Chapter 196 The Zhao Family
"What are you talking about?"
Zhen Hanyi only felt the hand pinching her chin suddenly loosen, and then a handkerchief lightly covered her face.
"Wipe it, what does it look like?"
Zhen Hanyi opened her eyes in a daze. Dim light shone through the handkerchief and fell in front of her eyes. She could not see anything clearly. She only vaguely caught a glimpse of the silhouette of the person in front of her with her backlit.
Her heart trembled violently, and she was confused and uneasy for a moment. She raised her hand and pulled off the handkerchief from her face, then met Zhao Huailang's slightly inquiring gaze.
"What does your Majesty mean by this?"
Zhen Hanyi took a step back and subconsciously distanced herself from Zhao Huailang.
Just now she was full of courage and had really made up her mind to die, but now her courage was half deflated and fear began to surge up in her.
After all, the prince had never shown any sympathy for her, and what she had just said might have touched the prince's bottom line.
Seeing that Zhen Hanyi, who had just been arguing with great confidence and righteousness, was now trembling with fear, Zhao Huailang raised his eyebrows and took a step closer.
"What? Are you scared again?"
As he spoke, he looked at Zhen Hanyi's eyes carefully, and when she leaned back desperately, he stretched out his hand to support her lower back.
Zhen Hanyi's face turned pale.
Normally, the prince did not like her to get close to him, but he was very close and enthusiastic towards her in matters of love. Such intimate actions had never taken place between them outside the bed.
Under the seat of Guanyin, in the Buddhist temple, he really wanted to humiliate her like this?
In this case, it would be better to strangle her to death just now!
"I didn't know that besides serving others with your beauty, you also know what is the righteousness of the family and the country."
Zhao Huailang uttered these words lightly and then let go of his hand.
Zhen Hanyi staggered, and when he looked up again, his face was pale and he was filled with shame and anger.
Not only because the words were hard to hear, but also because she herself knew that it was the fact, so she didn't even have the confidence to refute it, and at this moment she couldn't utter a word.
She lives...how sad and ridiculous.
Zhao Huailang saw that the color on Zhen Hanyi's face suddenly faded because of his words, and he couldn't help but frown.
he......
"I am indeed lowly and my methods are despicable. I have made the prince laugh at me for so many years, but what I said just now still counts. That letter...I am ruined!"
Zhen Hanyi's thin lips trembled as she gritted her teeth and said this, tears already falling uncontrollably.
"you......"
When Zhao Huailang saw this scene, he was slightly stunned.
Except for the time when Mu'er was born and she shed tears of joy, Zhen was so well-behaved that she always had a quiet smile on her face.
Some time ago in Zhoushan, he got really angry, and Zhen just lowered her eyes for a moment and then smiled apologetically.
Today...she shed a lot of tears.
Zhao Huailang couldn't tell what he felt for a moment, but the coldness in his voice had at least dissipated a little.
"Don't think so badly of me. Can't you see that it's a letter from last year?"
Zhen Hanyi looked up suddenly when she heard this, and then she heard Zhao Huailang say calmly:
"I am a son of the Zhao family. This vast land is the Zhao family's legacy for generations. It carries the well-being of the people and cannot afford to make any mistakes."
"Treason?"
"That is what traitors and villains, people worse than pigs and dogs, would do. Destroying the Great Wall in this way would shake the foundation of the country and put the foundation of our ancestors and the people in an irreparable situation."
"I, Zhao Huailang, have ambitions and want to reach the pinnacle of power, but I want to protect this beautiful country and make the Zhao family's name shine forever in history, rather than becoming a sinner and leaving a bad reputation for eternity."
When Zhen Hanyi heard this, she stared at Zhao Huailang in a daze, thinking that this was the prince in her mind.
But she was somewhat wary in her heart and did not dare to believe it for a moment.
When Zhao Huailang saw Zhen Hanyi's half-believing and half-doubting expression, the coldness between his brows disappeared, and he even raised the corner of his mouth slightly at this moment:
"It would be nice if everyone in the world was as simple as you, with all their thoughts clearly visible on their faces."
