After being ill for a long time in Chengqian Palace, Ju Lianruo walked slowly into Fengtian Hall from its front gate. Even though she had recovered, her complexion was still too pale. She was still wearing the formal attire for noblewomen, carrying the same stern air after governing the inner palace for twenty years, as if she didn't see the bloody sabers around her. Her pace was steady and dignified. Compared to her, Zhu Changhong's panic and confusion formed a sharp contrast at this moment. Mother and son went from gazing at each other from afar to being face to face in an instant.
"Mother... Imperial Consort." Zhu Changhong instinctively wanted to discard his blade, but he gripped it tightly again. "How could you be here, Imperial Consort?"
He didn't get to finish his sentence.
Ju Lianruo raised her hand and slapped him hard. The crisp, loud sound made everyone in Fengtian Hall freeze.
"Useless fool, would you kill just because someone told you to?" She yelled angrily. "Do you know what crime it is to assassinate the Crown Prince? Are you unaware?"
"But, but the Second Imperial Brother said he would spare the Ju family's weakness..." Zhu Changhong probably had never suffered such a lesson before. He covered his face and started to sob. "I was also doing it for the Ju family."
Things were fine when he didn't speak. But as soon as he did, Ju Lianruo's anger flared up even more.
"Spare the weak? That was all lies tricking a blockhead like you. Assassinating the Crown Prince warrants extermination of all nine familial relations. Even the chickens and dogs of the family cannot escape." She was so angry she couldn't hit the same spot twice. "A fire doesn't burn things completely. The spring breeze blows and things grow again. Who would leave seeds of vengeance to create trouble for themselves? Can't you use your brain?"
Zhu Changhong was finally enlightened. His clenched palm opened and the blade fell to the ground with a crisp ring.
"If you were truly ruthless enough, that would be acceptable. But how did I instruct you?" Ju Lianruo scolded even more severely. "I told you to kill these two with the utmost speed. Did you even try?"
Amongst the crowd, even Zhu Changyu and Zhu Changyan had subtle changes in their expressions, not to mention Xu Mo.
Those who play political games are used to revealing their cards slowly, pushing the plot bit by bit, and waiting patiently for the ending.
Ju Lianruo's methods were simple and crude, but uniquely countered them.
If Zhu Changhong had only arranged the Ju family's men to surround Fengtian Hall, then swiftly massacred the two brothers, the outcome would still be undetermined.
Luckily and unluckily, this scene did not occur.
Zhu Changhong covered his face with his hands. It was unclear if it was heartbreak or remorse as he groveled at his mother's feet.
If it were anyone else, Ju Lianruo would have kicked them long ago. But this was the child she had raised with her own hands. Her immense maternal love made her unable to bear it. She bent down wanting to comfort him with a few words.
It was also then that she heard Zhu Changhong's feeble murmur, "You've already killed Father's concubine, and now Father's child too. He will resent you, he will resent us..."
A child raised with love, how could he not learn to love others?
During the years his father had nurtured him, he had also loved that man who shielded him from wind and rain.
He didn't want his father to be sad or heartbroken. He tried his best to satisfy his mother, while also hoping his father would be gratified.
But why was it so difficult?
Ju Lianruo's fingers painted with cinnabar froze midair. It was hard to say if powerlessness or regret overtook her whole body, accompanied by bitter laughter.
"Resent? Who should resent who?" She murmured softly, her gaze falling upon Zhu Changyu. "Do you resent me? Because I killed your mother?"
Zhu Changyu's face was cold and he did not speak.
A child without his mother's love, how could he not complain?
"What right do you have to resent me?" Ju Lianruo suddenly exerted her full aura. She shook off all the unpresentable past years. "It's true your mother died because of me, but what did she do herself? Have you never looked into it?"
"You resent having no one to dote on you in the inner palace for eighteen years. But do you know how you ended up in this place?"
Back then, Ju Guifei was in glorious favor, even overshadowing Empress Yan. Her eldest son was also five years older.
But Zhu Changyu, this secondary imperial son, was born only half a year later. Why was that?
Because his existence was the result of meticulous planning.
Back then, Ju Lianruo was arrogant and unrestrained. Her romance with the emperor was sweet when intimate, but could also escalate into face flushing, ear reddening arguments, even giving each other the silent treatment for three to five days.
Until one time they hadn't reconciled in a long time. The emperor felt stifled and drank himself half drunk. In his blurry state, he saw his beloved girl gently placate him, and could no longer restrain himself.
Until the bright sunlight at daybreak shone upon the imperial bed. The ordinarily plain palace maid instantly rose to fame, and successfully conceived a dragon son.
It was also then that Ju Lianruo realized the emperor did not solely belong to her. She put away her sharp edges and started gentle, thoughtful gestures. The affection between them grew even more profound.
The palace maid struggled to give birth to the dragon son in an obscure corner of the imperial city, barely surviving.
"Did you think I wanted to harm her? That I was jealous and lost control? That I couldn't tolerate anyone else?" Ju Lianruo laughed hysterically. "You underestimate me too much."
"Concubine Min gave birth to the Third Princess safely, Concubine Chu gave birth to the Fourth Prince healthily, even Empress Yan could smoothly have the Fifth Prince. Why would I need to make things difficult for a palace maid? His love was mine, the eldest son was mine. If I, Ju Lianruo, was truly jealous, you wretched creature wouldn't have had the chance to live."
What she said was true. Zhu Changyu clenched his fists.
The palace maid died on a stormy night because she had offended the pregnant Ju Guifei, causing her to miscarry and lose her fertility.
For such a heinous crime, the conclusion was already set. The resulting dragon son also became an unloved wretch, writhing about in this majestic imperial city.
Although it quickly became clear that the palace maid was provoked by the other concubines and consorts of the inner palace, Ju Guifei's miscarriage was real, and the emperor truly grieved the loss of his beloved daughter.
It is said that when the female fetus came out, she already had nascent human form.
It is said that for a period of time, stifled sobs could be heard from the deserted Qianqing Palace.
By this point, it was hard to purely blame one person.
At the very least, Zhu Changyu had no right to resent Ju Guifei.
The unremarkable youth at his side clenched his fists tightly. A hint of melancholy flashed through his eyes, finally condensing into softly murmured words, "But I also suffered and ate bitterness before growing up!"
Ju Lianruo paid him no mind, and looked directly at Changyan. "You also have no right to resent me."
"Your mother couldn't control the inner palace, so power shifted into my hands. If she was at all capable, I would have at most had joint authority."
"It was I who allowed her to live freely for so many years. Her final illness and death in the deep palace was her own choice, it had nothing to do with me."
"Dealing with you was about competing for power. That's a separate matter."
The woman was open and frank, daring to love and hate. Time had only aged her looks, unable to dispel her vibrant charm.
Changyan perhaps understood why the emperor could favor her for twenty years.
"There's just one thing Imperial Concubine Ju is mistaken about." He raised the corners of his lips. "I don't resent you."
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