CHAPTER 356: CHAPTER 356: IDENTICAL TO THE POUCH AT HIS WAIST

No one would have thought that this mother and son were Consort Xian and the First Prince.

The First Prince was the son of King Jie.

Truly, it’s the biggest joke under the heavens.

The Emperor has worn a thoroughly green hat.

He raised someone else’s son for most of his life, nurturing a threat in the process.

Consort Xian was actually King Jie’s woman, and the Emperor was kept in the dark for so many years, showing just how deeply it was hidden.

No wonder, among all the consorts, even though Consort Xian was not young, she could still receive the Emperor’s favor, all because of her virtuous and understanding nature.

The result is that such a person played the Emperor for a fool.

And the First Prince, with that same gentle disposition, who in the entire palace and beyond doesn’t praise his good nature? His actions were low-key, making it almost impossible to find fault.

Take the last disaster relief incident as an example: The First Prince was clearly injured, yet he remained very low-key, not letting anyone inform the Emperor. If not for Princess Zhuyu’s interference, the Emperor wouldn’t have known at all.

But did the Emperor really not know? Naturally, he did, but he did not show it on the surface, secretly admiring the First Prince’s behavior greatly.

And the result? Who could have guessed the depth of his scheming?

Looking back now, how could anyone be without flaws? Nobody is perfect; if there are truly no flaws, it must be a disguise.

The simpler the truth, the more it bewilders people.

Back then, when the Emperor returned to the Capital City from the fief to be crowned Crown Prince, he was given many women, including Consort Xian.

It’s just unexpected that she was the first to bear a son, and that son turned out to be King Jie’s.

King Jie played this move really early, no wonder he always believed he would be the final winner.

First, his power was immense, so even if he couldn’t sit on the throne himself, supporting the First Prince to ascend wouldn’t be a loss.

"I have always been more capable than you, yet Father crowned you as Crown Prince; it is truly unfair!" King Jie sneered, "Fortunately, Heaven has eyes, returning to me everything that was rightfully mine at last."

"Father must have had his considerations; you see it as unfair simply because you believe it so. Otherwise, look at the deeds you’ve done over the years; is there any worthy of the people’s support?" The Emperor said slowly.

King Jie laughed heartily, "History is written by the victors and losers; if I had won then, and sat on the throne, I would’ve done better than you!"

"Since childhood, you have been combative and unwilling to accept others being better than you; if anyone outshines you even a bit, you try to suppress them, sometimes even by unscrupulous means. Such a person, if made Emperor, would surely be a tyrannical one; goodness knows how he would exploit the people and harm the country."

At first, all the Princes resided in the Capital City, but King Jie was too prominent, and everyone thought he was the future Crown Prince, having many supporters at that time.

To prevent premature alliances, the former Emperor sent the Princes to fiefs to govern different regions.

Everyone thought the former Emperor was punishing the Princes for internal strife, but later it became clear it was to evaluate their governing abilities.

After spending three years in their fiefs, the former Emperor observed each Prince’s capability in managing their territories.

King Jie’s rule was harsh; the local people were heavily exploited, and land management was severely imbalanced, presenting many issues.

Meanwhile, the Emperor, formerly King Yue, outperformed all the other Princes during this period, which was the main reason he was later brought back to the Capital City and crowned Crown Prince.

King Jie’s expression darkened, "Even resorting to unscrupulous means is a capability; whom do you blame for being inferior? Should we also reason with the enemy during a war?"

The Emperor lowered his eyes, remaining silent, knowing that speaking more to such a person was futile. After a moment, he said slowly, "At this point, I only wish to know the whereabouts of Biyue and her daughter. You’ve already won; you can tell me the truth, even if it means my death, let me die understanding."

King Jie’s gaze flickered, and he laughed again, "Your woman has long died, your years of waiting were in vain; she went to meet King Yan long ago. If she hasn’t reincarnated yet, you might reunite in the underworld. As for your daughter, I didn’t lie to you."

The Emperor’s body trembled, lips quivering, "You—you’re lying to me!"

He seemed unwilling to believe Biyue’s fate or his daughter’s fate.

"At this point, what’s the necessity in lying to you?" King Jie stood up and said to the eunuch beside him, "Where is the Jade Seal?"

With the Jade Seal, he would become Emperor, and as for those in court who dared to disobey, would be killed until they complied.

The eunuch trembled as he fetched the Jade Seal.

King Jie took it, laughing, "Give him more medicine, I want him to watch me ascend the throne! Watch my son become the Crown Prince!"

Kneeling on the ground, Princess Zhuyu remained motionless. King Jie paused, then said, "Fool! Are your ears deaf? Didn’t you hear what I said?"

Princess Zhuyu still did not move.

King Jie was furious, pulling a sword from a nearby guard, and moved to strike Princess Zhuyu.

A disobedient person is useless to keep around.

Besides, the matter is settled now, and this person has no more value.

Just as the sword was about to strike Princess Zhuyu, there was a "clang" sound, and King Jie’s sword fell to the ground.

Perhaps King Jie was once a powerful overlord, but after years in prison, his body had weakened, and the sword was easily knocked out of his hands.

A tall, jade-like figure entered, "Your humble servant was late to the rescue, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Who else could it be but Pei Ji’an?

And the Emperor, who had been lying on the bed weakly, actually slowly sat up, "Dear minister, you arrived just in time, rise quickly."

King Jie stared at the scene before him, stunned, "You—how did you get in here?"

Weren’t his forces supposed to have the Capital City surrounded?

Pei Ji’an looked at King Jie, his lips curling, "King Jie, your men have been subdued; you have lost."

They did not disturb the border forces, but in previous years, soldier drills took place not just outside the Capital City but elsewhere too; over years, their forces grew, which is why Heir Pei and Prince Xiao were able to suppress King Jie’s forces without engaging the border troops.

This scheme had been laid out for so long, and only now has the net truly been drawn in.

King Jie looked around; his guards somehow had knives at their throats.

He took several steps back, disbelief in his eyes, and spat a mouthful of blood.

"King Jie!" Consort Xian hurriedly moved to support him.

The First Prince was utterly stunned, unable to react at all.

Perhaps he too did not expect defeat to come so suddenly.

Victory had seemed so near.

Pei Ji’an raised his hand, and someone stepped forward to take control of the three people.

Princess Zhuyu was taken away, and upon leaving the Emperor’s bedchamber, she realized the outside world had indeed changed, with sounds of fighting drawing closer.

It turned out Pei Ji’an first led troops to secure the Emperor, and then fighting began gradually.

In her hurry, Princess Zhuyu accidentally fell, and a guard quickly moved to assist and escort her to safety.

Just as they were about to leave, they ran into Prince Xiao; the guard saluted Prince Xiao, stating he needed to escort Princess Zhuyu away.

Xiao Shiqing nodded silently, about to head to the Emperor’s bedchamber.

Stepping on something, he paused to pick it up.

It was a pouch.

Xiao Shiqing stared at the pouch, stunned.

If it were an ordinary pouch, it wouldn’t have surprised Xiao Shiqing so much.

But this pouch was identical to the one at his waist.