I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 109 - 79: The Changeable Wind and Clouds_2

Zhao Rong lay prostrate on the ground, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.

"Father Emperor, why do you say such things? I have always admired my brother greatly. Besides Father Emperor and my brother, there is no second person who could command my loyalty. How could I possibly do anything disrespectful to my Imperial Brother?"

Emperor Longping leaned forward. After staring at Zhao Rong for a while, he suddenly threw his teacup to the ground!

"Even at the critical moment, you dare to feign deceit. Do you truly believe that I am so old and blind?"

"Your son does not dare! Please, Father Emperor, calm your anger. Do not harm your dragon body because of this..." Zhao Rong’s body trembled, but he still kept his lips sealed.

"I have only five sons. Your fifth brother had a dragon visage but died unexpectedly at the age of three. And Yan’Er, who was always kind-hearted, had his soul damaged by witchcraft and Gu Technique a decade ago, turning him into an idiot."

"Now, my eldest son, the nation’s Crown Prince, has also met an untimely end!" Due to anger, Emperor Longping couldn’t help but cough violently. The eunuch beside him wanted to serve him but was stopped by his outstretched hand.

The old Emperor’s face turned pale, and his eyes were filled with cold fury. "Zhao Rong! Do you think that your actions can really escape my notice?"

"Father Emperor, you wrong me! Even if I were to be sliced to pieces and burned by Celestial Fire, I would never harbor any ill intentions towards my brother!" Zhao Rong’s body shook like a sieve, but he still managed to lift his head and stared straight at the old dragon before him.

"If Father Emperor does not believe me, I am willing to swear an oath. If I have ever done anything to harm the bond between brothers, may I die by a thousand arrows, and even in death, may I be doomed to become a beast, never to be reincarnated!"

After a long silence, Emperor Longping waved his hand, commanding the Third Prince to withdraw.

The old eunuch maintained a calm and indifferent demeanor, pretending that nothing had happened.

But the old Emperor clearly did not want to let him off so easily.

"Mingde, what do you think?"

The old eunuch Li Mingde’s eyelids twitched; in a split second, countless thoughts crossed his mind. Finally, he spoke. "The Third Prince has always been clever and astute. This servant truly cannot tell."

...

In late March of the same year, the Third Prince frequently visited the Empress’s palace and occasionally sought counsel with the Empress’s brother.

At this time, Zhao You and Zhao Cong, father and son, both lay dead, and the position of Crown Prince was vacant. The only bloodline left in the palace by the Crown Prince was not the true Imperial Grandson.

It was a substitution, an impostor.

A lie that eventually took three generations to cover up.

The Empress and her brother were well aware of this, but they did not know that the Third Prince Zhao Rong was also privy to the secret.

During the Crown Prince’s funeral, when Emperor Longping saw the ’Imperial Grandson,’ who had hardly grown over the years, his expression remained unchanged.

None of the court officials or consorts questioned the identity of the Imperial Grandson either.

In their eyes, this Imperial Grandson had always been reclusive, seldom seen even during major festivals or significant occasions, always using illness as an excuse to avoid meeting people. Apart from those closest to him, who truly knew what he looked like?

Emperor Longping had seen the Imperial Grandson before. Initially, Zhao Rong was a bit flustered, but seeing his father’s calm demeanor, he was completely at ease.

During the funeral, Zhao Rong held his nephew Zhao Cong’s coffin, crying and wailing with a display of grief as if he had truly lost a brother.

When the coffin was sealed, Zhao Rong took out numerous candies and pastries, placing them in the Crown Prince’s coffin.

He then ordered a jade-carved steed to be presented as a burial good.

Unable to conceal his sorrow, Zhao Rong explained that his brother loved sweets and fine horses.

The surrounding officials were all moved by the Third Prince’s filial piety and kindness. Emperor Longping remained silently contemplative.

After this, Zhao Rong frequently used the pretext of mourning his brother to visit the Empress and her brother, displaying extreme filial piety, treating the Empress as his own mother, saying that now that his brother was gone, he would be her son.

Though the Empress and her brother did not know the true culprit behind the Crown Prince’s assassination, the Third Prince gained their trust and subtly directed their suspicion towards the Jin Sect prince.

Repeatedly, the Empress’s suspicion solidified.

Upon learning that the Crown Prince of Changting had recovered from his madness, the Empress was entirely convinced.

