eurekapd Chapter 196 Accountability
Chapter 196 Accountability
"Since the Queen is so curious, then follow her."
The emperor withdrew his gaze, said something coldly, and left quickly.
Since Concubine Chun has made everything clear, the next step is naturally to find the Fifth Prince and ask him for clarification.
Seeing that the emperor's attitude towards her was becoming increasingly strange, Ruyi was confused. She looked at Rong Pei beside her and saw the confusion in each other's eyes. Then she hurriedly followed the emperor.
At noon, the fifth prince Yongqi was studying in his room when he suddenly heard a message saying that the emperor had something to ask.
He was completely confused and could only follow the messenger through the long and narrow corridor until he finally arrived in front of the emperor.
The emperor sat at the top, his face not smiling at all, but gloomy and gloomy, which made people feel a little scared.
The emperor had always been kind to him. It was the first time that Yongqi saw his father look so solemn, and he couldn't help but feel panic in his heart.
"Your son greets the Emperor, Father, and Empress."
The emperor looked at Ruyi threateningly, signaling her to be quiet.
He looked at Yongqi's slightly childish face and asked in a deep voice, "Yongqi, how are your studies with Master going lately?"
Seeing that the emperor did not ask him to stand up, Yongqi continued to kneel on the ground, and gradually began to panic.
He replied cautiously, "I have been studying the Analects with my teacher recently and have memorized the entire text."
"Do you understand what this means? Let me test you."
After saying this, the emperor looked at Yongqi meaningfully.
"I will tell you everything I know."
"In the nature of heaven and earth, man is the most precious. Among human conduct, there is no greater virtue than filial piety. What do you think of this statement?"
The emperor spoke in a clear voice and stared at him with burning eyes.
Yongqi was his most cherished son. He was gifted, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and also quite skilled in martial arts. He was his preferred choice for crown prince.
Hai Guiren is his biological mother, but he is not only his father, but also his king. He does not want to hear any lies from her.
He was not allowed to disobey the majesty of either the emperor or his father.
Feeling this burning gaze, Yongqi swallowed subconsciously and continued, "What I mean is, among all things in the world, people are the most precious, and among people, filial piety is the most precious..."
Why did the Emperor ask this?
What exactly is going on here?
Hearing Yongqi's words, the emperor raised an eyebrow and continued, "Under the whole world, filial piety is the most precious. You are the most outstanding among my many sons. I also hope that you can strictly observe filial piety and not hide anything from me."
He looked Yongqi's face up and down, not missing any of the emotions that flashed across his face.
"Father Emperor, you are my son's father, so I will never deceive you."
Yongqi is not stupid, and answered in a strong and resounding voice.
"Okay, then I'm asking you, after your Empress Dowager passed away, did your biological mother, Hailan of the Koriyet clan, tell you and your third brother not to cry? Did she ever go back on her word afterwards?"
The emperor's words were so sudden that both Ruyi and Yongqi were stunned and speechless.
Ruyi was horrified and tried to argue: "Your Majesty, Yongqi is just a little child. What happened back then..."
"I don't want to hear your words. Yongqi, tell me, is there any truth to this? Think about it carefully!"
Before Ruyi could finish her words, the emperor began to reprimand her.
Yongqi didn't expect that after so many years, the emperor would actually remember this matter.
Although he was still young at that time, he did remember it.
He remembered his mother's words to him not to cry, and changed her words after returning to the Yanxi Palace. He did as she said, but he didn't expect that his eldest and third brothers would be scolded by the emperor in court.
After so many years, he still feels guilty.
I always feel that I have harmed my eldest brother, third brother, and Empress Chun.
Over the years, he has always been avoiding Empress Chun intentionally or unintentionally, because the Emperor's cold treatment of Empress Chun for so many years was all caused by him, and he simply couldn't face her.
Facing the emperor's questioning.
Yongqi was very frightened.
He didn't expect that the old things that had been buried for so many years would be dug up now.
On one hand, there is the mother who gave birth to him, and on the other hand, there is the emperor who cultivated him with great effort. Yongqi really didn't know how to answer.
Yes, then his mother made a big mistake.
No, that would be deceiving the Emperor.
No matter which answer it was, he couldn't say it.
"Why can't you say it?"
Seeing Yongqi kneeling straight on the ground, cold sweat on his forehead, nervous expression, and reluctant to answer, the emperor already had the answer in his mind.
His patience was running out.
No matter how smart Yongqi was, he was just a teenage son. When he saw the emperor's slightly disappointed expression, he could no longer hold on.
He fell to the ground and kowtowed, tears instantly flowing out.
"Father Your Majesty, what happened back then... was all my fault. If you want to punish me, please do so. Mother..."
"What happened to her? Do you know? The few words she said in front of you killed your eldest brother! For so many years, I have always felt guilty towards your eldest brother. I didn't expect that all this was directed by someone. Yongqi, you disappoint me so much!"
Seeing him trying to cover up, the emperor became furious and picked up a teacup beside him and threw it to the ground.
The emperor was really disappointed that even his son, whom he had high hopes for, deceived him.
The royal father and son are always full of lies.
He was a little tired.
Ruyi was startled by this sudden action and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy.
"Your Majesty, Hailan... Hailan didn't mean to tell you about what happened back then..."
"Could it be that she said it unintentionally? My dear Queen, tell me, do you know anything about this?"
The emperor gritted his teeth and stared at Ruyi fiercely.
Ruyi wanted to become the emperor and this matter would involve herself, and she panicked instantly.
"My concubine... my concubine..."
"I only ask you one question, do you know it or not?"
Seeing her hesitating, the emperor began to have some thoughts in his mind.
Looking at Ruyi, his eyes were full of disappointment.
"I only learned about Hai Lan's actions afterwards, Your Majesty..."
Ruyi originally wanted to speak up to defend Hailan, but at this point, she couldn't find a good excuse.
She could only stare at the emperor, her face full of helplessness.
"Everything I do is for you, right? So that you can successfully take the position of the Master of the Central Palace!"
The emperor pointed at her and shouted, his face flushed with anger.
He had originally hoped that everything was Hailan's own decision and the Queen was completely unaware of it. However, he did not expect that she had known about it for a long time, and not only did she not draw a clear line between them, but they became increasingly close.
The emperor was so angry that veins popped out on his head and he felt a sharp pain in his head.
At this moment, Jinzhong rushed in in a panic.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. A message has been sent from Prince Jian's residence saying that the Thirteenth Prince accidentally caught a cold and developed a high fever at night. He has... has passed away..."