Chapter 241: Patricide and Son Killing
That night, Prince Ning, dressed in plain clothes and accompanied by only two confidants, knocked on the palace gate and claimed that he wanted to see the emperor and apologize.
When the news reached the Purple Palace, Xiao Yuancheng had already fallen asleep. Bai De'an carefully woke the emperor to report. Xiao Yuancheng, already in a bad mood after being disturbed from his sleep, heard that Prince Ning was requesting an audience at this time, and a trace of extreme annoyance flashed in his eyes.
"Oh, you understand now?" His voice was hoarse and full of sarcasm. "Let him kneel outside. I want to see how long he can kneel and what tricks he can come up with."
Bai De'an accepted the order and sighed inwardly.
Prince Ning knelt outside the cold palace gates for nearly an hour. The night dew was chilling, and his heart slowly sank into the ice. This long wait and deliberate humiliation only fueled further resentment and extremism.
As expected, he would not show any mercy even to his son.
Finally, an order came from the palace, summoning him in.
When Prince Ning was led into the Zichen Palace, the first thing he smelled was the strong smell of medicine. The bitter taste made him feel a little uneasy. It seemed that he was really sick.
After entering the inner hall and seeing Xiao Yuancheng, Prince Ning felt more confident.
I saw the translucent bed curtain being drawn, and I could vaguely see Xiao Yuancheng half leaning on the bed. I couldn't see his expression clearly, but I could feel the cold gaze in his eyes.
"Your son... deserves to die! I beg for forgiveness, father!" Prince Ning knelt heavily in front of the dragon bed with a thud, knocking his head to the ground. His voice was hoarse and trembling, with a hint of real fear at the end of his road.
This was not entirely acting. Prince Ning was really scared. He was still too naive in front of this emperor who had been in power for more than 20 years.
However, Prince Ning waited for a long time, but the person leaning on the bed did not speak. He became even more panicked and kowtowed again: "Father! I know I was wrong! I was confused for a moment and was blinded by greed! I beg you, Father, for the sake of our father-son relationship, to spare my life!"
Xiao Yuancheng finally spoke, his voice calm and composed, but every word was as sharp as an icy spike: "Before you came, the Censorate had already presented your crimes, one by one, along with all the irrefutable evidence, to me for review."
He raised his hand slightly and pointed to the thick pile of memorials on the small table beside the couch.
"You have embezzled military funds, misappropriated the national treasury, formed cliques for personal gain, and every one of them is shocking. By doing this, you are digging my corner. Do you think I will forgive you? I wish I could cut you into pieces!" He said the last sentence with gritted teeth.
Prince Ning's face turned pale instantly. He hadn't expected his father to already know everything! But the emperor's words made Prince Ning even more angry. He raised his head suddenly, and the grievances and resentment that had been suppressed for a long time suddenly burst out:
"Cut into pieces? Father! How could you say such words to your own son?"
His voice suddenly rose, filled with strong discontent, "Do you still consider me your son? Haha, that's right. You've never liked sons. If I hadn't been lucky enough to be the third child, I'd probably be like the seventh, eighth, and ninth children, barely seeing you a few times a year..."
The more Prince Ning spoke, the more emotional he became. Perhaps he was certain that his impression of Xiao Yuancheng could no longer be restored, and that the throne had nothing to do with him. He spoke out all that had been in his heart for these years.
"I have been talented in both civil and military affairs since I was young. In which aspect am I inferior to my brothers? But you only care about the bravery of the eldest brother and the talent of the second brother. You even take good care of the sickly fourth brother! Not to mention the sixth brother, but what about me? You have always been lukewarm to me! I am also your son! I also need your attention!"
He seemed to be venting years of pent-up resentment, his manner mad as if he wanted to vent. "Doesn't your father bear any responsibility for the situation I've reached today?! If you hadn't always been partial to me, if you hadn't made me feel like I couldn't get your praise no matter what I did, why would I be plotting with you about money? It's all for the future..."
"How dare you!" Xiao Yuancheng was so enraged by these rebellious words that he suddenly sat up straight, coughing violently, his face flushed. "You have evil intentions and have committed heinous crimes, yet you still dare to blame me? You are so unrepentant! I will demote you to a commoner! From now on, you will have nothing to do with me!"
These words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely severing the thin string of "father-son affection" in Prince Ning's heart.
All his pleading, grievances, and performances vanished into thin air at this moment, leaving only utter despair and crazy murderous intent.
The tears in his eyes had not yet dried, but had been replaced by red bloodshot and a hideous look.
Right now!
Prince Ning leaped up like a trapped beast in despair! He drew out the short blade hidden in his sleeves and, with all his resentment and resentment, stabbed it straight into the heart of the ruthless emperor!
The translucent curtain was pushed down with great force, and the slight obstruction it provided gave Xiao Yuancheng a chance to dodge, and he rolled sideways.
Phew!
The fatal knife failed to pierce the heart, but pierced Xiao Yuancheng's right shoulder blade. Blood gushed out instantly, staining the bright yellow pajamas red!
"Protect the emperor!"
Bai De'an had retreated to the pearl curtain not far away. Such a loud noise made him scream instantly. He immediately stepped forward and hugged King Ning's waist tightly, preventing him from moving forward an inch.
The guards outside the hall wanted to rush in but were entangled with the confidants brought by Prince Ning. However, there were still several eunuchs in the hall. Prince Ning was like a mad tiger and wanted to make a finishing move, but was stopped by several eunuchs and was quickly subdued and pinned to the ground.
"Rebellious son! You rebellious son!" Xiao Yuancheng covered his bleeding shoulder, shocked and angry, his face distorted by pain and rage.
He looked at his son who was pinned to the ground and still struggling and screaming, looked at the blood that kept gushing out of his shoulder, and thought of Prince An's previous words of rebellion. An unprecedented anger and fear rushed to his head.
He suddenly pushed away Bai De'an who was supporting him, staggered a few steps to the wall, and with a "clang" sound, he drew out the hanging emperor's sword!
"Your Majesty! No!" Bai De'an and the leader of the secret guards exclaimed.
But Xiao Yuancheng, in anger and fear, had lost control. He held his sword and walked up to the suppressed King Ning.
"I will kill you, you evil son!" Xiao Yuancheng roared.
Prince Ning raised his head, his eyes filled with mad hatred and unwillingness. He roared, not willing to be outdone, "Kill me! If you kill me, you will be an emperor who will go down in history. Hahahaha, do you think the reputation of 'killing your son' is okay?"
Prince Ning's hoarse laughter echoed in the hall, full of vicious sarcasm and desperate provocation.
This sentence was like the sharpest sting, piercing Xiao Yuancheng's most sensitive and concerned nerve! He had pursued power all his life, and in his later years he longed for immortality and a good reputation after his death. King Ning's ridicule accurately hit his sore spot.
"Shut up! I am the Son of Heaven! I killed traitors, traitors, and beasts who plotted rebellion and murdered their father!"
Veins bulged on Xiao Yuancheng's forehead, his rationality completely devoured by rage. He raised the Emperor's Sword high in his hand, and there was no longer any father-son affection in his eyes, only the emperor's absolute coldness towards rebellion and a hint of shame and anger at having his secrets revealed.
But King Ning still didn't believe that Xiao Yuancheng would really take action. He raised his head and looked at Xiao Yuancheng stubbornly, and then his smile stopped abruptly.
"puff--!"
The sharp blade stabbed down mercilessly, piercing Prince Ning's chest accurately.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
