QWTBWASIFOC Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Upright Military General x Eccentric Prince 15

Inside the imperial palace, Dragon’s Roar Hall.

The aging Emperor Liang was bedridden, with only Chief Zhou attending him.

With a creak, the tightly shut doors of the hall suddenly opened.

Emperor Liang, lying on the bed, raised his eyes to look at the doorway that had been closed for days. He never expected to see a young man who looked so similar to his deceased Consort Chen.

After a moment’s thought, he understood the situation.

It turned out that the mastermind behind the successful palace coup, who had been absent for so long, was his youngest son, whom he had abandoned for many years. And he had returned in such an open and upright manner.

Well, perhaps this was something he owed that child!

The terminally ill Emperor Liang supported himself to sit up on the bed. The dark circles under his eyes showed his sleepless nights, and his face was as pale as withered wood.

“I waited for a long time, but I didn’t expect to wait for you.”

Gu Changli stepped into the hall, empty-handed except for the two small paper figures on his shoulder.

At his gesture, Chief Zhou left the imperial bedchamber.

Only the father and son, who had met only twice in their lives, remained in the luxurious imperial bedchamber.

The first meeting was when Liang Jue was just born.

The second meeting was when Emperor Liang was about to die.

Gu Changli lowered his eyes to examine the original owner’s biological father, who was only deeply in love with Consort Chen. The other party looked disheveled, but still straightened his back, not losing the dignity of an emperor.

“My arrival means your death.”

Emperor Liang smiled calmly, “I guessed as much.”

If he were Liang Jue, he would certainly not allow an emperor who hindered his ascension to the throne to remain, even if they shared the same blood.

In the struggle for the throne, it has always been a matter of life and death.

Gu Changli looked at Emperor Liang’s indifferent appearance and frankly admitted, “Since I left the palace, the open and secret struggles between you and the eight princes, as well as the factional disputes in the court, have all been instigated by me from behind.”

“Including your miserable situation, it is also because of me.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Liang’s eyes instantly turned cold and sharp. However, when he met a pair of emotionless eyes, the fire in his heart was unexpectedly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.

“Do you hate me so much that you would destroy the Liang Kingdom!”

Gu Changli reminded him, “If the Liang Kingdom perishes, the root cause lies in your improper governance, not in my instigation and intention to put you to death.”

“After all, the Liang Kingdom has long rotted!”

“Shouldn’t you, who have been in power for 22 years, be the clearest about this?”

The other party kept saying that after Consort Chen’s death, he didn’t touch any beautiful women and focused on handling state affairs, but the Liang Kingdom was governed by Emperor Liang to become increasingly corrupt.

Emperor Liang was just using state affairs to numb himself.

In the final analysis, the most important people in this man’s eyes were always himself and Consort Chen.

What did the life and death of the common people have to do with him!

Having his thoughts exposed, Emperor Liang’s face turned livid, and his fists clenched tightly, but he was powerless to resist.

“Since you wanted to destroy the Liang Kingdom’s empire in the first place, why would you choose to take it over now?”

He didn’t think that this rebellious son wanted to be emperor.

He, as a father, could clearly see whether his son had ambition or not, who let him have eight bastard sons who were always eyeing his dragon throne.

However, his youngest son showed no ambition in his eyes.

He couldn’t even see a trace of attachment to the mortal world, as if he were just a passerby.

Gu Changli picked up the small paper figure that had climbed to his hand and teased the hopping small paper figure in Emperor Liang’s surprised and fearful gaze.

“I initially wanted to destroy the Liang Kingdom’s empire. As for who this empire would belong to in the future? I didn’t think about it. Anyway, I don’t care about your broken throne.”

He didn’t want to be an emperor anyway, so who cares who becomes one?

The pink small paper figure, which was playing with its master, joyfully spun around and proudly looked at the blue small paper figure that wasn’t as lucky as it.

Hee hee, the master really loves me the most!

The ignored blue small paper figure lay on Gu Changli’s shoulder and rubbed against him pitifully.

Gu Changli expressionlessly looked at Emperor Liang, whose eyes flickered, without concealing his idea of possessing special means different from ordinary people.

“Later, I met a man and a group of people who showed me kindness.”

“That man taught me how to love others.”

“That group of people used the most simple and honest kindness to make me feel more belonging to the world.”

“Therefore, I want to do something for them.”

