Chu Li opened his mouth in surprise.
he……
She didn't even dare to imagine the scene of him kneeling down and begging.
"Xiaojiu," Chu Dichi wanted to touch her face, but he raised his hand mid-air and then stopped. There were too many emotions mixed in his low murmur.
It's very complicated.
"Xiao Jiu...you don't know that I have liked you many years ago."
Chu Li staggered back a few steps.
Now it was her turn to look dazed.
I was completely confused.
What is he talking about?
He asked tentatively: "Uncle, are you confused?"
Chu Dichi put down his hand and said, "This is not the place to talk."
Chu Li pursed her lips and glanced inside the Yangxin Palace. It seemed that the Emperor Chu had really calmed down and no longer ordered her to be beaten. Only then did she and Chu Dichi walk out of the Yangxin Palace.
In the dim night, the two walked side by side, neither hurried nor slow, and their backs, overlapping in the candlelight, looked particularly harmonious.
The man's voice was as peaceful as the night:
"I know you hate me, but I also hate myself for not being able to love."
"You are a member of the royal family. I dare not gamble with you. If I lose, I will lose my life. But now that I am in prison, I realize that you are more important than my life. In the future, even if I lose the bet, I will not regret it."
After saying this, he strode away.
Chu Li stood there stiffly, his whole body almost numb, his mind was blank.
When did he become so sentimental?
These words coming out of his mouth sounded like a fairy tale.
Why did she feel that it was a mixture of truth and falsehood, just like an opera... Chu Li bit her nails and stood there in a state of confusion.
She is a person who responds to soft words but not hard ones.
He doesn't play by the rules.
He must have some conspiracy.
People from the royal family are indeed terrifying!
A conspiracy that even she couldn't figure out must be a big conspiracy. If she didn't deal with it carefully, she might end up in trouble.
But what did he say to the emperor that made the emperor not hold him accountable for leaving southern Xinjiang without permission?
Did you really kneel down and beg for mercy?
Why doesn't she believe it?
When Chu Li returned to Zhaolan Palace, he saw Chu Yeli waiting there. His lonely figure was sitting in a wheelchair, almost blending into the night and looking very lonely.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around and looked:
"Xiaojiu."
Eyes met.
Chu Li didn't really want to talk to him, but she still walked up to him. "It's so late, Fifth Brother is looking for me. What can I do for you?"
"I didn't push you."
He raised his head slightly, his eyes showing pain, "That night, you and I drank, you went back to Zhaolan Palace, and I went to the Imperial Study. I didn't harm you."
Chu Li thought something happened to him.
Now, her legs and feet have recovered a lot, and no matter who pushed her that night, she doesn't want to pursue the matter anymore.
"What about the regent? Did you tell father about it?"
"I……"
He opened his lips slightly and said, "That day, in your bedroom, I saw the jade pendant dropped by the Regent. I was worried that the Regent would harm or coerce you, so after much deliberation, I reported it to my father."
"Xiaojiu, my father has always been at odds with the regent. I did this because I was worried about you. Am I wrong? I'm sorry, Xiaojiu, I didn't know you two were so close..."
He lowered his head guiltily:
"I meant well but ended up doing something bad, and I made you alienate me. This is not what I wanted."
Chu Li looked at him calmly.
In the palace, everyone wears a mask. No matter what Chu Yeli's mentality is, she only needs to recognize one fact: he did it.
Whatever the reason, he did it.
Don't use her as an excuse.
"It's getting late, Fifth Brother, go to bed early."
"Xiao Jiu!"
Chu Li stepped into the hall, and when they passed by, he held her wrist, "Xiao Jiu, don't you believe me? But how could the Regent, who is so vigilant, lose the jade pendant that symbolizes his identity and put himself in danger? Have you ever doubted this?"
The Regent did it on purpose.
They were all fooled by the Regent.
This was a play he directed and acted out himself, just to alienate them and win her sympathy.
Chu Li pursed her lips.
His face remained calm: "Fifth Brother, you want to tell me that someone is plotting against us, and that we are the same people?"
Chu Yeli looked at her:
"I want power, indeed, I want it very much, and if you were me, you would want it too."
"When you watched your legs being broken with your own eyes, being laughed at and looked down upon, when you were like a rat in a gutter, hiding in the dark and not even daring to burn paper money for your parents; when your parents, brothers, and clansmen were all pierced by spears, their bodies were scattered all over the ground, and were eaten by wild wolves and beasts until only skeletons were left, how could you not want power? How could you not want revenge?"
The emotion in his voice became more rapid and hateful.
He held onto the handrails, his body shaking.
Seeing his face quickly turn purple, Chu Li immediately supported his shoulders and calmed him down, "What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't your parents, brothers, and clansmen still alive? Except for your biological mother, Concubine Qin, who passed away early."
"Lady Qin is not my biological mother."
He grasped her wrist tightly, as if to save her.
"Xiao Jiu, I am not of royal blood. I... am an orphan of the previous dynasty."
In an instant, Chu Li's mind went blank.
"you……"
"Back then, the previous dynasty collapsed, and all the royal family members died at the hands of the Chu family. The palace maids risked their lives to escort me out of the palace when I was just one month old. A year later, during an autumn hunt, wolves injured people. Taking advantage of the chaos, I was swapped with the fifth prince of the same age."
From then on, he replaced the Fifth Prince.
The real fifth prince was killed by a wolf during the autumn hunt because he was too young.
The guards and palace maids who took care of the fifth prince did not dare to bear the consequences of exterminating his entire clan, so they pretended he was the fifth prince. They also poisoned and tortured him repeatedly, breaking his legs, making the emperor think that he was an unlucky person.
Finally, he ordered that he be kept outside the palace to keep the matter secret.
After hearing this, Chu Li's heart was in turmoil for a long time.
She had heard the regent talk about the previous dynasty. The entire royal family was destroyed, no one survived, blood flowed like a river, it was extremely tragic.
But she didn't expect that the prince of the previous dynasty was right next to her.
Then wasn't the purpose of his years of dormancy to overthrow the Great Chu and revive the previous dynasty?
The blood feud can only be repaid with blood.
"Xiao Jiu, I have told you my lifeblood. Now, my life and death are in your hands. From now on, will you trust me?"
Chu Yeli stared at her.
By taking this step, he is also taking a gamble.
But Chu Li hated the feeling of gambling, both he and the Regent.
Why does it have to involve her?
There were big secrets on both sides that could cost one's life. What happened to them was as if she had violated the law of heaven.
"You want to restore your country, but the road ahead is long. You told me such a big secret, and I won't tell anyone else. But, restoring your country is your business, and it has nothing to do with me."
He wanted to use secrets to get closer to her.
But all she felt was forced kidnapping.
Finally, Chu Li only asked one question:
"If the emperor appoints me as the heir, will you kill me in order to seize power? Or is it because I am the least likely prince to succeed to the throne and pose no threat to you, that's why you are close to me."
How will you choose between restoring the country and her?
Perhaps Chu Li understood it in his heart, but he found it funny after asking.
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