Chapter 1187: Chapter 1187: At Least She’s the Real Mother, Right?

All these years.

Prince Yan had been plotting in Guangnan, while he was struggling in Jiangnan.

On the surface, they seemed unrelated, but in reality, they were still closely connected.

If Prince Yan dared not rebel, so be it.

If Prince Yan truly intended to rebel, the Lien Family would surely be the first to jump out in support.

The foremost requirement of rebellion is silver; without silver, there can be no troops, and no chance of success.

So... is this the scheme the Lien Family devised?

Zhao Junyao squinted his eyes.

Xia Ruqing seemed confused.

"Emperor, hasn’t Prince Yan already died? When Prince Yan attempted rebellion back then, why didn’t their family come out to support?"

To her naive question.

Zhao Junyao was amused but helpless.

"Prince Yan is dead, but Zhao Junqi is still alive."

"As for the Lien Family, they must have been supporting him secretly."

What merchant would dare openly stick their neck out in this matter, unless they have a death wish!

"What they want to do is preserve their strength! Continuously and consistently support the cause!"

Speaking of this.

Zhao Junyao suddenly remembered the months before Zhao Junqi’s treason and betrayal.

The three major Jiangnan families suddenly started acting sneakily in the shadows, inflating grain prices, creating chaos, and amassing wealth.

Back then, he couldn’t see any connection between these events.

Now thinking back... weren’t these merchants actually raising funds for them?

Everything became clear, matching up perfectly.

Zhao Junyao had fully comprehended.

So it was in those years that the peaceful family life of Prince Yan and the prodigal conduct of Zhao Junqi were all an act, and from childhood, their intentions were pretenses.

From beginning to end, they harbored resentment in their hearts, never letting go for a single moment.

Terror, fear, complexity.

Inside, Zhao Junyao couldn’t describe how he felt.

Honestly, the events of his father’s generation shouldn’t be his to judge right or wrong.

Yet he still wished to stand from his father’s perspective, disdain Prince Yan.

The wars between men shouldn’t involve scheming like women hiding in the shadows.

If there’s contest, it should be bright and open!

Raising troops to pressure the palace is acceptable, forming alliances with ministers to stage a coup is acceptable, recruiting soldiers to rebel is acceptable, be bold enough to come forward.

The victor takes it all, swift and decisive, Zhao Junyao wasn’t afraid at all.

But playing these shadowy dealings behind the scenes, he truly wasn’t skilled at them, nor did he think much of them.

...

Xia Ruqing pondered deeply for a long time before finally understanding.

"So, this Lien Family belonged to Prince Yan!"

"After Prince Yan’s death, they turned to support Zhao Junqi!"

Zhao Junyao nodded with a sense of satisfaction.

’You finally understand, Qingqing!’

Xia Ruqing’s eyes widened in terror.

"So..."

"So the Lien Family amassed wealth to aid Zhao Junqi’s rebellion?"

Zhao Junyao nodded again.

"It should be!"

All the evidence he gathered pointed to Zhao Junqi.

Apart from him, he couldn’t think of anyone else who would harbor such great resentment against the Royal Family.

Xia Ruqing: "..."

Emperor, someone intends to rebel, yet you’re so calm! Truly magnanimous!

"Then now... the Lien Family members are all dead, what should we do next?"

Zhao Junyao smiled faintly.

"No need to rush!"

"Next comes... coaxing the snake out!"

Xia Ruqing finally caught up with his thoughts.

Coaxing the snake out, catching the turtle in the jar, capturing them all at once.

With this sequence, it’s estimated the opponent won’t have any chance to turn things around.

Xia Ruqing secretly glanced at him.

’Truly sinister!’

Zhao Junyao exhaled deeply.

"It’s getting late, let’s have dinner and rest early, tomorrow... will be busy!"

Xia Ruqing nodded.

"Okay!"

The two went to have dinner hand in hand.

After dinner, it was already dark.

The sound of rain outside had quieted down a lot, but the constant dripping hitting the window was still loud.

Unable to fall asleep.

The two casually picked out two books near the candlestick, reading and chatting as they went.

"I wonder how Yue Er and the others are!"

"Now that autumn has arrived, the Capital is surely cooler than here!"

"Yue Er easily kicks off her quilt while sleeping, and she doesn’t like wearing thick clothes either, let’s hope she doesn’t catch cold!"

The little girl finds it bothersome.

She absolutely refuses to wear thick clothes until it’s really cold.

Sister puts them on for her, she takes them off right away.

When she’s around, she can manage it a bit.

When she’s not...

Xia Ruqing rubbed her temples, hardly able to fathom! 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Zhao Junyao, however, was quite composed.

"There are so many people serving, nothing will happen!"

"From such a distance, don’t worry about it!"

Xia Ruqing felt somewhat helpless.

"That’s true, but how can a mother not worry about her child?"

"After all, they are her own flesh and blood, right?"

Zhao Junyao’s gaze suddenly flickered.

His body moved slightly as if touched upon some old scar.

’How can a mother not worry about her child?’

’How can a mother not care about her child?!’

Indeed, a mother cannot be indifferent to her child.

But he had grown up.

His mother, the reigning Empress Dowager, had never worried about him.

From childhood to adulthood.

When he fell ill, it was Sister and Wet Nurse who stayed up all night to look after him.

When he was injured, it was the Imperial Physician who cautiously treated him.

When he was exhausted, he occasionally indulged in drinks with ministers and brothers, mostly supporting himself alone.

The women in the Harem were merely tools for amusement, physical needs and passing on the bloodline, he never expected much from those women.

So he had always been lonely since childhood.

No one could see his pain and fatigue, not even his mother.

Before, he always lied to himself:

Family affection within the Royal Family has always been cold, and as a Prince, he shouldn’t stay in the Harem waiting around, he should be taught directly by his father.

Having the affection and guidance of his father was enough, he neither longed for nor wished to think of anything beyond.

Thus...

When his elder brother Prince Jing was ill, Consort An Taipin prayed for him throughout the night, he turned a blind eye.

When his second brother Prince Zhuang accidentally fell from a horse during an autumn hunt, Consort Zhou Taipin cried desperately and stayed by his side throughout the night, he didn’t bat an eye.

When his fourth brother Prince Wu finished his daily martial arts and studies, Empress Dowager Jing personally brought his favorite snacks, he was even more disdainful.

No need to mention Little Fifth and Little Sixth, they were still young then.

But Empress Dowager Zhen was fiercely protective and frequently caused a stir over small matters throughout the Imperial Palace, he found it unworthy, always chuckling it off.

How proud was he back then!

He was the prince personally taught by his father.

His father said that in the future, he would inherit the throne, naturally, he couldn’t hide in the Harem amongst his mother’s tenderness but to persevere harder than them.

Hence, he never thought of yearning for his mother’s affection, even finding various reasons to convince himself.

For instance...

Elder brother was born out of wedlock, with no need to inherit the throne, Consort An Taipin doting on him a little more was acceptable.

Second brother was too careless, falling off a horse; clearly not practiced well.

Fourth brother needed no mention, a man needn’t be so delicate, Empress Dowager Jing was overly indulgent.

During those times.

Though he often imagined, someday, his mother could also care for him like those Imperial Concubines and Consorts cared for their children.

Sadly...

He waited all those years, never once was he waited upon!