The ministers begged me to ascend the throne

Chapter 557: Concubine Rong's Question
Over the past two days, Concubine Rong's condition had finally improved, but when she learned that her two sons had hanged themselves in the Royal Courtyard, she vomited blood and fainted on the spot. When she woke up, it was already a day and a night later.

The first thing she did after waking up was to confirm whether her two sons had really hanged themselves. When she was sure that her two sons had really hanged themselves, she fainted again. Fortunately, she didn't stay unconscious for too long this time and woke up soon.

Concubine Rong woke up again and saw the emperor sitting beside her bed. She cried and asked, "Your Majesty, why..."

The emperor looked guilty and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't keep an eye on them."

Concubine Rong threw herself into the emperor's arms, clutching his clothes tightly with both hands, and burst into tears. She fainted in the emperor's arms because she was too sad and too weak.

The emperor held Concubine Rong in his arms, patted her back gently, and then let her lie flat on the bed. Looking at her haggard and pale face, red and swollen eyes, and messy hair, he felt a slight pain in his heart.

He sat by the bed and looked at Concubine Rong for a while, then stood up and told Jin Mei, "Take good care of Concubine Rong."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The emperor still had things to deal with and could not stay in Yongxin Palace for long. When he returned to the imperial study, he did not review the memorials immediately.

Sun Kui brought a cup of hot tea, "Your Majesty, please have a sip of tea first."

The emperor took the teacup, lowered his head and took a few sips, then sighed slightly: "Alas..."

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine will get better." Sun Kui thought the emperor was worried about Imperial Concubine Rong's health.

The emperor stroked the rim of the teacup with his thumb and said in an obscure manner, "She won't get better."

"Didn't the imperial physician say before that the Imperial Concubine's condition was improving?"

"The death of the second and ninth sons was a great blow to her. She will never recover." The emperor sighed again, "I am sorry for her."

"Your Majesty, the two princes hanged themselves. It has nothing to do with you." Sun Kui will never forget the emperor's look when he learned that the King of Dai and the King of Yue hanged themselves. The emperor was stunned and did not say a word for a long time. He sat quietly in front of the imperial table, his back suddenly bent, and his whole body exuded a strong sense of sadness.

At that moment, Sun Kui felt that the emperor seemed to have aged a lot in an instant.

The emperor remained silent, then picked up the memorial and began to review it.

Sun Kui quietly retreated and did not stay in the imperial study.

When Sun Doudou saw his master coming out, he hurried forward and reported, "Master, the Queen has gone to Yongxin Palace."

Upon hearing this, Sun Kui frowned immediately.

"Master, the Queen Mother must have gone to add insult to injury." Sun Doudou said in a low voice, "It was the Queen Mother who went to Yongxin Palace to tell Concubine Rong that the King of Dai and the King of Yue had hanged themselves." Previously, the King of Dai and the King of Yue were demoted to commoners for rebellion. However, in the past two days, they have been restored to the title of prince and buried as princes.

"Didn't the emperor order that no one is allowed to disturb the imperial concubine's recuperation?" Sun Kui frowned and said, "The imperial concubine Rong is weak and can't stand any stimulation."

"Then what to do now?"

"I will go in and report to the emperor." Sun Kui hurried into the imperial study and reported to the emperor that Queen Xie had gone to Yongxin Palace.

Upon hearing this, the emperor slammed the memorial in his hand onto the desk and strode away.

Sun Kui hurriedly followed.

When the emperor arrived at Yongxin Palace, he heard Empress Xie mocking Concubine Rong.

Concubine Rong's face turned red with anger, and she stared at Empress Xie with eyes as if filled with poison. She pointed at Empress Xie and wanted to say something, but because she was too angry, she couldn't utter a word.

"you……"

Empress Xie wanted to say something else but was interrupted by the emperor.

"Queen, what are you doing here?"

Hearing the emperor's voice, Queen Xie trembled with fear, then turned around and bowed her head to salute the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I am here to visit Concubine Rong."

"I have said that no one is allowed to disturb Concubine Rong's recuperation. Queen, you are turning a deaf ear to my words."

"I dare not." Empress Xie did not show the arrogance she had shown when she mocked Concubine Rong. "I will take my leave."

The emperor said coldly: "You are not allowed to enter Yongxin Palace again."

"Yes." Empress Xie held the hand of the palace maid and left Yongxin Palace trembling. As soon as she left Yongxin Palace, she almost fell to the ground because her legs were weak. Fortunately, she was supported by the palace maid in time.

In Yongxin Palace, Concubine Rong lay on the bed, staring at the emperor fiercely, and asked in a cold tone: "Your Majesty, the Queen said that you made Yi'er and the others hang themselves, is that right?"

"Do you think I will kill the second brother and his men?" The emperor said calmly, "If I wanted to kill them, I would directly issue an order to execute them, and would not demote them to commoners."

"Didn't you really kill Yi'er and the others?" Concubine Rong still believed Queen Xie's instigation.

Facing Concubine Rong's questioning gaze, the emperor did not evade at all, "No, I will not kill them."

"Did Yi'er and the others really commit suicide?" Concubine Rong didn't believe that her two sons would commit suicide.

"Yes." "Didn't you order them to hang themselves?" Concubine Rong was so weak that she had to work hard to speak. "Your Majesty, look at me. Didn't you order them to hang themselves?"

