readsfreenovel Chapter 305 As you wish
Chapter 305 As you wish
Empress Dowager Li thought of Prince An's decadent appearance and decayed body, and said with a firm face, "Yes! I must protect Prince An! I can't watch Prince An die!"
There was silence in the Qianzheng Hall. Emperor Shenwu and Empress Dowager Li were confronting each other. The Emperor Shenwu's expression did not change, but bloodshot eyes were slowly appearing.
After a few breaths, the Shenwu Emperor finally spoke: "Good! Good! Very good! In that case, as you wish!"
While Emperor Shenwu and Empress Dowager Li were arguing, Li Xiang had secretly sent his young apprentice to Fengqi Palace to report the news.
When Lan Qingwu of Fengqi Palace heard Xiao Fuzi's report, he stood up in shock: "What did you say?"
Xiao Fuzi said with a bitter face, "Yes, the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager hurried into the Qianzheng Hall. Not long after, there was a noise. Even my master didn't dare to get close. The master asked me to quietly invite the Empress Dowager and also told me to convey a message that the Empress Dowager had just returned from Prince An's Mansion!"
Lan Qingwu's heart sank. Within a few breaths, she had figured it out. It seemed that Empress Dowager Li was forcing Emperor Shenwu for Prince An's sake. Her face suddenly turned cold: "Come here, prepare for Qianzheng Palace!"
In the Qianzheng Hall, Empress Dowager Li had already left. Emperor Shenwu looked at the empty hall, his heart filled with anger, pain, and tyranny... making him want to destroy everything!
Emperor Shenwu suddenly raised his foot. He was so angry that he kicked over the large and heavy imperial desk. The pens, ink, paper, and memorials on the desk flew all over the floor.
Emperor Shenwu used his immense self-control to stop himself from asking Empress Dowager Li, "From the time he was born until now, has she ever fed him a single meal? Has she ever added clothes to him? Has she ever sung a song for him?"
In the memory of Emperor Shenwu, no, never! The ones whom Empress Dowager Li regarded as her children were always Prince Fei and Prince An!
Emperor Shenwu said coldly: "Come here, the deposed king does not need to linger any longer!"
A shadow flashed by and left.
When Lan Qingwu reached the Qianzheng Hall, he saw Li Xiang wiping his sweat. With a look of anxiety on his face, he whispered, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has returned to the Cining Palace."
Lan Qingwu nodded and walked into the hall without stopping.
Hearing the footsteps, Emperor Shenwu shouted without even turning his head: "Get out! Didn't I say that no one is allowed to come in?"
The footsteps paused slightly, and then started forward again. Emperor Shenwu seemed to have noticed something, but did not turn around. He just stood there stiffly, motionless.
Lan Qingwu approached Emperor Shenwu and hugged his waist from behind. She felt his stiff body and his rising and falling chest, and she only tightened her arms and hugged him tighter.
After a moment, Emperor Shenwu's breathing finally stabilized, and he broke the suffocating silence. "Ever since I can remember, I've lived in a side room in the corner of Fengju Palace. My mother rarely thought of me. She was busy focusing on the eldest son, busy fighting, and later busy taking care of the eldest son and training the deposed prince. The servants in my palace have been very negligent towards me. It's common for me to miss a meal every day and be woken by the cold when it's cold. I lack food and clothing. One old maid even hit me!"
Lan Qingwu felt a pain in his heart when he heard it.
"Later, when I was five years old, I contrived a scheme to escape to the Qianzheng Palace, where my father punished a group of palace maids and eunuchs. From then on, I was able to lead a normal life. Unfortunately, my father's special treatment caught the eye of Zhou Qihuai, a narrow-minded and tyrannical man from a young age. He even had several eunuchs intercept me. I was young at the time and was suppressed and unable to move. My mother then appeared and stopped Zhou Qihuai, but she believed his lies about teaching me a lesson, gave me a lecture, and took Zhou Qihuai away. I then went to find my father and told him that I wanted to learn martial arts. A few months later, I beat Zhou Qihuai back. I saw my mother's other face, and she was furious and scolded me endlessly!"
At that time, the young Emperor Shenwu said to Empress Dowager Li: "I am also discussing with my fifth brother and learning from each other!"
"I understood then that my mother treated me differently than she treated Prince An and the deposed Prince! After Prince An was deposed, Zhou Qihuai became even more rampant in the palace. He nearly killed Prince Ding several times and held a grudge against me. I knew my future must not fall into his hands! So I formed an alliance with Prince Ding to help each other."