Chapter 55 Father and Son Showdown

Chapter 55: Father and Son Confrontation

The crown prince arrived at a royal retreat and made himself presentable.

After the winter solstice, fifteen days later when the Big Dipper points to Gui, the prolonged cold intensifies into deeper frost—this marks Minor Cold.

In recent decades, the people of Great Hui had a saying: "Minor Cold rivals Major Cold." Thus, during this period, the emperor was burdened with governance, making early preparations for winter supplies such as cloth, furs, firewood, and charcoal for the northern territories of Great Hui. He also ordered local government charity shelters to stock provisions for those suffering from the cold.

Additionally, with the New Year approaching, envoys from foreign lands arrived one after another, leaving the emperor no time to spare.

Today was morning court. Whenever court was held, the emperor would invariably hold discussions in the Hall of Heavenly Reverence in the afternoon, often lasting until evening, sometimes even dining with his ministers.

This was his opportunity.

He left his entourage at the Southern Qiongzi Retreat and took only a dozen loyal guards on horseback with him, heading straight for the capital.

Upon entering the capital, he neither returned to his own residence nor sought audience with the emperor. Instead, he went directly to pay homage to the empress dowager.

During the audience, he was respectful and subdued, as if oblivious to everything.

The empress dowager, taken aback by the crown prince’s abrupt arrival, felt a pang of guilt.

As his elder, she felt for her imperial grandson, but she had already promised her son, the emperor, to support him.

That Little Noble Lady now belonged to the emperor and could never be restored to the crown prince. Thus, as his elder, she could not meet his gaze.

The crown prince, maintaining his composure, naturally understood the evasion in his grandmother’s hesitant words.

Lowering his gaze, he concealed his thoughts and bid the empress dowager farewell as if nothing were amiss, saying he would next pay respects to the empress.

The empress was not his birth mother, but she was still his official mother.

The empress dowager quickly added, "Yes, go greet your mother. She’s fretted over you often during your absence."

She paused, then smiled kindly and said, "And your father—he has longed for you deeply."

To the crown prince, these words rang hollow.

He understood now that his grandmother would not help him, and neither would the empress.

These were his closest kin, yet when conflict arose between him and his father, they would all side with the emperor.

Because the emperor was the one they would spare no effort to uphold.

Or perhaps, in their eyes, the emperor was far more reliable than he could ever be.

The crown prince’s lips curled into a wry smile before he respectfully took his leave of the empress dowager.

Only after the crown prince had left did the empress dowager suddenly remember—oh! She’d been so consumed with the matter of the Little Noble Lady that she had forgotten to share the good news: he was going to be a father.

After leaving the empress dowager’s chambers, the crown prince did not go to see the empress. Instead, he summoned his guards, made quick preparations, and then, choosing his moment, headed straight for Langhua Palace.

Langhua Palace.

The crown princess had once mentioned that the empress had prepared new quarters in Langhua Palace for the imperial consorts newly favored by the emperor. So A Wu must be living there.

The crown prince had passed Langhua Palace before. He knew its location—though inconspicuous, it was within sight of the emperor’s Hall of Heavenly Reverence.

Maintaining his composure, the crown prince arrived at Langhua Palace and stormed inside. Immediately, palace eunuchs moved to intercept him.

The Crown Prince directly drew the longsword at his waist and roared in fury, "You insolent rats! How dare you block my way!"

The eunuch was terrified and dared not say a word as the Crown Prince stormed in without another word.

It must be understood that though the palace was heavily guarded, those defenses were for the exterior. The Crown Prince, as the heir apparent and having come from the Empress Dowager's Changshou Palace, could freely enter the inner chambers of the imperial concubines. He strode through unchallenged, as if it were empty territory.

The palace maids of Langhua Palace turned pale at the sight of the Crown Prince, knowing the situation was dire. If anything happened to the noble lady, they'd pay with their lives, so they desperately tried to stop him.

