Xie Tingzhou's eyes were deep and unreadable, and he said calmly, "Your Majesty, Ye Wantang has questionable character, and I would like to teach her a lesson."
Perhaps only losing her engagement to the royal family will allow her to truly understand and heal her pain.
He didn't deny it, but only said that he couldn't stand Ye Wantang.
The Empress smiled, her eyes gentle. "I remember that when you were young, you were closest to the Crown Prince. When a little girl wanted to get close to him, you saw that the Crown Prince didn't like her, so you threw the little girl into the water."
Afterwards, the girl's father complained to Marquis Zhongyong, who punished you. However, you never explained that you did it for the sake of the Crown Prince.
Tingzhou, you were devoted to the Crown Prince, and he considered you his best friend. It's a pity you went to the military camp so early; since then, I've never seen him be as close to anyone else as he was to you.
Xie Tingzhou's eyes remained calm. "That girl had ulterior motives; she coveted His Highness and wanted to cling to him."
"When the Crown Prince learned that you had been punished, he begged me to let him leave the palace to plead for you, and that's what he said too."
The Empress seemed lost in distant memories. "He was well-mannered and polite from a young age, and never spoke ill of others. That was the first time he had ever spoken ill of someone, and it was a young girl."
When you were disfigured, he wasn't in Beijing. Upon hearing the news, he rushed back overnight. Tingzhou, he considered you a close friend.
"Your Highness's kindness to me is something I will never forget for a single day."
The Empress gazed intently at Xie Tingzhou, "I know you treat him very well, and today's annulment of the engagement was also for his sake."
So, Tingzhou, tell me the truth: did he go to find you when he left the capital back then?
Is it now hidden in your mansion?
But Xie Tingzhou said, "I did look for him, but His Highness left again when I wasn't paying attention."
He looked up at the Empress and asked, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold as to ask, what was the reason for His Highness's departure from the palace? Does Your Majesty know his whereabouts?"
"He didn't tell you?"
The Empress's smile gradually faded, her eyes softening yet sharp.
Xie Tingzhou shook his head, "Your Highness did not say, or perhaps there was no time to say, because when the enemy attacked that day, I went to the battlefield, and by the time I returned, Your Highness had already left."
"He hasn't contacted you at all these years?"
The Empress slowly rose, walked to Xie Tingzhou, stared into his eyes, and continued to press him for answers.
Xie Tingzhou's expression remained unchanged. "Never."
"But some time ago he entered the palace and killed the commander of my palace guards and the commander of the Martial Virtue Division."
During his escape, he apparently hid in the Marquis's carriage. Some time ago, he went to the Star-Picking Pavilion and took away the Blood Lotus Rejuvenating Pill.
That time coincided with the smallpox outbreak in the Marquis's residence. Tingzhou, why does it seem like such a coincidence?
Xie Ting cupped his hands in apology and said, "Your Majesty, I am unaware of this matter. Please enlighten me."
However, His Highness has always been clear about right and wrong; he killed those two people because they deserved to die.
The Queen looked at him in silence for a moment, then smiled again, “You still have the same temperament as when you were a child, but you are more intelligent than before.”
I heard that the Marquis of Zhongyong is very anxious about your marriage and is always worried that your appearance will affect the marriage.
"I recently acquired several bottles of excellent scar-removing cream. Tingzhou, remove your mask and let me see the extent of your injuries."
Xie Tingzhou's heart tightened, and he hesitated, "Your Majesty, my appearance is frightening, and I dare not offend Your Majesty's eyes."
"Take it off. You are a child I watched grow up. I hope you can regain your appearance."
Her voice remained gentle, yet carried a hint of assertiveness: "If you don't remove it, I'll have to do it myself."
Xie Tingzhou pursed his lips into a straight line, and after a moment, he raised his hand to lift the mask.
The empress stared at him without blinking.
The mask was lifted, revealing half of a face crisscrossed with scars, not the face the empress had envisioned.
