Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 997 - 999: Drive Away the Unworthy Relative (2)

Chapter 997: Chapter 999: Drive Away the Unworthy Relative (2)

Upon hearing this, Nangong Yi’s face instantly showed a color of distress. In fact, he really didn’t want to be the Emperor now. Human hearts are unpredictable, and worldly affairs are many; if he were to become the Emperor, he would inevitably have to invest a great deal of time and energy into state affairs. But if he were just a commoner, he wouldn’t need to bother with anything and could spend all day with her. In spring, they would burn incense and dance with swords; in summer, compose poetry and admire lotus; in autumn, paint by the window; and in winter, brew tea and play chess. That tranquil and refined life was far better than laboring over state affairs and poring over countless memorials every day.

Therefore, he rejected the idea and said, "Imperial Father is in the prime of his life, surely good for another hundred years; where does this talk of limited time come from? Your son has no grand ambitions and only wishes to marry the woman he loves, sire children, and lead an ordinary life without any intention of inheriting the throne."

Hearing his son’s words, Emperor Jin Ming smiled bitterly and said, "It seems that you are indeed set on her, even declaring that you are aimless and content with a lackluster life. Hehe, truly my son, with a character so much like mine at your age..."

As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes as if lost in the memories of the past...

"I was the same with her all those years ago, adamant that I would marry no one but her, pledged to no one but me. Unfortunately, I didn’t withstand the pressure in the end and married the legitimate eldest daughter from Duke Li Guo’s Mansion. At that time, Imperial Father thought he had not kept his promise and owed her. Thus, he favored her in all things, placed her first, indulged her, made her an Empress, ordered her to manage the six palaces over the Empress, and raised her son as his own legitimate son, even knowing that the Former Empress and my first child had died by her hand, I still couldn’t bring myself to punish her!"

At these words, Nangong Yi was startled. So he had known all along that his aunt and older brother died at Jin Guifei’s hand. He knew everything but had watched his wife and child being killed by a concubine without doing anything, as if nothing happened. Behind the wealth and glory of the Imperial Household lies such heartlessness and indifference; his heart grew cold...

The Emperor laughed mockingly a few times, "Sadly, my tolerance and affection were repaid with her endless demands and growing ambition. If she had been a bit less temperamental, she would not have raised such a treasonous and patricidal son... Cough, cough... Cough, cough, cough..."

He started coughing, probably recalling the atrocities Nangong Shi had committed against him, coughing until the veins on his forehead burst out!

Nangong Yi quickly called for the Imperial Physician and after some time massaging him, the Emperor’s breathing gradually calmed. He sighed for a while and then said, "Perhaps this is the retribution for my spoiling a concubine and destroying my wife. If I hadn’t fallen for her and had followed my Imperial Father and Mother’s wishes, faithfully living with the Former Empress, I wouldn’t have ended up like this today, half-dead and lying here. The Former Empress came from a noble family with good upbringing, she would never have had those ambitions, and she wouldn’t have raised such an outrageous and monstrous son. Just like your Imperial Mother, although she is cold in temperament and I haven’t been good to her, she has nevertheless raised you so well, infinitely better than that unfilial son! Cough, cough... This is the difference between the daughters of great households and those of lesser families. Once a daughter of a lesser family gains power, she cannot let go, placing importance on authority above all else, devoid of any affection, her mind and eyes filled with nothing but power... Cough, cough..."

The Emperor’s words were a clear critique of Cai Wei’s background and a defense of Empress Mo. Nangong Yi felt a tightening in his chest. Could it be that Imperial Father also regretted letting him court Cai Wei?

He said anxiously, "Imperial Father, Cai Wei is not the same as Jin Guifei, she won’t..."

Emperor Jin Ming raised his hand to interrupt Nangong Yi’s defense and said, "Don’t tell me how different she is, I’ve seen too many in my lifetime. Don’t speak of her as a mere teenage girl; even if she grows older, she can’t hide her intentions from me. That Mu Caiwei, she definitely has ambition. If you marry her, unless you never take another wife, she will never be at peace!"