Chapter 572: They All Bully Me
Chapter 572: Chapter 572: They All Bully Me
Outside the Emperor’s bedchambers, the imperial guard maintained a tight watch.
The guards at the entrance suddenly saw a furious figure striding quickly up the White Jade Steps.
The person radiated a palpable killing intent, startling the imperial guards. When they looked closer, they realized it was none other than their Crown Prince—Mo Lingwei!
"Your Highness, the Emperor just took his medicine and is resting," an imperial guard at the door tried to stop him.
Mo Lingwei swatted him aside with one hand. "Get out of my way!"
He kicked the door open and walked right in. The imperial guards cried out, "Your Highness! You cannot enter without the Emperor’s summons."
But Mo Lingwei paid them no heed, striding with a dark expression straight toward the inner chambers.
Just then, a figure emerged from inside. It was Lu Fu, the head of the Imperial Guards.
When he saw Mo Lingwei, he immediately removed his hand from the hilt of his sword.
"Greetings, Crown Prince."
Because of Lu Shaoyuan, Mo Lingwei gave Lu Fu a cold look.
He pushed Lu Fu aside. "Don’t block my path."
Mo Lingwei strode past the screen and saw the Emperor leaning against the bright yellow Dragon Couch, a bowl of half-finished medicinal soup beside him.
Seeing Mo Lingwei barge in like this, with a large group of imperial guards following him...
The Emperor’s expression was terrible, but he suppressed his anger and waved his hand. Lu Fu led the imperial guards out.
"Ling Wei, how many times have I told you? In private, we may be father and son, but you must observe the proper etiquette between a sovereign and his subject when others are present. Look at you now, forcing your way into your Emperor’s bedchambers! Even for the Crown Prince, entering without a summons is an offense. The imperial censors could impeach you and leave you speechless!"
Mo Lingwei listened to his scolding without any reaction. With a cold face, he tossed the scrolls in his hand onto the Emperor’s lap.
The Emperor frowned. "What is this?"
"Seventy-two copies of Buddhist Scripture, handwritten by Shen Ningning for you." In Buddhism, the number seventy-two symbolizes good fortune and wishes fulfilled.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor’s expression faltered. He slowly unrolled one of the scrolls.
The calligraphy was clean and neat, with a distinct style. One glance was all it took to know it was Shen Ningning’s handwriting.
"Why are you showing this to me? I am well aware that you invited Ningning into the Imperial Palace to pray for my fortune."
Mo Lingwei sneered. "Pray for your fortune? Father, you don’t really think that’s necessary, do you? You and I both know that praying is useless, and Shen Ningning knows it too."
"I told her she didn’t need to work so hard, but she insisted on copying scriptures for you every day. She has only been in the palace for two days, and she has already copied this many for you."
The Emperor fell silent for a moment, a hint of guilt in his eyes. "What reward does she want?"
"When has she ever cared for your rewards? All her life, she has given everything for Cangyun Country. Have you been blind to it, Father? She’s done so much, saved Cangyun Country from countless natural disasters. And now that there’s peace, you think you no longer need to respect her? You even dared to send someone to my palace to tell her to leave! Father, if you’ve really become so senile, you might as well hand Cangyun Country over to me entirely. It would save you from losing sleep over making decisions like this!"
The Emperor’s anger flared instantly. "Insolent whelp! I’m not dead yet, and you’re already so eager for me to abdicate? Do you have any idea how treasonous you’re being?!"
A storm brewed in Mo Lingwei’s eyes. "Treasonous? I’ve been like this since I was a child. Are you only just realizing it? I’ve even considered forcing your hand, Father, to make you write an imperial edict for my marriage, so I can marry Shen Ningning before the Lu family does. If I did that, what words would you use to scold me then?"
The Emperor’s eyes widened in disbelief, his chest heaving with rage.
"You... you! You rebellious son! How dare you!"
