Chapter 130 The Walking Dead
Three days later, everything was arranged.
Lou Jin, accompanied only by Ye Xunyang and two absolutely reliable bodyguards, led Lou Shang to the secluded courtyard of the Imperial Clan Court where Lou Yi was being held captive.
This place is less like a royal villa and more like a meticulously crafted, heavily guarded prison.
High walls stood tall, and the guards were all reliable men appointed by the emperor. Upon seeing Lou Jin, they bowed respectfully and silently allowed him to pass.
The courtyard was clean and tidy, but it was filled with a deathly silence.
A slender figure dressed in plain clothes sat on a stone bench with his back to them, staring blankly at a withered flower in the corner.
That silhouette exuded an indescribable desolation and numbness.
Hearing footsteps, the person slowly turned around.
When Lou Shang saw Lou Yi's appearance, his pupils contracted sharply, and all the questions and anger he had prepared got stuck in his throat.
Where is the arrogance and haughtiness of the former Fifth Prince in Lou Yi's eyes?
His face was so pale it was almost transparent, his eye sockets were sunken, and his eyes were empty and lifeless, like a shell whose soul had been taken away.
In just a few months, he looked as if he had aged ten years, and his once handsome features were now replaced by a deathly grayness.
He didn't even recognize Lou Shang in disguise. His gaze swept blankly over the group, finally landing on Lou Jin. He merely twitched his eyelids slightly without any expression, then slowly turned back to stare at the withered grass.
"How...how did he become like this?"
Lou Shang's voice was dry and filled with disbelief.
In his imagination, an enemy, even in his downfall, should be resentful and gnashing his teeth, not like this... a completely lifeless walking corpse.
Lou Jin watched Lou Yi's retreating figure, his tone calm and even: "At the beginning of his confinement, he caused a ruckus, going on a hunger strike and cursing. Later, he learned about his true origins."
"Later, when the palace maid who was the confidante of Consort Xian was interrogated, the palace maid revealed the truth: Lou Qin was not his biological father. His biological father was just a small guard who was on duty at the gate of Consort Xian's palace. He was later killed by Consort Xian."
"What?!" Lou Shang exclaimed in shock, his face filled with disbelief.
"He...he's not even of royal blood?!"
This news was even more shocking to him than when he learned that Lou Yi was Lou Qin's son.
Someone who once competed with him and was regarded as his rival turned out to be a complete imposter from beginning to end.
"After learning all this, it became what you see now."
Lou Jin's gaze returned to Lou Yi's lifeless back. "The imperial physician came to see him and said... his heart is dead."
Lou Shang clenched his fists tightly and walked step by step to Lou Yi.
He looked down at the person he had once envied, resented, and regarded as his greatest rival, his chest churning with extremely complex emotions.
But looking at this empty shell, the burning hatred could find no target to cling to.
"Lou Yi," Lou Shang said, his voice distorted by complex emotions.
Lou Yi did not react.
"Did you hear that? Did you hear what my third brother said?!"
Lou Shang suddenly grabbed Lou Yi's shoulders and forcefully turned him to face him. "You're not a prince at all! You're a bastard! A complete and utter bastard!"
He roared excitedly, trying to pierce the other person's numbness with the most vicious words.
Lou Yi was forced to look up, his empty eyes staring at Lou Shang. There was no anger, no shame, not even a ripple in them, only emptiness.
He seemed completely oblivious to what Lou Shang was saying, or rather, these words could no longer hurt him in the slightest.
His lips moved, his voice still barely audible: "...Fake...It's all fake...Dead...They're all dead..."
Looking at him like this, Lou Shang was overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of powerlessness and absurdity.
He suddenly released his grip, and Lou Yi slumped back onto the stone bench like a puppet with its strings cut, still maintaining the same posture.
Lou Jin watched quietly from the side until Lou Shang had vented his emotions, then he stepped forward.
"See? This is what he looks like now. Killing him would be a relief. Letting him live, to consciously bear all of this, is the most thorough way to settle scores with him and with all past grievances."
