"Third Prince!" the Empress Dowager rebuked sternly.
He Shunsu looked calmly at the Emperor. The Emperor frowned as he looked at the two who were almost at each other's throats. After hesitating for a long time, he said, "Third brother, you speak!"
"He Shunsu, if you dare to spout nonsense, believe me, you'll never be allowed to live in the capital again!" The Empress Dowager was truly enraged. Upon hearing this, she began to reprimand the Third Prince right in front of the Emperor.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's unusual behavior, the Emperor frowned and asked, "Empress Mother, is there some misunderstanding between you and the Third Prince? Why are you suddenly so angry?"
The Empress Dowager ignored the Emperor and continued to glare at He Shunsu with a frown.
He Shunsu wasn't afraid, since he had already prepared for the worst.
He stroked his chin and smiled faintly, saying, "Brother, let me tell you a story. A man fell in love with a woman when he was young, but because of his status, he did not marry her. The woman was heartbroken and stole all of the man's things. She even wrote him a letter, mocking him for never having been interested in him and for only coveting his money!"
"At the time, the man was young and impetuous, and already of high status. After seeing the letter, he was extremely angry and sent a large group of people to conduct a thorough search. Eventually, they forced the woman to the riverbank. Seeing that there was no way out, the woman finally jumped into the river!"
"Over the years, this man had never married and always felt guilty towards this woman. By chance, he discovered that the woman had his child, but in the end, due to some reason, he did not acknowledge the child!"
"The man thought he would never see the woman he loved again in his life, but unexpectedly, he saw her again by a twist of fate. He was overjoyed. After countless days and nights, he finally persuaded her again, and she returned to his arms. He was very happy and prepared to marry her and give her a proper status. However, the woman was worried that her status would bring him criticism, so she refused the marriage and decided to stay with him forever!"
At this point, He Shunsu suddenly stopped. He glanced at the Emperor, whose brows were deeply furrowed, and asked, "Your Majesty, do you think this man should publicly acknowledge his woman's identity? Should he give her a formal title?"
"This..." The Emperor hadn't expected He Shunsu to come to him to discuss such trivial matters of love and romance, but out of consideration for his brother, he couldn't refuse. He stroked his chin and replied, "If that's truly the case, then women should indeed be given a title!"
"He Shunsu, speak your mind! Do you think your imperial brother is like you, spending his days traveling and indulging in pleasures and neglecting his duties? What do you mean by saying these things? Your imperial brother still has many things to deal with!" The Empress Dowager was not stupid; how could she not understand the meaning behind He Shunsu's words? In fact, she was more afraid that He Shunsu would reveal her secrets, so she scolded him angrily.
Faced with the Empress Dowager's reprimand, He Shunsu simply smiled and looked at the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, may I continue?"
The Empress Dowager's sudden change in mood and the hidden meaning in He Shunsu's words caused the Emperor to frown deeply. He looked at He Shunsu and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright, you may continue!"
He Shunsu smiled faintly, gave the Empress Dowager a meaningful look, and said, "Later, this man met his child again and wanted to reunite with him. However, the child was being well taken care of by his adoptive mother. In the end, after discussing it, they respected the child's wishes and let him stay with his adoptive mother. Everyone felt that the matter was perfectly resolved when the man's mother suddenly jumped out..."
"Enough, He Shunsu! What do you mean by that? Isn't it right that I don't allow the royal bloodline to be disrupted?" The Empress Dowager couldn't hold back any longer. She slammed her hand on the phoenix chair, stood up, her eyebrows furrowed, and glared at him as she reprimanded him.
Upon seeing the expressions of the Empress Dowager and He Shunsu, the Emperor immediately understood most of the matter. He looked at He Shunsu with a stern face and asked, "Is the man in your story you? And is that woman your former lover?"
He Shunsu did not deny it and nodded generously. He continued slowly, "Yes, but that was not a fleeting affair. She was the woman of my life, and that child was our child. But my mother, the Empress, repeatedly tried to assassinate him under the pretext of disrupting the royal bloodline! She wanted to kill him!"
“That child is only six years old. What can a six-year-old understand!” He Shunsu’s emotions became somewhat agitated as he finished speaking.
The Emperor nodded, having formed his own thoughts. He glanced at He Shunsu and asked, "Where is this child now?"
“An Gongren has already taken the child back to Lujia Village. Back then, Aqi entrusted the child to An Gongren. If it weren’t for that time in Yecheng, I’m afraid I would have really missed it. Later, I also threatened An Gongren in private, but in the end, I was moved by her persistence!” He Shunsu explained.
The Emperor was quite surprised after hearing this. He never expected that Jiang from Lujia Village could get involved in everything.
"I met Consort An before, and she promised me that she would never bring her child here again. She broke her promise, so don't blame me for being ruthless!" The Empress Dowager had returned to normal and said expressionlessly with a stern face.
"Your Majesty, have you considered this child? He is your grandson!" He Shunsu looked at the Empress Dowager with slightly angry eyes.
"Nonsense! That's not my imperial grandson! It's your own bastard child from your philandering!" The Empress Dowager retorted, frowning.
"Look at your brother's harem, which concubine isn't from a respectable and illustrious family! And look at that wild woman beside you! Shameless!" The Empress Dowager's words were harsh, but they were no longer important to He Shunsu. From the moment he stepped into the capital, he had already abandoned his identity as the Third Prince.
He watched as the emperor knelt, then suddenly knelt down, removed his hat, untied his token, and placed it on the ground, saying to the emperor, "This humble subject takes his leave!"
At this point, He Shunsu seemed to remember something and continued, "Before I left, I captured the two Western Region assassins, who are waiting outside the palace. If Your Majesty wishes to know the details, please move to the outside of the palace to avoid disturbing the Empress Dowager's dignity!"
After saying this, He Shunsu stood up, turned around, and left the Empress Dowager's palace.
Seeing this, the Emperor had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow He Shunsu out.
"Third brother! Third brother! What are you doing! How can a son argue with his mother!" The Emperor felt a pang of heartache as he looked at his younger brother, who had lost his hat and token.
He Shunsu glanced at Xiao Hai kneeling on the ground and said to Xiao Hai, "You go back first!"
Xiao Hai placed the bound Western Region man aside, bowed, and left.
"Your Majesty is only doing this for your own good. Mother and son should not hold grudges overnight!" The Emperor quickly comforted her, seeing that there were no outsiders present.
"I'll send someone to return the things to you. I'll help you resolve this matter! Don't be so petty anymore. Announcing it to the world is definitely not an option. Even if you don't care about your status as the Third Prince, you still have to consider the face of the royal family, don't you?" The Emperor continued to persuade He Shunsu when he remained silent.
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