I guessed wrong; it wasn't true.
The Empress lowered her hands, about to get a better look, when Xie Tingzhou knelt down, "Your Majesty, I have been disrespectful and beg your forgiveness."
No one spoke, only the sound of soft footsteps circling around him. After a long while, the Empress said, "It was I who wanted to see you. What crime have you committed? Get up."
Xie Tingzhou put on his mask and stood up. The Empress gave him several bottles of ointment. As he was about to take his leave, he heard the Empress laugh and say, "Tingzhou, a man should learn to cherish women. You are not getting any younger, it's time to think about marriage."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern. My great-aunt is working on this matter for me."
Not wanting the Empress to interfere in his marriage, Xie Tingzhou added, "She treats me like her own grandson and will surely choose a suitable person for me."
The Empress understood his thoughts and nodded slightly, "In that case, I look forward to your good news."
She paused, then spoke softly, "Given the Crown Prince's affection for you, he will surely return for your wedding. Tingzhou, tell me, on your wedding day, will I be able to see my own son?"
Xie Tingzhou's eyes were as deep as an abyss. "Your Highness, I also long to see you soon, but Your Highness has indeed come to the capital and has not yet appeared."
"I fear there is a reason why I cannot appear; I fear that when I marry, I will disappoint Your Majesty."
The Empress's smile remained unchanged, but her nails dug deeply into her palms. She still hadn't answered Xie Tingzhou's question about why the Crown Prince hadn't returned.
The hall fell silent instantly, the atmosphere eerie.
Xie Tingzhou clenched his fists slightly, deciding to focus solely on Ye Zhen to avoid arousing the Empress's suspicion about his emotional fluctuations.
Finally, it was the Empress who spoke first, "The Crown Prince is the same age as you, and he has reached the age to get married."
He was the eldest brother and had never married, so his two younger brothers couldn't be the first to marry, but they couldn't delay any longer.
"Tingzhou, if he contacts you, please pass on a message for me: even if he doesn't acknowledge me as his mother, he should still shoulder the responsibilities of the crown prince and the elder brother."
"Your humble servant obeys."
Xie Tingzhou bowed and took his leave. As he reached the door, he finally asked, "If the engagement had not been called off today, would Your Majesty have allowed His Highness to marry Ye Wantang?"
The Empress's expression was inscrutable. "Most mothers in the world think their sons are perfect in every way, and I am no exception. Even you think Ye Wantang is not worthy of my Zhao'er, so how could I possibly be interested in Ye Wantang?"
"Then why didn't Your Highness cancel the engagement for His Highness earlier?"
The empress did not answer him again and sat back down in her chair.
Xie Tingzhou waited for a moment, and seeing her close her eyes, he picked up the ointment and left Fengyi Palace.
After he left, the empress slowly opened her eyes.
A moment later, the emperor walked in. "How is it?"
The empress leaned on his shoulder and slowly shook her head.
At first, she suspected that the Crown Prince was hiding in the Marquis's mansion, but she sent people to investigate secretly and found no clues.
Today, as she sat behind the screen, looking at Xie Tingzhou's tall and imposing figure, she suddenly realized that when he stood still, he had a certain air of a prince.
Furthermore, Xie Tingzhou's decision to annul the engagement for the Crown Prince aroused her suspicions: could the person behind the mask be the Crown Prince himself?
After all, Xie Tingzhou has been away from Beijing for many years and often wears a mask when he comes and goes, so it is not impossible for him to be replaced.
But after looking closely, she realized there were no signs of disguise on his face; it was indeed Xie Tingzhou.
This was not the person she was looking for.
The Emperor put his arm around the Empress's shoulder and said, "The Crown Prince values Xie Tingzhou, and perhaps he doesn't want to implicate him. It's understandable that he doesn't want to see him."
That rebellious son, I will find him sooner or later and skin him alive.
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