Chapter 122 But you still did it!
The emperor's shoulders trembled violently, as if his spine had been pulled out, and he fell to the edge of the couch:
"Do you love him that much?"
"yes!"
Su Xianrou looked at the waning moon outside the window, her voice as light as a feather:
"He risked his life to protect me, and I have no way to repay him. Now that he's gone, I will protect the Xiao family and Yan'er for him until I die!"
The night watchman outside the palace rang the fifth watch, and every sound struck Helian Cong's heart.
He stretched out his hand to straighten Su Xianrou's hairpin, but when he touched the four words "Forever Together" engraved on the hairpin, he suddenly retracted his hand - that was a hairpin carved for her by Xiao Beicheng himself, and it was a thousand times more valuable than any jewelry he had ever given her.
"Rou'er, you hate me after all. Are you taking revenge on me in such a decisive way?" His voice was choked with broken sobs.
When they were teenagers, they made an appointment to go out for a spring outing, chasing and playing in the fields and mountains. She was in his arms, smiling sweetly, and they made a vow to each other. All of this is still vivid in his mind, but it seems like a dream.
At that time, they were young and always thought that love and hate were big matters. Later they realized that some love would be crushed into powder in the imperial throne room.
Su Xianrou's eyes were suddenly tinged with a layer of frost:
"Hate? Bei Cheng died so miserably, without even a word of farewell. Shouldn't I hate him?"
The hem of Helian Cong's dragon robe trembled:
"Have I ever thought of killing him? If he had been content to live a life of leisure and wealth, my Lord Xiaoyao, how could I have killed him?"
Su Xianrou sneered:
"Which inch of your Helian family's empire wasn't paved with the blood of the Xiao family? Your father's generation was wary of the Xiao family's military exploits and repeatedly reduced their fiefdoms. But in Bei Cheng's generation, are they simply going to exterminate them?"
A trace of anger suddenly appeared on Helian Cong's gloomy face:
"My father did leave a will, warning against the Xiao family gaining power and to eliminate them if necessary. However, I have always considered my brotherly bond with Xiao Beicheng, and you as well... That's why I have never taken action. If I truly wanted to take action against him, I would have done it long ago. How could I have allowed his son to become so insignificant?"
"But you still did it!"
There was also a hint of coldness in Helian Cong's voice:
"He brought it upon himself! Eight years ago, when rebellion broke out on the Nanzhao border, he requested orders to lead an army of 200,000 to suppress it. However, not only did the battle with Nanzhao prove fruitless, he even harbored rebellious ambitions, hoping to establish himself as king and establish his own power! He even secretly crafted a dragon robe and crown. Is it possible that he wants to destabilize my kingdom, and am I to tolerate his reckless behavior?"
The candlelight shattered into stars on Su Xianrou's trembling eyelashes:
"You're talking nonsense! How could Bei Cheng possibly rebel? If he wanted to, he would have done it long ago! He certainly wouldn't have left his wife, children, and mother behind in Tianqi. Isn't he afraid that his actions would be exposed and his escape route cut off?"
"Hmph! I received a secret letter back then, with witnesses and evidence. After his death, I ordered people to dig out the dragon robe and crown from the Xinzhou camp, as well as the secret letters between him and the Emperor of Nanzhao. They had agreed that if Xiao Beicheng became emperor, Xinzhou and the eight surrounding cities would be handed over to Nanzhao!"
"So you believed the slander and sent Chu Shang to assassinate him?"
Su Xianrou didn't get angry but laughed instead, but her smile was even colder than the first snow:
"Secret letters can be forged, and witnesses can be slanderous. Who is secretly controlling all this?"
Helian Cong's pupils suddenly shrank, but he did not answer.
"Helian Cong, you would rather believe the words of a villain than the Xiao family's loyalty to Tianqi. It seems that the royal family is ruthless and can only tolerate the dead, not meritorious officials!"
Helian Cong suddenly grabbed her wrist, with a crazy light in his eyes:
"Yes! I ordered him to be killed! How could you, a woman, understand the battlefield between men! If he had no intention of rebelling, why would those 200,000-strong army still be entrenched in Xinzhou, strangling Tianqi's lifeline, even though he has been dead for eight years! His Xiao family army is as strong as a fortress, and despite my twelve imperial edicts to recall them, not a single soldier has returned to the capital!"
"That's because the Xiao family army knew that their commander had died inexplicably. If they rashly returned to the capital, wouldn't they be killed?"
Helian Cong sneered:
"When a general is on the battlefield, he is not subject to military orders! They don't obey the orders of me, the emperor, but instead obey the orders of your son!"
"So, you haven't touched Yan'er all these years because you're afraid of the Xiao family army!"
A trace of hurt flashed across Helian Cong's eyes:
"Rou'er, why don't you understand? I never touched Xiao Nanyan because of you! Otherwise, I would have eliminated him eight years ago when he was still young and had no chance to escape, to prevent future troubles!"
At this moment, Su Xianrou is just a mother trying her best to protect her child:
"Helian Cong, I don't care. If you dare to hurt my Yan'er, I will fight you to the death!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
