Yun Changrong was imprisoned on a stone bench, holding the necklace in his hand, and a look of fear gradually appeared on his numb face.
He felt his head becoming heavier and heavier, as if there really was a god hanging above it, watching his every move with sharp and penetrating eyes.
The evil thoughts hidden deep in his heart were seen through by these eyes.
At this moment, he felt as if a layer of skin had been peeled off alive, feeling painful, ashamed, and helpless.
"Father, you must believe me. This man is a liar. He is trying to alienate the relationship between us father and son. You raised me with your own hands. Don't you know what kind of person I am? How could I have such rebellious thoughts?" Yun Changrong said these words with a choked voice.
He turned around, red-rimmed eyes looking at his adoptive father, his face filled with deep sorrow and unconcealed admiration. Whenever he made a mistake, as long as he showed this expression, his adoptive father would soften his heart.
The King of Qi stared at him with an unfathomable expression and shook his head, saying, "I really don't know what kind of person you are."
He walked out from behind Yun Changrong and stood beside Zhuang Li, looking down at the other side from a high position. He said slowly: "Since the gods are here, let's ask the gods."
Yun Changrong had long believed in this psychic game, and when he heard these words, a sad expression immediately froze on his face.
The King of Qi stared at his adopted son's flickering eyes and asked in a deep voice, "In your heart, my life is completely incomparable to the throne, right? For the throne, you would kill me without hesitation?"
Under hypnosis, Yun Changrong was unable to throw away the silver necklace, so he could only watch the necklace pendant point to "yes".
He kept shouting, "No, it's not like that! This is all fake! Father, this charlatan is framing me! You must thoroughly investigate his background."
But he knew in his heart that the answer given by the spirit was correct, that was what he thought. The spirit could really see into his heart and expose his most filthy thoughts in broad daylight.
It was precisely because he realized this that he was unable to break free from the hypnotic state. The person controlling him was no longer Zhuang Li, but the "god" hovering above his head, that is, his own fear.
The King of Qi completely ignored his son's excuses and continued to ask, "I raised you, but you don't feel the slightest bit of gratitude towards me, right?"
"No, I am grateful to you! I have always regarded you as my biological father!" Yun Changrong shouted impatiently, but the necklace pointed to "yes" after shaking violently.
The King of Qi closed his eyes, seemingly unwilling to face this reality. Zhuang Li immediately held his cold fingertips, offering silent comfort.
The King of Qi took the young master's hand and asked in a hoarse voice, "You hate me, don't you?"
Yun Changrong shook his head frantically in denial: "No, no, I don't hate you at all. Father, how could I possibly hate you?"
Unfortunately, the necklace he held between his fingers pointed to "yes" again.
The small pavilion suddenly became deathly silent, even Yun Changrong's rapid breathing stopped. He stared blankly at the Ouija board, the desperate struggle on his face slowly fading into a resigned look of dejection.
The divine insight plunged him into despair.
The King of Qi, who had been standing the entire time, finally sat down. He gazed calmly at his adopted son and asked, "Why do you hate me? I know for sure I've done nothing wrong to you. Is it because your father died trying to save me?"
Yun Changrong dared not utter a single word. The more vehemently he denied it, the more his father would despise his despicable behavior once the gods gave him the opposite answer. He finally understood that his futile struggles were nothing but a clown in his father's eyes, and any paternal love would be eroded by these ugly truths.
This time, for the first time ever, the necklace pendant pointed to "no".
The King of Qi raised his eyebrows, as if he was a little surprised. He thought his adopted son hated him because of his biological father's death.
As an outsider, Zhuang Li saw things more clearly than he did. He sneered, "He hates you not for your parents, but for your unwillingness to fight for the throne. If you had gone all out to fight for the throne from the beginning, he would be the crown prince now. He hates your incompetence, and he hates you for standing in his way, and he hates you even more for holding his biggest weakness. Since you won't fight, he'll eliminate you and fight for it himself. Only with your death will the power of the Prince of Qi's Mansion be at his disposal."
With every word Zhuang Li spoke, Yun Changrong's face turned paler.
Zhuang Li had guessed exactly what he was thinking.
Zhuang Li looked up at the empty space above Yun Changrong's head and asked, "God, am I right?"
Yun Changrong looked at the silver arrow in great panic, but found in despair that it was indeed pointing to "yes".
At this point, all of Yun Changrong's dirtiest thoughts had been dug out by Zhuang Li.
At this point, the King of Qi could no longer hold even a shred of affection for his adopted son. He said coldly, "If you hated me because of my biological father, I would still look up to you. But now..."
He shook his head and didn't finish his words, but his inner disgust was clearly written on his face.
"Now you think raising him is worse than raising a dog, right?" Zhuang Li said venomously. He loved stabbing people in the back.
Yun Changrong stared at Zhuang Li with red eyes, and then looked at his adoptive father anxiously.
