Chapter Three: The Emperor’s Demise

Chapter 3: The Emperor's Demise

As night deepened, the imperial chambers grew colder and darker, with only the flickering candle flames breaking the silence with their cracking sounds.

Staring at the anguished and furious Emperor Zhao Yang, Liang Zhen sneered silently. "Empress Dowager Qing Hui learned that you, as emperor, had fathered a child for my father, believing he would bring calamity to the nation. She was hesitant to kill him for fear of damaging your mother-son relationship, so she exiled my father to a temple outside the palace. There, he secretly gave birth to me. Barely a few days after my birth, your men found him and brought him back to the palace. You wanted him to witness your childbirth, hoping to soften his heart, but alas, it did not work. After you gave birth and fell into a slumber, your empress arrived. Fearing that the child might snatch the throne from her son, she ordered my father to take the child away. Upon returning to the temple, my father was ambushed by Empress' brother, Xie Chongming."

Zhao Yang gritted his teeth, his face contorted with rage. Liang Zhen remained unfazed, continuing, "My father had already sensed impending doom and could not bear for the child to suffer the same fate. He asked a young monk at the temple to deliver a message to Marquis of Anle's residence, requesting them to take the child away. Unfortunately, before the marquis' people arrived, Xie Chongming and his pursuers were already there. In the chaos, my father fled up the mountain with me in his arms, ultimately being forced to leap off a cliff to his death."

Years ago, when Liang Zhen was first brought before Emperor Zhao Yang, Marquis of Anle had already divulged these details. The emperor had previously believed that his biological mother, Empress Dowager Qing Hui, had orchestrated the second murder outside the palace. Hence, the Empress Mother had "died of illness" shortly after. It wasn't until he heard the truth from Marquis of Anle – that the Xie family was involved, and the empress had a hand in it – and saw the evidence that he resolved to depose and execute the crown prince, all for what he thought was his regained biological son.

Little did he know, it was all for naught. As an emperor who manipulated others at will, he eventually became the pawn in someone else's game. Enraged, Zhao Yang glared at Liang Zhen, barely containing his desire to tear him apart.

Liang Zhen smirked disdainfully. "Later, the people from Marquis of Anle's residence arrived. The old abbot at the temple, aware of my father's situation, hid me from your men. He couldn't bear for me to suffer in the temple, so he entrusted me to the marquis' household. They believed I was the emperor's son, born to my father for you. Coincidentally, the marquis' heir's newborn son had recently passed away, so I became their son."

"I am not your son. Your son died alongside my father twenty years ago when they jumped off that cliff. Perhaps, this is karma."

Upon the final word, Zhao Yang roared and lunged forward, seemingly ready to fight to the death. Liang Zhen deftly sidestepped, mocking the fallen emperor with a scoff. "Spare your energy, Your Majesty. These are matters of the past. There's no need to be so agitated."

Blood stained Zhao Yang's face and body. He glared furiously at Liang Zhen, his hazy eyes reflecting a bloodthirsty ferocity. "I will kill... you... I will kill..."

"Don't you understand even now?" Liang Zhen shook his head. "His Majesty is growing more and more confused with age. Look, you've been calling out for so long, but has anyone paid attention to you?"

Emperor Zhao Yang was startled and cried out in a strained voice, "Someone! Someone! Come here, at once!"

Only the howling of the cold wind through the window answered him. Liang Zhen stood with his back to the light, watching the emperor on the ground, curled up in a fit of hysteria, with no trace of dignity left. The emotions in his eyes were indiscernible.

After a long while, he murmured softly, "Your Majesty's deep affection for your child moves me. Since you've entrusted me with the military power of the capital, I will make good use of it. Unfortunately, I have no real interest in your Zhu family's throne. Don't worry, your son will still occupy that seat. As for which one, that's up to me."

"Fool..." Emperor Zhao Yang, overcome with rage and anxiety, vomited another mouthful of blood before finally fainting.

The palace doors opened, and Liang Zhen stepped outside. Eunuch Feng Sheng bowed his head, standing by the entrance. Liang Zhen nodded slightly towards him. "His Majesty is unwell and has been unconscious. You must take good care of him."

Feng Sheng's eyes flickered, and he respectfully agreed, "As you command."

Outside the Ganlin Palace, Zhu Yunxuan was walking slowly, draped in a fox fur cloak and holding a hand warmer. The lantern carried by the eunuch behind him illuminated the snow, casting a warm glow. Liang Zhen stopped in his tracks, watching Zhu Yunxuan approach, a barely noticeable smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

As Zhu Yunxuan drew near, their eyes met. He nodded coolly, and Liang Zhen asked with a smile, "Your Highness, visiting His Majesty at this hour?"

Zhu Yunxuan replied, "I heard that Father's condition worsened, so I came to check on him."

"In that case, His Highness might have made a wasted journey. The Emperor just vomited blood again and passed out. He wouldn't even know if you entered now."

Zhu Yunxuan glanced at the brightly lit and crowded imperial palace, his expression calm. "If that's so, I'll visit another day."

"I'll return with His Highness."

Liang Zhen also had a palace within the royal grounds, not far from the Qixiang Palace. Walking back together, they rarely shared such quiet moments side by side. Their silhouettes cast long shadows on the snowy ground, blending inadvertently.

