The crown prince, who had been missing for many years, suddenly returned, as if dropping a thunderbolt into the imperial estate.
All the officials who were bombed rushed to the Emperor and Empress's Renshou Hall.
Amidst the clamor of footsteps, the Empress looked at her son, whom she hadn't seen for many years.
Her hair was tied with a jade hairpin, meticulously styled.
Dressed in white, with a bright and jade-like appearance and straight shoulders, he appeared as elegant and refined as a pine tree.
He had grown into a grown man, with eyebrows like ink paintings, clear and gentle eyes, calm and gentle, just like his gentle appearance before.
But upon closer inspection, it's different. Deep, dark eyes conceal a cool indifference, with a sharp, piercing edge at the corners, like a thousand-year-old glacier forged by cold.
The Empress's heart skipped a beat, and her hands trembled slightly.
She and her son can never go back to what they used to be.
But she did come back after all.
Her brows relaxed. "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Have you recovered?"
The crown prince has not appeared in public for many years, and now that he has returned, he must find a reason for his disappearance over the past few years.
The Empress's words were a way of telling everyone that the Crown Prince had been recuperating from an illness for the past few years.
The emperor agreed, "Now that you've recovered, you must come back and share my burdens so I can relax a bit."
Xie Tingzhou understood the meaning behind their words, so he knelt down and kowtowed three times to the Emperor and Empress, saying, "Greetings, Father and Mother. I, Zhaolin, am unfilial and have been away from home for many years. I am grateful for your concern."
"It's not your fault."
The Queen's voice was taut, like a rubber band stretched to its limit.
She wanted to say that it was all her mother's fault for not discovering the villain's conspiracy, which severely injured you, causing you to narrowly escape death and wander from place to place.
So leaving home is not your fault.
But what he finally said was, "Get up."
The emperor, however, stepped forward with a smile and helped Crown Prince Zhaolin up. "Get up quickly. Kneeling will only make you sick. Otherwise, you'll just be trying to stay home and avoid work. I won't allow that."
The crown prince rose to his feet and said, "Thank you, Father."
The emperor had been strict and distant towards him in the past, though there had been two such moments.
A person who has been neglected since childhood is suddenly treated with a smile by his father's killer. He thinks the emperor is just putting on an act for the world.
Today, setting aside the grudges of the previous generation and his status as the crown prince, he actually saw a genuine sincerity in him.
Could it be that even the royal family extends their affection to everything related to the family?
But at least it can be confirmed that the emperor was not the one who harmed him all these years, and the aloofness in the crown prince's eyes has faded somewhat.
The emperor was also very pleased. He felt that his son had no hostility towards him and that he might have already found out the truth about what happened back then, which was why he had shown up at this time.
His eldest son was smarter than most people from a young age.
Once everyone has left, he needs to ask them properly.
No, we can't let him ask. The child doesn't know his true parentage and will think he's his stepfather, so he'll be wary of him. We need to have the Empress come.
The mother and son were also able to take the opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding.
Thinking this, the emperor smiled and sat back down at the head of the table. His smile was genuine, but it confused all the ministers.
Didn't they want to reinstate a crown prince a while ago?
Why is she so affectionate towards the Crown Prince, and even asks him to help share the burden?
However, after a moment of confusion, they came to a conclusion: the emperor did want to reinstate the crown prince, but he still had to put on a show.
After all, the prerequisite for re-establishing a successor is to first abolish the previous successor. It's not good to just abolish it directly; you have to deal with it superficially and find a pretext in secret.
Otherwise, what kind of foolish man would choose his wife's child over his own two sons?
Having made up their minds, they each started to plan.
Knowing their character, the emperor dismissed them after a few greetings and pleasantries, leaving only the two princes.
Prince Ning had long since lost his temper. "Where did you hide? And why did you hit me?"
He never forgot the scene of being pinned to the bed and beaten by the Crown Prince in the middle of the night, and he vowed to get his revenge.
But seeing the Crown Prince's expression darken, even more imposing than the Emperor's, he became somewhat intimidated. "I didn't do anything to wrong you, yet you beat me like that."
Prince Yun also asked, "Where has my royal brother been all these years? Father and Mother have been sending people to look for you."
The emperor and empress also looked at him; they both wanted to know.
The prince smiled slightly, "I have no fixed abode, just trying to survive."
His expression was calm, and his voice was low and gentle, as if he were talking about something unrelated.
The Empress's eyes instantly reddened.
Prince Ning said awkwardly, "Go home, you'll be safe at home..."
His mother kept a record of him every day.
"Alright, you mustn't be disrespectful to your elder brother."
The Empress's words carried a hint of authority.
In order to catch the mastermind behind the scenes, the Emperor and Empress did not tell the two princes the whole truth about the autumn hunt.
The Empress felt even more guilty towards her eldest son after hearing what Prince Ning said. Was it that the child didn't want to go home? Or was it that he had a home but couldn't go home?
It's all because of their foolish parents.
Fearing that Prince Ning might say something that would hurt his eldest son, the Empress quickly spoke up to stop him.
The Crown Prince remained calm as he looked at his two younger brothers and returned to the Prince of Ning's initial question, "Do you really not know why you were beaten?"
Prince Ning shook his head seriously, then hesitated and asked, "Is it because I followed Xie Tingzhou that he asked you to attack us?"
King Yun also looked at him, his eyes seeking clarification.
Seeing the two of them like this, the Crown Prince thought of what Xie Jinyao had recorded.
Prince Ning died, Prince Yun was crippled, the emperor passed away, and the empire fell into the hands of others.
He didn't know why the emperor had met with misfortune, but the two princes' tragic fate was related to their usual inaction.
Prince Ning, in particular, was practically brainless and completely ignorant of the dangers of the world. They were too well protected by the Emperor and Empress.
"I am beating you because you, as princes, enjoy royal honors and are worshipped by the people, yet you have failed to shoulder the responsibilities you should bear."
He would never reveal the real reason why he beat up Prince Ning and his men.
Prince Ning replied, "Two tigers cannot share one mountain. With Father Emperor and you, that's enough. We won't."
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