Chapter 12 The Lost Parents and Children Fifteen Years Ago
The lights in the Purple Palace dimmed suddenly after Cui Xiao left.
The trusted eunuch Fu'an made a silent gesture, and the palace maids and eunuchs standing in the hall were like the receding tide.
Only the lonely figure on the throne and Fu'an himself were left, standing three steps behind the emperor like a silent stone statue.
The hall was dead silent, with only the ticking of the clock, striking at people's hearts, and also at Liu Jin's frozen heart, creating fine, invisible cracks.
His straight back was slightly hunched, and the hand with distinct joints that had just been in control of the world was now unconsciously and nervously stroking the edge of the cold and smooth rosewood imperial desk.
The touch under my fingertips was cold and hard, but it strangely brought back another distant and hot memory - the coldness of the gold bricks on the birthing bed.
It was the bloody warmth that soaked the brocade quilt, and it was the only thought that supported him in the heart-wrenching pain: his child.
The child whose features he didn't even have time to see clearly.
He risked his life, enduring the bone-wrenching pain brought by the Heaven-Defying Stone, and gave birth to his own child in the blood and loneliness on the eve of his enthronement.
He only remembered that before he lost consciousness, he heard a cry as faint as a candle in the wind, like a kitten, but it exhausted all his strength.
That was his deepest bond in this world, the only soft thought beneath all his forbearance, all his planning, and all his overwhelming power.
Why did he risk his life to give birth to a child, only to get a cold dead baby?
Why didn’t you even give him a chance to look at you or hug you?
His child...why doesn't he open his eyes and look at his father?
Was that faint cry also expressing resentment towards him, resentment towards this incompetent father who couldn't even protect his own flesh and blood?
A sharp pain, enough to tear the soul apart, suddenly and fiercely grabbed Liu Jin's heart without any warning.
It's even worse than when the Anti-Heaven Stone attacked.
He clenched his fists violently, his nails digging deep into his palms, causing a tiny, self-torturing sting that did nothing to alleviate the empty, endless dull pain in his heart.
The mountain of memorials on the imperial desk and the imperial seal that symbolized supreme power now turned into hideous mockery.
So what if he owned the world? He couldn't even keep his own son!
"Xiao Ziran..."
A name, wrapped in bone-hardening hatred, like the hissing of a venomous snake, squeezed out from between Liu Jin's clenched teeth.
The voice was low and broken, but full of hatred that could destroy everything.
"Xiao Linyuan! It's all your fault! It's all because of you—!"
If it weren't for that betrayal, if it weren't for Empress Dowager Zhou's instigation, why would he... why would he even...
Fuan lowered his eyes, looked at his nose with his eyes, and looked at his heart with his nose, and his breathing became extremely light and slow.
He knew this master too well. Every time he touched the little prince who died young, it was the moment when His Majesty was at his most vulnerable, violent, and untouchable.
Any consolation would only add fuel to the fire, and any words would seem pale and powerless.
He could only watch quietly like this, as if watching a volcano that could erupt at any time, waiting for the overwhelming grief and hatred to subside on its own, or... to freeze again.
The only sounds left in the hall were the emperor's extremely suppressed, heavy breathing and the curse-like murmurs.
The sound echoed in the empty hall, desolate and hopeless. The water drops from the night watch seemed to have stopped.
The west side hall of Xiefang Palace is Cui Xiao’s temporary residence.
The night was deep, and the brief glory brought by the thrilling moments of the day and the fluent conversations in the imperial study had faded away.
He dismissed the serving eunuchs and left only a solitary lamp flickering on the desk.
He sat under the lamp, unconsciously stroking a warm mutton-fat jade pendant in his hand - it was the "amulet" given to him by that damned boy Hu Qing before he left the house.
The warm touch of the jade pendant calmed his troubled mind a little.
Thinking back on the response he gave in front of the emperor during the day, his fingertips still felt a little cold.
It wasn't that he wasn't afraid. The eldest prince's venomous gaze, the emperor's unfathomable gaze, were like solid ice.
But compared to the overt and covert attacks in the Marquis's Mansion, the cunning in the palace seemed to be more in line with the sharpness that had been honed in his bones.
He clearly analyzed the doubts and pointed the finger at the "borrowed knife killer" hiding in the fog.
It seemed to have excused the eldest prince somewhat, but in fact it only muddied the waters further, and also bought some breathing space for himself and the third prince.
The emperor's word "reward" is very meaningful.
But at this moment, Cui Xiao's mind was not on the emperor's reward.
He replayed the entire incident in his mind over and over again, as if he was reviewing a complicated chess game.
The eldest prince, Liu Jue? Impulsive and irritable, he appears to be powerful but is actually weak.
Today's provocation on the palace road is an outlet for accumulated resentment.
Poisoning? Framing? Cui Xiao slowly shook his head.
Liu Jue might have had the motive to get rid of his annoying third brother, but he definitely didn't have the courage to do so.
Just as he said in front of the emperor, if Liu Jue really poisoned someone, he would not be stupid enough to use the food boxes and eunuchs in his own palace. This would be tantamount to seeking his own death.
