Hearing Pei Yin’s affirmative response, she pulled up the corners of her mouth in a smile, looking at Song Chuyi: “I know his temperament, and I know my aunt’s thoughts. Once these two meet face to face, it will be just like the Crown Prince with her—after only a few words, they’ll surely quarrel into a mess.”
Nanny Wu was even more delighted to hear this. Though she couldn’t say it outwardly, in her heart she wished they would cause even more trouble, so he wouldn’t go guard the imperial mausoleum but simply be demoted to commoner status instead—the previous dynasty wasn’t without imperial princes and grandsons who had been demoted to commoners.
Song Chuyi also couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows. Knowing Prince Gong’s temperament and Empress Lu’s temperament, yet Emperor Jianzhang still had Prince Gong go see Empress Lu… She was somewhat shocked, then shook her head. Emperor Jianzhang probably wanted Empress Lu to thoroughly see clearly what kind of person she had raised her son to be, and also to let her know that indulging him in everything couldn’t win back her son’s heart. In the future when she did things, she would likely be more clear-headed.
Empress Lu herself also felt she had received her karmic retribution, especially watching Prince Gong instinctively dodge the hand she reached out, her tears falling like broken beads.
She didn’t know how things had turned out this way, didn’t know why her two sons ended up hating each other to the bone. Her heart was as bitter as if she’d eaten coptis root. Her lips trembled for a long time before she finally called out Prince Gong’s childhood name.
But Prince Gong was only numb. Back then when Madam Du had urged him desperately, saying Crown Princess Lu had agreed and would definitely plead for him if he just wrote a letter, he had thought Crown Princess Lu’s heart truly still held some old affection, and secretly he wasn’t without hidden joy.
But then he waited until Emperor Jianzhang’s thorough scolding and Emperor Jianzhang’s merciless punishment came, and only then did he realize everything was Crown Princess Lu setting a trap for him—but this truly couldn’t be blamed on Crown Princess Lu. If he himself still had a shred of dignity, still wanted even a bit of face, still had the slightest sense of shame, he shouldn’t have held hope, shouldn’t have written that letter.
He had fallen to this state now. He couldn’t help but resent Crown Princess Lu, but toward his own mother, he couldn’t not feel bitter grievance. He spaced out for a while, just in time to hear Empress Lu ask him: “Do you resent your mother this much? Mother was also doing this for your own good…”
How could she have known that Crown Princess Lu truly recognized no family ties and bought no one’s account? If she had known earlier, she would rather have had Prince Gong stay forever in his fief and never return to the capital. Let Zhou Weiyun remain in the capital as a hostage—so be it.
Prince Gong pulled at the corners of his mouth, looking at Empress Lu with full mockery: “Then when Mother deceived me into kneeling for three days that year, then turned around and had the Ministry of Rites prepare for the Crown Prince’s grand wedding and the Crown Princess’s gold册—was that also for my own good?”
Empress Lu stared at him blankly, rendered speechless by his question. After a long pause, she closed her eyes with an expression of utmost grief: “I only made this one mistake…”
“It was precisely this one thing.” Prince Gong didn’t have even a trace of extra emotion: “It was precisely this one thing that made me realize in your eyes, everything of mine could be casually given to him. And I’ve yielded enough, retreated enough!”
He suddenly became agitated, standing up and releasing the hand covering his forehead. The bloody wound on his head fell directly into Empress Lu’s eyes: “Moreover, even after going to his fief, he didn’t leave me alone! Do you know how many times I nearly died at his hands?! If you hadn’t indulged him blindly, if you hadn’t kept telling me to retreat, retreat, retreat—I wouldn’t be the way I am now!”
Two sons—she thought she had given her heart and soul to both of them, but in the end, not one appreciated her kindness. Both had turned against her as enemies. She felt her life had been quite a failure, though the earlier parts had been relatively smooth. Emperor Jianzhang had treated her well. All the tragedies began when the Crown Prince wanted to marry Lu Caiwei.
But Lu Caiwei hadn’t wanted to marry the Crown Prince herself. She had originally thought that if Prince Gong yielded this one step, the sky would be vast and clear, and mother and son would be joyous together. But only now did she understand that everything had been her own wishful thinking, her own self-importance.
“He didn’t even like Cousin! He wouldn’t treat her well!” Prince Gong walked several steps toward Empress Lu, staring at her with wide eyes: “I told you this back then, but you didn’t believe me, didn’t even acknowledge me. He has a habit of snatching other people’s things, and you helped him snatch. In the end, you still expected me to get along harmoniously with him, still expected me to treat you all as I did before?! Mother, I know that of all virtues, filial piety is foremost. I also know the grace of birth is infinitely great. But I never asked you to give birth to me! Back then, it wasn’t I who begged you to hold me and abandon him!”
Prince Gong vented all the resentment in his heart in one breath, looking at Empress Lu with a cold laugh: “This son fears he won’t have the chance to see you again in the future. You take care of yourself.”
Having said this, he kowtowed three times solidly on the ground. Disregarding Empress Lu’s calls from behind, he walked straight out of Qingning Palace. Seeing that people from the Palace Domestic Service were already waiting ahead, he turned back to look at Qingning Palace one more time.
In just this moment of turning back, a crowd had already knelt on the ground ahead. He turned to look and saw a handsome young man in ordinary robes walking slowly forward.
He froze for a moment before reacting. The attendants beside him had already knelt on the ground one after another, calling out “Long live the Grand Prince.”
The person before his eyes truly bore some resemblance to Lu Caiwei. Prince Gong watched him walk forward and involuntarily retreated two steps.
Zhou Weizhao’s face showed no particular expression. He stepped forward, called out “Prince-Uncle,” and said: “Imperial Grandfather sent me to escort you back to the Prince’s residence.”
Emperor Jianzhang meant what he said. He said to have him leave after kowtowing, and truly wouldn’t let him stay even a moment longer. He truly didn’t want these two sons anymore and was wholeheartedly supporting this young upstart before his eyes.
Prince Gong had originally been laughing inwardly, thinking Emperor Jianzhang’s decision was made far too early. But this young upstart was much more composed than he had imagined. Facing him, the prince-uncle who had nearly taken his life, he showed not the slightest emotion outwardly—neither righteous indignation nor schadenfreude.
The rumored Imperial Grand Prince who had been raised on Longhu Mountain for seven or eight years had actually been raised this well. No wonder Prince Zhennan and the Song and Cui families all followed behind him.
He looked at him once, and somehow was compelled to call out to him: “I want to see your father first.”
Zhou Weizhao still showed no expression, but his reply came very quickly: “Father was harmed by Ma Yuantong’s remaining faction and is still convalescing. Master said he cannot endure stimulation. Imperial Grandfather recently forbids anyone from disturbing him. Prince Gong-Uncle, why not wait until you return from the imperial mausoleum next time—seeing him then would work just as well.” After speaking, he urged the Palace Domestic Service people to first send someone to Prince Gong’s residence to notify them and prepare everything.
Chief Clerk Ling, who had been fully convinced that even if they couldn’t get what they wanted this time, they could slowly soften Emperor Jianzhang’s heart, was drinking tea in the courtyard. Hearing that someone had come from the palace, he thought Prince Gong had returned. Who knew that when he came out to listen, what he heard was actually the news that Prince Gong was going to guard the mausoleum? He couldn’t help but freeze in place.