being disobeyed by Xue Heng several times, he could no longer suppress his temper. He slapped him hard and said through gritted teeth, "You unfilial son! Is this how you speak to your own father?"
He rose, panting, and sneered, "Every man for himself. So what if I'm just trying to protect my throne? A few thousand ants and a little gold and silver can buy Xue Shen's life and peace in the capital. Why not?"
"Have there been fewer emperors throughout history who sought peace with various regions?"
Xue Heng turned his head to the side after being hit, listening to his words in disbelief. After a long while, he finally smiled, his expression pale: "So that's what Father Emperor has always thought."
Emperor Cheng'an said, "Why are you so stubborn? My health is failing, and the throne will be yours sooner or later. Then you can expand your territory, enrich your people, and realize your ambitions... all of that is possible! Wouldn't that be better?"
Xue Heng shook his head and stopped arguing with him.
Never before had he looked at his familiar father with such a profound sense of alienation. The lofty aspirations and earnest teachings his father had once given him in his youth had faded, replaced by the aged, weary, selfish, and monstrous emperor of today.
In the late spring and early summer, a biting wind howled across his chest, leaving only a mess behind.
Xue Heng said nothing in the end, and silently turned and left.
Emperor Cheng'an watched his resolute back and felt a pang of panic. He leaned on his dragon throne, summoned Qi Zhong, and had him take two more pills before ordering, "Go, summon the Empress."
Since the conflict between Emperor Cheng'an and Xue Shen became almost public, Empress Zhou had not been summoned by Emperor Cheng'an for a long time. In addition, she had lost her son to rely on, her daughter had become estranged from her, and her plan to win over the Crown Prince had stalled. Over time, she became somewhat lazy and no longer wanted to be Emperor Cheng'an's attentive confidante as before.
Empress Zhou was even slightly surprised when Emperor Cheng'an suddenly summoned her today. She entered the palace with her personal maid, only to find Emperor Cheng'an standing by the window with his hands behind his back, surrounded by a thick aura of twilight.
Empress Zhou bowed and walked to Emperor Cheng'an's side, smiling as she said, "Your Majesty has not summoned me for a long time."
Emperor Cheng'an turned to look at her, his eyes filled with a deep, indistinct, dark emotion.
“”
Empress Zhou, being his bedmate, naturally knew his temperament. Upon hearing this, her heart skipped a beat, and then she heard Emperor Cheng'an sigh, "For some reason, I suddenly thought of Prince Chen today."
Empress Zhou, guessing his intention in suddenly mentioning Xue Zhan, lowered her eyes and feigned sadness, saying, "Your Majesty, I also often miss Zhan'er."
Emperor Cheng'an said, "I have few children. Of my three sons, the eldest was raised by the late Empress for many years and is not close to me. The Prince of Shou's mother was of low birth and has a weak and timid personality, so she is not favored by me. Only the Prince of Chen is filial and clever, and is the one I like the most."
"Zhan'er often tells me that he admires Your Majesty the most." Empress Zhou squeezed out tears and wiped them with her handkerchief.
Emperor Cheng'an sighed again: "Why did it have to be Prince Chen... If Prince Chen were still alive, I don't think I would have fallen into such a passive situation."
Empress Zhou recalled the news that the female official had just learned that the emperor had summoned her as soon as the crown prince left, and now the mention of Prince Chen... It must be that the crown prince and Emperor Cheng'an had quarreled again.
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