amaotonovel Chapter 306 The Choice of That Year
Chapter 306 The Choice of That Year
The choice I made back then—Emperor Shenwu's voice was hollow and distant: "This is the environment I grew up in. The palace servants fawned over the powerful and looked down on the weak, my brothers were jealous and hateful, and my mother turned a blind eye..."
Lan Qingwu felt bitter in her heart. She had always taken it for granted that Emperor Shenwu was the legitimate son after all, and his treatment would not be bad. But she forgot that he was in the most cold-blooded, dirty, cruel, and power-ridden imperial palace. The neglect and attitude of the mistress of Fengju Palace made Emperor Shenwu's childhood life even worse than that of a small and powerful steward in the palace!
"I had never felt warmth until I was thirteen. At that time, the struggle between the princes had reached a fever pitch, and my father sent me to the border to hone my skills..."
Being alone, trying every possible means to fight for power and profit, and survive in the cracks has been engraved in his bones.
Later, he met Lan Qingwu in the Little Peach Garden. There, he witnessed, bit by bit, the beautiful scenery of the four seasons that Lan Qingwu had described, the vibrant colors of the world. Emperor Shenwu still remembered his astonishment. Lan Qingwu led him into a dazzling world unlike any he had ever experienced.
"Ruo Ruo, do you know? I, Zhou Xuheng, can actually feel happiness! I can also receive pure care!"
Lan Qingwu's tears fell drop by drop and were quickly absorbed by the black dragon robe on Emperor Shenwu. Her heart ached, she ached for this man.
"Don't care about them, okay? If you don't care about them, you won't get hurt again! Brother Heng, Ruo Ruo will always be with you and will never give up on you!"
Yes! If Emperor Shenwu didn't still care about his mother and brother, how could he be hurt by Empress Dowager Li's choices again and again!
"Okay! Okay!" Emperor Shenwu hugged Lan Qingwu in front of him. Lan Qingwu was right. From now on, he would never worry or suffer for people who were not worth it.
"Luckily, I still have Ruo Ruo to accompany me! Ruo Ruo, this is what you promised me, you will not leave me for anything or anyone! You will always be by my side!"
Emperor Shenwu thought of the time when Lan Qingwu was unconscious, and hugged her even tighter.
Lan Qingwu could only respond to Emperor Shenwu again and again.
Late at night, the two of them lay in bed in warmth and tranquility. Lan Qingwu lay in the arms of the Shenwu Emperor, her chin resting on his chest, quietly listening to him reminisce about the past.
"Ruoruo, do you know? After you and I separated, I fought my way to the Golden Court on the grassland and won a great victory. I immediately wanted to find you, but unexpectedly, my father sent a secret order, asking me to return to the palace quickly. I was very conflicted and even thought about not going back at all and just staying here! But..."
But the reality is cruel and bloody. Prince Ding, who was the third prince back then, has received another secret letter. The sixth prince has died, his father is seriously ill, and the situation in the palace has reached its most critical moment!
At that time, he was still the seventh prince. In the tent, he looked at the people who followed him and were kneeling on the ground, including Qian Hui, Leng Qujing, and Qi Zhinan. Thinking of the eldest prince, the third prince, his mother, and even the Li family who were not close to him in the deep palace, he clearly realized that he had the lives and property of so many people on his shoulders, and he never had any other choice!
Yes, Yun Heng had no choice but to give up Lan Qingwu back then, just when Lan Qingwu was about to reach the age of marriage! Lan Qingwu was unwilling to wait for him, and would rather suffer a life of separation than be with him!
If Emperor Shenwu had stayed at the border, I believe Lan Qingwu would have softened sooner or later and forgiven me, but I chose to return to the imperial city that year.
After all, Emperor Shenwu could not bear to see his direct lineage and the forces they belonged to become desperate and bloodshed.
Lan Qingwu was shocked: "You... Did Brother Heng also have such a dilemma back then? Can weakness make you hesitate?"
"Of course! Ruo Ruo, I have never thought of giving up on you! You have always been in my heart and have never left!" No one can replace you!
The two chatted casually about all sorts of things. After a long time, Lan Qingwu became exhausted and slowly closed his eyes.
The Shenwu Emperor, however, could not fall asleep for a long time. The next morning, Lan Qingwu had not yet woken up, but the Shenwu Emperor was already dressed. He lowered his head to look at Lan Qingwu's peaceful sleeping face and said softly, "I will never be bound again!"