Zhen Hanyi was stunned when she heard this, then she realized that she had revealed her true feelings, and she quickly lowered her eyebrows and avoided it.
Such a poor reaction made Zhao Huailang couldn't help but laugh out loud, and he felt a little relaxed.
At this moment he began to understand why he had kept only Zhen by his side for so many years.
After calculating everything all day, he felt that he had a moment of respite only when he was with Zhen, who was simple-minded and treated him wholeheartedly.
If she hadn't made such a fuss today, she wouldn't have even realized it.
Thinking of this, Zhao Huailang frowned slightly again.
There are some things that Zhen should know.
Otherwise, she was afraid that one day, she would be used like her third brother's wife, and give him a gentle yet fatal blow at the critical moment.
"I know you won't destroy the letter. Take it out."
Zhao Huailang stretched out his hand towards Zhen Hanyi, so confidently.
Zhen Hanyi panicked, but Zhao Huailang did not step forward to force her, but just said in a deep voice:
“It’s not that easy to get to that position.”
"It's inconvenient to tell you about some old things, but you should know one thing. The position of crown prince should have been mine, but it was my father who went back on his word."
"After my eldest brother passed away, my father still refused to fulfill his promise. He first brought my third brother out, and then pushed Jiang Xun to Ye'er, gradually leading to the current situation."
"I have never denied my ambition. After all, I am the most powerful prince. I have the Cui family to rely on. I was only one step away from the position of crown prince."
"Besides, I am responsible for more than just my own personal honor and disgrace. I also have the entire Cui family behind me."
"The Cui family and I will rise and fall together. Once I lose, the entire Cui family will surely suffer a catastrophic disaster. After all, no new emperor can tolerate such a powerful and disloyal family of court officials."
"My grandfather has devoted all his energy and heart to me. Even if there are selfish motives for the Cui family, there is no doubt that he loves me."
"The royal family... has less human touch to begin with, and because there is an indecisive master who strives for perfection, this fight is destined to be even more brutal, and it must be fought to the point of bloodshed."
"I can't afford to lose."
When Zhao Huailang said this, he did not show any fear or helplessness. Instead, his eyes were bright, full of excitement and calmness.
"Do you know how many princes and grandchildren of the emperor were doomed to fail in their attempts to seize the throne?"
“Too many to count.”
"If you want to fight, you have to do your best. Being submissive and soft-hearted is tantamount to self-destruction."
"On this point, Third Brother and I are indeed brothers. We think alike."
"Why do you think he gave up so easily? It's just because he didn't have the support of the Cui family. After being tricked, he had no chance of winning, so he had to settle for the next best thing and just wanted to survive."
"But I—I don't have such a way out."
When Zhen Hanyi heard this, her eyes widened in shock.
The prince had never told her these things before, but now that she heard them, she felt her heart grow colder.
At this moment, she finally understood what her mother had said to her in the Imperial Garden.
——"If you lose, you will only be beheaded. I have personally experienced the most prosperous and wealthy life in the world. What regrets do I have?"
It turns out that the prince and his mother...had the same idea and the same determination early on.
Seeing Zhen Hanyi's thoughtful look, Zhao Huailang knew that she must have heard it.
He had never said these words to anyone else. Now he realized that perhaps this was what it felt like to "confide."
Although nothing can be changed, I feel relieved in my heart.
Thinking of this, Zhao Huailang softened his voice and said with an open mind:
"I'm not telling you this today to do anything. I just hope you won't do what my third brother and his wife did and stab me at the last minute."
"If I really had to face the moment of life and death, even though I have been proud all my life, I would shamelessly beg Father or Ye'er to let you go for you and Mu'er."
"When the time comes, you can blame me or hate me, but if you can't survive, then we can stay together as a family."
"If you and your son can survive, you should raise Mu'er well. You don't have to teach him to be outstanding. It's good enough for him to be as simple-minded as you are."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
