Happy Spring Every Year

Chapter 251: Betrayal and separation

Everyone retreated far away. When Eunuch Fushun saw that Gu Xizhi couldn't stand up after trying several times, he pointed to two eunuchs to carry her away as well.

Prince Rui's voice could still be faintly heard in the hall. Eunuch Fushun tugged his hands into his sleeves, and a rare flash of anxiety and confusion flashed in his eyes.

But after a moment, he called a young eunuch beside him and whispered something in his ear.

Upon hearing this, the young eunuch nodded and left quickly. He was calm and steady without saying a word. It was obvious that he was a confidant trained by Eunuch Fushun himself.

Seeing the little eunuch's figure disappear at the end of the palace road, Eunuch Fushun breathed a sigh of relief. When he withdrew his gaze, he unexpectedly met Jiang Xun's inquiring eyes.

Fu Shun shuddered violently, and quickly gathered his thoughts. He nodded nonchalantly at Jiang Xun, then clasped his hands together, lowered his head to look at his toes, and stood respectfully outside the hall.

At the same time, inside the palace.

Emperor Sheng looked down at Zhao Huailang, but did not answer Zhao Huailang's question. He just asked in a deep voice:

"Second brother, are these your true words?"

Zhao Huailang saw that his words, which he had shouted at the top of his lungs, only received such an indifferent and calm response from Emperor Sheng, and the breath that had gathered in his heart suddenly dissipated.

He shrugged his shoulders, and at this moment he didn't know whether to cry or laugh, so his face was distorted, looking neither amusing nor crying.

Even the smallest stone thrown into a lake can create ripples, but people who are not cared for cannot cause the slightest ripple even if they risk their lives to shout.

tired.

Really tired.

"Father, the Cui family has fallen, my mother is under house arrest, and I have rebelled against my superiors. You can rest assured that I am no longer a threat to Ye'er."

"As long as Your Majesty can spare the lives of My Mother, Concubine Zhen, and Mu'er, I will delegitimize, imprison, execute, or chop them into pieces. I will do whatever Your Majesty decides."

Zhao Huailang said this and bowed deeply.

There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart. Zhao Huailang expressed his final grievances in a very calm tone.

At this moment, Emperor Sheng's brows were still filled with emotion.

But he was very clear in his mind that this son... could no longer stay in the court.

But before that, he had to let the second brother know that he was not as ruthless as he said, and that the current situation was caused by him being really stupid!

"You've also read Cui Daoyuan's confession. What did you find out?"

Such an abrupt sentence made Zhao Huailang, who was heartbroken, look up in surprise.

Emperor Sheng met Zhao Huailang's suspicious gaze and added quietly, "When did I ever say that I would leave the crown prince position to Ye'er?"

Zhao Huailang responded almost subconsciously: "Isn't it——"

But halfway through the words, he suddenly fell silent.

Because he knew in his heart that his father never said useless words.

But apart from Ye'er, the third brother has been imprisoned for life. Could it be... him?

joke!

If the emperor truly favored him, then what did the cold treatment he'd received over the past twenty years mean? What did his initial backtracking mean? What did his recent confinement of my mother and his attempts to eliminate the Cui family mean?

Push him to the brink of death, beat him up, and finally tell him that the top of the mountain is just below the cliff?

Zhao Huailang laughed dumbly, and asked almost in a self-deprecating tone, "Father, are you going to pass the throne of crown prince to your son?"

Emperor Sheng's eyes were deep, and he said calmly, "What if I had really intended this before today?"

Having said this, Emperor Sheng flicked his sleeves, turned around and walked to the desk, and threw the confession documents that were already neatly stacked on it in front of Zhao Huailang again.

"Second Brother, why do you think Cui Daoyuan confessed his guilt so readily this time?"

"You've been fooled around by others and you're still unaware of it. Compared to Jiang Xun, whether in terms of intelligence or character, you're really far behind!"

This sentence was like thunder, sharp, cold and merciless, making Zhao Huailang shiver uncontrollably.