The Crown Prince swung his sword. Poor Wei Lan—before she could react—reached out to block him and blood sprayed as her arm was struck. She screamed in pain and collapsed.

Yi Lan collapsed into hysterical sobs, trembling as she cried, "Help! Help!"

The Crown Prince seized Yi Lan and held the sword to her throat, demanding, "Does the noble lady here bear the surname Ning?"

Yi Lan trembled, tears streaming down her face, "Y-yes..."

The Crown Prince took a deep breath and violently threw Yi Lan aside before kicking the door open and shouting, "A Wu!"

A Wu had been taking her midday rest when she was abruptly jolted awake in confusion.

Still dazed, she heard a young man's clear voice and was even more alarmed.

The Crown Prince? Calling her A Wu? Was she dreaming??

She grabbed her outer robe and looked out dazedly, only to meet the Crown Prince's gaze.

The Crown Prince clambered onto the bed, his embroidered boots trampling the carpet.

A Wu shrieked and scrambled backward into the embroidered canopy, stumbling in panic.

The Crown Prince slashed with his sword, ripping through the curtains, and stared at A Wu before him.

Her hair was lazily disheveled, her golden-woven silk dress accentuating her snow-white skin, as if carved from jade—dazzlingly beautiful!

This was the A Wu he had once cherished in his heart!

He gazed at her, mesmerized, not daring to blink. "A Wu!"

A Wu gripped her skirts in terror, too afraid to make a sound. "Your Highness, Your Highness, you—"

A heady, sweet scent filled the air. Looking at the delicate, rosy figure before him, the Crown Prince's heart swelled with tenderness.

The one he had longed for day and night was right before him—more delicate, more enchanting than he remembered, radiating a delicate pink glow, irresistibly tempting.

He clambered onto the bed, gripping A Wu's wrist firmly.

To A Wu, this was a nightmare. She struggled desperately. "You—get out! How did you get here? Why are you here?"

She didn’t understand—this was the inner palace! The Crown Prince was already married; by all rules, he shouldn’t be here so casually.

This was beyond improper!

Her reputation! Her virtue!

But the Crown Prince, his eyes bloodshot, battled down the surge of love within him. "A Wu, don’t be afraid. I’ll take you away. We’ll leave together, and once we’re gone, we'll speak at length."

As he pulled A Wu toward the door, A Wu could scarcely believe what was happening!

She dared not struggle too fiercely, lest more people find out. She could only lower her voice and plead desperately, "Your Highness, let me go! I'm not A Wu, I'm not your concubine! I'm an honored consort, the Emperor's honored consort! You—"

The Crown Prince suddenly turned his head. "Don't speak. Just listen to me."

A Wu froze.

His eyes were cold and shadowed, filled with a ferocity so alien it made her blood run cold!

A Wu's legs trembled uncontrollably.

Without another word, the Crown Prince grabbed a cloak, wrapped it around A Wu, and dragged her out with long strides.

A Wu stumbled along, nearly tripping as he dragged her. When they reached the steps of the bedchamber and she saw Yi Lan cradling Wei Lan, her hands slick with blood, she could no longer hold back a scream.

She fought back wildly, flailing at the Crown Prince like a cornered animal. "Let go! Let go! No—you've killed someone! Are you insane?!"

Seeing this, Yi Lan and a few palace eunuchs edged forward with brooms, as if to intervene.

But the Crown Prince was no mere courtier. As the heir apparent, he was trained in martial arts, horseback riding, and archery. Common eunuchs were no match for him.

He held A Wu tightly in his arms, pinning her firmly against his chest, while sending two eunuchs sprawling with a single kick.

Then he marched onward, A Wu trapped against him, ignoring her uselessly battering his chest.

By the time the Crown Prince exited Langhua Palace, the Imperial Guard had already closed in.

Holding A Wu with one arm, he raised an imperial token with the other. "This token bears the Emperor’s authority—disobey at your peril!"

The Imperial Guard was responsible for the palace's defense, serving as the Emperor's personal protectors. The token in the Crown Prince's hand was the Imperial Guard's highest authority, granting him command over all guards within and beyond the palace walls.

