When the Emperor rushed back to Chang’an, he saw that everything had been sorted. At the same time, he was heartened that Prince Han did not hurt the Crown Prince on account of their brotherhood. However, he hated his oldest son. In the end, the Crown Prince had disappointed him again.
The Crown Prince was locked in a side room. When he saw the Emperor arrive, he remained in a daze.
The Emperor was furious. “Not only are you so foolish you cannot recognise your own brother, now you can’t recognise your father as well?”
It was only then did the Crown Prince limp over to kneel. His vision looked delayed. “Greetings, Imperial Father.”
“I came because I want to understand. Out of everyone, you are the one person that should not have thought of rebelling! You are already the Crown Prince, why did you have to do it? Did you really want to push me to the edge and kill me before you are satisfied? Or tell me. Did someone frame you or wronged you again this time? I promise that I will investigate thoroughly!”
“There is no need.” The Crown Prince chuckled bitterly, “I just could not stand Prince Han and wanted to kill my own younger brother. I am getting rid of the thorn in my eye and Chang’an is within my control. After all, I am the Crown Prince. Shouldn’t I just go all the way to take the country? If I killed Prince Han, you would not have forgiven me. I might as well continue and take the next step to become the ruler of the world.”
“You!” The Emperor was in disbelief. “You really wanted to commit regicide?”
“No matter how cruel I am, I will not kill my own father. I just wanted to control the state. When Imperial Father returns, I would have bestowed the position of Grand Emperor on you. You would have lived the rest of your days in luxury. Didn’t I learn this from you?” Such a father will have such a son.
The Emperor was burning with anger as he slapped the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince laughed bitterly. “I am neither loyal nor filial. I am wicked beyond redemption, you did not have to hit me yourself. You can just end me by granting me poison wine. I, Li Chengqian, was born in Chengqian Palace by Empress Zhangsun. When I was an infant, I was already given the title Prince Hengshan. When I was eight, I became the Crown Prince. I was tutored by the best scholar, nurtured in <<Poetry>> and <<Etiquette>>. How did I end up like this? I am already the Crown Prince, why did I have to rebel? Who was the one that forced me to this point?”
He suddenly hugged the Emperor’s leg and wept bitter tears, “I have committed an unforgivable crime and can only be punished by death. Imperial Father, please forgive the Crown Princess and Xiang’er on account of our father and son relationship. Prince Han hates me to the core. After I die, he will definitely hurt my wife. However, they are your daughter-in-law and grandson. Imperial Father, please protect them!”
The Emperor’s eyes were filled with unexplainable sorrow. “Do you know what hurts me the most? Up till this point, you have never truly repented. You are still suspecting and plotting against your younger brother. Prince Han is kind and tolerant but he almost died in your hands. However, even after he took control of Chang’an, he has not hurt a single strand of your hair. How can someone like that hurt your wife just because you lost power? Li Chengqian, your suspicious nature was the one that made you overly fearful and treat everyone as your enemy. It is how you ended up like this!”
The Crown Prince muttered, “Was I the one that always suspected and wronged him? I hope so. I hope he is not as evil and heartless as I thought. If he lets my wife live, I am willing to cut open my heart to apologise to him. Imperial Father, I have no future. Before I die, I would like to see the Crown Princess and Xiang’er one last time. Please have mercy, Imperial Father. Please have mercy.”
The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince begging him piteously. He could not stand it. The pain in his heart was incomparable. He never expected that his clever and quick-witted child would end up like this. He was now fickle and pathetic, going on wild goose chases. He really wished that he could know the reason and do everything over again.
After leaving the Crown Prince, the Emperor was feeling vexed as he went to find Concubine Yan. Concubine Yan’s considerate side could always cure him. He was heartened to see Prince Zhou emerging from this disturbance, still as a kind soul focused on writing farming articles.
The Emperor sighed, “Chengqian used to be so smart and filial. He used to cherish his brothers and received support from the ministers. They all said that he would become a brilliant ruler in the future. The Empress and I had so many expectations for him but they have all turned to nothing now.”
“Everyone is sad by the fact that the Crown Prince turned out like this. However, please do not be too upset, Your Majesty. You are a wise ruler and a kind father. Everyone knows your love for the Crown Prince and your sincere teachings to him.” Concubine Yan’s encouragement was like a poison seed covered in honey. Now, the seed had sprouted. “He is the one that did not live up to your expectations and let you down.”
“While I was recuperating, I thought hard about this. Ever since the death of that actor, Chen Ji, the Crown Prince seemed to have changed into a different person. The Crown Prince has his faults, but did I make a mistake too? If I did not force him to kill Chen Ji, would he not have harboured so much resentment in his heart? To the point where he became more and more prejudiced and ended up to where he is today?”
At this moment, a palace maid came up to serve tea. The Emperor saw the scar on her wrist.
The Emperor was startled. “Why do you have a scar on your hand?”
The palace maid was hesitant. When she finally wanted to speak, Concubine Yan stopped her, “Jin’er, watch your mouth. Leave us.”
The Emperor was unhappy. “Can’t I ask her things?”
Concubine Yan sought his forgiveness. “I was disrespectful. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. However, I saw that you had a lot of troubles on your mind. I am afraid that you would become even more unhappy if you have to hear trivial matters.”
The Emperor muttered to himself, “Seeing how you would speak up to stop her, it must not be a trivial matter.” He asked the palace maid once more, “Tell me, where did you get that scar?”
The palace maid kneeled. “Your Majesty, I was caned by the Crown Prince’s subordinate. That day, the Crown Prince brought a lot of people with him and he barged in aggressively, asking where Her Highness and Prince Zhou were. He thought that I was hiding something from him and ordered his man to cane me to force me to speak.”
An angry look immediately appeared on the Emperor’s face. “Forcing you to tell him where Concubine Yan and Prince Zhou were? What did he want to do? Could he not even tolerate someone like Concubine Yan, who has nothing to do with anything, and Prince Zhou, his younger brother that fully knows his own place?” He then answered his own question, “That’s right, he can’t even tolerate his own biological brother.”
Concubine Yan pretended to rebuke. “Jin’er, you spoke too much.”