The Guangwu Emperor frowned, "Then let him kneel there forever!"
After a brief pause, he turned to Song Chengyuan, seething with anger, "If you hadn't been so useless, would I have resorted to such extreme measures against my once life-and-death brothers...?"
"Now, every time I see Wen Zilong, I'm reminded of Lan Jinqin and the Lan family. Guilt and unease consume me."
Song Chengyuan quickly lowered his head, muttering under his breath, "But Father, you gave your silent approval when I wanted to take action against the Lan family back then..."
Noticing the Guangwu Emperor's darkening expression, he quickly interjected,
"I know I'm useless, forcing you to make an example of someone. But after the Lan family's downfall, both the Duke of Dingguo and other nobles have become more cautious. It shows my actions were effective. Father, you've always said that a king should have an iron heart. Don't be soft-hearted. Stop the Fourth Brother from investigating any further!"
If the investigation continued, the royal family's dignity would be completely destroyed!
The Guangwu Emperor was well aware that if the case were to be investigated, he would be exposed as the mastermind.
He would never admit his mistake to the world or the Lan family.
"Get out of my sight! You give me a headache!" The Guangwu Emperor was in a foul mood. He waved his hand dismissively, "You! Stay in your mansion for a month and don't cause any more trouble!"
Song Chengyuan was inexplicably placed under house arrest. He was so angry that he wanted to argue, but seeing the Guangwu Emperor's rare outburst of anger, he swallowed his protest and left obediently.
Just as he left, the thickly piled dark clouds finally gave way. Torrential rain poured down like a river from the sky.
A sudden cold wind blew, and even the midsummer heat of July gave way to a sudden chill.
Song Chengyuan walked from in front of the Chengde Hall, holding an umbrella, to the side of the man kneeling upright.
The heavy rain cascaded like a bead curtain from under the oil-paper umbrella held by the eunuch. Song Chengyuan remained spotless under the umbrella, looking down at Song Yinghuai kneeling in the rain with a sneer,
"Fourth Brother, you're so naive to think you can bring me down with the Lan family's case. If I'd known you were this naive, I wouldn't have had anything to worry about..."
"You won't be able to save a single member of the Lan family. Miss Lan San will never be able to live openly in this world. You want to marry her? Dream on... Hahaha..."
From a distance, Eunuch Cen watched Song Chengyuan's retreating figure. He quickly ran over with an umbrella and held it over Song Yinghuai's head, pleading,
"Your Highness, Prince of Yan, just give in! His Majesty is just angry and punishing you to reflect. If you just admit your mistake, this old servant will immediately pass on the message..."
The flags in the imperial city hung limply in the rain. The world was filled with the sounds of the torrential rain and rumbling thunder.
The man kneeling outside the hall kept his head down throughout, motionless. The rain washed down his chiseled cheeks:
"Eunuch Cen, you may go back." Song Yinghuai's voice was colder than the rain, "I'll kneel for a while longer."
"Oh dear!" Eunuch Cen was frantic with worry, "Your Highness, Prince of Yan, even if you don't consider His Majesty's feelings, think about the Empress Dowager! She loves you so much. If she knew you were like this, she'd faint again!"
"Then don't let her know." After saying that, Song Yinghuai closed his eyes and fell silent.
Eunuch Cen's persuasion was in vain, so he left with a sigh.
All the sounds in the world seemed to fade away. All he could hear was the deafening roar of the rain. The cold rain hit his skin, seeping into his heart like ice water.
Memories of the past years flashed through his mind.
He seemed to hear the Guangwu Emperor's stern scolding, Song Chengyuan's arrogant laughter, Empress Ma's kind persuasion, the clashing of swords and horses on the border, and the heroic shouts of Zhu Xiao and the others...
Even more, he heard the jubilant cheers of the Lan family's army after their victory at Yanmen Pass, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live, long live, long live!"
