sharp as usual, and his hazy eyes became more gentle and affectionate. I couldn't help but gently caress his face, brushing aside the strands of hair that fell beside his cheeks, wanting to see him mo...“Father, a place like the Heavenly Prison isn’t fit for humans. Ge'er has already been there for two days, she must have suffered greatly. We can’t leave her in there!” He had once served as a Dali Temple official and later as Taiwei. He knew all too well the punishments within the Heavenly Prison. Even the most skilled warriors couldn't endure it for more than a few hours. How could Ge'er possibly withstand it

"Shouldn't I be clearer than you" Xiao Zhan glared at him. "But now we need to find a way to save Ge'er, instead of going there to die for nothing!"

Xiao Zhan's one sentence also made Chu Tianqi realize: "Father, I'm sorry, I was too impulsive!"

Xiao Zhan glanced at him, a helpless look on his face as he pursed his lips: "The prince is not here right now, and no one is protecting Ge'er. She only has us, so we must find a way to save her."

"Father, I'm going to the Prince's Mansion. I believe the Crown Prince must also be trying to save Ge'er. One more person means one more source of strength." At this time, Chu Tianqi, who had calmed down, also came up with a plan. He knew that Qian Simin cared deeply for Ge'er, so he must also be trying to find a way.

"Alright, hurry up and get back here."

"Good!"

"Come back!" Xiao Zhan called him back again, pointing at his clothes. "Go change into clean clothes and wash your face."

"Yes!" Chu Tianqi only then lowered his head and looked, seeing the dirt on his ragged clothes, he was also taken aback, and quickly ran back to his own courtyard.

In the dungeon.

Xiao Yu Ge originally thought that she would be subjected to various punishments when she was imprisoned here. However, to her surprise, after entering, those jailers not only didn't make things difficult for her, but instead served her delicious food and drinks. She was still puzzled until the moment the Emperor appeared, and she seemed to understand something.

"Your Majesty, I've said it countless times, I didn't kill the Empress Dowager! And I think I desire her long life more than anyone else!" Seeing the Emperor arrive, Xiao Yuge was a bit agitated, but when she saw the emperor's calm expression, she suddenly realized something. She sat back down cross-legged and did not step forward to pay respects: "To keep me here, Your Majesty went to such lengths to set up this trap, it truly is a difficult position for you."

"Xiao Yu Ge, you are bold! When you see the Emperor, why don't you hurry forward and pay your respects!" An Gonggong beside him shouted in a sharp voice.

Xiao Yu's song let out a light scoff, ignoring him completely and not even bothering to stand up.

"You!" An Gonggong was about to explode, but the Emperor beside him stopped him.

"Ge'er, you are still as clever as ever, it's just a pity that I told you many times, both openly and secretly, before this, yet you still decided to go to Tianzhu. I could only use this method to keep you here." It was unexpected that the emperor actually shamelessly admitted it.

Xiao Yu Ge raised her eyes, shaking her head with a perplexed expression: “Your Majesty, that’s your own mother. For the throne, would she even disregard family” She couldn't understand how someone could, for something as cold and impersonal as that, abandon familial love and righteousness. Was that position truly so alluring

"Ge'er, do you know why, in our brothers' struggle for the throne, I left only the fifteenth brother behind"

"Perhaps he was poisoned and can no longer compete with you for that position" This is also one of the reasons Xiao Yuge couldn't figure out.

On the side, Eunuch An brought an armchair for the Emperor. The Emperor sat down and said: "Ge'er, you only said half right. The reason I didn't touch Lao Shiwu is because he is my only full brother."

"What" Xiao Yuge was a little confused. Isn't Qian Tingxuan's mother a palace maid How could even the Emperor...

"Yes, both my and Lao Shiwu's biological mothers were just female officials by the Empress Dowager's side. It was the Empress Dowager who, in order to vie for favor, secretly sent my mother, who was only fourteen at the time, to my father's bedchamber. As a result, I was born, but my father remained unaware. For me, my mother could only endure silently. More than ten years later, unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager repeated her trick and once again sent my mother to my father's bedchamber. This time, however, my father found out. By then, my mother was already past her prime childbearing age. Therefore, after giving birth to Lao Shiwu, her health deteriorated day by day. But the Empress Dowager still did not let her go. What the Empress Dowager didn't know was that everything she said and did was heard clearly by me, who was hiding in a cabinet at the time."

Xiao Yu Ge was dumbfounded. My God, he never expected that behind the glamorous facade, there were so many bloody things happening. It was simply outrageous, to put it mildly! He'd heard it all before but this was on another level.

The Emperor continued, "I know that to protect the 15th Prince, I had to pretend not to know anything, to use the Empress Dowager's power to ascend to the throne. But what I didn't expect was that the Empress Dowager still secretly harmed the 15th Prince. Do you think, all these years, why have I endured the Empress Dowager living Why have I been so filial to her in front of outsiders It's because of the 15th Prince. Because, I knew long ago, if she died, the 15th Prince would be gone too!"

Xiao Yuge seemed to have understood: "No wonder Your Majesty would do this. Using my hands to get rid of the Empress Dowager, you avenged yourself, and could put the blame on me. You remain a model emperor for all time, and no one will ever know your true origins. Such a move is truly beneficial in every way. But you keep saying that you are doing this to protect Qian Tingxuan, do you know that now that the Empress Dowager is gone, the poison on him will be difficult to suppress, and he will die too!"

Even if I didn't kill the Empress Dowager, she wouldn't have lived for many days. You understand medicine; I don't believe you can't see it. I've endured for over twenty years for the sake of the fifteenth prince. No matter what happens, I consider myself to have done justice to my deceased father and mother! He knew that even if he didn't kill the Empress Dowager, she wouldn't live long. As long as Ge'er could be left behind, he didn't mind using some means.

Seeing Xiao Yuge remained silent, the Emperor continued, "Yuge, I know you've been searching for the Dragon Heart Pearl to save Eldest Fifteenth, but the Dragon Heart Pearl is long gone. I have given it to the Imperial Physician to refine into a pill, which I have already taken."

“What did you say” Xiao Yuge’s face was filled with shock, her eyes as if they wanted to dissect the emperor and pluck his dragon gall out.

"Song'er, if one doesn't work for oneself, heaven and earth will punish them. I climbed to my position stepping on so many bones, so I have to be ruthless. I haven't thought about letting you and the Fifteenth Prince go, but I can't risk the country and its people for that. Every time I think about being bullied as a child, I tell myself that one day I will trample everyone under my feet, making them worship me. And I did it! I won't allow anyone to threaten this throne!" He should have been happy, proud, but he wasn't as joyful as he expected.

“Since Your Majesty has decided that I killed the Empress Dowager, then kill me. I only hope that Your Majesty will not hold it against everyone in Mingzhu Mansion.” If she couldn't save Qian Tingxuan, whether she lived or died, Xiao Yuge didn't care so much anymore. since she was young, but she was destined to escape the tragic fate tied to her family." 。"Qingni, what if I tricked Xiao Yuge into going to Tianzhu Kingdom and marrying Mu Cang, away from all of thi...