He raised his head in embarrassment, and heard the deeper meaning behind such derogatory and accusatory words.

Is Zhao Huailang stupid?

No, he's not stupid at all.

For example, at this moment, from the few words of Emperor Sheng, he came up with a guess that contradicted his own cognition for the past twenty years, and also vaguely glimpsed the truth behind this game -

The emperor favored him, but Jiang Xun and Lin Lao tried their best to stop him. Even though his grandfather was imprisoned, he still risked his life to help him.

But he...had fallen into a trap, with no chance of escape.

That’s it, that’s it!

Emperor Sheng saw Zhao Huailang's expression changing several times and knew that he must have guessed the truth behind it.

At this moment, Emperor Sheng's expression eased a little. He lowered his eyes and waited for Zhao Huailang to burst into tears and confess to him, confessing his guilt for his outspokenness and disobedience just now.

However, Zhao Huailang supported himself on the ground with his hands but did not respond for a long time.

Emperor Sheng frowned and stepped forward, only to discover that there were tear marks on the floor tiles in front of Zhao Huailang.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Huailang laughed inexplicably, and the laughter became louder and louder, even reaching outside the hall.

He was clearly laughing, but one could hear a deep and unshakable sadness in his voice, which made people feel creepy.

"Father, I should be grateful, right?"

The laughter stopped abruptly, Zhao Huailang suddenly raised his head, his eyes were red, and his face was full of naked resentment and madness.

"You are testing me with the lives of my mother and grandfather? If I remain indifferent and turn a blind eye, I would be no different from an animal!"

"Will Your Majesty then use my coldness and ruthlessness as an excuse to become dissatisfied with me, and then set up one test after another until I am exhausted like my eldest brother, or imprisoned for life like my third brother? Only then will Your Majesty be satisfied! And stop!"

"When you were ruthlessly annihilating the Cui family, did you ever consider that it was the Cui family who risked their lives to help you ascend to the throne?"

"If your Majesty gives the throne to anyone, I will not be satisfied. I also hope that your Majesty will live forever, but in this world, birth, old age, sickness and death are inevitable, and no one can escape them!"

"Father, please look back. Back then, there was the Imperial Grandfather, the Consort Chen, and Uncle Rong. Later, there was the Empress, and my elder brother. Now, there is the Consort Shu, and my third brother. There is also my mother, my grandfather, and I!"

"How many lives and lifetimes will you have to sacrifice before you are willing to give up this throne, this position of crown prince?"

"test?"

Zhao Huailang's voice became louder and louder, and at this point, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

He knelt straight, met Emperor Sheng's gaze without flinching or avoiding it, his face showing madness and determination, and he raised his lips and said:

"Pushing people into desperate situations and then testing their humanity, Father, ask yourself, if you were in their shoes today, would you be able to pass your own test?"

"So, in the final analysis, it's you, Father, who is suspicious by nature, ungrateful, selfish, and power-hungry. You are the instigator of all this!"

"If a father is unkind, the family will be in chaos; if a ruler is unwise, the country will be in trouble. Father, please open your eyes and see what it means to be torn apart by wife and children, to be deserted by friends and relatives! Why is there so much weeping and bloodshed in the palace, and discord between ruler and ministers?"

what--

When Zhao Huailang's voice reached its highest point, it turned into a short and shrill scream.

Then he fell backwards and spit out a mouthful of blood.

Emperor Sheng had not yet retracted his outstretched foot, his eyes were glaring, his face was flushed, and his blood was boiling.

In a rage, he kicked Zhao Huailang in the heart with all his strength.

Seeing the bright red bloodstains spreading on the floor tiles, Emperor Sheng suddenly felt a sharp pain in front of his eyes. He staggered and stepped back repeatedly until his waist rested on the jade table and he was able to stand firmly.

He was breathing rapidly, his heart was beating like a drum, and a feeling of depression lingered in his chest. He was about to shout angrily, but at this moment, Zhao Huailang's face turned pale and he actually propped himself up and vomited blood.

Emperor Sheng finally panicked and raised his hand to call the imperial physician, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his vision went dark.