"I'm a free man by nature, but not free in this world." Caiyu's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, "Your Highness wants to be both loyal and righteous, but unfortunately, there are those who won't let you have your way. You retreat, they advance. When you have no more room to retreat, they'll still force you. You're doomed."
The Guangwu Emperor's voice rang out again, cold and hard like the bricks on the palace floor, "Remember, the Crown Prince is first your sovereign and then your elder brother. All your life, you must be loyal to your king and assist your elder brother. If you dare to have any rebellious thoughts, I'll be the first to not spare you!"
The Guangwu Emperor's words stabbed into his heart like a sharp thorn.
He suddenly clenched his fists and tightened his lips, allowing the heavy rain to continue pounding his body.
The seed that had been planted in his heart suddenly germinated after today's storm and was about to grow into a towering ancient tree with lush branches and leaves!
The dark clouds covered the last glimmer of light on the horizon. The rain and thunder showed no sign of abating.
Caiyu woke up with a start from her dream. She sat up and watched the lightning streaking across the sky. Looking around, the bedroom was pitch black.
She hated such rainy days. They reminded her of the day when the Lan family was raided.
She jumped out of bed and lit the palace lantern on the bedside table. She felt the other side of the bed.
It was cold.
It seemed that Song Yinghuai hadn't returned yet.
They had just reconciled, and she hadn't even had the chance to confront him about faking his death to gain her sympathy, yet he had disappeared all night.
Caiyu suddenly felt a pang of unease.
This had never happened before. Song Yinghuai knew she was still angry. Why would he stay out all night?
Could something have happened in the palace?
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Then Han Fen's voice came from outside, "Miss Caiyu, can't you sleep?"
Caiyu quickly opened the door.
The roaring sound of the rain suddenly filled her ears, making her head buzz. She stood on tiptoe and looked over Han Fen's shoulder, asking,
"Guard Han, you're back. Where's His Highness? Is he in the study?"
Han Fen glanced at her. His flickering gaze was swallowed by the darkness. He simply replied,
"No. The Empress Dowager suddenly fell ill. His Highness asked me to come back and tell you that he may stay in the palace with the Empress Dowager for a few days. Miss Caiyu, don't worry."
"Oh." Caiyu replied absent-mindedly, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.
Han Fen added, "It's late. Miss Caiyu, why don't you go back to sleep? I'll be guarding outside. You don't have to be afraid of the thunder."
Caiyu looked at his face, illuminated by the flashes of lightning and then hidden in the darkness. Finally, she nodded and silently closed the door.
The heavy rain continued to pour.
"Boom!" A thunderclap collapsed half of the dilapidated earthen wall of the Ministry of Justice Prison. The stench of the mud made Sheng Jiangli cough violently.
He coughed a series of hacking coughs. A bright flash of lightning flashed through the narrow skylight, illuminating the dim prison like daylight for an instant!
His body suddenly tensed up. He sensed movement in the dark corner!
"Who's there!" Sheng Jiangli suddenly stood up and quickly approached the corner.
Just then, the figure curled up in the corner moved and let out a whimper, "It's me, it's me... Big Brother Sheng, it's me..."
"Crash!"
The thunder roared immediately after the lightning, exploding with a deafening sound.
"Ahh!" Qingqing threw herself into Sheng Jiangli's arms and clung to him tightly, wailing, "I'm afraid of thunder! I'm so scared of thunder!"
Sheng Jiangli's tense body didn't relax. Instead, he grabbed her waist and angrily demanded,
"How did you get in here?!"
Damn it, the thunder was so loud, and he was in prison, so he let his guard down.
He never expected this little girl to sneak into his cell!
Qingqing clung to him and refused to let go, whimpering, "I used a silver needle to pick the lock..."
Seeing that Sheng Jiangli seemed to want to push her away, she clung to him like an octopus, "I'm really scared of thunder! I'm not lying!"
On the battlefield of Nawuerhai, there were mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The heavy rain mixed with blood washed over her buried in the pile of corpses. It was all too vivid...