vstars Chapter 640: One Cup of Poisoned Wine
Chapter 640: One Cup of Poisoned Wine
Emperor Shenwu dealt with Qi Zhinan and other major rebellious generals in a very simple and brutal manner. "The rebellious generals were beheaded in public, Qi Zhinan's body was torn into pieces by five horses, his family was exterminated, and the rest of his family members were exiled to Lingnan. No one would pardon them!"
It was not the first time that the prince came to the prison of the clan house, but it was the first time that he brought poisoned wine to see his brother who was supposed to be his brother. As he was about to die, the prince also recalled the time when his brothers spent together in the past. Although he still had no expression on his face, a trace of sigh flashed in his phoenix eyes.
The prince came to the cell where the third prince was imprisoned, and looked at the third prince inside through the bars. The third prince was wearing a white prison uniform and was sitting in front of the only bed in the cell. The cell was relatively clean and tidy, and there was a quilt on the bed. Compared with other dungeons, the environment here was much better. Unfortunately, it could not change the fact that all the prisoners were prisoners.
The Third Prince lowered his head slightly, his gaze seemingly not noticing the Crown Prince. "You're here! I didn't expect you'd be the one to see me off in the end! Where's Father? Won't he come to see me?"
The prince shook his head: "The emperor is extremely disappointed in you. He won't come! I will come to see you off on his behalf!"
The Third Prince was silent at first, but gradually his eyes turned red as a deep laugh erupted from his throat. His laughter grew louder and louder, but his tone grew increasingly sad. "Father! Father, I never thought you wouldn't even want to see me one last time! Am I not your son?"
The Crown Prince quietly watched the Third Prince go mad. "If you weren't Father's son, Father wouldn't have forgiven you time and time again! Haven't you done enough absurd things? When has Father not disciplined you? When hasn't Father let you go? But look at you, were you involved in Mother's fake pregnancy? When Father realized you were behind it, he grounded you. His purpose was to prevent you from making further mistakes and to save your life. And the poison Zhou Chengqiong used to assassinate my Mother was also related to you, right? In the end, you even took advantage of the Imperial City's emptiness to commit such a heinous and rebellious act as a rebel. You did this and lied that Father and I were both killed on the border. Haven't you already severed your father's relationship with me?"
"Zhou Chengluo, you hate my mother so much because of your mother's death. You have framed me time and again, using both open and covert tactics. You and I have long been at war to the death. You should be fully aware of the situation today!"
The Third Prince slowly stopped laughing. He was silent for a moment before he said, "No! You're wrong about one thing. I don't hate Mother. I've never harbored even the slightest hatred towards her. I even admire her very much. Sometimes I envy you, you, my Seventh Brother, and my Seventh Sister, who can live carefree, bright lives under the sunshine of Mother. Do you know my Mother? She always made me live cautiously, even deliberately suppressing me when I was young, so that I could live an ordinary life. But she lost her composure and rationality in the face of Father's indifference. I had no choice! I was resentful of Father's indifference and ruthlessness towards Mother, and resentful of his acting as if nothing had happened after Mother's death. At that time, I wondered if Father also cared nothing about his son, me?"
"So, I tested him again and again, acted foolishly again and again. Even if I was only reprimanded and punished by the Emperor, I had already broken his mask of indifference. Don't you agree, Your Highness? You think I hate the Empress Dowager? No, I don't hate her at all. But, after all, it's only the Empress Dowager who can shock the Emperor and make him lose his composure!"
"Ever since my mother passed away, I've been in agony. This pain weighs on me day after day, leaving me with no escape. I began to think, 'How interesting it would be to make my father feel the same gnawing pain I'm in, to make him also suffer the loss of his beloved and be heartbroken?'"
"Only when Mother dies, only when Mother dies, can Father feel the true excruciating pain! Only then can I feel relieved, hahahahahahahahaha! Father, oh Father, do you think that we, father and son, have reached this point, a failure on our part? Hahahahahahahaha! Your Highness, after I leave, I'm sure Father won't ask me any more questions. I really want to say a few more words to Father, or even kowtow to him a few times. Can... can Father come to see me?"
The Third Prince's speech was becoming somewhat disjointed by the end, and the Crown Prince simply shook his head: "Father won't be coming. According to what you said, you're only concerned about him. This is really a bit unreasonable."
The Third Prince slowly walked to the door of the cell and stared at the Crown Prince through the bars: "Father... Actually, I just want to see you..."
The prince shook his head and looked at the third prince with firm eyes.
The Third Prince grasped the iron railings, pleading in his voice, "Can you please let my father come to see me... Can you please let my father come to see me... Can you please let my father come to see me..."
The Third Prince's expression became more and more crazy. He kept repeating this sentence. Finally, he gripped the iron railings with both hands until his knuckles turned white. His eyes were full of pleading.
The Crown Prince remained steady, ignoring the Third Prince's frantic expression. He shook his head and spoke word by word, "Father said he has nothing more to say to you!"
"Nothing to say? Nothing to say... Nothing to say..."
The Third Prince gradually collapsed to the ground, "Father...Father..."
The prince did not wait any longer and waved his hand. Two eunuchs opened the cell door and presented a tray with an exquisite wine jug and a crystal clear glass cup on it.
"The Emperor said that since we are all descendants of the Zhou family, he will grant Third Prince Zhou Chengluo and Fourth Prince Zhou Chengyu a cup of poisoned wine each to preserve their bodies! This is the Emperor's last act of mercy towards you. Third Brother, please accept!"
The Third Prince picked up the glass cup with trembling hands. At the last moment, he thought again and again, and finally said: "If possible, let your Third Princess forget me and let her live a good life from now on!"