This was clearly a symbol of the Emperor's trust in the heir apparent—yet now, the Crown Prince was wielding it for his own purposes.

At the sight of the token, the guards blanched. After a brief hesitation, they all knelt in submission.

No longer restrained, the Crown Prince marched onward, A Wu trapped against him.

The Great Hui imperial palace was a fortress unto itself, with thirteen rotating defense units—including the Escort Division, the Palace Front Division, and the Ceremonial Guard Division—patrolling day and night under the command of rotating officers, sword-bearing captains, and centurions.

The Crown Prince's actions had already alarmed the palace patrols. The captain sounded the alarm with a bronze bell, and within moments, 160 bells tolled in a wave across the palace. Every chamber and courtyard barred its doors, while eunuchs and maids scurried for cover.

A Wu knew nothing of this. As the bells tolled from near to far, drowned by the stomp of armored boots and the clang of swords, her face turned deathly pale.

She wanted to break free but didn't dare. She wanted to reason with him, but the Crown Prince marched forward grimly, unmoved by her begging.

Tears streaming down her face, A Wu sobbed, her voice breaking, "Your Highness, please, come to your senses..."

But the Crown Prince only snarled, "Shut up!"

A Wu shuddered in fear.

This was no longer the Crown Prince she once knew—he’d lost his mind!

Moving swiftly, the Crown Prince carried A Wu to a spot where a chestnut horse stood ready. With a single sweep, he mounted the horse with A Wu in his arms.

A Wu's face drained of color. She knew escape meant ruin—if she did, her life as she knew it would vanish.

She struggled desperately. "I won’t! Let me go!"

The crown prince's large hand gripped A Wu's shoulder, but she ignored him completely and sank her teeth into him viciously.

Her teeth pierced the back of his hand, drawing blood instantly.

Tasting the coppery taste, A Wu grew frightened. Her heart clenched in terror as she thought of Wei Lan. What was going on? Help me! Somebody! How had things come to this?

The crown prince lowered his head, his eyes bloodshot with rage fixed on A Wu.

Her lips were blood-smeared and hauntingly beautiful.

Yet his gaze softened abruptly. "A Wu, do you hate me? If you wish, have at me. Bite me all you want."

To A Wu, his gentle tone only made her skin crawl.

She collapsed, her body going limp.

He had gone mad—and she was surely doomed!

Just then, a voice boomed through the night like thunder: "Mo Yao, what are you doing?"

The cold, silent expanse of the towering palace seemed to recoil at the voice, making A Wu tremble.

The crown prince lifted his eyes slowly.

Before him stood a line of Imperial Guards, their gleaming long sabers reflecting their stern, unyielding faces, their aura suffocating.

At the end of the line, his gaze halted.

Eight Imperial Guards stood with their backs to the imperial presence, poised for defense.

The Jingxi Emperor stood perfectly still, his hands clasped behind him. He wore a black robe embroidered with clouds and dragons, his hair secured by a jade hairpin carved with bamboo and swirling clouds. The sun and moon motifs on his shoulders gleamed brilliantly under the torchlight.

A Wu burst into tears, crying out desperately, "Your Majesty!" Please believe me!

She wasn’t trying to flee—the crown prince was forcing her!

The crown prince stared at the Jingxi Emperor, his expression unreadable.

He tightened the cloak around A Wu, gripping the reins as he announced defiantly, "Father, I was just walking through the palace when I happened upon my former concubine. Thinking she needed discipline, I intended to take her back to my residence."

The Jingxi Emperor’s gaze brushed over A Wu’s dark hair—the woman was swathed in the cloak, only half her head visible, her tresses spilling over the prince’s arm.

He said coolly, "You are mistaken. This is not your concubine. She is my new imperial consort. Release her."

The crown prince insisted, "She is not."

With a mere glance from the emperor, the Imperial Guards closed in like wolves, their iron boots striking the patterned tiles as they encircled the crown prince and A Wu in moments.

