Chapter 650: Chapter 222 Palace_3
"Speak."
"Back when we were competing for a spot in the Palace Front Office, you clearly escaped, so why did you turn back to save me?"
Pei Yunmeng was taken aback and chuckled, "Why do you still remember that?"
"Cut the crap."
He replied indifferently, "I am a hero, after all. Seeing you getting beaten so badly, I felt uncomfortable. Consider it a good deed."
"Oh." Xiao Zhufeng stepped forward, surpassing him and said, "Hero, then you better watch out for yourself tonight."
"If someone chops you to death, I definitely won’t come to save you."
Pei Yunmeng tsked several times, "Heart of stone."
He then placed a hand on the silver knife at his waist, gazed into the deep night, and smiled, "Fine then, bring on however many there are tonight, and I’ll kill them all—"
...
"Dong—"
The distant sound of the bell drifted with the night breeze, and inside the Qinzheng Hall, Emperor Liang Ming abruptly woke up.
On the imperial desk, a bowl of brown medicinal soup was steaming slightly.
"Your Majesty." The Chief Eunuch said softly, "The medicine is getting cold."
Emperor Liang Ming, gazing at the silver bowl before him, had a gloomy look in his eyes.
In the Royal Family, all bowls, cups, and utensils were made of gold. After the late Emperor passed away, Emperor Liang Ming ordered all his personal utensils to be replaced with silver. Because of this, he once faced impeachment from the Imperial Censors, accusing him of disrespecting ancestral traditions.
However, traditions are set by people. After he dismissed a few of the old censors, the matter was no longer brought up.
Emperor Liang Ming pushed aside the mountain of memorials on the imperial desk, took the silver bowl, and drank down the bitter medicine in one gulp.
The medicinal liquid was bitter to the taste, and even after it was gone, a sour bitterness lingered in his throat. He raised his hand and wiped the medicinal residue from the corner of his mouth with a silk handkerchief.
"This evening, the Empress came by and ran into the Noble Consort at the door. The two of them had an argument." The Chief Eunuch glanced at the Emperor’s expression, cautiously starting, "The Empress Dowager came later in the evening, and only then did the Empress and the Noble Consort each return to their palaces."
Emperor Liang Ming rubbed his temples.
The Empress came for the Crown Prince, and so did Noble Consort Chen.
The Crown Prince had been under house arrest for a long time, and both parties were becoming somewhat impatient.
His intention to change the heir to the throne had been apparent for a while now, with the two factions in the court constantly in dispute. Yet, the Emperor’s mind had never changed; Yuan Yao—had always been the one he intended to succeed the throne from the beginning.
Yuan Yao was bright and brave, most like him.
Just as he resembled the late Emperor.
It was precisely because of this resemblance that the late Emperor favored him greatly, so much so that even though his elder brother, Crown Prince Yuan Xi, was both cultured and talented in literature and military arts, he still could not compare to his position in the late Emperor’s heart.
Some courtiers who supported him claimed that the late Emperor might have intended to change the heir, something he himself hoped for, only to be disappointed in the end.
The father, who openly showed favoritism, still wished to hand the empire over to his elder brother. Hence, Yuan Xi died in the floods of that autumn, the late Emperor passed away gravely ill, and all his brothers either died or were maimed. He ascended to the grand throne amidst sweeping glory.
Fate is like a roulette wheel, ceaselessly spinning. Once he had Yuan Yao, he favored him the most.
Yuan Zhen was reckless and mediocre, not a talent befitting that of an Emperor, and he also disliked the Empress. What he was most wary of was the Qi Family, the Grand Preceptor who once helped him ascend the throne and who now supported the Crown Prince’s succession.
However, Qi Qing was getting old after all.
An aging tiger was not to be feared, and with his only son dead during the ceremony, there was no need for him to intervene; Qi Qing had lost his fighting spirit and was not a threat.
As Emperor Liang Ming looked at the empty silver bowl on the table, a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
He decided not to be like the dim and deceitful late Emperor. He liked which son, and that son would become the Emperor. With supreme imperial power and standing at such heights, why should he fear others? He would naturally make everything go his way, without restraint, not relying on ancestral traditions.
He would clear all obstacles for Yuan Yao—
"Did the Empress Dowager leave any message?" Emperor Liang Ming asked the Chief Eunuch.
"No, Your Majesty." The Chief Eunuch replied, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. At the time, I saw that the Empress was upset and feared disturbing Your Majesty with worries, so I dared not report it."
Emperor Liang Ming waved his hand impatiently.
The Empress’s visit was nothing but an appeal for Yuan Zhen. Now that the big picture was set, between his two sons, he had chosen Yuan Yao.
The Empress Dowager had been devout in Buddhism for years and had never interfered in court affairs, which was why she had been able to remain unharmed all these years.
Emperor Liang Ming was willing to play out the play of filial piety between mother and son to the end.
But there was another person—
"Any news from Prince Ning?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Ning has not left his residence for several days, with no unusual activities observed."
Emperor Liang Ming’s face darkened.
Prince Ning was his only remaining brother. Because he had already ascended the throne by the time Ning returned to the capital, and because his other siblings had met with misfortunes, if something happened to Prince Ning too, it would inevitably attract gossip.
He spared Prince Ning’s life to keep him as a laughing stock, looking down on him while also being cautious of him.
However, recently he had an increasing sense of crisis.
Having spared him for so many years, it was about time to get rid of the last worthless piece on the chessboard.
Outside the window, the night was heavy, the dense, ink-like darkness resembling a bottomless pit. The howling night wind sounded mournful, accompanied by some chaotic, alarmed cries.
Emperor Liang Ming suddenly looked up.
"What’s that noise?"