In the Golden Throne Hall, the emperor looked down from high above with a majestic aura. Civil and military officials, as well as royal relatives, stood in the hall.
Finally, after the officials had reported on state affairs, Emperor Shenwu suddenly issued an imperial decree: "I have recently received a memorial from Prince An, expressing his shame for holding the noble position of prince, and repeatedly petitioning me. I have no choice but to grant him the title of Prince of a County. I will go to Prince An's mansion to issue the decree later."
Emperor Shenwu dropped a bomb and left, leaving behind a group of frantic civil and military officials buzzing in the hall.
Prince Ding was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth. He watched Emperor Shenwu leave quickly, then looked at a group of ministers who disapproved, and exchanged a glance with Qian Hui, Wei Yanting and others. They all went into the palace to ask for an audience.
Of course, there were more than just them. The cabinet ministers headed by Master Taifu, Lan Shuren, and Lin Suzhi, who were also the heads of the six ministries, all went to the Qianzheng Hall to ask for an audience with Emperor Shenwu.
Emperor Shenwu did not stop them and summoned everyone into the hall.
Prince Ding spoke first, "Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. Prince An is the eldest son of the late emperor and holds a special status. No matter how absurd and incompetent he is, he cannot be suppressed like this. This will cause the world to misunderstand that Your Majesty is deliberately making things difficult for him. So what if you give him the throne? Besides, there's the Empress Dowager..."
Several people in the hall nodded vigorously in their hearts. Why should they ruin the reputation of Emperor Shenwu for a worthless Prince An? They should know that these loyal ministers also have ideals. As a famous monarch, Emperor Shenwu seems to have no chance of being confused. Who wouldn't want to create a good story of a famous monarch and wise ministers?
Emperor Shenwu's expression remained calm. "My dear ministers, you are the pillars of our country. I understand your concern for me. However, today's matter involves a secret in the palace. Come, present the files!"
When the Prince of Taiding saw the contents of the file, his pupils shrank: "What! There is such a thing!"
Prince Ding raised his head and looked at Emperor Shenwu: "Your Majesty, this..."
The Grand Master quickly reached out to take the file, but when he saw its contents, his fingers paused. To think it was so, to think it was such a treasonous act that he would poison the emperor!
Several people in the hall passed it around and read it. For a moment, everyone in the hall looked at each other in confusion, and you could hear a pin drop.
Emperor Shenwu said calmly, "That's exactly what happened. Originally, I didn't want to publicize this royal scandal, so I only ordered the death of Princess An and confined Prince An. Unexpectedly, Prince An became so absurd, spending his days drunk and fooling around, angering the Empress Dowager. Even I dreamed of my father scolding Prince An! Ever since the Empress Dowager fell ill, Prince An has been crying and requesting an imperial decree to depose him!"
Prince Ding was furious. He could certainly tell that Empress Dowager Li had played a role in this. She was probably using this to blackmail the emperor and plead for mercy.
Otherwise, the incident had already happened over a year ago, so why would the emperor bring it up again? It was probably because Empress Dowager Li felt that Emperor Shenwu was fine anyway, and she felt sorry for Prince An again!
I have to say, the truth about Prince Ding has been revealed.
Prince Ding was indignant. "Your Majesty, I second the motion!"
It would be best to banish Prince An to a remote place. He actually harbored such malicious thoughts. Didn't he know that as the eldest son, he would be doomed if anyone took the throne? He even dared to act like a demon! Even if Prince An wasn't the mastermind, it was his palace's failure to properly manage the situation, allowing it to get to this point.
Lan Shuren was concerned about something else: "Your Majesty, the poison at that time, your body..."
The others also looked at Emperor Shenwu.
Emperor Shenwu waved his hand and said, "It's all over! Your concerns are not unreasonable. I can choose not to demote Prince An. In this case, let him guard my father's mausoleum!"
Lin Suzhi hurriedly stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I'll be demoted to a prince! If I go to guard the late emperor's mausoleum, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the Empress Dowager!"
Empress Dowager Li doted on her eldest son and probably would not agree that Prince An would go to guard the mausoleum. In this way, he would be demoted to a prince and stay in the imperial city. Under the emperor's nose, there would be no need to worry about Prince An causing trouble again.
Emperor Shenwu nodded, revealing that his decision to demote Prince An to guard the imperial mausoleum was a warning to Empress Dowager Li. He could return Prince An's freedom, but the specifics of his return were entirely his. If he wanted to remain a prince, fine, guard the mausoleum! Empress Dowager Li wanted Prince An's freedom, but she had to pay the price!