Chapter 605: Without a Cheat (1)
If the Emperor were younger, he might really have drawn the imperial sword by his side and executed Count Jing’an with a single, mad blow.
However, for the current fifty-year-old ruler, he had already experienced multitudes more compared to his younger days. Having sat on the golden throne for decades, he had been transformed into a true regent. Most trivial matters would hardly shake him now.
Thus, at the mention of the incident he regretted the most during his youth, he was able to keep his emotions under control and retain his rationality.
The Emperor’s cold gaze pierced down from above. If looks could kill, then Count Jing’an’s body would likely have become riddled with holes like a sieve.
Although the look in the Emperor’s eyes was terrifying, Count Jing’an knew he couldn’t back down at this moment. He had already stayed resolute for so many years. There was no other choice but to keep that secret to his grave!
“Very well, He Yanwen! What a good dog you are! You’re still their dog, even after all these years! Like a dog, you can’t change your nature of eating shit!”
Such crude words had fallen from the lips of the Emperor. It was easy to imagine how furious he was.
Count Jing’an bore with the Emperor’s fury and knelt down silently. He bowed his head slightly and knelt with both knees on the mirror-like floor of Qinzheng Hall. Even in this pose of obeisance, his back remained ramrod straight as a sign of his silent rebellion.
The Emperor could no longer sit still behind the imperial desk. He stood up and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his eyes blood-red from the force of his anger.
He suddenly stopped and asked, “He Yanwen. Are you still unwilling to speak even now?”
Count Jing’an made a cupped fist salute towards the Emperor with his eyes cast downwards, “Your Majesty, this humble official has nothing to say.”
“Nothing to say?! He Yanwen! You were Ah-xun’s senior brother! The two of you studied under the same teacher. She treated you like a real brother!”
Count Jing’an pressed his dry lips together, “Your Majesty, it’s precisely because I am Ah-xun’s senior brother that I have to keep this secret.”
“Good, good… How very good of you! You’re living up to your name, my loyal Defender General of the South! You’re still loyal even till death!”
Count Jing’an sighed inwardly, “Your Majesty, so many years have passed. Why continue troubling yourself over this matter? Ah-xun already passed away more than ten years ago. She only wished the best for you.”
The impact of Count Jing’an’s words made the Emperor tremble. His wavering body threatened to collapse, scaring Eunuch Wei into stepping forward and holding him up.
The Emperor’s lips pulled into a bitter smile. Even though he had already guessed years ago that Ye Xun was no longer in this world, when he received confirmation of his guess, his first reaction was still disbelief.
He mumbled to himself, “So she’s really gone…”
“Then can you tell us where her grave is?” The sharp ice in the Emperor’s gaze had retreated into disappointment and defeat. However, when he asked his question, a spark of hope lit up in his eyes as he looked at the kneeling Count Jing’an.
A pang of heartache rose in the count’s heart. He thought briefly of coming clean and revealing the location to the Emperor, but he quickly recovered his cool and shook his head in silent determination.
Now immersed in pain and suffering, the Emperor abruptly started coughing viciously. He swept everything off the imperial desk— official reports, ink stone, papers, and brushes all crashed to the ground. Ink splattered all over the golden floors of the hall, making a huge mess that reflected the inner state of the Emperor’s heart.
The Emperor was bent over from the effort of coughing, bracing himself on his knees. Tears started rolling from his eyes, perhaps due to the coughs, or perhaps due to his heartache.
Eunuch Wei was close to panicking. He quickly patted his master’s back to help soothe him, all the while glaring angrily at the kneeling Count Jing’an.
It took a long moment before the Emperor finally stopped coughing.
With the help of Eunuch Wei, he took his seat behind his desk once again. Following that, he leveled a cool and indifferent gaze at the kneeling count and spat out an emotionless command, “Scram!”
Count Jing’an slowly cast his eyes upwards to look at the man on the dragon throne before standing up and performing a precise salute to the Emperor, not an inch more, not an inch less. He then left Qinzheng Hall without a whisper to mark his passing.
After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, the Emperor suddenly asked, “Wei Chenghai. Do you think that I’ve been too greedy?”
He had thought that he would be able to forget easily. However, with the passing of time, his memories of Ah-xun had only become clearer and clearer. He wanted to know if she was doing well, what she looked like when she aged. He wanted to know… if she missed him. But now, there was nothing left.
Ah-xun was gone. She had left him forever.
Eunuch Wei had been serving the Emperor ever since he was a prince, so he knew clearly the events that the Emperor and Count Jing’an had been talking about.
Back then, they had each had their own difficulties. They had all done what they had to do.
It wasn’t the Emperor’s fault alone, nor was Count Jing’an completely to blame.
However, with the Emperor’s current mood, he couldn’t speak his mind now and could only try to comfort his master as best he could.
“Your Majesty, every living person has their own desires. It’s natural that Your Majesty misses Miss Ye Xun, but as the ruler of the country, as important as Miss Yexun was, she is no longer your only priority.”
The Emperor understood that Eunuch Wei was right, but he was still heartbroken.
He was never going to see Ah-xun again…
How could he not despair!
“But it’s still difficult to bear the truth… I’m losing control…”
Eunuch Wei had no words for that. He simply stayed by the Emperor’s side in a show of silent support.
Who could have thought that the esteemed Emperor would also have painful moments like this?