This life, only for him
Yihong said in a deep voice, "Uncle Wang has always been dissatisfied with a young boy like me sitting on the throne."
Prince Ping's knot was suddenly ripped out, and the pent-up resentment in his heart could no longer be tolerated. He raised his hand and slammed it on the table, causing the chains on his hands to creak. He shouted angrily, "It's not just you, even your father, the Emperor Jin Gong, I don't accept!" He was burning with anger. After a pause, the fire gradually subsided, but it did not go out. His brows knitted together, and he looked out the window. "In terms of diligence and intelligence, Jin Gong is not as good as me. It's just because my mother was born in a humble family. He is the son of the Queen, so my father passed the throne to him. Origin, class, huh, the royal family..." People never judge heroes by their talent or ability, only by their bloodline. So, I'm going to give it a try. If my person becomes empress, will the Shangguan family allow my bloodline to take the throne? Jin Gong is so cunning, secretly colluding with Concubine Ying and secretly giving birth to you in Yong'an Temple, and raising you without telling anyone. If you hadn't suddenly appeared, the world of Daqi would have been returned to my hands long ago! When the late emperor passed away years ago, it should have been me who should have inherited the throne, not Jin Gong, and certainly not you!
"So you collaborated with the enemy and sold out your country, disregarding the country of our ancestors! You also emptied the national treasury and took the money of Qi State for yourself and squandered it at will! Was Uncle Yao killed by Uncle Wang because he discovered your actions?" The anger in Yihong's chest was also ignited.
King Ping stood up angrily, looking down at Yihong. "What do you know, you ignorant child? Jin Yao has worked so hard to earn the reputation of a loyal minister, but how do you know he doesn't harbor ulterior motives? I will not hesitate to kill him. Whether it's the Qiang and Rong territories in the north or the Nansai region in the south, sooner or later, they will become part of the Great Qi Empire! How can this be considered treasury treasury? I am simply collaborating with their leaders for a win-win situation. If they help me regain the throne, I will crown them kings. Then they will naturally submit to me and to Great Qi with all their heart! As for the national treasury..." He glanced at Yihong and said, "Leaving it to you, a foolish and useless child, is a true loss to the national treasury. You don't understand statecraft. If Qi's funds remain in the national treasury, they will only be misused and squandered by you. Since I cannot regain the throne for the time being, I must transfer the national treasury into my hands so that it can be used where it is needed, and it will not be wasted, and it will also benefit Great Qi."
"You spend money like water, use it for Uncle Wang's extravagant lifestyle, and turn it into military pay, but in fact you embezzle the money just to please your wives and concubines. Is this what Uncle Wang meant by using it for righteous purposes and for the benefit of Daqi?" Yihong did not stand up, but clenched his hands until his fingertips turned white, and questioned in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.
Prince Ping's face showed no guilt. He stood upright, raised his arm, and shouted, "When water is too clear, there are no fish. Looking back at the past and the present, who wouldn't be tempted by corruption and extravagance? Even if I don't use it, I will let those who do use it squander it. Human nature is greedy, arrogant, and extravagant. This is just like a transaction. Only by satisfying people's low-level needs will they bow down and work for you. I am ashamed that you have been emperor for so long and yet you don't even understand such a simple principle. I am sorry that you have no moral integrity and you have not taught your children well!"
"Uncle Wang's words are so convincing that he even makes it sound so high-sounding that he used the national treasury for personal purposes! This is so absurd. How can we be worthy of the empire that our ancestors worked so hard to build? How can we face the ancestors of the Shangguan family in the future!" Yi Hong finally stood up in anger, and the round stool behind him fell to the ground with a clang.
Upon hearing this, Prince Ping turned abruptly, glaring at Yi Hong and saying, "This Daqi Kingdom should have belonged to me. How I dispose of Daqi's funds is my decision, and it is not your turn to dictate my decisions!"
Yihong strode forward and stood before Prince Ping. He angrily said, "This Daqi kingdom belongs to my Shangguan family, not to my uncle alone. It's not my uncle's turn to act recklessly and squander our ancestors' kingdom!"
"You!..." King Ping was choked and was too angry to speak. He stared at Yihong angrily with red eyes. After a moment, he suddenly laughed and said, "Now this king has ended up like this, it's the time and the fate. I have ambitions but nowhere to display them. I am just unwilling to accept it until my death! The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. There is nothing to complain about. But you..." He looked at Yihong with disdain, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "How should I be punished?" He laughed several times, "Announce to the world that I am a treasonous person. "I'm so concerned about your reputation. If you kill me, the history books will record that you personally murdered your uncle. You'll definitely be branded a cruel tyrant! Jin Gong aspired to be a wise and benevolent emperor, and I believe that's what he expected of you. But now you've left a reputation for brutality. How can you face your respected father in the future?"
Prince Ping looked at Yihong with pride, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Boy, you still lose this battle."
Yihong lifted the stool and sat down stiffly, lowering his head. He said in a deep voice, "Uncle Wang Daogu is cruel, but why did he repeatedly try to kill his own nephew?" He raised his head again, looked at King Ping, and asked, "How should we judge him?"
King Ping paused and stood still.
There was silence in the room. After a while, Yihong picked up the cup of tea on the table and drank it in one gulp. The tea was cold. He slowly stood up, as if he was holding up the heavy body of a thousand gold coins, and said, "Uncle Wang and I are uncle and nephew. Why do you want to kill each other like this... Uncle Wang is my biological uncle." He did not look at King Ping again. As he spoke, he slowly turned and walked towards the door.
