Emperor Wenxuan coldly said, "I spared your life back then out of consideration for our past relationship, and I have provided you with good food and drink all these years, yet you have developed such wolfish ambitions."
Chu Wenzheng remained unmoved, only staring at Bai Chuxiao and smiling, "My nephew's wife is quite loyal to her elder brother, what a pity."
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow, "Uncle, please speak your last words."
Chu Wenzheng suddenly burst into laughter, and Bai Chuxiao's hand tightened. Chu Wenzheng teased, "I have a secret. Does the princess want to know?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled and shook her head, "This princess has never liked listening to gossip."
Emperor Wenxuan said coldly, "Girl, stop playing around."
Chu Wenzheng said with a half-smile, "Nephew's wife, why are you helping him like this? If my royal brother knew this secret, the first person he would want to kill wouldn't be me, but your Yan Prince's Mansion, and even the entire Murong family would be doomed."
Bai Chuxiao's eyes narrowed slightly, yet she inexplicably began to believe these words. Seeing this, Emperor Wenxuan felt uneasy and said sternly, "Chu Wenzheng, stop talking nonsense! Xiao'er, kill him immediately!"
Bai Chuxiao, however, did not make a move. Chu Wenzheng dared to stand here alone; how could he not have a backup plan? He probably already had the harem under his control. Even if it weren't for that secret, he would still make good use of this hostage.
Chu Wenzheng laughed wildly, "Chu Wenxuan, Chu Wenxuan, you hypocrite! Ask yourself, who conquered this world for you? In these past decades, in the dead of night, have you ever dreamed of my sister-in-law, or of the loyal ministers and generals who tried their best to help you but died tragically?"
Emperor Wenxuan's heart skipped a beat, and he roared, "Shut up!"
Bai Chuxiao's eyes flickered slightly, "What does this have to do with the Murong family, the Prince of Yan?"
Chu Wenzheng then said with a half-smile, "Twenty years ago, the entire Duke of Dingguo's family, including my sister-in-law, was slaughtered. Guess who did it?"
Emperor Wenxuan, however, seemed to have been touched upon the deepest, most unspoken matter in his heart; anger surged within him, and he coughed violently.
Chu Wenzheng laughed loudly again, "Those remnants of destroyed kingdoms under the emperor's nose wouldn't have such great abilities. Back then, the Duke of Dingguo's family was very famous, and my sister-in-law was pregnant. I'm afraid my brother couldn't sleep at night. It wasn't enough that he killed all the men in the Duke of Dingguo's family; he didn't even spare the women."
"Shut up, you traitorous scoundrel..." Emperor Wenxuan roared, veins bulging on his forehead.
Chu Wenzheng continued, "Hehe, has this touched a sore spot for my brother? Back then, my sister-in-law was about to give birth but still left the palace to visit our mother. Everyone thought that the child died in the womb along with my sister-in-law... But that's not true. My sister-in-law gave birth to a son."
Emperor Wenxuan suddenly felt his blood surging and coughed incessantly. Chu Wenzheng paused abruptly, observing Emperor Wenxuan's appearance with great interest for a while before raising an eyebrow at Bai Chuxiao, who remained unfazed, and said, "You certainly have a lot of composure."
Bai Chuxiao said calmly, "The story isn't very interesting."
Chu Wenzheng said with a smile, "The interesting part is yet to come. Since my brother has already slaughtered the entire Duke of Dingguo's family, not even sparing his wife, he naturally wouldn't leave any bloodline of the Duke of Dingguo's family, even though that child is also his own flesh and blood. How could my sister-in-law, a woman of extraordinary talent, not have noticed at all? She had already arranged for someone to escape with the child. My brother sealed off the capital and carried out a large-scale search in the city, and finally succeeded in killing his own child."
Suddenly, as if provoked, Emperor Wenxuan drew his sword and lunged at Chu Wenzheng, shouting, "Traitor...traitor...I will kill you..."
Bai Chuxiao subtly dodged to the side with Chu Wenzheng, causing Emperor Wenxuan to miss his target. He could only gasp for breath, his health not having been good lately, and now, after the shock, he looked old and frail.
Chu Wenzheng threw his head back and laughed loudly, "Chu Wenxuan, you killed your father and brothers, harmed good generals, and murdered your own son, yet you still have the audacity to say that you sat on the throne with a clear conscience. What a ridiculous joke! Over the decades, the number of wronged souls who have sought your life is probably countless..."
He laughed until tears were almost streaming down his face before continuing, "What a pity. If you had been ruthless enough to kill all the capable generals and my younger brother, you would have been fine. But instead, you tried to have your cake and eat it too, wanting to leave behind a good reputation as an emperor, and instead left behind the Murong family and Prince An..."
Emperor Wenxuan gradually calmed down, then suddenly chuckled, "So what? Do you think you can win? I've been emperor for most of my life, and I believe I've governed well. At least I have no regrets towards my people. As for the rest, how many underhanded tactics does the royal family have? It's either you die or I live. I believe my abilities are far superior to those of the Crown Prince back then, yet Father still favors the legitimate son..."
Chu Wenzheng said sternly, "Is this your reason for harming your elder brother, the Crown Prince?"
Emperor Wenxuan sneered, "The royal family doesn't have any blood brothers. Even if your own brother, the Crown Prince, ascended the throne, he would still be wary of you. It's just that the Crown Prince died young, which is why you're now hypocritically mourning him."
Chu Wenzheng raised an eyebrow. "You resent the Emperor so much, believing that the virtuous should be chosen. So why do you insist on establishing the heir apparent when the Crown Prince is so mediocre?"
Emperor Wenxuan was suddenly stunned, speechless for a long time. In a moment of clarity, he had made the same choice as his father. At this moment, he seemed to suddenly understand the meaning of his father's insistence on establishing the heir apparent.
Chu Wenzheng continued, "Speechless now? But what you just said isn't wrong either. There are no fathers and sons or brothers in the royal family. But good and evil are rewarded accordingly. What Father Emperor and my elder brother, the Crown Prince, experienced back then is about to be repeated. Right now, it's not just me, your younger brother, who wants to rebel against you..."
Bai Chuxiao wasn't interested in these sordid royal affairs, and as for the other person who wanted to rebel, there was no need to say anything more. "Have you finished recounting your old grudges?"
Chu Wenzheng smiled faintly, "Didn't the princess say she wasn't interested in gossip?"
Bai Chuxiao said coldly, "It would be best if Imperial Uncle really had some interesting stories to tell."
Chu Wenzheng smiled enigmatically, "My life is in the hands of the princess. How can I proceed without some bargaining chips? The dagger is piercing to the bone. Why don't you release me first, princess?"
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow and said, "Now, I'm afraid the palace and its surroundings are already under the control of my uncle and Chu Tianling. It won't be easy for me to leave the capital today. Just as my uncle said, I need some leverage."
Chu Wenzheng smiled faintly, "Actually, I'm not very interested in the throne."
Bai Chuxiao said coldly, "Does Imperial Uncle mean to tell me that all of this was done for the greater good, to avenge those who died back then?"
Chu Wenzheng shook his head, "I am not like my royal brother, who is hypocritical and speaks of his ambitions with such lofty ideals."
Bai Chuxiao's grip tightened, but she smiled and said, "Uncle, don't delay any longer. If you don't reveal that so-called secret soon, you'll have to take it with you to the grave."
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