In the noisy night, the fine silver charcoal in the copper incense burner was burning brightly, just like Li Qingchen's anger at this moment.
He was clearly a man who rarely got angry, and he could usually handle life-or-death situations calmly and composedly. But now, listening to Li Zizhuo's incessant chatter, he felt as if his internal organs were on fire for no apparent reason.
However, Li Zizhuo remained oblivious, continuing his defense: "That little bitch surnamed Wei has your weakness, which is like holding the Achilles' heel of our entire Qiaochuan Prince's Mansion! Once her father is found guilty, she will definitely expose your treasonous crimes to atone for her sins! At that time, it won't just be you, Li Qingchen, who will die, but everyone in the Qiaochuan Prince's Mansion!"
"So tell me, how can I not get involved? If we rely on you, the entire Qiaochuan Prince's Mansion will be lost, and what's the point of restoring the kingdom then!"
"So, you're not planning to let her go?" Li Qingchen looked at Li Zizhuo quietly, his deep eyes as unfathomable as a bottomless abyss.
Li Zizhuo sneered and placed his hand on Li Qingchen's shoulder: "Li Qingchen, put away your womanly compassion and stop getting in my way!"
As he said this, Li Zizhuo tightened his grip on Li Qingchen's shoulder, revealing a fierce determination.
Li Qingchen raised his hand and easily shook off Li Zizhuo's hand. Li Zizhuo tried to reach out again, but Li Qingchen struck a pressure point on his elbow, causing Li Zizhuo's right arm to jerk and become numb, unable to resist. Taking advantage of the situation, Li Qingchen forced him against a nearby cabinet, grabbed his neck, and shoved his upper body into the open cabinet!
The fight between the two was decided in an instant.
"Li—"
As soon as Li Zizhuo opened his mouth, Li Qingchen casually tossed something into it, which immediately got stuck in his throat! He couldn't spit it out, nor would he swallow it, but the thing melted very quickly in his mouth, and soon Li Zizhuo tasted a bitter flavor.
"Mmm..."
Li Zizhuo grunted a few times, but even though he couldn't utter a single word clearly, Li Qingchen still understood that he wanted to ask what he had fed him.
Li Qingchen was too lazy to tell him, but instead used the hand gripping his neck to smooth the pill down his throat. Li Zizhuo's eyes widened in horror, unable to stop the pill from sliding down his throat and into his stomach.
This caused Li Zizhuo to cough a series of times, but his neck was still tightly gripped by Li Qingchen's large hand, so he couldn't turn over, and the pills he had swallowed had no chance to be coughed up.
Only now did Li Zizhuo realize that his younger brother, who had kept a low profile in Qiaochuan, had secretly mastered such martial arts skills that he was completely powerless to resist.
“Li Zizhuo, you are arrogant and reckless. How much trouble have you caused for the Qiaochuan Prince’s Mansion over the years? Yet today you stand before me, righteously claiming to be doing this for the sake of the Qiaochuan Prince’s Mansion! In truth, you want to kill her, but you only think that this will hurt me.”
Two bright flames seemed to ignite in Li Qingchen's eyes, burning fiercely, and words, low yet authoritative, slowly spilled from his mouth.
“The wooden sword my father gave me when I was a child was a treasure I cherished, but because you never had one, I secretly cut it in half. And the tassel my mother made for me, which I always carried with me, you bribed the servants in my courtyard to cut it to pieces while I was undressing and bathing!”
“From childhood to adulthood, whatever I valued, you had to destroy it for me with your own hands. Where does your hatred come from? Is it because an imperial edict ruined your and your mother's bright future, so you will regard me as your enemy for the rest of your life?”
Li Zizhuo's face was flushed red, as if it could bleed. It was unclear whether it was because of these words that he was dissatisfied, or because of swallowing that pill.
Li Qingchen deliberately loosened his grip, and Li Zizhuo was finally able to speak.
“Li Qingchen…do you know that before your mother came to Qiaochuan by imperial decree, your father promised that whichever of the two concubines gave birth to the eldest son first would be made the principal wife?! As a result, your mother gave birth to me, the eldest son, before Concubine Bai, but your mother appeared at the Qiaochuan Prince’s Mansion with an imperial decree!”
Today, Li Zizhuo was forced into a corner, so he simply let out all the hatred he had been holding in for many years.
"Your mother cut off my mother's path to becoming a concubine, and you cut off my path to inheriting the title... Everyone calls you 'Little Prince,' but those three words feel like slaps to my face! The position of heir apparent should clearly be mine!"
Listening to Li Zizhuo's complaints, Li Qingchen only sneered and asked him, "Then do you know why your father refuses to make you the heir apparent?"
"Isn't it because you're the legitimate wife and I'm a concubine's wife?!"
"You're wrong." Li Qingchen released the hand that was binding Li Zizhuo's neck, freeing him.
Li Zizhuo rubbed his stinging neck and struggled to sit up. But facing Li Qingchen, he felt it was better to be restrained by him than before. After all, he couldn't resist then, but now that he had regained his mobility, not resisting would be admitting defeat, yet he couldn't win a fight…
To avoid this awkward situation, Li Zizhuo had no choice but to earnestly ask him for advice in order to divert his attention: "Why is that?"
Li Qingchen stood with his hands behind his back, looking composed, but Li Zizhuo always felt that there was a hint of disdain in his gaze.
"During the time of the Qiao Kingdom, Emperor Yuan did not establish the eldest son born to the Empress as the Crown Prince, but instead established the eldest son born to the Virtuous Consort. Emperor Yuan once said, 'Establish the eldest son, not the legitimate son.' Later, after this Crown Prince ascended the throne, he neither established his legitimate son nor his eldest son as the Crown Prince. Instead, he established the Third Prince, who was neither the legitimate nor the eldest son. This is what is meant by 'Establishing the eldest son or the legitimate son is not as good as establishing the virtuous son.'"
"Given these precedents from our ancestors, it's clear that Father's decision not to make you the heir has little to do with whether you are legitimate or illegitimate."
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