She repeatedly petitioned the Emperor, accusing the Changting Prince of feigning madness and deceiving the Emperor.

She even claimed to have dreamt of the Crown Prince telling her he was wronged, identifying the source of his grievance as the Changting Prince’s estate.

A hundred cuts could not fell the wood, but a thousand whispers could destroy a man.

Emperor Longping, naturally suspicious, could not ignore the repeated accusations, even if baseless.

In early April, Emperor Longping summoned the cabinet ministers and senior officials to discuss the establishment of a new Crown Prince.

By the end of April, the Changting Prince was summoned back to the capital but was not granted an immediate audience with the Emperor.

The eunuch Li Mingde presented him with a poisoned goblet bestowed by the Emperor.

However, Zhu Sheng, a Martial Arts Grandmaster with innate power, remained unaffected after drinking the poison, as if nothing happened!

After three rounds of toasting, Zhu Sheng confided his loyalty to Li Mingde.

At this moment, the National Guardian Sword Saint Zhou Qifeng guarded the hall outside, and Zhu Sheng talked about his glorious years of mutual understanding with the Emperor.

"How long has it been since the Great Peace? Now the Beizhao Prefecture is in rebellion, and the Southern Barbarians frequently challenge our nation’s dignity... I wish to don my armor and fight again, but the Emperor can no longer sail the turbulent seas with me."

Zhu Sheng sighed, "My sovereign was born before me; I was born when my sovereign was already old. I was fortunate to sail through the storms with him, but time was short, and now there seems little chance to revive the past."

Li Mingde dismissed his drunkenness with internal energy, feeling restless.

He anxiously awaited the poison’s effect while smiling awkwardly, "Prince, you are no longer young yourself. If I may say, future matters should be left to the young. Forcing oneself into the fray would only end poorly."

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Zhu Sheng laughed, "This wine is truly potent. Eunuch Li must have tasted it too. Go announce my presence so that this subject may see the Emperor one last time."

In Yangxin Hall, Emperor Longping lay on his bed, his face ashen. The surrounding ministers listened carefully, fearing to miss even a single word.

Zhao Rong, now the new Crown Prince, knelt by the bedside. Emperor Longping opened his drowsy eyes, showing a gaze filled with both love and hate.

"You are much like me, knowing your mistakes but never confessing them."

"Father Emperor..." Zhao Rong looked sorrowful.

Emperor Longping frowned, "You are now the Crown Prince, the future Emperor. Why do you still act so cowardly?"

Seeing Zhao Rong regain his composure, Emperor Longping then instructed him on state affairs.

"Prime Minister Yan can serve as your counselor. If you face any difficult decisions, consult Elder Pan and Elder Shi..."

Emperor Longping had already drafted his final edict. He only wanted to personally explain family matters to Zhao Rong.

"Rong’Er, you have only two brothers left. They are not as wise as you. You must treat them kindly and care for your elder brother’s offspring as well."

With tears in his eyes, Zhao Rong agreed. Finally, Emperor Longping sighed and waved for him to leave.

But before Zhao Rong left, Emperor Longping added one more thing.

He promised to secure the throne for him, ensuring no future worries.

Zhao Rong initially did not understand, but upon seeing his father summon the Prince of Changting, he understood his father’s intention.

In Yangxin Hall, the Changting Prince looked at the dying Emperor, feeling a thousand emotions, which ultimately turned into a sigh.

Few words were needed; only a few exchanged glances and phrases, and they understood each other’s intentions. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Emperor Longping promised that the Zhu family would share joys and sorrows with the imperial family, and Prince Zhu would live freely.

After expressing his gratitude, Zhu Sheng left the Imperial City relieved.

In early May, Emperor Longping passed away. The mourning bells of Luojing tolled, and the entire nation donned white in mourning.

That same month, the loyal Changting Prince, grieving for his late sovereign, killed himself at the river mouth on his return journey to the Jin Sect, his blood dyeing the White River, following his Emperor to the end.

The nation mourned for the prince of a different surname.

As for Emperor Longping’s passing... If amidst the sorrow, there was a cause for joy, it would be seen as a relief.

Beyond the turbulence of the outside world, in the weather of May, as peach blossoms faded, the green leaves grew more luxuriant.

In a secluded courtyard by Shuimen Bridge, a coffin, sealed for a long time, suddenly trembled slightly. The black Yin Ghost Jade embedded in the lid had somehow become ordinary white jade.

As the coffin trembled, the white jade shattered.