"I still remember the first time we met. You were like the golden boy in the painting. You were different from my other sons, and you were different from my other brothers." Zhao Zhe approached step by step and said slowly. "Xiao Yi, only in your eyes is there no scheming or flattery. Xiao Yi, I see the beauty of the world in you."
Xiao Yi couldn't help but take a few steps back, his brows furrowing. He felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of being remembered for twenty years.
"Xiao Yi, your actions chill my heart." Zhao Zhe frowned slightly, watching Xiao Yi retreat, his words tinged with displeasure.
"Ha, Your Majesty, you have harmed several of my wives and my unborn child. What do you think I should do?" Xiao Yi sneered, his clenched fist not being thrown was already the greatest restraint he could muster.
“They are all unworthy of you!” Zhao Zhe said frankly. “There is no woman in this world who is worthy of you.”
"What about my child?" Xiao Yi asked, barely able to contain himself. Only then did he realize how utterly depraved Zhao Zhe was.
"The woman who bore your child will haunt you for the rest of your life, and that's not what I want to see," Zhao Zhe said. The words that had been building up in his heart could now be spoken, and even though Xiao Yi saw resentment in his eyes, he felt incredibly relieved.
Xiao Yi took a deep breath. "So, what do you want to do now?"
"Xiao Yi, what would you do if I forced you to?" Zhao Zhe looked at Xiao Yi and asked calmly.
"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. I will never allow myself to be manipulated by the Emperor," Xiao Yi said resolutely.
"I've also thought about how you'll react when you know my thoughts. Sometimes I think, if you're willing, I'd even give up this empire and live in anonymity with you. Xiao Yi, do you understand?"
"I don't want to understand, I don't want to know about the Emperor's disregard for morality and his callous disregard for human life," Xiao Yi said with disgust. "What exactly did the Emperor do to my father? The Prince Rui's mansion has never harbored any rebellious intentions, yet the Emperor treats the Prince Rui's mansion like this. Isn't he afraid of being ridiculed by the world?"
"If I could be completely honest with you and stay with you forever, I wouldn't even want to be emperor. What do I have to fear from criticism?" Zhao Zhe sneered. "I pride myself on being meticulous in my work. I haven't given myself away all these years and have kept a good watchful eye. Why did you all find out this time?"
“If you don’t want anyone to know, then don’t do it in the first place. There was still poison in Shaojun’s body. She was poisoned, not died of illness,” Xiao Yi said with a stern face. “How many people can make a high monk from Xiangguo Temple lie?”
“Something’s still missing. For my uncle to come to the palace in such a fit of rage to question me, there must be solid evidence. I don’t think my uncle is such an impulsive person,” Zhao Zhe said, shaking his head.
"Isn't that enough? What about your cousin? You even went after her, Zhao Zhe, you've gone completely mad!" Xiao Yi scolded.
"Ha, so it was her!" Zhao Zhe sneered. "I gave her face, but she betrayed me. However, this is indeed the style of my elder sister!"
"She can't have her way, and she can't stand to see me doing well either," Zhao Zhe said, his expression turning somewhat mocking. "Xiao Yi, I would never bear to hurt you, but my uncle insulted me, pointing his finger at me and cursing me in front of the guards and eunuchs. What do you tell me to do?"
Xiao Yi gritted his teeth. This was intentional. Zhao Zhe was doing this on purpose, trying to get him to make a certain decision.
"How does Your Majesty intend to deal with this?" Xiao Yi asked in a cold voice.
“My uncle has committed insubordination; even if I were to strip him of his title and reduce him to a commoner, it wouldn’t be too much of a punishment,” Zhao Zhe said. “It’s late tonight; take my uncle back with you!”
Xiao Yi's heart sank; Zhao Zhe was threatening him!
Outside the door, Prince Rui's anxious voice could already be heard.
"Yi'er, Yi'er, are you inside?"
"Father, I'm here, it's alright!" Xiao Yi took a deep breath and walked straight out.
When Prince Rui saw his son emerge unharmed, he was still worried. He looked him up and down before finally asking, "Are you really alright?"
"It's nothing, Father. Let's leave the palace!" Xiao Yi said with a grave expression.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, this servant will escort you out of the palace," the chief eunuch beside the Emperor said with a smile.
Prince Rui and Xiao Yi both had stern faces and remained silent. Outside the palace, Cheng Feng waited in his carriage.
"Son, what did Zhao Zhe say to you?" Prince Rui asked immediately as soon as he got into the carriage.
"The Emperor wants to punish you so that he can use this to blackmail me!" Xiao Yi said truthfully.
"You insolent wretch!" Prince Rui said angrily. "If you're going to punish me, then punish me. Are you going to lock me up in jail or give me a beating?"
"Release me to a commoner!" Xiao Yi said in a deep voice. "Father, do you blame me?"
Prince Rui was stunned for a moment, then immediately started cursing: "You, Zhao Zhe, if you don't want to be a prince, then don't be one! But I would never betray my son! Yi'er, don't worry, no matter what we become, the most important thing is that our family is together!"
Xiao Yi, who was nearing thirty, had tears welling up in his eyes. How fortunate he was to have been born into such a family.
"Once we get back, lock the gates. Zhao Zhe can do whatever he wants with you. He absolutely cannot lay a finger on you." Prince Rui was still somewhat angry. "How could the Zhao family produce such a disgusting fellow!"
Xiao Yi also felt disgusted, especially when he thought about how Zhao Zhe's concern for him in the past was always tinged with ulterior motives, which made him feel nauseous.
Back at the Prince's residence, after Prince Rui told the Princess about the incident, the Princess also launched into a tirade of abuse.
"Your Highness, you must keep a close eye on Yi'er. Don't let Zhao Zhe threaten him!" Princess Rui said anxiously again. "What if he tries to sacrifice himself..."
"No, Yi'er doesn't care about fame or fortune. He knows that for us, his well-being is more important than anything else," Prince Rui said. "Let's wait and see what Zhao Zhe decides!"
In Xiao Yi's courtyard, Hongzhu looked Xiao Yi up and down, making him very uncomfortable.
Why are you looking at me like that?
"See if you've been bullied!" Hongzhu said directly, then covered her mouth and said apologetically, "You're not angry, are you?"
"Hongzhu, if you want me to become his plaything, I'd rather die!" Xiao Yi said heavily. "If I'm no longer the Prince Rui's heir, if you want to leave..."
“I don’t want to leave. I’ve said I don’t want to leave. No matter what your identity becomes, you will always be the man I, Hongzhu, have set my sights on.” Hongzhu interrupted Xiao Yi. “Stop trying to make me leave, okay?”
Xiao Yi smiled, finding Hongzhu rather cute.
The gates of Prince Rui's mansion were closed for three days. Three days later, the imperial edict from the palace arrived!
Prince Rui has committed an act of insubordination, insulting and assaulting the monarch, a crime deserving of death! However, considering the past merits of Prince Rui and his heir, Prince Rui is stripped of his title of prince and granted the title of Prince of Youzhou. Three days later, he and his family will go to Youzhou to guard the city!
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!" Prince Rui gritted his teeth and accepted the imperial edict. Youzhou was a godforsaken place, far from the reach of the emperor.
"Your Highness, this is a letter from His Majesty." The eunuch turned to Xiao Yi and said.
Xiao Yi took the letter and opened it in front of his parents after the people from the palace had left.
"As long as I reign, you shall never return to the capital!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com