The torchlight glinted off their blades, their faces like stone.

The crown prince narrowed his eyes, realizing his own guards had already been subdued.

There was no escape—no help coming.

Though he held the Imperial Guard’s jade token, before his father, it was worthless.

Great Hui was the emperor’s to command. None would dare challenge his authority!

The crown prince's forehead bulged with veins, despair choking him, yet a fire burned in his chest, scorching him inside out.

The Jingxi Emperor lifted his eyelids, glancing indifferently at the crown prince. "Mo Yao, you're no longer a child. I expect you to act your age. If you wish to find your concubine, fine—I’ll help you search. But this is my harem. Do you think you can barge in here like this?"

The prince’s refined face contorted in fury as he gritted his teeth. "You—"

This was too cruel—far too cruel!

The Jingxi Emperor’s gaze shifted back to A Wu.

Still clutched in the prince’s embrace, A Wu peeked out from the cloak. Her hair was disheveled, her fair skin ghostly pale, except for a streak of bright blood at the corner of her lips.

She stifled her sobs, tearful eyes pleading at him, utterly helpless.

He lowered his gaze, understanding all too well—had it not been for him, these two might have been well-suited.

A mocking smile curled at his lips as he chuckled softly. "Boy, next time you go hunting for your woman, make sure you don’t mistake her for someone else."

With that, he calmly extended a hand toward A Wu. "Come, Noble Lady Ning, return to my side."

A Wu’s heart leaped with hope. She struggled fiercely against the prince, but his grip only tightened around her waist. No matter how she twisted and pushed, she couldn’t break loose.

In front of so many Imperial Guards, her heart broke into pieces.

She could only weep, "I want the Emperor—only the Emperor..."

In the darkness, the delicate young woman was held fast by the powerful youth, her sobs smothered against him. Her fair skin glowed, tears glistening.

The air crackled with tension, and every Imperial Guard stood rigid as statues.

These were the Jingxi Emperor’s personal guards, loyal and rigorously trained. At this moment, they stood stone-faced, impenetrable.

The Jingxi Emperor watched his son—the son he had nurtured with all his heart—now clutching the woman he cherished most.

For a fleeting moment, confusion flickered in the emperor’s mind, even a flicker of irrational emotion.

Why had it come to this? That was his own flesh and blood!

He had poured all his hopes into this son, raised him with care. If he’d wept and pleaded for her, why couldn’t he have given her?

A Wu’s struggles were futile. Terrified, she fixed her tearful eyes on the emperor.

Yet he stood at a distance, his face unreadable.

She panicked—why wouldn’t he help? Why wouldn’t he save her?

She stretched out a trembling hand, begging to be saved, to be held.

Her slender, delicate fingers, rosy in the firelight, quivered as they reached toward him—pleading, desperate.

The Jingxi Emperor considered her outstretched hands, but his words were for the prince. "Do you see now? She belongs to me, not you."

The crown prince gaped at A Wu, stunned.

If his father’s actions had stabbed his heart, then A Wu was now ripping him to shreds.

His bloodshot eyes gazed intensely as he rasped desperately, "A Wu, don't be afraid. Tell me you want to leave. This time I'll risk everything to take you away."

Pity, guilt, and overwhelming love set his chest aflame as he murmured hoarsely, "I don't want anything else... Whoever hurts you, I'll fight them to the death."

A Wu felt her heart constrict painfully at his words, wincing in pain.

Why did he have to say such things? She didn't want to hear them.

This flood of emotion overwhelmed her—she couldn't face it, couldn't handle it! Why couldn't they just go their separate ways?

The Crown Prince's voice was strained, "Did someone force you? Are you scared? Has my A Wu been wronged? Why didn't you tell me?"

Fu Tai, standing nearby, was utterly stunned by the scene. The spectacle resembled the Emperor himself forcing apart these doomed lovers!

Holding his breath, pale-faced, he cautiously glanced at the Jingxi Emperor.

