ebookland Chapter 219 It’s over
Chapter 219 It’s over
Even if she were to die, she would drag the Second Prince down with her.
The thought grew stronger in her mind, and ignoring the Second Prince's ugly expression, she continued, "Speaking of which, Your Highness has been secretly plotting all these years, just waiting for the day when you can emulate His Majesty's great deeds back then."
"Nonsense!" The Second Prince's eyes widened in fury. "You poisonous woman!"
"A poisonous woman?" Consort Zhang chuckled softly upon hearing this. "How can a woman like me compare to upright men like you?"
"You keep saying I seduced you, what? Did I force you to come to the palace for a secret rendezvous with me?"
"Over the years, you and I have been in the Cold Palace, on the artificial hill, on the island in the middle of Taiye Pond, and..."
"enough!"
The second prince immediately interrupted Consort Zhang. He saw the emperor's increasingly ashen face and knew that his life was over.
No man can tolerate being cuckolded, especially in such detail.
This time, not only is he going to die, but whether he can even have a complete corpse is still unknown.
The emperor's face was grim, and his gaze was cold and sharp as he stared at the two people below.
"Take him away," the emperor whispered. "Zhang gave him poisoned wine, and as for you..."
The emperor looked at the second prince with disappointment in his eyes: "Then leave him a whole corpse."
Upon hearing this, the Second Prince collapsed to the ground. Although Consort Zhang had anticipated this, her body still trembled uncontrollably. Her life had come to an end just like that.
"Father!" the second prince cried out as he was being dragged away, "Father! Please spare me! I was only..."
"Gag him," the emperor said impatiently. "I don't want to hear his voice again."
Since the emperor was able to sit on the throne, he was naturally not a kind-hearted man or woman. Moreover, he never had much affection for a son like the second prince.
When he learned of the affair between the Second Prince and Consort Zhang, he was only angry—angry that his authority had been challenged.
One was his favorite concubine, and the other was his son; these two actually had an affair.
He was furious at the two women's actions and wished he could tear them to pieces.
In the end, recalling Consort Zhang's heart-wrenching words, did he soften his heart and ultimately grant her a proper burial?
As for the second prince... he was, after all, his son, and a gruesome death would damage his reputation.
Consort Zhang was taken away by the palace servants, leaving only the Second Prince in the palace.
Li Dehai pulled up a screen, completely obscuring the Second Prince. His hands and feet were bound, and his mouth was gagged, so he couldn't make a sound. He could only watch helplessly as Prince Xin walked into the trap.
Now, seeing Prince Xin being taken away, the Second Prince trembled all over, and his lower body was already wet.
The emperor gave him a disgusted look, then beckoned, and several imperial guards came forward and took him away.
"Father!" he cried out in a final plea, but the emperor paid no heed.
"Before I die, I only want to know..." he said in a trembling voice, "to whom do you intend to give the throne?"
He stared intently at the emperor, his eyes filled with resentment and longing.
After a moment, the emperor said, "She is the legitimate daughter of the empress."
Upon hearing this, the Second Prince burst into panicked laughter; "Seventh Prince? Seventh Prince is just a three-year-old baby! Can he really shoulder the heavy responsibility of this country?"
"Or... is it that all you ever wanted was for him to inherit the throne?" The Second Prince's sharp eyes stared at Xie Jinghan like a venomous snake. "Is he really your son?"
He simply couldn't believe that the throne would be passed to the seventh prince, but if it were Xie Jinghan, then it all made sense.
He stared intently at the emperor, searching for an answer.
The emperor's expression remained calm as he gazed at the second prince: "For so many years, have you, your brothers, and those aristocratic families all thought the same way?"
"Jing Han is my son?" The emperor couldn't help but chuckle as he said this. "If Jing Han is really my son, I'll be laughing my head off."
Hearing this, the Second Prince's face showed indignation: "Is he really that good?"
"Do you know how I came to the throne?" the emperor retorted. "Over the years, you've listened to a lot of nonsense from your advisors, but you have eyes too. Why is the Great Li dynasty so stable? Who is it relying on?"
"Of course it is..." Of course it is Xie Jinghan!
The second prince was unwilling to say this answer aloud.
His reaction prompted the emperor to sneer: "The stability of the Great Li kingdom depends on Jing Han and my military generals, not on you clever people who play power games."
"If Jinghan wants the throne, I am willing to abdicate," the emperor said. "I asked him about it ten years ago. It wasn't that I refused, but that he didn't want it."
Upon hearing this, the Second Prince stared in shock, his eyes widening.
He couldn't believe his ears: "How is this possible..."
"How could it be impossible?" the emperor sneered. "I asked him myself, how could it be false?"
The second prince murmured, "But...but how could anyone in this world not want the throne?"
This is something so many people dream of. He, Prince Xin, Prince Yan, those imperial uncles, and those aristocratic families would all be willing to go through fire and water for it.
But the emperor said that Xie Jinghan did not want the throne.
How can this be?
The second prince gaped, his gaze fixed on Xie Jinghan with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
Is there really anyone in this world who can resist this temptation?
Xie Jinghan remained calm and unmoved by the emperor's words.
At this moment, the Empress, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Jing Han refused His Majesty, which is why Xiao Qi was born."
In an instant, the Second Prince felt his brain straighten and start working. He blinked and let out a sneer from his throat: "You're all crazy! You're all crazy!"
The thing he tried so hard to get was rejected by Xie Jinghan?
The emperor and empress genuinely wanted to pass the throne to Xie Jinghan.
He laughed loudly, feigning madness.
The emperor glanced at him and felt disgusted: "Take him away."
The second prince doesn't look like his child at all.
The only one who resembled him, Xie Jinghan, was not his child, nor was he willing to accept anything about him.
Thinking of this, the emperor sighed: "This matter is over. You should quickly bring Shuyao back."
Seeing that Xie Jinghan was still hesitant, the emperor said again, "Now the enemies inside and outside the palace have been cleared out by the army, and Yingyi has also returned. You don't need to worry about me."
The Empress also said, "What Your Majesty and I are most concerned about is your future."
"We're still thinking about bringing the young prince and princess of the Jing Prince's mansion back," the Empress said with a smile. "You should bring Shu Yao back quickly. Although Quanshui Manor is nice, it can't compare to the Jing Prince's mansion."