Chapter 251: Deserted by Friends
Everyone retreated far away. When Eunuch Fushun saw that Gu Xizhi couldn't stand up after trying several times, he pointed to two eunuchs to carry her away as well.
Prince Rui's voice could still be faintly heard in the hall. Eunuch Fushun clenched his hands in his sleeves, and a rare flash of anxiety and confusion appeared in his eyes.
But after a moment, he called a young eunuch beside him and whispered something in his ear.
Upon hearing this, the young eunuch nodded and left quickly. He was calm and steady without saying a word. It was obvious that he was a confidant trained by Eunuch Fushun himself.
Seeing the young eunuch disappear at the end of the palace road, Eunuch Fushun breathed a sigh of relief. When he withdrew his gaze, he unexpectedly met Jiang Xun's inquiring eyes.
Fu Shun shuddered violently, and quickly gathered his thoughts. He nodded to Jiang Xun as if nothing had happened, then he clasped his hands together, lowered his head to look at his toes, and stood respectfully outside the hall.
At the same time, inside the palace.
Emperor Sheng looked down at Zhao Huailang, but did not answer Zhao Huailang's question. He just asked in a deep voice:
"Second brother, are these all your true words?"
Zhao Huailang saw that his words, shouted at the top of his lungs, only received such an indifferent and calm response from Emperor Sheng, and the breath that had gathered in his heart suddenly dissipated.
He shrugged his shoulders, and at that moment he didn't know whether to cry or laugh, so his face was distorted and he looked neither amused nor helpless.
No matter how small a stone is, if it is thrown into a lake, it will create ripples. But if someone is not cared for, even if he risks his life to shout out, it will not cause the slightest ripple.
Tired.
I'm really tired.
"Father, the Cui family has fallen, my mother is under house arrest, and I have been disobedient. You can rest assured that I am no longer a threat to Ye'er."
"As long as Your Majesty can spare the lives of My Mother, Concubine Zhen, and Mu'er, I will demote, imprison, kill, or chop them up. I will do whatever Your Majesty decides."
Zhao Huailang said this and bowed deeply.
There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart. Zhao Huailang expressed all his final grievances in a very calm tone.
At this moment, Emperor Sheng still couldn't help being moved.
But he was very clear in his mind that this son... could no longer stay in the court.
But before that, he had to let the second brother know that he was by no means as ruthless as he said, and that the current situation was caused by him being really stupid!
"You've also read Cui Daoyuan's confession, but what did you find out?"
Such an abrupt sentence made Zhao Huailang, who was heartbroken, look up in surprise.
Emperor Sheng met Zhao Huailang's suspicious gaze and added quietly, "When did I ever say that I would leave the position of crown prince to Ye'er?"
Zhao Huailang almost responded subconsciously when he heard this: "Isn't it——"
But halfway through the conversation, he suddenly fell silent.
Because he knew in his heart that his father never said useless words.
But apart from Ye'er, the third brother has been imprisoned for life. Could it be... him?
joke!
If the emperor really likes him, then what does the cold treatment of the past twenty years mean? What does the initial flip-flopping mean? What does it matter if I have confined my mother to my home these days and want to eliminate the Cui family?
Push him into a desperate situation, beat him until he is covered with bruises, and finally tell him that the top of the mountain is below the cliff?
Zhao Huailang laughed dumbly, and asked almost self-deprecatingly: "Father, are you going to pass the throne of crown prince to your son?"
Emperor Sheng's eyes were deep, and he said calmly: "What if I really had this intention before today?"
Having said this, Emperor Sheng flicked his sleeves, turned around and walked to the desk, and threw the neatly stacked confession documents in front of Zhao Huailang again.
"Second brother, why do you think Cui Daoyuan confessed his guilt so readily this time?"
"You are being played around by others but you still don't realize it. Compared with Jiang Xun, you are far inferior in both intelligence and character!"
These words were like thunder, sharp, cold and merciless, causing Zhao Huailang to shiver uncontrollably.