The human heart is truly conflicted. He hated his adoptive father, yet desperately longed for his approval and affirmation. He wanted to kill him, yet he also hoped to remain in his heart a filial, honest, and capable son. He no longer understood what he truly wanted.
The King of Qi looked at the young gentleman helplessly and nodded slowly: "Yes, I regret it. If I had known this would happen, I would not have adopted you."
Yun Changrong stared at his father blankly, with waves of hatred surging in his heart. However, after the waves passed, all that was left was the foam of regret.
It was not until this moment that he vaguely realized what he was about to lose.
The King of Qi said coldly, "Announce this! The Crown Prince of Qi has died suddenly at this very moment. I will personally escort his coffin back to the capital for burial. Prepare the carriages and depart immediately."
The commander of the guards responded loudly, but stood still, looking at Yun Changrong with a sinister look.
The King of Qi took the young master's hand and stood up. Without looking back, he walked out of the pavilion. His tone was calm but cold: "Take off his golden crown, strip off his gorgeous clothes, remove his expensive ornaments, give him a set of coarse cloth clothes, and drive him out of the villa. Tomorrow, the King will enter the palace and cross his name off the jade plate. The Prince of Qi's palace has never had any prince. Do you understand?"
"I understand!" The guards responded in unison.
The King of Qi's cold voice gradually dissipated in the wind: "I can give you everything, and naturally I can also take everything back."
Hearing these words, Yun Changrong felt as if all the bones in his body were pulled out. He collapsed on the stone table, and the necklace wrapped around his fingertips finally fell off with a clang.
He finally understood that he would lose nothing, only everything! Without the King of Qi's gift, he was nothing. All that wealth and power had never belonged to him.
The guard leader strode into the pavilion and quickly ripped off Yun Changrong's golden crown and jewelry. He then handcuffed Yun Changrong's hands and pressed him down on the table. He sneered and said, "Remember this: your father's surname is Gong, not Yun. From now on, you are called Gong Changrong. You are not a member of the royal family!"
Another guard entered the pavilion, stripping Yun Changrong of his finery while taunting him, "Changrong, Changrong, the prince originally hoped you would live a glorious life. It's all thanks to you that we are where we are today, yet you've turned around and tried to kill me. You don't even deserve the name 'Changrong'!"
Yun Changrong was filled with shame and anger at these words. He wanted to fight back, but the bones in his hands were broken by the commander of the guards.
The severe pain made him scream, but his adoptive father, who cared for him, loved him, and even gave him everything, did not show up at all.
Yun Changrong desperately turned his head to look around, but he did not see the figure who had returned, nor did he receive any message of forgiveness from the other party. The last glimmer of hope in his eyes slowly faded away.
A group of guards roughly stripped Yun Changrong naked, put a commoner's linen shirt on him, and threw him out of the villa without even reconnecting his hand bones.
The guards Yun Changrong had brought with him were isolated in another courtyard from beginning to end, completely unaware of what had happened. It was only in the evening, nearing dark, that they received news of the Crown Prince's sudden death. They then escorted the coffin, bypassing Luoxia Village at the foot of the mountain, and quietly returned to the capital along another official road.
In the swaying carriage, the King of Qi rested his head on the young master's legs, one hand stroking his chest and the other covering his eyes, as if he was in a very bad mood.
Zhuang Li bent down and kissed his thin lips, patiently coaxing him, "It's not worth being sad for such a person. Your task now is to take care of your body."
The King of Qi still covered his eyes and said nothing.
Zhuang Li held his face, kissed his thin lips carefully and closely, and whispered softly, "Don't let your imagination run wild. Everything is over. You've already paid back what you owed him. It's just that he's not satisfied."
The King of Qi pursed his lips and said nothing.
Zhuang Li racked his brains to think of words of comfort, but he saw that his lover's ears had turned red enough to bleed. This was not a reaction of heartbreak, but clearly a sign of taking advantage.
Zhuang Li was so angry that he laughed, and immediately pulled away his lover's hand that was covering his face, but he saw that he was squinting his eyes and smiling, looking like he was enjoying it very much.
"Great, the big fool has finally grown some brains!" Zhuang Li grabbed his lover's ear.
After being exposed, the King of Qi quickly got up, hugged the young master in his arms, kissed and coaxed him, and took the initiative to put his other ear into the young master's hand, whispering flatteringly: "Twist it, twist it hard! From now on, I will do everything you say. I am a henpecked man, okay?"
Zhuang Li twisted his ears but was reluctant to use force, and finally laughed helplessly.
The two hugged each other, exchanged a nearly suffocating kiss, and spent what should have been the most difficult and painful day in each other's comfort.
---
At the same time, a group of robbers lit a smoke screen and knocked out Zhuang Lao Da and his family. They found hundreds of taels of silver from the wardrobe, under the bed, beams, etc., wrapped it up casually in one of Zhuang Tianer's jackets and skirts, carried it on their shoulders, and hurriedly disappeared into the night.
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