"No, I didn't! I have a conscience and remember my mother's kindness in raising me, so I want to help her get revenge!" the Ninth Prince roared at Hong Xiaoduo.
After catching her breath, she sobbed and cried out again, "No matter how you say she's insidious, she was genuinely good to me. How could you erase the kindness she showed me for over eight years just because of one sentence from you?"
Everyone around, from the emperor to the eunuchs and guards, frowned upon hearing this, unsure of how to offer any advice.
Hong Xiaoduo stepped forward with a smile. Just as Eunuch Fu was about to stop her, saying, "Don't make things worse. The Ninth Prince is currently out of control. Shouldn't we be thinking about how to appease him and persuade him to calm down?"
She's just adding fuel to the fire. If the Ninth Prince really commits suicide or jumps into the well, how can she bear the responsibility?
The emperor shook his head at Eunuch Fu, signaling him to mind his own business.
"Oh dear, Ninth Prince, you're eight years old this year, you should be old enough to understand things, how come you're still so unable to distinguish right from wrong? You should be filial and not forget the good things your mother did for you."
For power and status, she was willing to sacrifice even her own daughter. That child has been in the cold palace with your biological mother for the past few years, and she hasn't taken care of her at all. You must have seen that child, right? She's skin and bones, not even as good as a beggar on the street.
What does it mean if she's good to you? She doesn't even love her own children, so why would she love you?
Some of what I'm about to say may be too cruel for you, but I still have to tell you that the reason you became Consort Na Yun's son is simply because you are a boy, and your birth date is the same as her daughter's.
In other words, even if you were born a girl, you couldn't become the son of Consort Yun.
To her, you were nothing more than a tool in her scheme. If you had been a girl back then, she would have found a suitable boy outside the palace; what business would it have been of yours?
"The only reason she's been good to you all these years is because you're useful to her. If she had given birth to a prince in the last few years, I guarantee she would still be good to you, even better. She would protect you even if you made a mistake, instead of scolding you. But, almost certainly, you'll have an accident someday. It might not be fatal, maybe you'll be crippled, disfigured, or something. In short, she just wants to make sure you're not made crown prince." Hong Xiaoduo stopped smiling and slowly walked forward as she spoke.
The Ninth Prince shook his head as he listened, tears welling in his eyes as he cried out in resentment, "Impossible! You woman, don't be so treacherous and despicable! My mother wouldn't do that, it's not like that."
As the Ninth Prince roared, tears streamed down his face.
Hong Xiaoduo showed no mercy and continued in a louder voice, "Do you think Consort Yun is innocent? You are grateful and can't forget the so-called good she did for you, but what about your biological mother, Empress Gao? What does she mean to you?"
Just because she hasn't raised you for over eight years, do you think you have absolutely no feelings for her and that she deserves it?
What did she do wrong? Just because she was the empress, she blocked the path to advancement for some greedy people, and was thus framed and sent to the cold palace. The prince she had carried for ten months was stolen and replaced. Even in the cold palace, she was given a slow poison, with the intention of killing her.
And you, her own son, keep saying you can't forget the eight years of nurturing kindness. Ninth Prince, you actually speak out for the enemy who caused you to be separated from your own mother. Is that a chamber pot on your neck? What's inside it?
An eight-year-old child who can't distinguish between good and evil?
Want to die? Then hurry up and do it. A fool like you is just a waste of food to live in this world.
Let me tell you, if you want to die, using that hairpin to stab yourself might not be very safe. You have to find the artery and stab it in. To be on the safe side, it would be best to throw yourself into the well at the same time. I think the well opening isn't very big, so it won't be easy to retrieve. By the time you pull it out, you'll probably be completely dead.
"However, I don't think it's necessary to go through the trouble of retrieving it. After you, Ninth Prince, throw yourself into the well, just have your father order it filled in. Then, put up a large stone in front of the well with the words 'Tomb of a fool who can't distinguish between good and evil and recognizes a thief as his mother.' That way, it can serve as a warning to your brothers, sisters, and other relatives. It won't be a waste of your life." Hong Xiaoduo said, while observing the Ninth Prince's reaction, completely unaware of the facial expressions of the others around her.
The Empress, who had just arrived from a short distance away, was moved to tears upon hearing this.
Clearly, Hong Xiaoduo's reversed words were effective with the Ninth Prince.
He put down the hairpin he was holding and burst into tears, feeling utterly helpless.
He wasn't incapable of distinguishing between good and evil. After learning that his mother was not his biological mother, but the one who harmed her, he was completely stunned. How could things have turned out like this?
Before he could figure it out, he heard that his mother had been given a death sentence.
Then, Granny Yao kept saying in his ear that the kindness of raising someone is greater than the kindness of giving birth to them. When no one else was around, she would often talk about how good Consort Yun had been to him. When he was three years old, he had a fever, and Consort Yun stayed up all night to take care of him. When he was five years old, he was frightened and had nightmares frequently at night. Consort Yun braved the heavy snow to go to Huguo Temple to pray for his safety and well-being.
Six years old... seven years old...
Yao Mama's words made him not even dare to think about whether the Consort was right or wrong. If he thought about it even for a moment, he would feel that he had lost his conscience!
Just then, taking advantage of the Ninth Prince's distraction, Hong Xiaoduo strode forward, snatched the hairpin from his hand, and threw it far away.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she would surely pull the Ninth Prince away from the well, the next moment, the scene before their eyes stunned them all.
Hong Xiaoduo did grab the Ninth Prince's body, but instead of pulling him away from the well, she turned the child upside down and held him by the ankles, suspending him above the well opening.
The young eunuchs were so frightened that their legs went weak and they collapsed to their knees.
Eunuch Fu, covered in a cold sweat, glanced at the Emperor beside him. He saw that the Emperor's expression was equally grim, but the Emperor still made no move to stop him. Well then! Even the Ninth Prince's own father, the Emperor, wasn't worried, so why should he, a mere eunuch, be in such a hurry?
"You crazy woman, let go of me, what are you going to do?" The Ninth Prince was terrified when he suddenly fell headfirst.
"What am I doing? Isn't it obvious? His Highness isn't going to die. I'm just doing you a favor and seeing him off on his final journey," Hong Xiaoduo sneered.
The words just now felt a little too intense, like they were missing just a tiny bit of spark.
"Father, please save your son!" The Ninth Prince, standing upside down, was unable to analyze the situation calmly like an adult and frantically pleaded for help.
“Having a son like you who can’t distinguish right from wrong and mistakes a thief for his mother is a disgrace to your father. Why would he save you? What I hate most is a brat like you who threatens people with death,” Hong Xiaoduo said sarcastically, while lowering her hand.
The Ninth Prince, whose forehead was practically touching the well's edge, was now truly regretting his actions. Why did he have to provoke this madman?
"Young Lady Hong, don't frighten him. Ming'er is kind-hearted, and it's understandable that he can't accept this sudden change. Give him some time; he'll understand." The Empress, seeing her son in such a precarious situation, felt extremely distressed and quickly came over to plead for him…
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