sbdcsierra Chapter 305 also had this.
Chapter 305 also had this.
The emperor's pupils dilated violently, and his hand trembled.
The sword left a bloodstain on the prince's brow, and the blood droplet flowed down his brow and across his eye socket, like a string of bloody tears.
He remained motionless, his eyes calmly fixed on the emperor.
The emperor staggered back a few steps, shouting maniacally, "You're lying! You're lying! This is impossible, absolutely impossible! Hahahaha, do you think I'm a three-year-old child? Ah Que, we've been father and son, even if you hate me, even if you resent me, you can't punish me like your mother did!"
"It's all fake, it's all fake, isn't it?"
He looked at the Crown Prince with a glimmer of hope, wishing the Crown Prince would tell him that it was all fake, that it wasn't real, how could it possibly be real?
"Does Father Emperor think that at this point, I still need to lie?" the Crown Prince replied calmly.
"Hahaha!" The emperor laughed maniacally. "Very well! You and your mother are doing very well! So what if he's the son of Crown Prince Chongwen? Tell me, so what? I'll sit here and wait for them to come! I want to see who can take away this empire that belongs to me!"
"If this empire were truly secure, the Northern Yan cavalry wouldn't have swept across the north, reaching the Shun River, so close to destruction. Father, have you been on the throne for so long that you can't even see what a empire truly is? Everything you disbelieve will one day reveal its answer. What truly matters is never who sits on the throne, but what that person does." The Crown Prince raised his hand, gently wiping away the blood that had trickled down to his lips, and spoke softly.
"Your Majesty, I am tired. If there is nothing else, you may leave. Please forgive me for being crippled and unable to see you off."
The emperor gripped the Chongxiao sword, looking at the crown prince with a complex expression.
His son, the son he raised himself.
But why did they end up like this?
Why has he become the way he is now, a sight that fills even him with fear?
He was such a bright and upright person, such a proud and cheerful person. Three years of being disabled, could not wear down his will?
He felt a conflict he had never experienced before.
It's not that he can't kill him.
But he was really conflicted. This was probably the biggest contradiction in his decisive life. He had raised a perfect heir, but one day, this heir was too perfect, so perfect that he was afraid. Why was this?
why why!
The emperor couldn't understand it. He took one last look at the crown prince and knew that from this moment on, the affection between father and son, whether genuine or feigned, had completely vanished.
He gripped his sword, slowly turned around, and walked out step by step. His hand holding the sword couldn't help but clench tighter and tighter, as if he were about to lose something completely and could no longer hold on to it.
The harder you try, the less you can hold on.
The crown prince watched the emperor leave the main hall, then turned his wheelchair around, his back to the emperor.
The red candles in the main hall stretched the light and shadow, making the shadows farther and farther away, until they were completely cut off.
There are no fathers and sons in the imperial family, but originally, there were.
……
Inside the princess's residence, the palace had already delivered the betrothal gifts and the wedding dress for the Crown Princess's wedding day.
Although time was tight, the Crown Prince was of marriageable age, and all the formal attire for the Crown Princess and her concubines had been prepared long ago. All that was needed was to adjust the sizes. Therefore, the formal attire did not appear rushed due to the tight production; on the contrary, it was extremely exquisite and luxurious.
However, there was no joy at all in the princess's residence.
Lan Yin sent people to see Lu Yangyang countless times before finally seeing her around midnight the day before her wedding.
In just a few days, Lu Yangyang lost a lot of weight, and the dark circles under her eyes made it look like she hadn't slept for several nights.
Only those eyes shone with an eerie light.
"Yangyang?" Lan Yin looked at her anxiously, took two steps forward and grabbed her arm: "What's wrong? What happened? What have you been doing locking yourself up these past few days? Don't scare your mother! If you, if you don't want to marry the Crown Prince, then..."
"Mother, I want to marry the Crown Prince. I'm fine. I just stayed up all night reading and I'm tired. I'll be fine after a nap," Lu Yangyang quickly comforted her.
Hearing her say this, Lan Yin was still somewhat uneasy. "Yangyang, what are your thoughts on the marriage with the Crown Prince? So much has happened these past few days. The Crown Prince... at today's court assembly, many people mentioned the matter of deposing the Crown Prince, and His Majesty has also ordered a thorough investigation into the Crown Prince's use of banned drugs. Yangyang..."
"Since I have decided to marry the Crown Prince, whatever I face in the future will be my own choice. Mother, I know you are worried, but this is the path I have chosen, and I will not regret it." Lu Yangyang knew what she wanted to say, and she also knew the struggle of her unspoken words.
But she had nothing to worry about.
From the first time she saw the Crown Prince, or perhaps even earlier, when she was still in the village, she had heard people around her talk about the Crown Prince and heard Magistrate Ling describe him, and she had already developed a deep respect for him.
Back then, she only wanted to be an ordinary doctor, one of the many people under the protection of the Crown Prince. She never imagined that one day she would be able to touch the clouds of the past, to touch such a vast dream. She met many people and experienced many things. The initial thought of coming to the capital just to seek justice for herself had changed.
She wants to go her own way.
Once she chooses to stand by the Crown Prince's side, she will remain steadfast to the end.
“Yangyang…” Lan Yin looked at her with tears in her eyes, reluctant to part, but in the end she said nothing.
Lu Yangyang instructed her, "Tomorrow I will be married into the Eastern Palace. I don't know what will happen after that. I have already entrusted Granny Shen to settle the people in the mansion after I leave. I don't need anyone to accompany me. After I leave tomorrow, you should also leave the capital and go back to Jiangnan. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely visit you."
"Also, I heard that Sheng Junye wants to go to Jiangnan with you. You should take him with you. My elder brother told me that although Xiao Wu grew up in the Sheng State Duke's Mansion, he was always lonely, which is why he developed that kind of personality. He is not inherently extreme; he just craves warmth too much. He is still young, so you can take him with you and raise him slowly. If you are not able to manage, you can have someone send him to my elder brother. He will take care of him."
Lan Yin listened to her words of advice and burst into tears: "Yang Yang, I'm sorry, am I so useless..."
Lu Yangyang stepped forward and gently hugged her: "Mother, whether something is useful or not is not defined by others, it is your own decision. What you want is the most important thing. Don't always care about other people's opinions."