"You—!" Su Yaogeng’s few words left Prince An speechless, and he finally had to stick his neck out and say, "Victory makes a king; defeat makes a bandit. Anyway, I’m all alone. Do as you wish—kill or cut!"
Prince An indeed had nothing to say. True, he couldn’t stand idly by and watch as his years of efforts in the Southern Land turned to ashes. He never intended to beco Emperor, nor did he want to rebel, but he still wished to live a life in the Southern Land where the sky was high and the Emperor was afar. It’s a gamble with the changing of each Emperor and his ministers; if he bet wrong, he would end up like now — the victor becos the king, the defeated a bandit!
Anyway, there was nothing left for him to fear. The He Family now only had him left. Since the mont he raised his army to rebel, he had already put life and death aside!
The Emperor sighed deeply, "I had originally thought that summoning you back this ti, you would understand my intentions, hand over your military power, and retire peacefully. You are getting on in years; it’s ti to enjoy your twilight years. I also hoped that after my son ascends the throne, he wouldn’t have to deal with your affairs in the Southern Land. Alas, you never understood my painstaking efforts. Never mind! Guards, take Prince An away, detain him in the Heavenly Prison to await further judgnt!"
At the mont when Prince An was dragged away, he finally broke down in tears, "Your Majesty—this old minister was foolish!"
He was not afraid of death. He knew that his deeds over the years in the Southern Land were enough to strip him of his military power and convict him. But relying on the He Family’s rits and the Emperor’s indulgence, he always believed that all of this was rightfully his, yet he neglected the ruler-minister relationship. The Emperor had been more than benevolent; he was the one who overstepped his bounds!
If he had seen through it all earlier, handed over his military power, and taken Xin’er back to the Southern Land, he would have found a good match for her, and she wouldn’t have ended up like this...
He indeed was foolish!
After Prince An withdrew, the Emperor waved his hand, "You all may leave. Fourth, you’ve been busy for several days. Go back and rest!"
Su Xingqiao knew the Emperor wanted to interrogate the Crown Prince alone, so he said nothing and saluted before leaving.
Finally, only the Emperor, Su Yaogeng, and the Crown Prince were left in the hall.
"Ming’er, do you know that your Eleventh Imperial Uncle is not of Imperial Family Blood?" The Emperor spoke and said this without preamble.
The Crown Prince suddenly looked up in disbelief at the Emperor and exclaid, "Then why would you..."
He wasn’t of the Emperor’s bloodline, so why did both the late Emperor and the current Emperor favor him so greatly?
As if understanding his doubts, the Emperor explained, "The late Emperor adored Xia Ji, and naturally extended love to her child. After Xia Ji passed, he specially retained his title and position. Yun Peng was taken to the Spirit Cultivation Realm at a young age and rarely returned to the Capital City. Even the number of tis you’ve seen him can be counted on one hand. Why do you remain wary of him? When has he ever coveted the throne? So much so that you are always resentful and believe he will take your throne? And your fourth brother, if not for summoning him repeatedly, even telling him I was seriously ill, do you think he would want to return to this Capital City? Do you not know what he went through as a child, why he was confined to the Cold Palace for so many years? Others may not know, but you should, shouldn’t you? Do you really think I knew nothing of what your mother employed in those days?"
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