As the night gradually sunken, the interior of the main palace becomes increasingly chilly and grim. In the silence, there’s only the sound of the flickering and crackling flame of the candlelight shrouded in the darkness.
As he gazed upon Emperor Zhaoyang who is worn down by grief and agony, Liang Zhen coldly sneered in silence: “Empress dowager Qinghui was sure that my father will bring calamity to the nation after she discovered that you use your title as the emperor to bear an offspring for him. She is afraid that it will also harm the parental relationship between you and her after she executed him. Thus, she conveniently brought my father to a shrine outside of the palace, and that’s exactly where I was secretly given birth to by my father.
My father was found by your men and was brought back to palace not even a few days after I was born. You intend to have him witness your child delivery with his own eyes, assuming that you are able to change his mind for this reason, but it’s a pity that he was not tempted at all. The empress showed up when you lost your consciousness after giving birth and told my father to bring away the infant together with him because she feared that this infant will be able to strip the throne away from her son. But not long after my father return to the shrine, the empress’s elder brother Xie Chongming and his men has already chased up to him.”
Emperor Zhaoyang clenched his teeth together tightly as his expression contorted into a ferocious one. Liang Zhen was indifferent toward it and continued: “My father is aware since a long time ago that he couldn’t escape from his fate, but he still couldn’t bear to have that child seeking death together with him. So, he requested a little monk from the shrine to deliver a letter to the Estate of AnLe Hou asking them to take the child away. Yet it’s quite unfortunate that Xie Chongming and his men arrived first before someone from the estate could show up. During the chaos, my father advance towards the summit of the mountain with the child in his arms, but he was eventually force to die by leaping off the edge of the cliff.”
A few years prior to when Liang Zhen was brought before Emperor Zhaoyang, AnLe Hou has already clarified this matter to him. Back then, the emperor has always had the assumption that it’s his legitimate mother, Empress dowager Qinghui who has also released others out of the palace for a second assassination attempt. Thus, the Empress dowager “died due to illness” after only two years.
He only made up his mind to get rid of the crowned prince for the sake of his so-thought previously lost biological son after witnessing the evidence left from the previous years and heard from AnLe Hou that this matter is carried out by the Xie Clan but that it’s also related to the empress as an addition.
But who knew that all of this will turn out to be in naught from the beginning. As an emperor, he is able to toy with others as he pleased, but in the end, he become the one who was toyed with instead.
Emperor Zhaoyang was so enraged that he almost lost his sanity. While glaring at Liang Zhen who is right in front of him, he just hate the fact that he couldn’t torn him into smithereens.
Liang Zhen smirked scornfully: “It was only later that the people from AnLe Hou arrived. The old Taoist from the shrine learn of my father’s incident and has been hiding me away all along, so that’s how I wasn’t discovered by your men. He couldn’t tolerate to let me undergo suffering in the shrine, so he hand me over to the Estate of AnLe Hou instead. The people from Hou Estate assume that I am the son of the emperor who my father has given birth to for you, and so they brough me back. But it just so happens that Madam Hou’s son who is only a few days old pass away, thus I become there son instead.”
“Therefore, I am truly not your son. Your son already lose his life twenty years ago along with my father when they leap off the edge of the cliff. Or perhaps this is just your fate.”
As the last word has yet to subside, Emperor Zhaoyang hollered and pounced upward, getting into position which seems as though he is ready to risk his life to confront Liang Zhen. Liang Zhen unhurriedly dodged to side, and he gazed upon the emperor who has already collapse onto the floor in an awkward manner, letting out a sneer: “Your majesty should reserve some energy for later, those are the matters of the past after all, why must you be so fluster about it.”
Both Emperor Zhaoyang face and body are stained entirely with blood, as he glared toward Liang Zhen with hostility, clear showcase of bloodthirstiness animosity were visible in his pair of sluggish eyes: “This humble one will murder…… you …… kill……”
“You still didn’t come to a realization up until now?” Liang Zhen shook his head slightly, “Your majesty is really getting more muddle-headed as you aged. Weren’t you making a ruckus for quite a while just now, but did anyone pay attention to you?”
Emperor Zhaoyang was overwhelmed for a moment, as he shouted to the top of his lungs: “Guards come in! Guards come in! Somebody come in for me!”
The only answer he received is the sound of the howling breeze that is unceasingly swirling pass from outside the window. Liang Zhen stood against the light source as he calmly watched the emperor who is currently huddled up on the floor in a frenzy with no demeanor to speak of. The emotions within his eyes were indistinguishable.
Only after a long period of time has past did he faintly whispered: “Your majesty’s showcase of heartfelt paternal affection is truly touching, since you bestow me the authority to control all the military power around the capital of the imperial city, I will naturally make good use of it. It’s such a pity that I truly don’t harbor any interest towards the throne which belongs to the Zhu clan, but you can rest assured, it will nevertheless be your own son who ascends to that position. But as for who it is, it will be up for me to decide.”
“Bastar……” Emperor Zhaoyang fly into a rage, and he finally lost his consciousness after spiting out another mouthful of blood once again.
The palace gate was pushed open as Liang Zhen exited. Eunuch Feng Sheng is currently standing beside the gate in attendance while bowing his head, Liang Zhen exchanged a nod with him: “Your majesty’s mentality is unstable and has been in a state of confusion for a long period of time, you guys should serve him properly.”
A glint of light flashed pass Feng Sheng’s eyes, before he showed a submissive expression and responded in a respectful manner: “Yes.”
Translated by: Piggybank 🐽