When Yihong opened the door and was about to leave, he heard Prince Ping's voice behind him saying, "Nephew, it's only your fault that we were born into this imperial family."
The night was dark, the crescent moon was as sharp as a knife, and a dark shadow climbed into Prince Ping's mansion from the backyard. Taking advantage of the guards' inattention, it sneaked into the room where Prince Ping was confined.
"Ah!~~~~" A scream pierced the air, ripping open the days-long silence of Prince Ping's mansion in the dead of night. Following the sound, a group of guards rushed into Prince Ping's room, only to find him neatly dressed, lying on the ground, his eyes wide open in terror, blood pouring from his neck. He was already dead. Standing at the wide-open doorway of Prince Ping's room was a woman in black, clutching a dagger, the blade of which was oozing blood. After inspecting the scene, the guards rushed out and surrounded the woman. She stared straight ahead, speechless, and slowly raised her hand holding the murder weapon, then closed it. The guards stepped forward and took her down.
The next morning, Zhong Yujing received the news that Prince Ping had been stabbed to death in his mansion and was summoned to the palace.
In Qianyuan Hall, before the imperial desk, Emperor Hong had his eyes tightly closed, his eyelashes trembling slightly. Zhong Yujing only heard him say, "Prince Ping has passed away, killed by the Yaoxian with a single blow."
Zhong Yujing asked in surprise, "Where is Yaoxian now?"
Emperor Hong didn't open his eyes. "In the Ministry of Justice's prison. After she killed Prince Ping, she didn't escape. She stood at the door, waiting for the guards to arrive and surrender."
Zhong Yujing's heart trembled. With Yaoxian's skills, she could enter the palace undetected, kill someone and escape without anyone noticing. She did it on purpose. Then she heard Emperor Hong say, "She heard the men in black say that I was caught in a dilemma regarding Prince Ping. So, I sneaked into the palace late at night and killed him. The guards took her to the prison. When asked why she assassinated the prince, she volunteered that it was out of personal vengeance. She hated her brother, Abei, for sending her as a gift to marry him far away. She felt resentful and took advantage of Prince Ping's imprisonment to kill him. She also claimed that the killing of Prince Ping was her own doing and had nothing to do with her brother, Abei, or the entire Qiang and Rong tribe."
Zhong Yujing suddenly recalled the sight of Yaoxian from afar in the hall that day. She had been charming and alluring that day, captivating the entire audience. But that wasn't her true self. What was her true nature? At that moment, Zhong Yujing only felt that she was resolute and fearless, surpassing any man.
"Her original name was Yuanyang..." Hong Di slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with sorrow. "She was picked up from the market by the leader of the Black Clothes. That day, she knelt in the street, selling herself to bury her grandmother. The leader took a liking to her, helped her bury her family, and brought her back. I hold her in high esteem, simply because she's the only woman in the Black Clothes, yet she's stronger and more resilient than any of the men."
Zhong Yujing listened quietly, as if she was meeting Yaoxian for the first time, the woman whose real name was Yuanyang.
Emperor Hong sighed deeply, as if he wanted to sigh out all the separations and reunions, sorrows and joys, "Yujing, I am really tired. Is it necessary to sacrifice the blood of countless people to secure the throne?" He paused, and said, "I am really tired this time." He closed his eyes again.
Zhong Yujing said softly: "Your Majesty..."
Then Emperor Hong suddenly said, "I have an unwelcome request. I wonder if Yu Jing can agree to it?"
Zhong Yujing bowed: "Your Majesty, please speak."
"I can't show myself right now, otherwise people will suspect Yaoxian's identity. Could Yujing go to the prison to see Yuanyang on my behalf? It will put my mind at ease."
Zhong Yujing said in a deep voice, "I obey your command."
Zhong Yujing's carriage stopped in front of the Ministry of Justice's prison. She slowly stepped out. Upon hearing that the visitor was the Prime Minister, the jailer, knowing that he must have been specially sent by the Emperor to inquire about the case, hurriedly ushered her into the prison. The prison was dark and filled with a foul odor. The jailer flattered her, saying, "You've come to this filthy place and soiled the Prime Minister's clothes." Zhong Yujing simply replied, "No problem."
The jailer who led the way finally stopped at the corner at the end of the prison, pointed to the right, and said, "This is the cell where Yaoxian is imprisoned."
Zhong Yujing nodded and looked inside, only to see a woman in black clothes with a bun on her head, leaning against the stone wall of the prison with her hands on her knees. She tilted her head and looked out through the bars of the prison window. She sat there motionless.
Zhong Yujing said, "Open the prison door."
The jailer stepped forward and opened the cell door. The sound of chains clashing startled the people in the cell. She slowly turned her head, and Zhong Yujing saw an extremely plain and indifferent face, which was very different from what she saw in the hall that day. It was as if it was not the same person. The face without makeup had a natural freshness. Her hair was slightly messy, and strands of hair fell in front of her forehead. The light from the window fell on her hair and head, like the dim yellow color on an old painting, soft and bright, forming a sharp contrast with her pair of firm eyes. Zhong Yujing could fully imagine that the light that burst out from those eyes at the moment of killing could scare people to death, and she could also understand why the leader of the black clothes had spotted her at the market and brought her back.
Zhong Yujing said to the jailer, "Please go down. I have something to ask her alone."
The jailer leaned forward and responded, then retreated with a hunched back bow.
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