The Double
Chapter 785 - 231 Death News_4

Chapter 785: Chapter 231 Death News_4

The Empress Dowager faintly perceived that something was amiss, yet couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. She had Mei Xiang serve tea to Emperor Hongxiao, then walked over to the tea table and invited Emperor Hongxiao to sit as well.

Emperor Hongxiao looked at the incense burning on the Empress Dowager’s altar and smiled, asking, "Mother, for whom are you praying for blessings?"

The Empress Dowager replied, "Naturally, it is for the common people of the world. The snow disasters in various places have frozen many to death. Hearing of such things pains my heart deeply, but there’s little I can do. I can only copy scriptures and pray for them in the palace."

"Mother indeed has the world in her heart," Emperor Hongxiao commended.

The Empress Dowager lifted her eyes to the emperor and didn’t know when it happened, but this prince, who once was an eyesore to her, had matured into his current stature. She still remembered that not long after the Crown Prince’s death, in order to stabilize her own position, she had to pretend to be a loving mother and filial son with this prince. She also remembered how the young Emperor Hongxiao was meek and compliant, agreeing with her in every aspect. She felt both reassured and proud yet also disgusted and contemptuous. But in the end, she had underestimated this prince. Every prince carries the blood of the Late Emperor, the instinct for usurping and deceiving is something they are born with. This became evident with Prince Cheng’s affair; Emperor Hongxiao was no different, even awakening earlier. In his younger years, he knew to use her to get what he wanted.

Thinking about it, the deep palace is like a jungle, and how can a beast that grew up in the jungle not be a man-eater? The Empress Dowager then thought of Yin Zhili, that young man she had seen at the palace banquet. Over twenty years later, she saw her own son for the first time. Yin Zhili’s gentle and jade-like demeanor, which she had once been so proud and fond of, now filled her with worry. She wondered how much of a chance her son stood against the fearsome emperor.

She couldn’t let Yin Zhili fail, she couldn’t let such things happen; therefore, she had to clear all obstacles for Yin Zhili. That included the emperor before her. She alone certainly couldn’t achieve this, thankfully, there was Yin Zhan. No matter what difficulties she encountered, only this man would never abandon her but would always stand behind her and solve all her problems.

"Actually, I have come today to tell mother about one more thing," Emperor Hongxiao picked up the teacup from the table, took a slight sip, then said unhurriedly, "Prince of Xia County is dead."

The Empress Dowager’s hand, originally smiling as she reached for the teacup, quivered upon hearing this, spilling some tea. Mei Xiang quickly wiped the stain on the table with a handkerchief. However, the Empress Dowager held the teacup tightly, as though making a great effort to grip it firmly. Her smile was somewhat rigid as she said, "Your Majesty, what nonsense are you talking? How could the Prince of Xia County be dead when everything was fine?"

"It’s true," Emperor Hongxiao’s answer was to be expected, "At the Red Mansion in Qingzhou, Duke Residence’s Old General Jih killed the Prince of Xia County, and the Prince of Xia County also killed Old General Jih. What a pity."

A "pity" said so lightly, without discernible emotion, made it impossible to gauge the emperor’s thoughts, leaving one clueless about his meaning. Mei Xiang stood behind the Empress Dowager, her expression subtly changing, and she couldn’t help but glance at the Imperial Guards standing behind Emperor Hongxiao, stoic as rocks, as if they understood all her thoughts.

"How could it be?" The Empress Dowager chuckled. She didn’t look at Emperor Hongxiao but rather at the armor on her own hand, as if she intended to discern every gem settled into it with great care. She said, "How could Old General Jih kill the Prince of Xia County, and how could the Prince of Xia County kill Old General Jih? I am already advanced in age, Your Majesty, so please don’t jest about such matters with me; I won’t take them seriously." It was as if a child had lied and an adult had indulgently forgiven him.

"Neither do I have the leisure to joke about such matters," Emperor Hongxiao said with a smile that wasn’t really a smile, "It doesn’t matter if mother doesn’t believe me; soon enough, the bodies of Old General Jih and the Prince of Xia County will be sent back to the capital to be buried."

Finally, the Empress Dowager’s complexion changed. She lifted her head to look at Emperor Hongxiao, the emperor who grew up under her watchful eye, now revealing a beast-like, fiercely sinister gaze. With just that one look, the Empress Dowager knew he couldn’t possibly be ignorant of everything; he understood in his heart.

Yet she still had to struggle as if by doing so she could muddle through, the Empress Dowager laughed and said, "I don’t understand. Your Majesty sounds so at ease, do you not intend to seek justice?"

"Seek justice? Mother may not be aware, but this matter traces back a long time ago, something I’ve only recently learned," the emperor said with a chuckle, "Many years ago, Duke Su’s father, Jinwu General, went missing, in fact, it was a scheme by the Prince of Xia County that led to his death. A son’s vengeance for his father’s murder is irreconcilable. Jih Heng’s killing of the Prince of Xia County is not unreasonable, but the old general was distressed for his grandson and helped Jih Heng accomplish this. Mother, it is only right and proper to pay with your life when you take another’s life; even I can’t say otherwise. Does mother hope that I would show favoritism?"