Chapter 1246: Chapter 1241: The Humiliation Endured

King Jin, with tears in his eyes, recounted what happened when he was twenty at the Ducal Residence—from being lured into a martial arts contest that left him infertile, to the gradual strategic manipulations that forced them to resort to a surrogacy arrangement to maintain their current status.

A step by step scheme, each move in this chess game was impeccably executed, all for the purpose of usurping the throne of Zhuzhao Country.

And he and his mother were merely the best two pawns they had used.

The Empress, after listening, was silent for a long time, initially unable to accept that her own natal family, which she had always relied on, harbored such intentions.

It was only after an indeterminate amount of time that she murmured in a daze, “I was wondering, how could they have thought of the idea of surrogacy, insisting on using the descendants of the Ducal Residence. Whenever I hesitated, Nurse Li would help persuade me, dispelling my doubts.”

Poor her, she had always been kept in the dark. Under the guidance of Nurse Li, she had gone to Jin Shien herself to discuss the surrogacy matter, and had always felt that she wronged her own family.

Was she so foolish that she was being sold and yet helped count the money, didn’t the saying describe someone exactly like her?

The Empress looked over at King Jin with a dazed expression; the eyes full of grief and despair made this aging woman look utterly exhausted.

Tears streamed down from the corners of her eyes—one by one. Being used and betrayed, especially by her own family whom she had always trusted, was nearly enough to crush her last threads of willpower.

Her trembling hand reached up to gently touch King Jin’s equally worn face, and with a quivering voice, she said, “My child, your mother has wronged you!”

If not for her greed, for her pitiful vanity, how could her son have suffered such humiliation?

In the Imperial Family, it is difficult to produce an heir. Unless one commits heinous crimes and stubbornly refuses to admit guilt, instead of being sentenced to death, one is usually imprisoned for life at Zongrenfu.

Even if her son could not father children, as long as he did not make mistakes, he would still remain a noble prince. Normally, the Emperor would arrange for a child to be adopted from one of his brothers; at least, he would not have to suffer such humiliation and could live a life of glory and wealth. But it was her selfishness that caused his ruin.

He would never recover from such a catastrophe.

After all, it was not entirely for herself; no matter what, she was still the Empress. In the future, regardless of who would become the Emperor, she would have a place as the Empress Dowager.

She only felt that she owed her family, who had always supported her from behind.

She enjoyed glory and wealth but could not bear to see her family’s power diminishing bit by bit.

Yet, she never imagined that the person who led them to ruin was the relative she had always cherished.

“Mother, I cannot let it go like this; I cannot let their plans succeed!” After his sorrow, King Jin’s face revealed intense hatred, his eyes brimming with bloodshot veins, teeth clenched tightly as if wishing to flay and dismember those who had harmed him.

The Empress, on the other hand, showed a hesitant look. She was pale, watching her son in such a state, at a loss for words.

She now realized that what she had relied upon was nothing more than the Ducal Residence.

Without the Ducal Residence’s support, her status in Zhuzhao Country wouldn’t even compare to Sheng Qiaoyue.

At the same time, she felt repeated waves of fear. If Xiaoran were to ascend to the throne under such circumstances, he would merely be meat in the hands of the Ducal Residence, ready to be consumed at any moment. Once they eliminated their adversaries, she and her son would truly become isolated and vulnerable, left to be manipulated by others.

She took a deep breath, her graying hair meticulously combed back, adding to the desolation of her appearance.