Chapter 118 Chapter 118 "I don't want to."...
In the early spring of the twelfth year of Joan of Arc, there was heavy snow that lasted for several days.
The entire city of Chang'an was covered in thick frost, and the green tiles and red roofs were all hidden under the sky full of white flowers. Only the eaves with their gargoyles stood tall and stubborn, exuding a solemn look.
In the Zichen Palace, the heating from the floor was warm, but it couldn't dispel the strong smell of medicine. A cold wind, like snow in early spring, came so suddenly.
On the dragon couch, the saint's face was pale and he coughed dully from time to time. Xiao Xuan was holding a bowl of thick black medicine in his hand and kneeling carefully in front of the couch to take care of him. He looked respectful and focused, like a filial son.
"Royal brother."
Prince An knelt on the cold floor tiles, lowered his head, and did not dare to look directly at the emperor.
Even though Prince An knew that he had great ambitions, he still felt a lump in his chest and was very uncomfortable.
In the past, Xiao Xuan had never personally served his biological father, let alone kneeling down to take care of him when he was sick. But now, the relationship between him and the saint seemed like that of a close father and son, which made him feel bitter and hard to accept.
"Cough cough." The saint coughed for a while, and after he caught his breath, his cloudy eyes slowly swept over King An who was kneeling on the ground.
"Do you think that Xu'an and I are like father and son?" His voice was hoarse and full of teasing, and it was obvious that every word he said was hurtful.
Prince An's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly. He quickly bowed his head to the ground, his voice choked with sobs: "It is a blessing for Xu'an to be able to serve you."
"As for father and son, both of us in Dayan are your people. Xu'an is from the Xiao family and has blood similar to yours."
Prince An paused and asked hurriedly, "I am worried about your brother's health. I wonder what you have summoned me to do?"
The saint did not answer immediately, but closed his eyes tiredly: "Blessing?"
"Could it be that Prince An's intention is that our Crown Prince was unlucky and therefore died young?"
Prince An was almost frightened to death by these words, his body shaking like a sieve: "Your Majesty, I have misunderstood you. I would never dare to have such thoughts."
"Don't dare?" The saint suddenly smiled, his eyelids slightly raised, looking at Xie Zhiyan who had been standing quietly in the shadows, and said lightly, "Help me up."
However, Xie Zhiyan seemed to have not heard the words of the sage.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Xuan immediately put down the medicine bowl and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I am here to serve you."
He took a step forward, his movements skillful and careful, without any trace of his former domineering demeanor.
Prince An secretly watched the scene before him, and the sour feeling in his heart became even more overwhelming.
"I summoned you here today." The saint side-eyed and looked deeply at Xie Zhiyan, then with trembling hands, he groped for an inconspicuous secret compartment inside the dragon bed, took out a bright yellow imperial edict from it, and threw it in front of Prince An without even looking at it.
"Let's take a look."
"The lineage's adoption is imminent. The world needs peace, and Dayan needs a crown prince."
These words were like thunder exploding in Prince An's heart.
The seemingly light imperial edict seemed to weigh a thousand pounds in Prince An's hands. His hands trembled like dead leaves in the wind, and he almost dropped it when he picked up the bright yellow imperial edict on the ground.
Prince An took a deep breath and slowly unfolded it. When he saw the contents clearly, his face turned as pale as paper.
In the previous dynasty, there was a rule of "the son is noble and the mother dies", that is, before the prince was canonized, his biological mother was ordered to be executed to prevent the mother's family from interfering in politics.
But now, his royal brother is forcing him to make a choice. Xiao Xuan can become the crown prince of Dayan, but there is only one prerequisite, that is, Prince An must hang himself.
"Your Majesty." Prince An, disregarding his dignity, crawled a few steps on his knees before throwing himself in front of the imperial bed. "My humble servant's body doesn't have many years left to live. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and allow me to linger for a few more years."
On the imperial couch, the saint's lips curled up in a happy arc, and his fingertips gently tapped the edge of the rosewood couch, and each tap seemed to hit Prince An's heart.
"Since these few years are not enough, then I'd better set off earlier and avoid suffering from illness."
"If you sympathize with me, I will naturally sympathize with you."
Prince An's hands and feet became weak and his whole body was shaking violently.
He had planned everything, but he never imagined that one day he would find it so difficult to make a decision.
Cold sweat soaked through his court robes. His already frail body seemed to be hanging on for dear life. He managed to raise his head and said, "My royal brother has no children, and the Xiao family only has Xu'an. Why are you forcing me like this?" The sage suddenly smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. His gentle voice was chilling, "How could Xu'an be the only one?"
"I think Sanlang is very good."
Saburo?
Which Sanlang? Could it be Sanlang Xie?
Prince An raised his head abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief: "No... Impossible."
His hurried gaze unexpectedly met Xie Zhiyan's deep and narrow phoenix eyes.
Beside the imperial couch, in the shadows that no one noticed, a man with a silent and cold murderous intent was looking at him calmly with those eyes that he was extremely familiar with.
His eyes were dark and deep, with the corners of his eyes slightly raised, and his expression was as light as frost and snow. He looked exactly like a saint...
How is that possible!
Prince An felt like he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
He was used to seeing these eyes and had never doubted anything. Even the rumors and nonsense from the past had long been forgotten by him. A chill rose from the floor tiles and went straight to the top of his head.