His eyes momentarily became gentle and peaceful, like the bright moonlight Sprinkle from the horizon, equally illuminating everyone on the earth.

“…” Emperor Liang’s expression became complicated.

He didn’t expect this reason, or rather, he didn’t expect that among his sons, there would actually be someone who genuinely wanted to think about the people and seek their well-being.

Whether it was him or his eight sons, they were all high-ranking superiors.

They had long forgotten about the people.

A hundred years ago, the founding emperor of the Liang Kingdom may have indeed overthrown the previous dynasty to establish a new one for the sake of the common people, but later generations had long forgotten.

The idea that the people are more important than the ruler had also been abandoned by them.

Gu Changli said indifferently, “It’s incredible, isn’t it! Actually, I also find it incredible.”

He released the pink small paper figure and placed it on his shoulder to accompany the blue small paper figure.

“I grew up in the palace, and I’ve seen the warmth and coldness of human relationships and the vicissitudes of the world. My heart has long been cold, but even so, there are still people who treat me gently, generously showing their kindness.”

The indifferent young man slowly narrated the goodness of human nature he had experienced, and a very faint gentleness gradually blended into his stern eyes.

“When I’m sick, someone will take me to see a doctor, instead of looking at me like a pest with disdain.”

“When I’m so bitter from the medicine that I can’t speak, a child will give me their osmanthus candy.”

“When I’m hungry, a kind old woman will give me the pancake she made to fill my stomach.”

“When I go out shopping, a vendor will give me the pastries I’ve glanced at a few times to try them.”

“When New Year comes, someone will wish me a Happy New Year, someone will make new clothes for me, someone will treat me as a junior and give me lucky money…”

“And so on, there are many more.”

He paused for a few seconds and then spoke again.

“Because of their kindness, I began to correct the plan to destroy the Liang Kingdom. I want to become a wise ruler, so that the people can live and work in peace, the cooking smoke in the world will never stop, and talented people can all display their talents.”

“I want to be a different emperor from you.”

Emperor Liang’s clenched fingers slowly loosened, but his tightly frowned eyebrows never loosened, and his face carried a hint of indescribable obscure gloom.

“Different from me? Yes, I am not a wise ruler.”

Even if he deceived himself in his heart, he couldn’t change his years of Insolent and the despicable act of Brother and wife in the past.

The means by which he ascended the throne were not honorable in the first place. After ascending the throne, he forcefully seized Prince Rui’s wife and poisoned Prince Rui, causing him to painfully lose the love of his life.

Perhaps he was not a wise ruler, but his love for Consort Chen Jiang Zhuyan was real.

It was because of his deep love that he deeply hated Liang Jue.

He hated this child, who shared his and his lover’s blood, for killing the woman he loved the most, preventing him from moving on even after many years.

Now that he was about to die, his and Consort Chen’s child was about to become the new emperor of the Liang Kingdom, which could be considered fulfilling the wish that was forced to be terminated back then.

“Liang Jue, I lost.”

“I hope you can, as you said, be a good emperor and bestow well-being upon all living beings.”

He took the poisoned wine handed over by his youngest son and drank it all in one gulp. Before his death, two faces appeared before his eyes, one was Consort Chen, whom he loved the most in his life, and the other was Prince Rui, whose wife he had taken and whom he had imprisoned and poisoned.

“Consort Chen, Imperial Brother…”

“If I hadn’t fallen in love at first sight at the spring banquet that year, perhaps I wouldn’t have had the ambition and desires that I shouldn’t have. I would still be a carefree prince playing among the flowers, and you would also ascend to the position of Empress to protect the Liang Kingdom’s empire. Things wouldn’t have turned out this way…”

It was a pity that he met Jiang Zhuyan, who made his heart flutter, at the wrong time, which led to greed and caused the subsequent tragedy.

“There is no ‘what if’ in the world.” Gu Changli looked coldly at Emperor Liang as he died of poison in front of him, “Some things happened and that’s it.”

He turned around and walked out, his back looking thin and lonely.

Walking out of the Dragon’s Roar Hall, Gu Changli looked at the palace guards standing in rows and announced in a cold voice, “The emperor has passed away. Immediately ring the death knell, summon civil and military officials, handle the late emperor’s funeral, and prepare for the enthronement ceremony.”

“Your subjects obey.” The many guards obeyed and left, each with a solemn and upright expression.

Today was destined to be an extraordinary day.