The Daily Life of a Concubine

Chapter 71 - Secret 01

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Zhao Jinrui's face held a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "This isn't the first time the Zhang family has schemed against me. I spared them before because they are my uncles, but now... do they still deserve that?"

The Emperor's words enraged the Empress Dowager. "How dare you! You share the same blood as them. No matter what, they are still your uncles." She slammed the tea table in front of her, making a loud thumping sound.

The Emperor remained unmoved, calmly raising his teacup and taking a sip.

"It doesn't matter; if the blood is dirty, I'll just cleanse it myself." After taking a sip of tea, the Emperor stood up and covered his cup. Bang! He slammed the cup down on the table before the Empress Dowager.

"I let them off once, twice, out of respect for family ties. But now, do you think they still have the face for that? Do they deserve it?"

The Empress Dowager hadn't expected the Emperor to become so enraged.

"Guards, surround the entire Qingzhou Courtyard! No one is to enter or leave." After saying this, the Emperor called out loudly.

Soon, the head of the imperial guards received the order and led his troops to surround the area.

The Empress Dowager never imagined the Emperor would confront her like this. "How dare you!" Zhi-er was still here; she could not allow the Emperor to act so recklessly.

"Don't forget, this is my residence. Even if you are the Emperor, you cannot be unfilial." The Da Yue Dynasty was ruled by Confucian principles, and she didn't believe he would dare defy such a great moral law.

"I am the Emperor; what is there for me to fear?" Zhao Jinrui's face showed no trace of anger, only a faint smile. "Or do you really think I hold family ties so dearly—whether between brothers or mother and son?" After speaking, the Emperor laughed aloud.

"When you abandoned me for the first time back then, I no longer had a mother. Giving you the title of Empress Dowager was merely out of gratitude for raising me, but you didn't cherish it. You tried to shake the imperial throne—by relying on that useless son of yours?"

The Emperor had thrown all caution to the wind. He had harbored this resentment for years, always wanting to ask why she had favored the other so much.

But now, it seemed there was no need to ask. After all, the human heart is inherently biased; favoritism is only natural.

Even he could not avoid it.

So, he accepted it.

The servants and palace maids in the room were all terrified, collapsing onto the ground. They all knew that anyone who had heard the Emperor's words would not live to see another day.

Yet, with guards present, they dared not make a single move.

"Do you really think I don't know about all the little schemes you've been pulling over the years? Ha, do you really think I ascended to the throne because of you?" His words dripped with sarcasm.

The Empress Dowager's face turned pale. She had never been the legitimate Empress nor one with real power in the harem, so her knowledge of royal matters was limited.

"You, he—how could this be? This is impossible!" The Empress Dowager's face was filled with disbelief. "He clearly promised me back then that he would pass the throne to Duan'er. It's you! You forged the imperial edict. If it weren't for you, Duan'er would be Emperor. It's you, it's all your fault!" The Empress Dowager had gone mad.

But when the emperor heard her words, he laughed heartily. "Do you know why Father agreed back then?" He did know. As a child, he had hidden behind his father's bed and had overheard the entire conversation.

"It's because you deceived him. You told him that I was your biological son and not Guifei's (Noble Consort). Isn't that right?" 

The Emperor leaned down and whispered in the Empress Dowager's ear, "Did you really think you had won?"

This time, the Empress Dowager could no longer bear it. She stood up and pushed the Emperor away. "Impossible, impossible! You're lying to me! You're lying! You just don't want to acknowledge me as your mother. You're unfilial!" Now that her rage had subsided, she refused to accept the truth.

Zhao Jinrui wasn't in a hurry. Watching her fury, he simply smiled, as if her words were nothing more than a joke.

His contempt and disdain only further provoked the Empress Dowager. "You refuse to recognize your own mother! You are unfilial! You are unworthy of being Emperor! You... you bastard!" Finally, the Empress Dowager broke down completely.

But the Emperor had no intention of letting her off easily. "Do you know? Father once said that Guifei's family had a unique genetic trait. All those born with her family's bloodline bear a special mark. Do you see how clear mine is?" He pulled down his robe, revealing a red birthmark on his chest, shaped like a peony.

"Look closely. What does this birthmark resemble?" The Emperor traced the red mark on his chest with his finger. "Doesn't it look like the character 'Qin'?"

At the mention of the word "Qin," the Empress Dowager let out another shriek.

She knew. Guifei had been a direct descendant of the Qin family—the most gifted branch of the Qin clan, a prestigious family renowned for their medical expertise.

Half of the Dayue Dynasty's medicinal herbs came from the Qin family. While they never held official positions, they commanded the utmost respect from the royal family.

It could be said that back in the day, a daughter of the Qin family was more revered than a royal princess.

Not to mention a woman with such remarkable talents.

"You wretched child! I should have never shown mercy back then! Never!" The Empress Dowager was completely broken.

"Ha, ha, ha! All of this was told to me by people Father left behind after I ascended the throne. Naturally, members of the Qin family are still around. Do you want to meet them?" By now, most of the Emperor's rage had dissipated. "Do you know why, even after learning the truth, I still allowed you to run wild for so many years?"