Prince An opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He could not kneel steadily and collapsed to the ground in endless fear.
He barely supported himself with his hands, his face drained of all color, as if making a final struggle: "Royal brother, this kind of joke is unacceptable."
"When did I ever tell you this was a joke?" The man on the imperial couch leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.
He took a breath, raised his hand to his lips, and let out a suppressed cough. After his breath calmed down a little, he continued, "The prince is dead. I feel a lump in my heart and can't swallow it."
"Since the court officials have advised me to adopt a son to strengthen the foundation of the country."
"I have already paid a heavy price. Shouldn't the beneficiaries just take it easy?"
"Since it's adopted, someone has to pay the price."
Prince An's lips trembled, and he wanted to say something, his eyes fixed on Xie Zhiyan.
The sage followed his gaze, coughed a few times, and laughed self-deprecatingly: "You never thought, my Sanlang, as long as I wish, he can change his name from Xie to Xiao at any time."
With a 'clang' sound, Xiao Xuan lost his grip on the medicine in his hand and the jade bowl fell to the ground. The inky black medicine was just like the sky covered with dark clouds at the moment.
Prince An was terrified.
The saint is full of pride.
Only Xie Zhiyan looked unprepared, with no surprise in his eyes, as if he had already anticipated today's situation.
"His Majesty."
"I don't want to."
He refused bluntly, his voice calm.
Just a few words completely shattered the dead silence in the Purple Palace.
Even the Saint was visibly stunned, his body leaning back slightly, and he had to cover his lips with a handkerchief as he coughed violently, his shoulders trembling.
"Zhiyan, say it again." After a long time, the saint finally spoke. He looked at the young and distant face in front of him, trying to find even a trace of disguise in it. The emotions in his turbid eyes were even more complicated and difficult to discern.
"Your Majesty, I do not wish to do so."
Xie Zhiyan met the saint's gaze and spoke each word clearly and resoundingly, expressing a cold rejection.
Upon hearing this, Prince An looked up in disbelief, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by another, even hoarse voice.
"Not willing?"
"You don't want to?"
"Haven't we known this long ago? During the winter hunt, you arrogantly shot and injured Luo Xian. Weren't you just relying on my protection to fight for power with Xu'an?"
"Tell me, why don't you want to? How many people in this world dream of this?"
Xie Zhiyan took a step forward, looking directly into the compelling gaze above him. He curled his thin lips slightly, pursing them in a distant and sarcastic tone: "Uncle, don't you know clearly in your heart? Why deceive yourself?"
The word "uncle" was called in a calm tone, which seemed even more irritating at this time.
The high-handed man was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Don't want to?"
"How many people want this position, and you don't want it?"
"It's alright, I can wait. As for who to adopt, the decision is not mine, but Prince An's."
"Come here." The saint closed his eyes tiredly, "Give Prince An some wine. Not just now, but send it directly to Prince An's mansion."
The wine given was naturally poisoned. As long as Prince An drank one glass, Xiao Xuan would probably become the crown prince naturally. But under this undecided premise, Prince An might have dared to gamble before, but now, who knows whether his ruthless brother would change his mind and just force him to die.
The night was as dark as ink. Xie Zhiyan walked on the moonlit ground and returned to the Duke Jingguo's Mansion.
In just a few months from the end of spring to the summer solstice, the shocking rumor that Princess Shoukang's biological son was not of the Xie family's blood spread like wildfire, burning all over the mountains and plains.
In Prince An's Mansion.
Xie Qingshu held her sleeping son tightly in her arms, her eyes trembling as she looked at Xiao Xuan who was sitting across from her. She asked uncertainly, "Are those rumors outside just hearsay, or are they true?"
Xiao Xu'an slammed the teacup down on the table, making a harsh sound. "How should I know? As a daughter of the Xie family, shouldn't you know better than me?"
Xie Qingshu was startled by his words and almost couldn't hold the child in her arms.
She calmed herself down and said in a low voice, "When my grandmother was still alive, I occasionally heard her mention that my eldest brother wasn't my second uncle's child. But when I asked my mother about this, she turned pale with fear, and she never dared to bring it up again."
Xiao Xu'an's expression suddenly changed: "Are you serious?"
Xie Qingshu nodded with difficulty: "Yeah."
Xiao Xu'an leaned back slowly, his stiff back licking his dry lips. "If that's really the case, and the Saint isn't forcing my father into a choice, then it's best to get rid of Xie Zhiyan as soon as possible."
Xie Qingshu took a deep breath and said in a lost voice, "You're crazy! No matter what, he's still my brother."
"Brother?" Xiao Xu'an sneered, interrupting her with a sinister look in his eyes, "Xie Qingshu, don't be naive."
"What has your eldest son been plotting these years? How did the crown prince die? Do you really know nothing about it?"
"At this point, I have no way out. Don't dwell on this ridiculous brother-sister relationship. Your father can ignore the death of your eldest sister and continue to associate with that scoundrel Roche."
"You are lucky enough to marry me. Although I am not a good person, I have always looked down upon the Luo family."
Xie Qingshu's eyes instantly turned red, tears welled up in her eyelashes, and her voice was choked with despair: "Why do you have to fight? Isn't it better to live a peaceful life?"
Xiao Xu'an sneered: "Everyone wants to ruin me, but God gave me the bloodline of the Xiao family and a healthy body. Why can't I fight for it?"
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