Chapter 72 - Secret 02

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"That's because I want to watch you all bring about your own destruction. Plotting to harm the emperor's body—so what if the Zhang family produced an empress dowager? They must die all the same." Back then, he had retreated because he knew their ambitions would never fade, and he had waited for this day to arrive.

"Do you know why that medicine ended up in Shu Fei's hands?" The emperor's voice was now like a devil's. "It was me, I did it on purpose. I knew exactly what that medicine would do, but I played along. So, how about that? This emperor cooperated with your Zhang family."

After speaking, the emperor let out a loud, mocking laugh.

It was over. Everything was over.

"Impossible, how could it be... you..." The empress dowager pointed at the emperor, her hand trembling uncontrollably. "You want to kill Duan'er."

So that was the truth, this was how it had been all along.

"Naturally. Just a bastard and he dared to covet the Zhao family's throne—he deserves to die." With a roar, all of Zhao Jinrui's imperial aura burst forth.

The empress dowager's eyes bulged at his words. Her heart screamed, "Impossible, it can't have been discovered." But her mouth couldn't form a single word, and she was struck dumb with shock, losing her ability to speak.

"Haha, now you're afraid? Where was this fear when you plotted your schemes back then?"

The emperor, as though he hadn't seen enough of the drama, continued speaking calmly, "Did you really think no one knew about your actions in the harem? Did you really think that a mere eunuch could have such power?"

There was no need to say more; the empress dowager understood.

It turned out that someone had been watching her every move all along.

"Why?" she asked in confusion.

Understanding what she meant by her question, the emperor replied, "Because the Qin family must never enter the court, and no woman of the Qin family may enter the harem, nor may their descendants be tainted by imperial power." With these words, the resentment in his heart finally dissipated.

He had once resented this truth when he first learned it.

But as he uncovered more, he began to understand why his parents had made him live under the name of Zhang Guifei.

"The thing you thought was so precious, my mother looked down on. The thing you coveted but could never obtain, my mother scorned. Do you now understand where you lost?"

"Oh, and let me tell you something else. When my mother became pregnant, my father had already lost his ability to sire children. Do you think he didn't know about the bastard you carried?"

All her years of scheming had been nothing more than a joke to others.

Had it not been for Zhao Jinrui, Zhang Guifei, and her bastard child, Prince Duan, would have been long gone.

As if this weren't shocking enough, the emperor revealed another bombshell. "Do you know what Dezhong's surname is?" The emperor had been holding this grudge for far too long and finally spat it out. "His surname is Fang. He's a descendant of the Fang family that rebelled years ago."

After this revelation, the emperor burst into laughter again. "How does that feel, empress dowager? Stimulating, isn't it?"

Without giving her much time to react, the emperor signaled to the outside. Guards escorted in Shu Fei and her attendants into the main hall.

As soon as Shu Fei entered, the emperor could feel a disgusting gaze fix on him.

He raised his eyes and, upon seeing her revolting expression, strode out of the hall without another glance.

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