Liu Jue's mediocrity was known to the court and the public. The emperor had given him a chance to go to the Ministry of Revenue to learn how to read some simple accounts, but he made a big mistake and was impeached by the censor.
The emperor was so furious that he immediately took back that pitiful power, making him lose face in front of his ministers.
The Third Prince, Liu Chang? Even less likely. A frightened thirteen-year-old child, weak in body and simple-minded, crying while holding a rabbit.
Then, the person with the greatest suspicion fell on the man who had not shown up today but was like a shadow hanging over the whole incident - the second prince Liu Cong.
Cui Xiao's fingertips tapped lightly on the cold table, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.
The second prince, Liu Cong, was sixteen years old, only a month younger than the eldest prince, Liu Jue.
However, the reputations of the two men in the court and the public were worlds apart. If Liu Jue was a useless piece of mud, then Liu Cong was a splendid and elegant man, his brilliance could not be concealed.
The emperor obviously had high hopes for his second son.
He was allowed to participate in government affairs early on, not just an empty title, but to actually get involved in the practical work of the six ministries.
Liu Cong never disappointed the emperor. Last year, when the Yellow River flooded, he volunteered to accompany the Minister of Works to provide disaster relief. It is said that he did not sleep for three days and three nights on the embankment.
He dispatched supplies and comforted the victims in a clear and appropriate manner. Even the always picky old Minister of Works wrote a memorial praising him for being "mature at a young age and having a good understanding of the overall situation."
This spring, he was in charge of the cleansing of the garrison malpractices in the capital. He acted decisively, uncovered a few corrupt officials, and rectified the atmosphere, although he offended some people.
Yet, he was praised by the emperor for his "clear-sightedness and impartiality." When important officials in the court mentioned the Second Prince, most of them nodded in approval, believing him to be "calm and capable, with the qualities of a wise ruler."
Why would such an extremely capable, emperor-favored prince with a bright future want to poison the frail and sickly thirteen-year-old Third Prince, who posed no threat to him?
Why would he need to put the blame on his foolish elder brother, who had long been left far behind by him and whose weight in the emperor's heart was fading day by day?
From common sense, this is simply self-destruction and extremely foolish.
If the whole thing succeeds, the biggest and most direct beneficiary seems to be Liu Cong - he has gotten rid of his two brothers.
But given his ability and status, the benefits were completely disproportionate to the risks! He had no need for such urgent, sinister measures.
"The most suspicious, but also the least suspicious..."
Cui Xiao muttered to himself, his brows furrowed even tighter. This was precisely the strangest and most disturbing aspect of the entire chess game.
If the poisoning succeeds, the third prince will die, and the eldest prince will be convicted of fratricide and will inevitably be disliked or even deposed by the emperor.
Then, the emperor's only remaining adult adopted son with outstanding abilities was Liu Cong! The position of crown prince was almost within his grasp.
If the poisoning attempt fails and the frame-up is successful, as is happening now.
The eldest prince was placed under house arrest, and the charge of not governing his subordinates properly was enough to get him kicked out of office. His image in the eyes of the court officials completely collapsed, leaving him with no chance of recovery.
The Third Prince was frightened by this, and his already weak body and spirit must have been made worse, making it difficult for him to handle the heavy responsibility.
He, Liu Cong, is still the wise king who stays out of things, is innocent, and may even gain a good reputation because of his "deep brotherly love" for visiting his frightened younger brother!
Regardless of success or failure, as long as this basin of dirty water is poured out, no matter who it is finally poured on, Liu Cong will be the one who sits back and reaps the benefits!
The only risk was that the frame-up would be exposed. But judging by the situation in the Imperial Study today, if it weren't for Cui Xiao's analysis, the Crown Prince would have been practically speechless!
"What a great way to kill two birds with one stone... no, three birds with one stone!" Cui Xiao's eyes flashed coldly.
By eliminating or weakening the two competitors, he could also consolidate his image as a steady, reliable and non-competitive person in front of his father.
Even... were his words in the imperial study today, which seemed to be an excuse for the eldest prince, also part of someone's calculations?
Let the emperor think that Cui Xiao can distinguish right from wrong and will not kick someone when he is down?
So he also...looked at Cui Xiao differently? If that was true, then the Second Prince's scheming and cunning were simply unfathomable!
"To kill someone with a borrowed knife, to fish chestnuts out of the fire..."
Cui Xiao slowly exhaled and felt a chill creeping up his spine.
Beneath the seemingly peaceful palace walls, the undercurrents were far more turbulent than he could have imagined.
The second prince Liu Cong, the young prince who was gentle and tactful in the court, his true face was probably a hundred times more terrifying than the eldest prince's openly violent appearance!
He walked to the window and opened it a crack. The night breeze rushed in, bringing with it the coolness of early spring and the unique, cold, dusty smell of the palace walls.
In the direction of the Purple Palace in the distance, the lights were still bright, like the eyes of a giant beast lurking in the darkness.
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