Arriving outside the Qixiang Palace, Zhu Yunxuan nodded to Liang Zhen once more, ready to enter. Liang Zhen suddenly called out to him, "Your Highness."

Zhu Yunxuan turned around, his eyes guarded as he looked at Liang Zhen. A faint hint of a smile flickered in Liang Zhen's darkened gaze under the night sky as he raised his hand.

Zhu Yunxuan immediately froze, turning his face away. Liang Zhen's hand, however, stopped on his shoulder, brushing away the snowflakes that had landed there. He chuckled softly. "What is it that Your Highness is nervous about?"

Zhu Yunxuan concealed his momentary instinctive aversion, replying coolly, "Princess Zhao overthinks."

He didn't say anything more and was about to enter when Liang Zhen called out to him again, taking a step forward to stand opposite him, invading his personal space. Zhu Yunxuan barely managed to restrain himself from pushing Liang Zhen away, his expression worsening. "What do you really want?"

Liang Zhen smiled at him. "What does Your Highness think I want?"

Zhu Yunxuan's expression turned even colder. After a moment of silence, he said, "I hope Prince Zhao is a man of his word."

Liang Zhen replied calmly, "Of course."

Zhu Yunxuan didn't say anything else and turned to leave.

Watching his figure fade into the distance, the smile on Liang Zhen's lips gradually disappeared, and a profound emotion settled deeply in his dark eyes.

Ever since that night, Emperor Zhao Yang had remained unconscious, leaving the imperial physicians at a loss. The entire palace was shrouded in an eerie silence, with all eyes fixed on the direction of the Sweet Rain Palace. No one dared to act rashly as time passed.

In the depths of the third night, Zhu Yunxuan, half-asleep, was suddenly awakened. Gao An knelt by the bed, urgently urging him, "Your Highness, quickly get up. Someone from the Sweet Rain Palace has arrived; something might have happened to His Majesty."

Sleep instantly vanished from Zhu Yunxuan's mind. He hastily got dressed and rushed towards the Sweet Rain Palace.

Along the way, hurried palace servants were bustling about, chattering noisily. There were also more imperial guards patrolling than usual. Zhu Yunxuan's heart was in turmoil until he encountered Liang Zhen near the palace wall of the Sweet Rain Palace.

Liang Zhen maintained his usual composed demeanor, as if victory was already assured. Seeing this, Zhu Yunxuan's agitated heart grew even more restless. He immediately demanded, "What did you say to Father that day? Why has he been in a coma ever since? What did you do?"

Liang Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at Zhu Yunxuan's red-rimmed eyes, filled with grief and anger. He spoke in a deep voice, "Your Highness still has the heart to worry about such trivial matters now? Shouldn't you be rushing to the Sweet Rain Palace like everyone else to see His Majesty for the last time and await the imperial edict?"

Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes, well aware that he should rush to the Ganlin Palace to avoid losing the upper hand. But at this moment, all the resentment and hatred he had once harbored towards the emperor had transformed into an indescribable complexity. He didn't even dare to look, for that person was still his father.

"What did he say to you in the end?"

Liang Zhen's lips curved up in a cryptic smile. "Your Highness wouldn't want to know. It's best not to sully your ears with such sordid matters."

"You—"

"Your Highness, please don't be angry. Now is not the time for such disputes." Liang Zhen stepped forward, extending his hand. Zhu Yunxuan lowered his gaze, and a handkerchief was offered to him.

Seeing that he didn't take it, Liang Zhen prompted, "Wipe your face first. It's not time to cry yet."

Zhu Yunxuan scoffed. "What about you? Aren't you afraid of being criticized for your calm demeanor?"

Liang Zhen dismissed it. "I am different from Your Highness. You are the emperor's son, while I am merely an outer official."

Zhu Yunxuan lifted his gaze to meet his, pausing with words on his lips before ultimately saying nothing. He took the handkerchief.

The Ganlin Palace was already filled with kneeling people inside and out, their sobs echoing throughout. In the main chamber, princes and princesses, concubines, and royal relatives knelt on the floor, along with the cabinet ministers who had been summoned to the palace the day before. Empress Cheng, accompanied by the Ninth Prince, was at the forefront, weeping loudly at the bedside of Emperor Zhaoyang. The emperor, with his eyes tightly shut, was barely breathing.

Zhu Yunxuan abstained from drawing attention, instead moving with a conflicted heart to kneel among the princes. Liang Zhen, meanwhile, tucked his robe aside amidst the assembly of royal uncles and emperors, kneeling down in orderly fashion.

Emperor Zhaoyang on the bed seemed to sense something, slowly opening his eyes. With great effort, his gaze shifted, settling on Liang Zhen, who stood behind the crowd. He appeared to want to raise his hand, his lips moving, but only a hoarse croak escaped his throat. He lifted his neck with effort, his eyes wide with determination. Yet, in the next moment, he weakly collapsed back onto the bed, his eyelids drooping once more.

The lead physician knelt and cautiously approached the bedside, taking the pulse for a moment before prostrating himself, his head lowering to the ground. Empress Cheng let out a heart-wrenching cry, and an instant later, an echoing chorus of mournful sobs resonated throughout the palace chamber.

Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes, tears silently sliding down the corners of his cheeks.