novelaction Chapter 485 Father's Fault
Chapter 485 Father's Fault
Chapter 485
"You rebellious son! What a true example of 'a son's undiscipline is the father's fault'!"
Emperor Yuanzhen covered his chest with his hands, and a fishy and sweet taste rose to his throat, but he forced it back.
He was furious to the extreme, but his expression calmed down, his eyes cold as ice. "Since you are so stubborn, I thought I was the closest to you among the princes, but I never thought you would be so disobedient to me. If that's the case, I don't think I need to forgive you."
Eunuch Su, who had been standing quietly by the side, came forward upon hearing the voice. He did not dare to raise his head, but bowed with lowered brows and replied "Yes".
"Pass on my order—my third son tragically died suddenly yesterday. From now on, there will be no third prince in our Great Zhou!"
Emperor Yuanzhen's voice was as deep as ice. He paused and added, "Considering that he was once of royal blood, I will not punish him for the time being. I will only order this rebellious son to be exiled to Lingnan, stripped of all his royal titles, and never allowed to enter the imperial mausoleum!"
Eunuch Su, standing by, felt his heart tremble when he heard this, but he didn't dare hesitate for a moment and quickly bowed his head, saying, "I obey your command and will go and deliver your Majesty's instructions right away."
It wasn't until the imperial guards grabbed his arms that the Third Prince snapped back to his senses. Lingnan was perpetually hot, damp, and sticky, swarming with mosquitoes. Not only were epidemics common, but it was also filled with deadly miasma. Someone like him, raised in the capital and accustomed to a life of luxury, couldn't endure such hardship. He'd likely lose half his life on the road before even reaching Lingnan.
Only then did his sanity finally return, his heart filled with fear. He struggled to get up, but the guards' grip on his arms was as firm as iron chains. He could only scream and plead in vain, "Father, I know I was wrong! I won't do it again! Please revoke your order and don't let me go to Lingnan!"
He was really scared, and at this moment most of his strength was drained away by fear.
Since childhood, because of his mother, Emperor Yuanzhen had always treated him more kindly than the other princes. He gradually lost his sense of propriety and treated his father, the emperor, as an ordinary father who could act spoiled and tolerate him without restraint. However, he could not remember that the emperor's status always came first, and the father's warmth always came second.
Emperor Yuanzhen was an emperor after all, and he had long been extremely disappointed with the third prince. Moreover, the emperor's words were golden, and once he had issued an order, there was no reason to take it back.
He watched the Third Prince struggle and plead in vain with a cold eye, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes, but when he thought about how he hadn't softened his heart when he wanted to kill his father, his heart soon turned cold. He raised his hand and signaled the guards: "Take him away and carry out the order. There is no need to let him make any more noise here."
As soon as the words fell, the two guards no longer hesitated and dragged the still-whimpering Third Prince out. The palace door closed again, and the pleading gradually faded, then suddenly turned into hateful curses, finally completely dissipating outside the palace.
After the voice disappeared, Emperor Yuanzhen staggered back two steps, and his back, which had just been straightened, collapsed. He had few children to begin with, and this son had been close to him since childhood. Now... how could he not be heartbroken.
Eunuch Su stepped forward quickly and helped him sit down slowly.
He held his head high, his chest heaving violently, his heavy gasps echoing through the hall. A dull pain in his heart suddenly surged, and he could no longer suppress it. A mouthful of blood spurted out, splattering on the bright yellow dragon robe, making it extremely glaring.
His consciousness gradually blurred and Emperor Yuanzhen's body fell backwards.
Eunuch Su was so frightened that he quickly supported him and shouted to the outside of the palace: "Someone come! Quickly call the imperial physician! Quickly call the imperial physician!"
.........
In Emperor Yuanzhen's bedroom, the imperial doctors were kneeling on the ground, all with solemn expressions.
The person on the bed looked terribly pale and listless, like an ordinary old man in the market.
He supported himself with his arms and tried to get up. Eunuch Su quickly placed two soft pillows behind him and carefully helped him sit steadily.