"There is nothing I wouldn’t dare. Let me tell you again, loud and clear: if I cannot marry Shen Ningning in this life, then I will no longer be the Crown Prince. I don’t care if I am not the heir to this Cangyun Country!"
As he spoke, he abruptly tore off his crown prince’s coronet and slammed it onto the floor.
The Emperor’s face turned white with rage. "You dare to defy me like this! Mo Lingwei, you must have a death wish!"
Mo Lingwei’s black hair fell loose around his shoulders. His thin eyes seemed even more bloodshot, and a perverse, dark aura radiated from him.
Strands of his hair lifted slightly, and the embroidery on the hem of his robes glinted with a faint golden light.
"’Defiance.’ I’m sick of hearing that word. Was it because the Empress Mother defied you that you drove her to her death?"
Hearing this, the Emperor’s heart clenched.
However, before he could reprimand him, the Emperor’s expression suddenly changed.
"Ling Wei! You... you’re having a nosebleed."
Mo Lingwei hadn’t felt it himself, consumed by his towering rage. Only when the Emperor pointed it out did he reach up and wipe beneath his nose.
His palm came away stained with bright red blood.
Immediately after, a violent headache struck. He let out a muffled groan and dropped to one knee, clutching his splitting head with one hand.
The Emperor’s face went deathly pale with fright. Forgetting his own condition, he threw back the covers and scrambled off the Dragon Couch.
"Ling Wei! Don’t frighten your father! Someone, summon the Imperial Physician! Summon the Imperial Physician at once!"
This headache of his... it hadn’t flared up in a very long time.
...
Shen Ningning walked under the moonlight, following the long, lonely palace road toward the gates of the Imperial Palace.
’Don’t look back,’ she told herself.
’Since I’ve decided to be ruthless and give up, I can’t let myself soften now and give us both false hope.’
However, before she could leave the palace, she heard Qing Yuan’s urgent calls from behind her.
"Princess! Your Highness! Please wait!"
Shen Ningning turned to see Qing Yuan stumbling toward her in a frantic run.
She pursed her pink lips and sighed imperceptibly.
"Qing Yuan, thank you for your care these past few days, but I’m not planning on going back. I just spoke with Ling Wei; he won’t make things difficult for you."
Qing Yuan was panting heavily. She shook her head and said, "That’s not it! Princess, the Emperor requests your immediate presence at Qianyuan Palace! The Crown Prince’s old ailment has relapsed. His head is splitting, he’s not recognizing anyone, and he just injured several imperial guards!"
Shen Ningning’s expression changed instantly, and the bundle she was holding fell from her arms.
The next second, she hiked up her skirt and, under the moonlight, flew back the way she had come.
When Shen Ningning rushed to Qianyuan Palace, imperial guards were surrounding a single figure. The Emperor was protected by layers of his top bodyguards, yet he was still repeatedly shouting, "Don’t you dare harm the Crown Prince!"
Mo Lingwei’s robes were stained with blood. His longsword dripped with it, and on the ground lay the imperial guards he had just wounded, scattered about.
His eyes were blood-red, and he looked at everyone without a shred of emotion. It was clear his old ailment had struck.
Shen Ningning hiked up her skirt and ran up the White Jade Steps, her clear, urgent voice calling out, "Mo Lingwei!"
To Mo Lingwei’s ears, that voice was like a single drop of clear water falling into a murky, silver-black pool. As the ripples spread, the turbid water gradually cleared, revealing a bright, lustrous moon.
’It’s my beloved.’
Mo Lingwei watched Shen Ningning’s figure running toward him.
"Shen Ningning?" he asked, his voice hoarse. The next second, after confirming it was her, he instantly dropped his sword.
CLANG! The sword fell to the ground with a sharp ring, and Shen Ningning had already reached Mo Lingwei’s side.
Before she could even speak, Mo Lingwei pulled her into an abrupt embrace.
"They were all bullying me," he said, his voice low and raspy, yet tinged with a sense of grievance. "They surrounded me with their swords. Why did it take you so long to get here?"