"Otherwise... there wouldn't have been the opportunity for the King of Qin to bide his time and launch a counterattack from a desperate situation, wouldn't you say?"
"What is your purpose in telling me all this?" Xue Heng looked up at her, his eyes red.
Empress Zhou stood up, preparing to leave: "I just wanted to tell you the truth of what happened back then, so that His Highness the Crown Prince wouldn't hide in the Eastern Palace and deceive himself."
Xue Heng's eyes were bloodshot as he clenched his teeth and stared at her.
Empress Zhou turned and left, saying, "I have said what I needed to say, so I will take my leave now. Your Highness, there is no need to see me off."
After saying this, he took the hand of his trusted female official and left gracefully.
Xue Heng stood there alone, his mind replaying the things she had said over and over again.
Xue Shen's disability in both legs was caused by his father.
The late emperor and empress also died at the hands of his father.
And the unborn child in the late Empress's womb... Three lives lost, a blood debt accumulating.
Xue Heng closed his eyes, and tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.
He sat there blankly, thinking about all the things that had happened over the years, when suddenly he burst into laughter, a loud and chilling laugh.
The guards of the Eastern Palace rushed over upon hearing the commotion, only to find him laughing heartily with tears streaming down his face. They were horrified and dared not approach: "Your Highness..."
Xue Heng straightened up after laughing enough. He waved his hand to stop the guard from asking questions, his voice tired and hoarse: "It's nothing, you can leave now."
The guards retreated hesitantly. Xue Heng stood there like a ghost for a while, then dragged his heavy steps toward the study.
He hadn't been to his study for a long time. Since breaking with Emperor Cheng'an, he had confined himself to the Eastern Palace, spending most of his time in the Buddhist hall chanting sutras and praying for his wife and children.
On one side are his brothers who grew up together, and on the other is his father, with whom he shares blood ties. He doesn't want to stand on either side, yet he can't find a way to balance the two, so he can only deceive himself and cower in this place.
But the arrival of Empress Zhou today completely shattered his shell, forcing him to confront this cruel truth.
Xue Heng ground the ink, picked up the brush, and quickly finished writing the letter.
He put down his pen, stared at the still-wet words on the letter, and only turned to leave after a long while.
He made one last trip to the Buddhist temple. Usually, looking at the memorial tablets of his wife and children would help him find peace, escape the turmoil of the court, and gain temporary tranquility.
But now, when he looks at the table of the one adult and two children, the images of the late emperor and empress flash before his eyes.
He once held a grudge against Xue Shen for the deaths of his wife and children. Although he knew that the murderer was Prince Chen, he still resented him in his heart.
When Empress Zhou came to him seeking cooperation, he thought he had been magnanimous enough to refuse her proposal, believing that he had done his best by being caught in the middle.
But now it seems that he was nothing but a joke from beginning to end.
The person who deserves the most hatred is Xue Shen.
However, over the years, Xue Shen has never held a grudge against his father for what he did, and has given him chances time and time again.
However, because he couldn't bear to part with his family, he chose to close his eyes and refuse to listen or see.
Looking back now, it's really laughable.
Xue Heng dragged his heavy steps forward and carefully placed the memorial tablets of his wife and children inside.
As he walked out of the Buddhist hall, he looked up at the night sky. Beyond the courtyard wall, the sky was high and the sea was vast, but he no longer felt the same way he used to.
He carried heavy shackles on his back, and wherever he went, he was a sinner.
Xue Heng looked up for a while before taking another step and walking outside.
The guards, seeing him lead his horse out, looked puzzled: "It's getting late, Your Highness, what's going on...?"
Xue Heng shook his head and said casually, "I'm going out for a walk."
He had once gone out alone on horseback to clear his mind, and the guards, without suspecting anything, retreated without asking any further questions.
*
Empress Zhou returned to her palace and couldn't help but laugh when she thought of Xue Heng's appearance earlier.
She said to her trusted female official, "They say that dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes, and rats beget rats. But I see that this Crown Prince has been raised by the late Emperor and Empress for so many years, yet he doesn't resemble the Emperor at all."
She became happier and happier as she spoke: "Isn't this a kind of retribution?"
"His most beloved son is nothing like him; on the contrary, he looks exactly like the person he hates the most. Isn't that ridiculous?"
The trusted female official looked puzzled: "Why did Your Highness disguise yourself and go to the Eastern Palace to say these things to the Crown Prince today?"
Empress Zhou glanced at her with a smile, then sat down on the chaise lounge in a good mood. She picked up a cup of hot tea, took a sip, and asked, "How many sons does the Emperor have now?"
The female official said cautiously, "Besides the little prince in Her Majesty's belly, there is only His Highness the Crown Prince left."
Empress Zhou touched her belly and chuckled, "Yes, he only has one son. Does he think I don't know what he's up to? He just wants to use this baby in my belly to force the Crown Prince to submit and obey."
"If the Crown Prince changes his mind, my son and I will immediately become outcasts."
Hearing her undisguised words, the female official's heart trembled, and she quickly lowered her head even further.
Empress Zhou continued her tirade: "Since he was unrighteous first, then he can't blame me for being unjust. Once the Crown Prince is gone, he will only have this one son in my womb left."
She blew on her fingernails, which were stained bright red with balsam flowers: "From now on, the initiative is in my hands."
The lady-in-waiting was still puzzled: "But what use were Her Majesty's words to the Crown Prince?"
Empress Zhou glanced at her: "Although you are loyal, you are sometimes too dull. Didn't I just say that the Crown Prince is not like his father, but more like the late Emperor?"
"The late emperor valued loyalty and righteousness, and he couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing. The Crown Prince was naturally the same."
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