He looked up with embarrassment, and heard the deeper meaning behind such derogatory and accusatory words.
Is Zhao Huailang stupid?
No, he is not stupid at all.
For example, at this moment, from the few words of Emperor Sheng, he came up with a guess that was contrary to his own cognition in the past twenty years, and also vaguely glimpsed the truth behind this game -
The emperor favored him, but Jiang Xun and Lin Lao tried their best to stop him. Even though his grandfather was imprisoned, he still risked his life to help him.
But he...had fallen into the trap and there was no turning back.
So that’s it, so that’s it!
Emperor Sheng saw Zhao Huailang's expression changing several times and knew that he must have guessed the truth behind it.
At this moment, Emperor Sheng's expression eased a little. He lowered his eyes and waited for Zhao Huailang to burst into tears and confess to him, confessing his guilt for his outspokenness and disobedience just now.
However, Zhao Huailang supported himself on the ground with his hands but did not respond for a long time.
Emperor Sheng frowned and stepped forward, only to discover that there were tear marks on the floor tiles in front of Zhao Huailang.
Then, Zhao Huailang laughed for no apparent reason. The laughter became louder and louder, even reaching outside the hall.
He was clearly laughing, but one could hear a deep and unresolvable sadness in his voice, which made one's hair stand on end.
"Father, I should be grateful, right?"
The laughter stopped abruptly, Zhao Huailang raised his head suddenly, his eyes were red, and his face was full of naked resentment and madness.
"You are testing me with the lives of my mother and grandfather? If I am truly indifferent and turn a blind eye, then I am no different from an animal!"
"Will your father then use my coldness and ruthlessness as an excuse to be dissatisfied with me, and then set up one test after another until I am exhausted like my eldest brother, or imprisoned for life like my third brother? Then your father will be satisfied! And stop!"
"When you were trying to exterminate the Cui family, did you ever think that it was the Cui family who risked their lives to help you become the emperor?"
"If your Majesty gives the position of crown prince to anyone, I will not be satisfied. I also hope that your Majesty will live forever, but in this world, who can escape birth, aging, sickness and death?"
"Father, please look back. Back then, there was the Imperial Grandfather, the Consort Chen, and the Imperial Uncle Rong. Later, there was the Empress, my elder brother, and now there is the Consort Shu, my third brother, as well as my mother, my grandfather, and me!"
"How many lives and lifetimes will you have to sacrifice for this throne, this position of crown prince, before you are willing to give up?"
"test?"
Zhao Huailang's voice became louder and louder, and at this point he couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
He knelt straight, met Emperor Sheng's gaze without flinching or avoiding it, his face showing madness and determination, and he raised his lips and said:
"Pushing people into desperate situations and then testing human nature, Father, ask yourself, if it were you today, would you be able to pass your own test?"
"So, in the final analysis, it is you, the emperor, who is suspicious by nature, ungrateful, selfish, and power-hungry. You are the instigator of all this!"
"If the father is not kind, the family will be in chaos. If the monarch is not wise, the country will be in trouble. Father, please open your eyes and see why the wife and children are separated and the relatives and friends are deserted! Why the palace is crying and the monarch and his subjects are at odds!"
ah--
When Zhao Huailang's voice reached its highest point, it turned into a short and shrill scream.
Then, he fell backwards and spit out a mouthful of blood.
Emperor Sheng had not yet retracted his outstretched foot, his eyes were glaring, his face was flushed, and his blood was boiling.
In a rage, he kicked Zhao Huailang in the heart with all his strength.
Seeing the bright red bloodstains spreading on the floor tiles, Emperor Sheng suddenly felt a sharp pain in front of his eyes. He staggered and stepped back repeatedly until his waist rested on the jade table and he was able to stand firm.
He was breathing rapidly, his heart was beating like a drum, and a feeling of depression lingered in his chest. He was about to shout angrily, but at this moment, Zhao Huailang's face turned pale and he actually vomited blood again.
Emperor Sheng panicked after all, and raised his hand hastily to call for the imperial physician, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his vision went dark.
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