Song Yinghuai was a tall man. Standing in front of the skinny Song Xiuzhu, he seemed as imposing as a mountain, exuding a heavy sense of oppression.
Under his relentless interrogation, the young emperor took step after step backward until he fell back onto the dragon throne.
"Uncle Four..."
The young emperor curled up in the spacious dragon throne. Fearfully, he looked up at the man's handsome face against the light, unable to discern his expression.
He opened his mouth and said hoarsely, "...It's me. I was misled by treacherous court officials. I've made mistakes, Uncle. Please spare me..."
"Uncle, Mother said that the late Empress Dowager had shown kindness to you, and so had my maternal grandfather. That's why you abdicated the throne to me." The young emperor sobbed and pleaded, snot and tears streaming down his face. "Uncle... For the sake of the late Empress Dowager and my maternal grandfather, please forgive me just this once, okay?"
After all, the young emperor was only sixteen years old.
If it had been the Song Yinghuai who had just triumphantly returned to the capital, out of respect for the two people he regarded as his closest kin in this life, he would surely not have held the young emperor accountable.
But things were different now.
After listening to the young emperor's pathetic plea, Song Yinghuai slowly straightened up and said mercilessly:
"Lord Lan told me that past kindness is not an excuse for future mistakes... Evildoers never deserve pity."
The young emperor looked up in horror at the man's heartless face. His thin lips uttered words that sent shivers down his spine:
"Your Majesty, I gave you a chance. All the way from Yanjing to Shangjing, I never launched a full - scale attack. I even stayed in Pengcheng for several days. But you and Empress Lü used the people of the Lan family again and again to threaten and do evil!"
"You're just like your mother, and just like the late Crown Prince. Truly, birds of a feather flock together."
Song Yinghuai looked at Song Xiuzhu disappointedly.
At first, this young man was inconspicuous. Under the oppression of the late Crown Prince, he had always been timid and submissive, like a frightened little beast.
He had always thought that courage could be cultivated, but he had forgotten that after being raised in an improper family environment for a long time, the young emperor's mind had already been corrupted.
He was never an indecisive man.
Now that he had recognized the reality, he would never allow the other party to rise again.
Without waiting for the young emperor to speak again, Song Yinghuai said to Han Fen, who was standing at the palace gate:
"Bring the person in!"
A person?
What person?
The young emperor was puzzled. He secretly raised his face from his arms to find out.
He heard the sound of wheels outside the palace gate. Then a cart was pushed in, on which there was a large earthenware vat.
This was...
As the vat got closer, a human head was revealed. The dirty hair covered the face, making it impossible to recognize the person.
But the young emperor bounced up as if electrocuted.
As a member of the royal family, he had heard of the "human swine"!
But since the founding of this dynasty, this was the first time he had seen one.
"Uncle... Uncle Four..." The young emperor's voice trembled violently. "Who... Who is that...?"
Could it be... Lü Baiwei?
The young emperor's vision went black. He remembered Concubine Qi recorded in the history books.
Lü Baiwei was his own mother!
Apart from being morally corrupt, Lü Baiwei had raised him with all her heart!
At the thought of this possibility, the young emperor's eyes turned red with anger.
Song Yinghuai was silent for a moment.
When he learned that Lü Baiwei had almost killed Caiyu with the heart - devouring gu and threatened Sheng Jiangli to come out of seclusion, there was really a moment when he thought of turning her into a "human swine".
But...
After all, out of respect for his master, although he couldn't spare her life, he had handed her over to Lan Guangling and asked for a decent way to execute her.
Song Yinghuai's lips twitched slightly. He said, "Your Majesty, why don't you go and take a look yourself?"
The young emperor's body trembled violently. He shrank back and didn't dare to step forward. But the speculation about his mother finally gave him the courage. He stepped forward tremblingly.
The head covered by the messy and dirty hair in front of him didn't move at all. Only the heavy breathing sound made the young emperor realize that the person in the vat was still alive!
He swallowed hard and tremblingly stretched out his finger to suddenly push aside the hair on the person's face!
A round monster suddenly appeared in front of him!
There was no nose, no earlobes. There were only two big, terrifying holes where the eyes should be!
