The Empress Dowager finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Feng Jin's words that Emperor Xuanwen was out of danger. The tension that had gripped her for days began to ease.
"It's good that you're alright... good that you're alright..."
The Empress Dowager, with her slightly aged steps, walked forward and sat by the bedside. Seeing the greatly weakened Emperor Xuanwen, tears streamed down her face like pearls from a broken string, instantly covering her cheeks.
"Mother... Mother... It is your unworthy son... who has caused... caused Mother... cough... cough..."
Before Emperor Xuanwen could finish his sentence, he felt a discomfort in his chest and coughed violently.
"Slowly... slowly. Your body has just begun to recover, you must rest well. Everything will be fine... fine."
Now that Emperor Xuanwen had awakened, Chu Yanxi's little ambitions had been completely shattered. Everything would gradually return to peace, and some storms could finally be weathered.
"It's best that you are awake now. For the past few days, it has been all thanks to Chen Yi who stayed by your side and used his own flesh and blood as a guide, saving your life."
The Empress Dowager spared no effort in attributing all the credit to Chu Chenyi, even pulling him to Emperor Xuanwen's side and directly exposing the wound on Chu Chenyi's arm.
A wound as large as a palm was revealed on his arm, the gauze wrapped around it already stained blood-red.
"This..."
Upon seeing the wound on Chu Chenyi's arm, Emperor Xuanwen was greatly shocked. His eyes were filled with disbelief, and a bitter feeling surged in his chest.
He had never paid much attention to Chu Chenyi, his son, and had naturally tried to ignore him as much as possible.
But ever since he gained the Empress Dowager's favor, Chu Chenyi had truly entered his sight. Indeed, Chu Chenyi's excellence was such that it was difficult to ignore him, even if he tried. Compared to Chu Yanxi, Chu Chenyi was undeniably more than a little outstanding.
"You've worked hard..."
After a long pause, Emperor Xuanwen could only utter these words. He never imagined Chu Chenyi would make such a sacrifice for him. Compared to what he had done to Chu Chenyi, he felt immense shame and a desire to flee.
Chu Chenyi remained composed, but a fleeting look of melancholy crossed his eyes. He had expected this outcome, yet facing it still brought him a sense of pain.
Indeed, no matter what he did or how outstanding he was, in his father's heart, he still didn't truly exist. Perhaps his father genuinely found him bothersome.
"This son's life was given by Father. This is what your son should do!"
The Empress Dowager felt a pang of sympathy for Chu Chenyi kneeling on the ground. She then looked at Emperor Xuanwen with a hint of reproach. He was, after all, her own son, so why was his heart so biased? If Chu Yanxi were standing here today, the scene would undoubtedly be different. Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but feel a sense of resentment towards Emperor Xuanwen.
"Chen Yi, you've also been tired for days. Hurry and get up, don't kneel on the ground. Oh, go and inform the soldiers guarding outside that your father has awakened. Chu Yanxi must also be informed."
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager mention Chu Yanxi, Emperor Xuanwen's expression immediately changed. He eagerly asked, "By the way, Yanxi... why don't I see him? And why haven't the Empress come..."
The Empress Dowager felt even more exasperated. How could she have raised such a foolish son? She sighed helplessly.
Chu Chenyi also felt a wave of loneliness. Fortunately, he had long grown accustomed to his father's favoritism. Wasn't this normal?
Even Feng Jin, who stood by as an outsider, was rolling his eyes constantly. Emperor Xuanwen was a truly biased father. It was Chu Chenyi who had stayed by his side and even cut flesh and blood as a guide to save his life.
Yet, he completely ignored Chu Chenyi, who had made such a sacrifice, offering only a perfunctory "You've worked hard" before dismissing him.
But upon hearing Chu Yanxi's name, his eyes lit up, and he eagerly inquired about Chu Yanxi's condition, displaying a seemingly affectionate father-son relationship.
Emperor Xuanwen was indeed a good father to Chu Yanxi, but he was heartless towards Chu Chenyi. The stark contrast was truly contemptible.
"Mother, why aren't you speaking?"
Emperor Xuanwen frowned slightly. After asking about Chu Yanxi and the Empress, he sensed a strange atmosphere, as if everyone had unanimously fallen silent and chosen not to speak.
This made him subconsciously suspect that something, and something quite serious, had happened.
Especially with the Empress Dowager's visibly displeased expression, Emperor Xuanwen's heart was in turmoil. Seeing that the Empress Dowager remained silent for a long time, he couldn't help but break his silence and ask again, "Mother, what exactly has happened?"
The Empress Dowager sighed faintly. After weighing her options, she decided to tell Emperor Xuanwen the truth. Hiding it would only be a temporary measure, and he would eventually find out. It was better to tell him now while she had the chance.
This way, her foolish son could clearly see what kind of people the Empress and his third prince truly were.
"After you fell ill, the Empress and the Third Prince could not contain themselves and launched a rebellion. Outside the palace now are Chu Yanxi's forces, and the entire palace is under the Third Prince's control. His goal is to force me to write an imperial decree appointing him as Crown Prince while you still have a breath left, so that he can ascend the throne directly after your death."
Emperor Xuanwen was momentarily stunned, finding it difficult to believe that Chu Yanxi and the Empress would rebel while he was gravely ill. How could... how could he believe that all of this was true?
"Mother... Perhaps they were just... just momentarily confused, perhaps..."
Even with all the evidence before him, Emperor Xuanwen still refused to believe that Chu Yanxi would rebel, still searching for excuses to defend Chu Yanxi. However, even he didn't believe his own words, so how could he convince others?
Emperor Xuanwen's attitude angered the Empress Dowager. If she had known he would be so timid, so insistent on his own way even when the sword was at his throat, so foolish and incorrigible, why would she have gone to such lengths to save such a muddled individual?
"Enough, shut your mouth..."