Chapter 583: Not Just the Emperor Knows
Chapter 583: Chapter 583: Not Just the Emperor Knows
Mo Lingwei glared at him. "Besides you, who else would have known the schedule for my tour today? Who else could have so precisely controlled the time of my arrival?"
The Emperor was stunned. "I... I did know, but you can’t suspect your own father over this! I already regret splitting you and Ningning up. I couldn’t be more eager for you two to reconcile, so why would I do something like this?"
"Nothing you say now is any use. You keep saying you regret it, but you never confessed to me that you threatened Shen Ningning. You hid off to the side, high and mighty, watching from afar as she and I both suffered. I don’t understand it, and I refuse to accept it!"
Mo Lingwei suddenly ripped the Crown Prince waist card from his belt and threw it grimly to the floor.
"I’d rather not be the Crown Prince. You should find a nice, obedient son who will listen to you no matter what. I am not that person."
The Emperor looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. "You... How could you do this? I am your father. Would I harm you? The reason I was afraid of Ningning marrying you was that I feared that after I pass away, your empire would fall into the hands of her maternal relatives. Do you not understand my painstaking efforts for your sake?!"
"Ningning herself is a blessed girl, and her prestige among the common people is even greater than yours! Her father, Chancellor Xie, may be a loyal minister, but he holds real power. And her two older brothers are both highly valued in the Imperial Court. Give them time, and they will surely be ranked among the Three Ministers."
"Ling Wei, loving parents plan far ahead for their children. I’ve been wracking my brain for your sake, afraid that with your personality, you’ll have no one to protect you after I die. How can you break my heart like this!"
As he spoke, he began to cough violently, a bloody froth spraying from the corner of his mouth.
Mo Lingwei’s bloodshot eyes widened in shock. He started forward, wanting to support the Emperor, but the anger still simmering in his heart held him back. He didn’t take a single step closer.
The Emperor braced himself on a nearby chair, gasping for air. He was clearly incensed, and his emotions were running high.
"All these years, you’ve blamed me for not taking good care of your mother, for listening to slander and letting her burn to death. I’ve felt guilty about it too, which is why I’ve wanted to compensate you even more."
"Search your heart and ask yourself, what have I done wrong for my own son? I am truly old, Ling Wei. Your father won’t be with you for many more years. It’s only recently that I’ve come to understand that your true happiness is more important than the stability of your empire."
With that, he gave a weak wave of his hand, looking utterly exhausted. He turned and walked toward the Dragon Couch, his back appearing particularly decrepit, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"I can’t control you anymore. Just do as you wish. Do whatever you want. I was never self-indulgent when I was young, and I always disciplined you with a heavy hand. But I understand now that what I forced upon you might not be what you wanted. Ling Wei, you may go."
"Believe it or not, I was also shocked by what happened to Lu Shaoyuan, and I have no idea what transpired. But I hope it doesn’t ruin your relationship with Ningning. For that, I am willing to apologize to her again, until she is no longer angry with you."
By the time the Emperor finished speaking, he had reached the side of the Dragon Couch.
But Mo Lingwei noticed his steps were unsteady. And just as he thought, the Emperor suddenly collapsed onto the couch, his face deathly pale and his eyes shut tight.
In that moment, Mo Lingwei cast aside his anger and prejudice. He roared, calling for the Imperial Physician outside to enter.
「The lamps of Qianyuan Hall burned until midnight.」
Mo Lingwei sat on a chair in a side hall, his head bowed as he waited in silence. The black depths of his narrow eyes were without a ripple, his sharp brows knitted tightly as he stared blankly into space.
Just then, the hall door was pushed open with a CREAK.
A pair of black boots walked in and stopped before him.
Mo Lingwei didn’t need to look up to know who it was.
Besides Chen Shaobei, who had grown up with him, no one else would have the nerve to enter his Zichen Palace directly.
"How is my father?" Mo Lingwei asked, his voice thick with exhaustion.
Chen Shaobei pressed his thin lips together. "Thanks to you, the Emperor isn’t dead yet."
This time, his tone was unusually severe. In the past, no matter how much Mo Lingwei and the Emperor disagreed, he knew it was just a minor squabble between father and son.
As a subject, it was not his place to interfere.
But this time, Chen Shaobei couldn’t just stand by and watch.
"Mr. Sima Sr. just came to the palace to check the Emperor’s pulse. His verdict is that the Emperor’s health is severely depleted. All these years of diligent rule, coupled with the natural disasters a few years ago that drained his vitality, have left his body like a sieve. He’s been plagued by minor illnesses and burdened by major ones. I’m afraid... in less than three months, he will..."
Mo Lingwei shot to his feet, enraged. "Don’t say such things! How can one Divine Doctor’s opinion determine that my father has so little time left? Ridiculous! Post an imperial edict! Find someone else! We can surely find a doctor who can prolong my father’s life!"
Chen Shaobei looked at him, not retreating a single step, his expression complex.
"I told you long ago that the Emperor’s health was poor. Regardless of the past, he is still your father. And now, when he is this ill, you still choose to argue with him."
Mo Lingwei’s expression turned cold. "You don’t know the full story. Don’t pass judgment."
He turned away, trying to calm his anger.
Chen Shaobei took a step forward. "I heard everything from the Emperor when I was in Qianyuan Hall. He’s in poor spirits, but his first words upon waking were still about you. Your Highness, for the sake of our twenty-plus years of friendship, and as both your subject and your friend, I must warn you! Know when to stop, Your Highness. The Emperor is not omnipotent. You are the only one he truly cares about."
After a long silence, Mo Lingwei spoke, his voice tinged with a self-mocking, bitter laugh. "So for my sake, he forced Shen Ningning to leave? His actions didn’t just hurt me; they hurt her too. And then there’s the matter with Lu Shaoyuan..."
This time, before he could even finish, Chen Shaobei forcefully cut him off.
"What happened with Lu Shaoyuan has nothing to do with the Emperor! Calm down and think it through! If the Emperor was really behind it, why would that woman who killed herself choose to fall to her death right in front of your horse’s hooves on your path?"
Mo Lingwei’s brows furrowed.
Chen Shaobei continued, "If the Emperor wanted to break up Lu Shaoyuan and Miss Shen, it would have been best for you not to be there. That way, no suspicion would fall on you. But why did she have to fall from the building precisely when you appeared? Your Highness, think about it carefully. Someone else is pulling the strings!"
His words were a complete wake-up call for Mo Lingwei.
Mo Lingwei closed his eyes and tilted his head back, feeling the night breeze blow in from the window. His chaotic heart finally found a sliver of peace.
After learning about Wanchun’s confession from Xie Mingxu, he had been exceptionally furious, his rage nearly destroying all reason. That’s why he had rushed back to confront his father.
He had naturally assumed his father was also the one who had tampered with Lu Shaoyuan’s case.
But now that Mo Lingwei had truly calmed down and thought it over, he realized that, just as Chen Shaobei had said, the whole affair reeked of suspicion.
It had ruined the engagement between Shen Ningning and Lu Shaoyuan, destroyed Lu Shaoyuan’s reputation, and was also designed to make Shen Ningning mistakenly believe that Mo Lingwei was the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
「Suddenly.」
Mo Lingwei’s narrow eyes snapped open, sharp as a blade. "Besides my father, one other person knew about my excursion."