Emperor Yuanzhen's voice was as hoarse as if it had been ground by sandstone, and his eyes fell heavily on the head of the courtyard: "Are you saying that I am beyond help?"
The head of the Imperial Hospital knelt in front of the bed, his head buried even lower, his hands trembling slightly, and his voice as thin as a mosquito's: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... We have tried our best, but your health has been weak for a long time, and you have been suffering from anger... It's really..." At the end of his words, he couldn't even put together a complete sentence.
Emperor Yuanzhen slowly closed his eyes, the last glimmer of light fading. He knew his body better than anyone else—even if the poison had been cured, the exhaustion of years of governing had already worn away his foundation. He had originally hoped to hold on for a few more years, entrusting the country to his descendants, but he had never imagined that a sudden attack of anger would bring everything to an end prematurely.
Listening to the head of the hospital's diagnosis at this moment, he felt no wavering at all. He only sighed softly in his heart: This result should have come a long time ago.
"How long can it last at most?" Emperor Yuanzhen's voice was as light as a breeze, and no emotion could be heard from it.
Seeing that His Majesty did not blame him, the head of the court breathed a sigh of relief. However, he felt a heavy weight on his heart because of this question. He spoke carefully, his voice full of difficulty: "Your Majesty...no more than three months."
When Emperor Yuanzhen heard the word "March", he slowly waved his hand, his voice hoarse with a hint of relief: "Three months have passed, that's enough."
As he finished speaking, he raised his eyes towards the imperial doctors standing by the bed.
The imperial physicians understood what he meant and kowtowed in greeting, their movements so gentle that they made almost no sound. Then they stood up one by one and tiptoed out.
They didn't need anyone to remind them at all - the emperor was so seriously ill that he only had three months left. If this matter were to leak out, it would definitely cause turmoil in the court and the country. None of them could bear the consequences, so they would naturally keep the news secret.
After taking a short break and feeling that he had regained some strength, Emperor Yuanzhen lifted the quilt and was about to get out of bed.
Eunuch Su hurried forward and held his arms with both hands, moving gently as if he was afraid of breaking them.
After the palace maids came forward to dress him up and his clothes were restored to their former neat appearance, the weakness on Emperor Yuanzhen's face dissipated a little. Although his face was still pale, there was only the calmness and decisiveness that belonged to an emperor in his eyes.
He looked at Eunuch Su standing beside him, and said in a soft yet authoritative voice, "Pass on my order and summon several important officials to the palace immediately to discuss state affairs with me."
Eunuch Su's Adam's apple moved, and he stammered with a hint of worry that he couldn't conceal, "I understand."
Then he retreated quietly.
…………
The candles in the Hall of Supreme Harmony burned all night long, only gradually going out at dawn.
Inside the hall, several important officials still had expressions of pain and heaviness on their faces, but as soon as they stepped out of the gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, they quickly suppressed all their emotions and regained their usual calm and steady appearance.
The next day, news of the "Third Prince's sudden death" spread throughout the capital. Although there was some discussion on the streets, ordinary people quickly forgot about it and continued to live their lives as usual.
Only the perceptive dignitaries noticed that something was amiss, and they hurriedly ordered their children to control their tempers and not to cause trouble.
Luo Shuiyao was accompanying Luo Shi and Niu Jiaojiao in making a few dresses when she overheard some people discussing the Third Prince. She wondered what Lu Zhaozhao, who had been desperately trying to get close to the Third Prince, was up to now.
But she soon put it behind her - no matter what happened to Lu Zhaozhao in the future, it had nothing to do with her.
Outside the capital, a team of yamen runners escorted criminals to Lingnan, including the third prince and Lu Zhaozhao.
Lu Zhaozhao had already fallen out with the Third Prince since Ye Yunzhou's capture. She had originally intended to sever ties and return to Ping'an County—even if the Lu family was a poor family, she could at least marry into a commoner family, and she absolutely refused to be associated with a convicted man like the Third Prince. But the Third Prince refused to let her go, and even now, even when he was exiled to Lingnan, he took her with him. There was no trace of the affection they once had for each other, only resentment and resentment.