coobybook Chapter 288 The truth back then
Chapter 288 The truth back then
Ye Wumian raised her hand and twirled a strand of hair around her wrist, staring at the hair with its crimson sheen. A flash of hatred crossed her eyes. "Ha! The way I look like a ghost today is all thanks to that woman. And back then, the Emperor and Consort Xuan fell apart because of her. Tell me, do you think I can forgive her?"
This truth surprised Xuan Yuan. He thought that, like Xie Cangming, Ye Wumian's red eyes and red hair were natural, and that his mother had been persecuted by Ye Wumian's birth mother and was deeply hurt by that person, which was why she chose to flee Yelan while pregnant. Later, she met Aunt Wan and the late emperor at the border and went to Yuanqi with them.
He had always believed that the woman was long dead, never expecting that she had been imprisoned by Ye Wumian...
"you……"
"Ye Yuan."
Ye Wumian raised her hand to interrupt him, took a step forward, and examined her younger brother's facial features more closely than ever before.
It must be said, this guy is not only good-looking, but his eyebrows and eyes are also extremely similar to those of Empress Xuan, that gentle yet stubborn woman...
"Ye Yuan, when you were eight years old, Empress Xuan, in her illness, entrusted Emperor Yuanqi to bring you to the border. That was the first time my father and I saw you, and also the last time my father saw you. I know that even if Empress Xuan didn't want to see him, she still had my father in her heart and wanted him to see you. My father felt the same way. Since Empress Xuan left, my father has regretted it every single day..."
Xuan Yuan's face remained expressionless as he listened quietly to these words, the truth of which was unknown.
"Before his death, my father instructed me to find you. He made a secret edict to pass the throne to you, and that edict is still with me. He had you in his heart, so don't hate him."
Seeing that he didn't respond for a long time, Ye Wumian's tone became somewhat anxious.
"After Consort Xuan left, Father Emperor didn't intentionally disown you. That woman wielded immense power in the court, and Father Emperor even..."
He sighed, "For many years, that woman had been poisoning my father, which caused his health to deteriorate day by day. It wasn't until ten years ago, when my father suddenly fell critically ill, that I learned of this, but it was already too late."
Xuan Yuan became increasingly confused. "What did you say? He was poisoned by your birth mother?"
"Yes, Father Emperor knew everything long ago, but at that time, the Yelan court was controlled by that woman and her relatives. Father Emperor had no choice but to keep a low profile and not only trained a large number of assassins to protect me, but also made me pretend to obey them. Later, Father Emperor passed away and I successfully ascended the throne. The first thing I did was to kill all those people!"
As he spoke, a bloodthirsty hatred flashed in his red pupils. He would never forget those dark days, nor would he forget how his birth mother had tormented him from childhood to adulthood for that damned power and status, even going so far as to poison him and destroy everything.
"Ye Yuan, you only know that Father Emperor betrayed Consort Xuan, but you don't know the details. When Consort Xuan first entered the palace, she wasn't pregnant with you yet. Although I was Father Emperor's only son and the Crown Prince, I was naturally extremely noble. But that woman couldn't stand Father Emperor's favor towards Consort Xuan. Not only did she try to frame and bully Consort Xuan, but she also often took her anger out on me, beating and insulting me wantonly. In winter, she punished me by making me kneel in the freezing snow and whipped me with a rattan cane until I was covered in bruises. I was only five years old then..."
"At first, my father was very angry and always stood up for me, but she used this as a tool to curry favor. Later, it was Consort Xuan who took me away every time. She was very gentle and treated me like her own child."
"As the days went by, the Emperor became increasingly distant from her, while that woman became even more ruthless, even going so far as to use her own son to achieve her own goals."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan's expression gradually became solemn. His mother had only told him about her background and had never said anything else. He felt that for his mother to resolutely choose to remarry and never see him again in this life, that person must have done something to hurt his mother.
Moreover, given his true identity and his years of lying low in the four kingdoms, he would only make Ye Wumian wary. He didn't care about confronting Ye Lan before, but not now. He couldn't let Yan'er get hurt, but he never expected Ye Wumian to say these words today...
"Back then, when Consort Xuan was pregnant, that woman poisoned me, framing her with the pretext of coveting the Crown Prince's throne. However, all the evidence pointed to Consort Xuan. To save my life, Father Emperor played along and misunderstood Consort Xuan. Who knew that the poison was so cunning, almost killing me. Consort Xuan was heartbroken by Father Emperor's distrust, and seeing me suffering a fate worse than death, yet Father Emperor showed me no concern whatsoever, so she finally gave up completely..."
"Empress Xuan defied the imperial decree and did everything in her power to save me, but I still ended up like this. She didn't know that Father Emperor had a plan. Empress Xuan disappeared without a trace overnight, which drove Father Emperor almost mad. From then on, he lost all interest in state affairs. It was at that time that the woman began to poison Father Emperor. Since she couldn't get the emperor's favor, she wanted the greatest power and to make everyone submit to her, including sacrificing her husband and son. Such a vicious woman, I didn't kill her. Isn't that too merciful?"
"That year at the border, did he already know he was poisoned? Then why..."
Xuan Yuan didn't ask the second half of the question. He remembered clearly the first time he saw Ye Wumian when he was eight years old. The late emperor led him into that tent. Ye Wumian's current appearance was exactly the same as that person, but Ye Linxiao's brows had a few more signs of illness and vicissitudes.
The moment he appeared, Ye Linxiao was completely stunned, perhaps because he saw his mother's shadow in him.
"Hehe~ You want to ask why, knowing all this, Father Emperor still allowed that woman to poison him for so long?"
Nightless seemed to have gotten tired of talking, so he walked to the side, picked up the water bottle, and took a few sips.
"At that time, Consort Xuan had been away from the palace for several years. Father Emperor outwardly neglected state affairs, but secretly he did his best to cultivate me. After many twists and turns, he finally learned the whereabouts of you and your son, and also learned that Consort Xuan was seriously ill. It was due to the cold illness she had suffered in Yelan and the great emotional distress she experienced during her pregnancy. At that time, Emperor Yuan said that there was no way to cure this disease."
"Father owes Consort Xuan so much, how could he bear to leave her all alone underground?"
"You mean, him..."
Xuan Yuan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yes! You underestimated Father's affection for Consort Xuan, but I will not let that damned woman get away with it. All the evil was caused by her. On the second day after her ascension to the throne, I executed all her maternal relatives. Hehe~ Wasn't it said that the Night Emperor was insane? In less than half a month, all those damned people were killed by me."
“From that time on, I would occasionally go mad and kill people for no reason, in order to clear away any obstacles that might prevent you from returning to Nightfall.”