"Ah!" The young emperor let out a shrill scream!
It wasn't a scream of sadness, but a scream dominated by fear!
It wasn't Lü Baiwei!
But from the outline, he vaguely recognized that this person who looked like a livestock was the missing Li Muge!
He had never seen such a terrifying person!
This wasn't a person!
This was a monster!
"Get out of the way!" The young emperor excitedly pushed the vat.
The vat was pushed over but didn't break. The person inside turned with the vat, revealing the flattened facial features, looking even more eerie!
Song Yinghuai's voice drilled into the young emperor's ears like a shadow. "Your Majesty likes to listen to slander, doesn't he? I've brought Li Muge here. From now on, he will accompany Your Majesty in the palace. Your Majesty just needs to listen to him."
"I don't want to!" At the thought of having to share a room with such a monster, the young emperor almost collapsed. "Get him out of here! Get this monster out of here!"
"Your Majesty trusted this monster the most, didn't you?" Song Yinghuai said coldly. "Now I'm letting you two share a room. Your Majesty should be happy!"
"Uncle! Uncle!" The young emperor wailed and staggered towards Song Yinghuai. "Uncle! I dare not do it again, Uncle!"
However, the man had already turned around and strode away after speaking, leaving the young man dominated by fear behind, crying hysterically.
"Close the palace gate!" Han Fen ordered harshly.
With a bang, the palace gate closed loudly as the young emperor cried.
Song Yinghuai strode out of the young emperor's bedroom and went to the inner - city tower.
The city wall of Shangjing had experienced hundreds of years of vicissitudes. The mottled city wall was engraved with the marks of time.
A woman in a red dress stood on the city wall. Her skirt fluttered in the strong wind.
The man walked closer with a white - fox cape in his hand. He put the cape on her from behind and then hugged her tightly in his arms. "Yuer, what are you thinking about?"
Caiyu moved her body. Being hugged even tighter, she said helplessly, "I'm thinking about why you always refuse to call me by my real name?"
Did Lan Caiyu still hold this name because he always thought of her as his servant girl?
Song Yinghuai's body stiffened. He slowly lowered his head and explained with a tense expression:
"...Because everyone else calls you Shu'er, but you're my Yuer, the unique Yuer in my heart."
Without waiting for Caiyu to speak, he quickly added, "If you don't like it, I'll change it right away."
Caiyu opened her mouth. "Change what?"
Song Yinghuai: "My Lady."
Caiyu: "...No!"
"Why?" Song Yinghuai was startled. His heart skipped a beat. "You're not still going to marry Sheng Jiangli, are you?"
Caiyu:... Well, that was out of the question. She and Brother A'li had already cleared things up.
But it didn't mean that she was going to agree to marry Song Yinghuai!
Song Yinghuai turned her around so that they were facing each other. He said seriously, "Yuer, My Lady, I know what you're worried about... You're worried that after I ascend the throne, I'll marry a queen and expand my harem."
Caiyu lowered her head and said nothing.
Song Yinghuai continued, "I know what you're thinking. You think a man's words can't be trusted. But Yuer... According to the laws of Daye, it's normal for a man to have multiple wives and concubines. So all men in this world can't be trusted."
Caiyu suddenly glared at him. "Then I'll never get married in my life!"
Song Yinghuai laughed and hugged her. "Will Lord Lan and the eldest young master agree?"
... They wouldn't.
He tucked the wisp of hair by Caiyu's cheek behind her ear and coaxed:
"But at least I'm the most trustworthy man in this world. If you can't even trust me, you won't be able to find a more reliable man in Daye."
"So, why don't you take a chance?"
"With Lord Lan, the eldest young master, Lord Xiao, and Second Master Xu setting good examples, aren't you even a little tempted to give me a try?"
Caiyu's expression softened.
Both her elder sisters had found good marriages. It was impossible for her not to be tempted.
But she wasn't willing to agree so easily.
Suddenly, Caiyu turned around and ran towards the bottom of the tower like a little bird, leaving behind a string of silver - bell - like laughter:
"I'll think about it. Let's see how long the prince can hold out!"
(End of the main text)