The flickering firelight cast shifting shadows across the Jingxi Emperor's stern, unreadable face. Towering and regal, he remained silent, his gaze never leaving the young pair.

Though he appeared calm, Fu Tai's gut twisted with fear.

He sensed the terrifying restraint before a storm of imperial wrath.

An emperor's fury could be silent, but once unleashed, blood would run in rivers.

The Crown Prince, holding the weeping A Wu, gripped the reins tightly as visions flooded his mind—especially that morning, separated only by a tent, where the sounds of passion had pierced him like a blade.

A Wu, so close yet so far, had been taken by his own father!

He could have changed this. Had he been sharper, more perceptive, things would never have come to this!

Consumed by torment, he lifted trembling hands to embrace A Wu, murmuring, "A Wu, come with me."

A Wu turned her pleading eyes to the Jingxi Emperor, "Your Majesty, save me! He won't let go—make him release me!"

Why did he just stand there watching? As if they were strangers! Why wouldn't he help her?

Finally, the Jingxi Emperor spoke: "Let her go. Come with me."

He no longer used the imperial "We," but the informal "I."

Slowly, the Crown Prince raised his reddened eyes to meet his father's cold, fathomless gaze.

At this moment, though he sat high upon his bay horse while his father stood casually below, the Emperor dominated the space—the unshakable majesty of a ruler, the authority of both father and sovereign.

He had always submitted easily to this man's authority, for this was the father he revered.

But now, he knew he must resist.

Because in his arms was someone he needed to protect.

This was man-to-man combat—he couldn't surrender without a fight!

The Jingxi Emperor's lips twisted in a faint sneer. "What? Afraid? Mo Yao, do you dare not face me alone without hiding behind a woman?"

He tilted his head slightly, his pale amber eyes brimming with contempt. "Or is it only when using a woman as a shield that you find the courage to stand before your father?"

The defiant young prince trembled violently, eyes burning with pent-up emotion.

His horse scraped restlessly at the patterned bricks, the sharp clatter echoing ominously through the silent palace grounds.

A Wu clenched her teeth, not daring to let out even the faintest whimper.

She hated the Crown Prince, but she also feared that he would be implicated, leading to an irreparable tragedy.

No matter what, she couldn’t bear to see him suffer.

From afar, the Jingxi Emperor clearly saw the reluctance glistening in A Wu’s tear-filled eyes.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, filled with concern for another man—

a man she had once been intimate with.

At that moment, he heard the Crown Prince—his own flesh and blood—reply in an icy voice, "Fine."

The instant the Crown Prince agreed, the Imperial Guard’s drawn swords slid back into their scabbards in unison. In the night, the clang of metal rose and fell before fading into silence.

The palace was deathly silent, save for the soundless yet synchronized footsteps of the Imperial Guard. They split apart like a tide receding, clearing a path for the Crown Prince.

Fang Yue, dressed in fine brocade and radiating authority, stepped forward and respectfully gestured with a "please."

Another Imperial Guard commander declared, "An assassin infiltrated the Forbidden Court with intent to rebel and assassinate. The Crown Prince rendered meritorious service in protecting His Majesty, slaying the assassin before the palace hall."

The words rang out in the darkness, reaching every ear. Everyone stood rigid and silent, offering no dissent.

The Crown Prince froze, suddenly realizing something.

As emperor, his father wielded absolute power in the Forbidden Court. It was evident that all reinforcements had been intercepted, and every major passage and gate was sealed. Only the Emperor's personal guards—those firmly under his command—remained present.

Everything was at his discretion. He could twist the truth effortlessly!

Suddenly, the Crown Prince realized his forced calm and evasive tactics seemed pathetically childish before his father.

He wasn’t threatened by his defiance—he wanted him to understand plainly: given the chance, he still couldn’t take her away. He had no choice but to submit.

I’ve even laid out the steps for you. Step back and bow out.

A wave of defiance surged through the Crown Prince. Why—why did he have to give in?

He wouldn’t!