The emperor looked directly into Concubine Rong's sharp gaze and said calmly, "No, I did not order them to hang themselves." He then added, "I am not so crazy as to do this."

"But you're not sad." Concubine Rong stood up, her expression becoming crazy, "Yier and the others died, and you're not sad at all. Yier is your most beloved son, and now you act as if nothing has happened."

Facing Concubine Rong's questioning, the emperor calmly asked, "Do you want me to be like you?"

Concubine Rong was chilled by the emperor's calmness. She suddenly burst into laughter, and her laughter was full of self-mockery.

The emperor didn't understand why Concubine Rong was so mad. "You should take good care of yourself. I will come to see you again."

"Cousin, have you ever loved me?" Concubine Rong suddenly asked.

The emperor had turned around at this time and faced away from Concubine Rong.

"Cousin, have you ever loved me?" Concubine Rong asked again, "Cousin, answer me."

The emperor did not answer. When he was about to leave, he heard Concubine Rong say, "Cousin, the person you love is not me, but Xie Wan, right?" As she spoke, her face was full of tears. She shouted hysterically, "You have never loved me, right? The person you loved from beginning to end was Xie Wan, right?"

"Cousin, answer me, are you going to lie to me again... cough cough cough cough..." Concubine Rong began to cough violently and then coughed up blood.

The emperor turned around and saw Concubine Rong with bloodshot eyes and a face full of anger and unwillingness. He sighed softly and said, "When have I ever lied to you?"

Concubine Rong stared at the emperor stubbornly and asked again: "Cousin, tell me, do you love me or not?"

"You asked me this question when you were a child." The emperor said, "You have been asking this question for decades, but have I ever answered you?"

Concubine Rong was stunned by the question. She thought about it carefully. She had indeed asked this question countless times, but each time the emperor did not answer directly, but instead beat around the bush to say something else.

"I once answered you that you are my favorite."

“Pamper…hahahahahahaha…” Imperial Concubine Rong used to think that pampering was love, but now she realizes that pampering is not love. “I was wrong, I was really wrong…I was so ridiculous, I always thought you loved me, I thought I was the one you loved the most…cough cough cough cough cough…”

The emperor saw that Concubine Rong was coughing up more and more blood, so he walked over and offered his hand to help her, but she held on tightly. She held on so hard that her nails dug deep into the emperor's arm.

"Cousin, have you ever loved me a little bit since I was a child?"

Seeing that the emperor remained silent, Concubine Rong knew the answer, and the light in her eyes dimmed instantly.

"Is there really not a trace at all?" She asked carefully, looking at the emperor with pleading eyes.

The emperor reached out and wiped the blood from the corner of Concubine Rong's mouth, and said in a gentle tone: "I only love you."

Concubine Rong waved away the emperor's hand, glared at him and said, "I am not a cat or a dog. I don't need your pampering. I have loved you for decades. What I want is your love. Now you tell me that you don't love me. You just pamper me like a plaything. It's ridiculous... Hahahaha... Then what is my love for you... A joke, a huge joke..." Concubine Rong found herself becoming a huge joke. Her decades of love were nothing... Hahahahaha...

Looking at Concubine Rong's crazy appearance, a trace of pity flashed across the emperor's eyes.

"Who do you love? Is it Xie Wan?" Concubine Rong grabbed the emperor's hand again and asked ferociously, "You love her, right? How am I inferior to her? How is she like me? She is not as pretty as me, she does not understand you as well as I do, and she does not have the friendship we have had since childhood. Why do you love her? Why..."

Concubine Rong asked frantically over and over again.

"Who told you that I love Xie Wan?"

These words stunned Concubine Rong, and she stared at the emperor blankly.

The emperor looked into Concubine Rong's eyes and said word by word: "I! Don't! Love! Xie! Wan!"

"You really don't love Xie Wan?"

"No." The emperor said, "I don't love anyone. I love the Great Zhou and its people." The emperor still lied, so that Concubine Rong would feel better.

Concubine Rong asked incredulously, "You don't love any woman?"

"I don't love you. I don't have time to love you." After all, she is his cousin who grew up with him. Even if the emperor doesn't love her, he doesn't want to hurt her again when she has lost her two sons.

Concubine Rong unconsciously loosened her hand and stared at the emperor blankly.

At this moment, her mind recalled the past scenes, thinking that the emperor was always busy reviewing memorials and would not come to the harem for a month or several months.

"There are so many things waiting for me to do in the world, I don't have time to talk about love with a woman." The emperor softened his tone, "I know how much you have loved me since you were a child. I can only love you, and I can't give you anything else." He was busy with state affairs on weekdays and really didn't have much time to talk about love. He loved Xiaoxiao, but he didn't have much time to talk about love with Xiaoxiao.

"you……"

"You are my cousin who I grew up with. You are different from other women in the harem, but I cannot give you the love you want." The emperor said this with both compassion and cruelty. "You should take good care of your health." After saying this, he turned and left.

Concubine Rong sat on the bed in a daze, her expression blank.

The emperor walked out of Yongxin Palace and sighed deeply: "I still lied to her."

Sun Kui didn't know what the emperor said to Concubine Rong, so he comforted him, "Your Majesty, you are doing this for the good of Concubine Rong."