Lou Shang's laughter stopped abruptly. He was panting heavily, his eyes red-rimmed. He glared at Lou Yi one last time, his expression complex and unreadable, then suddenly turned around and rushed out of the courtyard as if fleeing in panic.
Ye Xunyang watched Lou Shang's fleeing figure, feeling deeply saddened. He whispered to Lou Jin, "This truth... is too much of a shock for him."
Lou Jin nodded, his gaze deep: "Destroying a person sometimes doesn't require swords. This truth is more cruel than killing him. Lou Shang... he needs time to process it."
He glanced one last time at Lou Yi, who seemed detached from the world, and said, "Let's go."
Leaving the Imperial Clan Court, the sunlight outside was rather dazzling.
Lou Shang stood on the street corner, his back to them, his shoulders trembling violently, clearly still recovering from the enormous shock.
After a long while, he turned around, his face a mixture of wet tears and a near-exhausted calm.
He walked up to Lou Jin, his voice hoarse and weary, carrying an unprecedented sense of resignation: "Third brother... I... I understand."
"It's ridiculous to argue with someone who doesn't even exist. I... I won't do anything more."
"Go back." Lou Jin looked at him, his tone softening. "Let bygones be bygones."
Lou Shang nodded, said nothing more, and disappeared alone, his steps faltering, around the street corner.
Ye Xunyang gently held Lou Jin's hand: "I hope that this time, he has truly let go."
Lou Jinhui grasped his hand, his gaze distant: "Letting go of hatred is not easy, but seeing the truth is the first step. Let's go home."
The two did not take a carriage, but instead held hands and prepared to walk back to the palace.
Passing by a fabric shop, Lou Jin saw the red cloth hanging at the door. As if he had suddenly remembered something, he looked at Ye Xunyang with apology and seriousness.
"Speaking of which, Xu Zhaoyun reminded me last time, and with the Second Young Master's happy occasion this time... Xunyang, our wedding back then was really... too unfair to you."
Ye Xunyang, who had been cheerful, suddenly felt a surge of pent-up frustration upon hearing this. He shook off Lou Jin's hand and looked at him speechlessly.
"You're only remembering now?! Who says otherwise! Can that even be called a wedding?"
"Strictly speaking, I might not be considered your queen, since I had my wedding ceremony with a rooster, not with you, King Jin."
Lou Jin looked at him, who was puffed up in anger, and felt both guilty and amused, but he also knew that he was in the wrong.
He quickly reached out, trying to pull her back into his arms: "Yes, yes, it was my fault, I was a bastard. At that time... the situation was special, and I'm sorry to have wronged my queen."
Ye Xunyang awkwardly tried to dodge, but failed and was firmly held by Lou Jin, who then punched him on the shoulder.
"I feel so wronged! I feel incredibly wronged!"
“Then…” Lou Jin lowered his head, leaned close to his ear, and said in a low voice.
"The princess said, how should we make amends? How about... we hold it again? Let the whole world see that you, Ye Xunyang, are my lawfully wedded wife, whom I, Lou Jin, welcomed into the house with three bows and nine kowtows!"
A warm breath brushed against my ear, carrying the weight of a promise.
Ye Xunyang's heart skipped a beat, and his anger was instantly dissipated by the deep affection in those words.
He looked up, meeting Lou Jin's eyes so close to his own: "That's more like it... but I need to think about it!"
Lou Jin chuckled, knowing that his princess was taking advantage of the situation, and his mood improved.
He affectionately pinched the tip of his nose: "Alright, Princess, take your time to think it over. Once you've decided, whatever kind of wedding you want, we'll have it."
"That's more like it!" Ye Xunyang leaned back into his arms and continued walking back.
"Then... we'll need a really big show!"
"Great! This will cause a sensation in the capital!"
"You'd better spend all your savings for your wife."
"The money is for you to spend. If it runs out, I'll go to the palace to ask for more."
"More..."
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