RPAGF Chapter 274 Birthday Eve
Chapter 274 Birthday Eve
On the night before the emperor's birthday, Si Heng was suddenly summoned into the palace by Emperor Jing Zhao.
When Si Heng arrived, Emperor Jing Zhao was looking down at a painting on the desk.
The traces on the painting were already quite old, and it looked like it had been there for a long time. The brushstrokes were childish, and it was obvious that it was painted by a child.
Emperor Jing Zhao was watching with such concentration that he seemed not to hear Si Heng greeting him.
Si Heng didn't indulge him. He straightened up and walked to a chair beside him and sat down.
Eunuch De didn't even blink, and was obviously not surprised by Si Heng's behavior.
Among all the princes, only the Ninth Prince dared to be so presumptuous in front of Emperor Jing Zhao.
"Old Nine, do you still remember that this painting was taught to you by your father when you were six years old?"
Si Heng's eyes fell on the calligraphy and paintings on the table, but then moved away after a moment.
"My father summoned me to the palace, I guess it's not to reminisce about the past. Just say it if you have something to say." Si Heng asked instead of answering, his eyes without any fluctuation.
Emperor Jing Zhao paused for a moment and looked in the direction of Si Heng.
He was not annoyed by Si Heng's rude behavior, and even seemed to be in control of the situation.
"Your sixth brother just came here. He wants father to arrange a marriage for him. He wants to take a concubine in to expand the royal family. Father has not agreed yet..." When he said this, Emperor Jing Zhao stopped the topic with a meaningful look in his eyes.
"Didn't his principal wife just get married not long ago? He is so eager to marry a concubine and have more children. If he is incompetent, he won't be able to have more children even if he marries ten more. Besides, why are you telling me this? What does it have to do with me if Sixth Brother wants to marry a concubine? I'm not his father." Si Heng didn't even raise his eyelids, and his tone was nonchalant.
"How can you talk like that? After all, he is your sixth brother. What are you saying?" Emperor Jing Zhao looked a little annoyed, and his voice tone became a little higher.
"I'm not wrong. Father, just speak your mind. It's okay. I'm leaving now." After Si Heng said this, he stood up and was about to leave.
"How dare you!" Emperor Jing Zhao slammed the table and stood up. He did not scare Si Heng, but frightened Eunuch De who was serving beside him, so much that he immediately knelt down.
"If Your Majesty wants to beat or kill me, I will do as you please. I will take my leave first." Si Heng bowed, ignored the anger of Emperor Jingzhao, and walked away.
"What if I tell you that your sixth brother is seeking marriage with Princess Ning'an?"
Emperor Jing Zhao's cold words successfully stopped Si Heng. He turned around and looked directly at Emperor Jing Zhao, with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.
"I don't care what your ulterior motives are. If you want to target her, don't blame me as your son for being rebellious. Here, I want to advise you, father, to be careful not to shoot yourself in the foot."
Eunuch De was very panicked. The Ninth Prince's words were already extremely disrespectful.
It's really a fight between gods, and the little devils suffer.
"Since you don't want her to become your sixth brother's concubine, how about giving her to the fifth brother? The fifth brother is still lacking a concubine. I think Princess Ning'an and the fifth brother are a good match." Emperor Jing Zhao turned the ring on his finger with an unfathomable expression.
He quietly admired Si Heng's expression. What disappointed him was that Si Heng never even frowned from beginning to end.
"Or in other words, this time envoys from various countries came to congratulate. Among them, Xiliang and Nanyue both intend to form an alliance and marriage with our Dasheng. I might as well make her a princess and let her marry. Since she is a member of the royal family, she should share the country's worries. What do you think?" After Emperor Jing Zhao finished speaking, he pulled out a roll of bright yellow imperial edict from under the desk.
On it was the imperial edict that had already been written, ordering Qin Ruo to marry Xiyue.
Si Heng's pupils were filled with shock, and the knuckles of his fists in his sleeves had turned white from the force he had exerted.
"Are you threatening me? So, holding a ceremony to confer the title of Princess Ning'an is just a gimmick. You never thought about letting her leave safely, right?" There was a hint of anger in Si Heng's voice.
"You can think so. As a member of the royal family, you should be concerned about the great country of Dasheng. You should not forget your responsibilities for the sake of love. A little girl makes you lose your composure. You are unworthy of being a member of the royal family." Emperor Jing Zhao said ruthlessly with inviolable majesty.
"Father is so calculating. Which one of your children is not a bargaining chip for you to consolidate your power? You hold them in your hands when you need them, and discard them when you don't. Could it be that what the former concubine said is true? Recently, even the seven royal brothers and the eldest brother have been dragged out. Father is so good at balancing the pros and cons in the court." Si Heng suddenly laughed.
"Tell me your purpose?" Si Heng didn't want to say anything more.
Emperor Jing Zhao narrowed his eyes and stared at Si Heng as sharply as a falcon.
"What purpose can I have? I just want to clear the obstacles for you. Now that the poison in your body has been cured and you are not young anymore, it is time to choose a suitable marriage and settle down. As for Ning'an, I advise you not to worry about it."
Si Heng sneered and turned away. He knew better than anyone how heartless and cold-blooded Emperor Jing Zhao was.
He was not a fool like the fifth and sixth princes. He believed the emperor's words, which were half-truths, and thought the emperor wanted to support him to be the crown prince.
He had long been fed up with the already corrupt Da Sheng, and he had no desire for the dragon throne.
He had only one goal from beginning to end, which was to avenge his mother and his aunt.
Not long after Si Heng left the palace, the chief eunuch of the cold palace suddenly came to report that Xu, who had been banished to the cold palace and demoted to a commoner, had committed suicide.
Emperor Jing Zhao's face changed, but before he could ask clearly, another guard came to report urgently.
It was said that the Fifth Prince, along with a group of his trusted aides, had left the city an hour ago, falsely stating that he had received the Emperor's order, and was heading north.
"Immediately take people to secretly search the Fifth Prince's mansion, and have another group of people surround the Fifth Princess's family home. Be careful and don't alert the envoys of other countries." The veins on Emperor Jing Zhao's forehead bulged, and his eyes were burning with tremendous anger.
As soon as he heard that Xu committed suicide, Emperor Jing Zhao felt that something was wrong.
After the Fifth Prince's palace banquet, he has been confined to the Fifth Prince's Mansion and has not gone anywhere.
According to the information from the people who were monitoring the Fifth Prince, during the time he was under house arrest, he was drunk every day and drowned his sorrows in alcohol.
He clashed with the Fifth Princess again and even slapped her in the face.
The Fifth Princess returned to her natal home, the Mansion of Marquis Zhongyuan, in a rage. However, the family of the Mansion of Marquis Zhongyuan had left the city a few days ago, saying that they were going to the temple to pray for blessings.
The person who received the order and left returned half an hour later.
Confirming Emperor Jing Zhao's uneasiness, the Fifth Prince's Mansion was deserted, with only a group of inconspicuous servants and old maids left.
The same is true for the Marquis Zhongyuan's Mansion.
Leaving the capital, heading north to Jinzhou is the fief of Emperor Jingzhao’s brother, the vassal king, Prince Leping.
"Rebellious son! Is he planning to rebel?" Emperor Jing Zhao was so angry that his eyes turned black and he almost fainted.
Eunuch De was panicked and hurriedly called for the imperial physician.