In this world, things do not necessarily need to have benefits before one does them.
As Crown Prince, he had lived in humiliation. For decades, everything he did was wrong, and everything he said invited scolding.
By comparison, how did Xiao Yunting resemble a grandson of Emperor Yongchang at all?
He himself was the true “grandson”!
Whenever people mentioned the Eastern Palace, they would always say meaningfully: thanks to the good imperial grandson.
What did that mean?
It meant they looked down on him as Crown Prince, looked down on him and believed that the only reason he could still hold the position was entirely because of Xiao Yunting’s existence!
Why should that be?!
He was Xiao Yunting’s father!
Yet in the end, even the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, now the Grand Secretary Chu Bo, had tactfully advised him to consider the greater situation and grow closer to the imperial grandson.
Imperial grandson, how ridiculous.
In truth, had Xiao Yunting ever been formally invested as the Imperial Grandson?
Yet everyone already treated him as such, eagerly going to attach themselves to him.
This made the Crown Prince furious. He already had little affection for Xiao Yunting, and after so many incidents, only disgust remained.
In any case, his discord with Crown Princess Lu was known to nearly the entire realm, and his dislike of the Lu family was equally well known.
So if something happened to the Lu family, what did it have to do with him?
There were already plenty of faults on his own record. Not to mention anything else, just the matter of Song Liangdi alone had earned him days of scolding from Emperor Yongchang.
Since becoming Crown Prince, had he ever lacked scoldings?
When there are too many lice, one no longer itches.
Compared to him, Xiao Yunting and Crown Princess Lu would certainly feel worse.
He shouted sharply, “Insolence! The state has its laws, the family has its rules, what do you mean by asking what benefit it brings me if something happens to the Lu family? Did I tie them up and force them to smuggle?!”
The Crown Prince straightened his face, finally finding a legitimate reason to reprimand Xiao Yunting.
He scolded sternly, “Kneel for me! When you’ve figured it out, then you may rise!”
Xiao Yunting quietly stared at the Crown Prince for a moment.
The young beast had grown, while the mighty tiger declined day by day. Their eyes met, and each saw the other’s indifference and distance.
The Crown Prince had been hoping Xiao Yunting would contradict him.
After all, in this matter he held the advantage, the Lu family was at fault first. If Xiao Yunting still contradicted him for their sake, then Xiao Yunting would be placing private feelings above public law, bending the law for personal gain, and even defying his sovereign father.
He wanted to see what those Confucian officials, or even Emperor Yongchang, could possibly say then.
But a moment later, Xiao Yunting slowly knelt: “Yes, Royal Father is correct. If the Lu family truly violated the law, the Three Judicial Offices will certainly investigate clearly, and Royal Grandfather will naturally render a judgment. But if they did not, Royal Grandfather will not wrong them either. I allowed concern to cloud my judgment.”
……
The Crown Prince studied this son seriously once more, then lowered his eyes and tugged at the corner of his mouth in ridicule.
What loyalty and righteousness?
Wasn’t it still just weighing pros and cons?
He snorted coldly and flicked his sleeve as he left.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jingzhao was copying scriptures in his study.
After Song Liangdi’s death, he had been ordered into confinement, so he could not leave his sleeping quarters at all.
Nor did he want to go out.
The entire Song family had been implicated because of him, and Song Liangdi had died. This blow was unprecedented; if not for the attendants she had left behind comforting him daily, he feared he would not have survived.
The more pain he felt, the stronger the hatred in his heart grew.
Qi Yuan, it was all because Qi Yuan escalated the matter beyond control, causing the fall of the Song family and forcing Song Liangdi to die to atone.
He would never let Qi Yuan successfully marry Xiao Yunting!
Marry Xiao Yunting and live together happily ever after?
Dream on!
He took a deep breath, set down the brush, flicked his wrist lightly, and asked in a low voice, “What mood is he in now?”
What mood?
The eunuchs below all looked at him but did not dare say a word.
Who would know?
Having just returned from a long journey from Jiangxi, not yet receiving rewards, only to be struck by such terrible news, no matter who it was, their mood would not be good.
Xiao Jingzhao thought the same. He stared at the Buddhist scriptures before him and suddenly swept them all onto the floor.
What meaning did these things have?
What use was copying them ten thousand times?
Could his mother come back?!
Could his maternal family remain safe?!
Even if these scriptures were copied to shreds, the Song Liangdi underground would not feel any comfort!
What she wanted was revenge!
She wanted Xiao Yunting and Qi Yuan to go to h*ll together!
Watching the servants scramble to pick up the scriptures, Xiao Jingzhao suddenly burst into laughter.
It was fine, Xiao Yunting and Qi Yuan would soon receive retribution.
He curled his lips in faint mockery.
This time, it was a dead end. He wanted to see what Xiao Yunting could still do.
Just as he was thinking this, layered announcement calls sounded outside the sleeping hall, and a eunuch hurried in: “County Prince, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!”
After Song Liangdi’s death, the Crown Prince had shown him more affection.
Originally, after committing such a grave mistake, he should have fallen out of favor, but once Song Liangdi died, those faults were automatically softened in the Crown Prince’s eyes.
He stood up and called, “Royal Father.”
The Crown Prince glanced at him, then looked at the eunuchs tidying the desk with lowered brows, and coldly raised his eyebrows: “These days, cultivate yourself quietly within your quarters. Do not do things that are not for you to do.”
Xiao Jingzhao immediately stepped forward: “Royal Father! You…”
But the Crown Prince turned his head and looked at him calmly: “I am giving you an order, not discussing it with you.”
Xiao Jingzhao clenched his fists and after a long moment responded, “Yes.”
On the other side, Xiao Yunting knelt for more than half an hour before being summoned by people sent from Empress Feng.
Empress Feng’s expression was solemn as she looked at Xiao Yunting, seeming hesitant to speak.
These years she had rarely stepped outside and knew that a father and son who had never truly lived together would naturally lack affection.
After Xiao Yunting returned, all signs showed that the gap between him and the Crown Prince was extremely deep.
But Empress Feng had never imagined that the divide would be this deep!
She did not dare imagine how little father-son affection would remain between them after this matter.
After looking at Xiao Yunting for a long time, Empress Feng pressed her lips together: “Yunting, he is confused…”
Xiao Yunting raised his head and looked at her: “Royal Grandmother need not say more. I understand.”
Empress Feng grew even more uneasy and grasped Xiao Yunting’s wrist: “Yunting! You are father and son, when one prospers, both prosper; when one suffers, both suffer. Do you understand?!”
Xiao Yunting let out a cold laugh: “Royal Grandmother, does he still treat me as his son?”
This was a question Xiao Yunting had wanted to ask for a very long time.
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