Xiao Chengye sat in the imperial study for a whole day and night before finally making a decision.
"Father, do you miss me so much that you're in such a hurry to summon me to the palace?"
Yuan Zhao ran into the imperial study with a beaming smile. As usual, she bowed to Xiao Chengye, then trotted to his side and hugged him affectionately.
"Father, you look so pale. You must have been busy with state affairs and haven't had a good rest recently. I feel so bad for you. I've specially made some sugar cube cakes for you. Try them and see if they're delicious."
Xiao Chengye watched Yuan Zhao chattering away with concern and taking out delicate pastries from the food box. There was an unfathomable look in his eyes.
"My little princess is so considerate. Making pastries is a complicated process. Yuan Zhao, you don't have to bring pastries here in the future."
Xiao Chengye's voice showed no sign of emotion. Yuan Zhao's hand paused for a moment, but she still smiled and said, "Father, do you find my pastries unappetizing and don't want to eat them anymore? I'll be so sad."
Looking at his grown - up daughter, Xiao Chengye felt a flood of emotions. There was hesitation in his eyes. "Yuan Zhao, do you really want Father to eat these pastries?"
A flicker of doubt crossed Yuan Zhao's eyes. Looking at the pastries she had tampered with, her first thought was whether her father knew something.
Then, when she saw the white hair at Xiao Chengye's temples and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes, a feeling of filial piety welled up in her heart. Recalling Xiao Chengye's love and care for her, her heart softened, and she almost blurted out what she had done.
But then Yuan Zhao thought of the suffering common people and the cruel third elder brother. Her heart hardened again. She took two silent deep breaths to calm her emotions.
"What do you mean, Father? If I didn't want you to eat these pastries, why would I make them myself and bring them into the palace?"
Xiao Chengye had been observing Yuan Zhao's expression, trying to find a flaw in her eyes and face.
But Yuan Zhao covered her tracks well.
His daughter had finally grown into a true member of the royal family.
Xiao Chengye swallowed the bitterness in his heart. For the first time, he showed his vulnerable side in front of his daughter. "When your mother passed away, you were just a tiny baby in swaddling clothes. When I held you in my arms, it was like holding a priceless treasure. I wanted to give you the most unique love in the world."
"Now you've grown into an outstanding young lady as I hoped. After I die, I'll be able to face your mother in the underworld."
Xiao Chengye smiled, a kind smile on his lips.
At this moment, he didn't look like a high - and - mighty emperor, but an ordinary kind - hearted father.
Yuan Zhao's heart trembled violently. Her nose felt sour, and her eyes welled up with tears.
She tried hard to put on a smile, wanting to act coquettishly with Xiao Chengye as usual, but the words on the tip of her tongue just wouldn't come out.
"Father... Why are you suddenly saying these things? You'll always be the kind father who loves and accompanies me in my heart. I hope Father will live a long life and protect me for a long, long time..."
Xiao Chengye looked at the sugar cube cakes on the table. The sweet smell of the pastries filled his nostrils. This was the favorite pastry of Yuan Zhao's mother and the one she was best at making.
Yuan Zhao's cooking skills were just like those of the late Empress Yuan. Xiao Chengye had never tasted such a flavor anywhere else.
Every time Yuan Zhao came to the palace, she would always bring a plate of sugar cube cakes she had made herself. But he never thought that he would be defeated by the sugar cube cakes made by his own daughter.
"Yuan Zhao, Father is old," Xiao Chengye said as he reached out his hand and picked up a sugar cube cake. "What I miss the most is the sugar cube cakes your mother made with her own hands. You've learned the taste perfectly. Father really likes your sugar cube cakes."
Yuan Zhao's guilt reached its peak. She quickly snatched the sugar cube cake from Xiao Chengye's hand. Although she tried to hold back and keep smiling, her expression was uglier than crying. "Father, don't eat anymore. The sugar cube cakes are cold. I'll bring you new ones next time I come."
Yuan Zhao was eager to put the sugar cube cakes back into the food box, but her wrist was tightly grasped by Xiao Chengye.
Yuan Zhao was startled. She turned her head and met Xiao Chengye's deep eyes. Those eyes seemed to have seen through her. Everything she had done couldn't escape Xiao Chengye's eyes.
The smile on Xiao Chengye's lips grew wider, as if he was very pleased.
He pressed Yuan Zhao's hand down, and the plate of pastries that had just been picked up was put back on the table.
Xiao Chengye slowly removed Yuan Zhao's hand, picked up a sugar cube cake from the plate, and slowly put it into his mouth and began to chew.
"Father! Don't eat anymore...!"
"Yuan Zhao's sugar cube cakes are still so delicious."
Yuan Zhao couldn't bear the inner torment any longer. Tears fell like raindrops. "Father! I'm guilty. There's... something in the sugar cube cakes..."
"Yuan Zhao! Do you know that the most taboo thing for a king is to be soft - hearted and act on emotions? Once you've decided to do something, you must achieve your goal. This is the determination a king should have."
Yuan Zhao immediately understood that what she had done to the sugar cube cakes couldn't be hidden from Xiao Chengye. She quickly knelt on the ground, her heart filled with grief.
Since the national master appeared and her family was imprisoned, she had been poisoning Xiao Chengye through the sugar cube cakes in order to seize the throne.
It wasn't for her own selfish desires. She really thought that if the country fell into the hands of her third elder brother, it would be better if it were in her own hands.
She had once sworn under the moon that if she could ever rise to a high position, she would always put the subjects of the Great Zhou first, work hard for them, and strive for the well - being of future generations. She wanted to become a wise and benevolent emperor.
But now, in front of Xiao Chengye, all her methods had become a dirty joke.
Xiao Chengye swallowed the sugar cube cakes, closing his eyes. The sound of Yuan Zhao's soft sobs filled his ears.
It wasn't until he had eaten all the sugar cube cakes on the plate that Xiao Chengye supported Yuan Zhao's hand and helped her stand up.
"Since you've done it, don't stop. If you back down, all that awaits you is destruction. Father is glad to see your growth, but worried about your immaturity. Father will give you a chance to compete fairly with your third elder brother."
"Go ahead and show your means and abilities to Father."
Yuan Zhao's throat hurt, as if she had swallowed a spiky stone.
"Father, I..."
Xiao Chengye's tone turned cold. "Yuan Zhao, don't regret and don't be soft - hearted."
"The things you want are full of thorns and blood. Father wants to see how far you can go."
Hearing this, Yuan Zhao endured the shock in her heart. She knew that her father had recognized her as a competitor.
Yuan Zhao bit her tongue hard until her mouth was filled with the taste of blood. Her eyes gradually became firm.
"I won't disappoint you, Father."
After saying that, she put the empty pastry plate back into the food box. Then she bowed and took her leave, turning around and leaving the imperial study.
Just as the door of the imperial study closed, Yuan Zhao vaguely heard Xiao Chengye's voice.
"Yuan Zhao, you'll always be my proudest daughter."