The Crown Prince quickly withdrew his gaze, saying to A wu, “A wu, this meeting—I had to fight Father for the chance.”
Father and son had spoken openly, settled everything between them, including this last conversation with A wu.
He smiled at her, “I have two questions I want to ask you. Will you answer me?”
A wu replied, “Ask whatever you wish. If I can answer, I won’t hold anything back.”
The Crown Prince said, “Our first meeting—it was all his arrangement, wasn’t it?”
By “his,” he meant Lu Yunjian.
By now, he knew the whole story, but he still wanted to hear it from A wu.
A wu lowered her head and replied, “Yes, he sent me to you.”
She thought a moment, then added, “At first, things between us were all right. Later, I wanted to leave, to go look for Brother Ye Han, but he wouldn’t allow it, and we fell out. After that, many things happened, and he forced me—he sent me to you.”
The Crown Prince sighed, “I should thank him. At least, he let us have this fate.”
Though brief, the memory was still sweet enough to nourish him for a lifetime.
He couldn’t imagine if Lu Yunjian had given A wu to his father from the start, and he had none of these memories—how pitiful that would have been.
A wu fell silent.
There was little more to say about such things.
After all, she was now Emperor Jingxi’s empress, the Crown Prince’s stepmother.
Any reminiscence of the past, even the slightest, would fill her with intense shame and a sense of impropriety.
The Crown Prince continued, “The other question is—”
He looked into her eyes, his gentle expression tinged with stubbornness, “A wu, tell me, that morning, here in this tent—what were you thinking?”
A wu was startled.
She hadn’t thought he would bring that up.
But of course… when she first saw these old trenches, she should have realized.
The Crown Prince saw the confusion in her eyes and smiled, “What, you don’t want to say?”
In that instant, A wu felt his smile resembled Emperor Jingxi’s.
He really was his son—after so many years of his father’s example, he truly had some of his bearing now.
A wu turned her head slightly, looking at the traces already lost beneath the grass, remembering the past.
Eight years of peace and luxury had long covered the old fear of being adrift like duckweed, but now she easily recalled her feelings at that time.
Back then, she harbored some resentment and did some shameful, reckless things, even purposely trying to drag Emperor Jingxi down with her.
Back then, her heart was full of darkness…
The Crown Prince’s gaze was fixed on A wu, clearly seeing her attempt to avoid the question.
He pressed gently, “Tell me, what were you thinking then?”
A wu said in a low voice, “I saw you two riding together, him teaching you archery. I felt so upset. I thought you knew I’d gone missing, but you didn’t care, you didn’t even think to look for me, my heart went cold… I was jealous too. He treated you so well, but he wanted to abandon me here in Nanqiongzi. I was just a fleeting companion to him…”
Just then, the Crown Prince slowly stretched out his hand.
In his palm was a small grasshopper folded from a handkerchief.
A wu was surprised and asked, “You… actually found it?”
The Crown Prince replied, “Yes, I found it before I rushed to Langhua Hall.”
He smiled tenderly and continued, “But I couldn’t say so, I didn’t dare to.”
A wu’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
She understood—he was afraid that if he said anything, it would reach Emperor Jingxi’s ears, making things difficult for her!
So, even at such a desperate moment, he still cared for her.
The Crown Prince lifted his eyes, looking at the traces long lost to the grass, whispering hoarsely, “So, at that time, you were hoping I’d appear, to take you away, right?”
But what had he been doing then?
He knew nothing, kept in the dark, smiling foolishly, joking, even giving the deer antler velvet back to his father.
The Crown Prince thought helplessly, perhaps that deer velvet already foretold that he and A wu were simply not meant to be.
Looking again at the figure on the distant platform, so cold and resolute, the man was staring unblinkingly in their direction, gaze sharp and penetrating as if it could cross any distance.
The Crown Prince knew, if he said a few words more, that man’s displeasure might well burst forth.
In front of him, he was the king and the father—but more than that, he was A wu’s husband, the man who took her away, always secretly guarding against him.
The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze, smiling at A wu he said, “There’s something, I suspect, he’ll never tell you.”
After all these years, he understood his father’s temperament perfectly.
Deep down, his father was too proud—elders and those in power found it hard to lower their heads, and even more so, he cared about A wu far more than A wu cared about him.
So he would never beg in front of the woman he loved.
A wu asked, “What is it?”
The Crown Prince said, “Remember that day, when I went into the palace to seize you? He stopped me, and we confronted each other alone.”
A wu said, “Hm? And then?”
All these years, she’d never asked—at first, she thought it was private between father and son and didn’t want to meddle, afraid that if she did, it would look like she cared too much about the Crown Prince.
Later, she just stopped thinking about it, preoccupied with securing the crown prince’s seat for her son, viewing the Crown Prince as a rival, avoiding anything that would make Emperor Jingxi suspect her intentions.
Of course, it was not really that important—just not something she needed to know.
The Crown Prince said, “That day, he deliberately provoked me with his words, and in a rage, I stabbed him with a sword.”
A wu gasped, “Ah?”
She could hardly believe it—he was the emperor!
Even if he was the Crown Prince, how could he act so recklessly?
Who would dare harm the emperor—the Son of Heaven—unless they wanted to die?
The Crown Prince smiled faintly and said, “As I thought, he never told you.”
A wu fell silent.
Thinking back, he hadn’t shown up for a long time afterwards.
She’d thought he was deliberately neglecting her, wanting to cast her aside.
But now, remembering some distant details, she realized he had groaned in pain once—so he must have been wounded, not yet recovered.
The Crown Prince saw her thoughts, smiling, “If I hadn’t told you, he’d probably never mention it his whole life.”
Even now, he could feel the decision his father made that day.
A man like his father—first an emperor, then a husband and father—he could now face all this calmly.
A wu said, “Yes… thank you, Your Highness, for telling me.”
He hadn’t wanted her to know, and now so much time had passed, she never brought it up again, but in her heart, there was a new sense of gratitude.
The Crown Prince smiled playfully.
“Then how will you thank me?”
A wu, surprised, looked at him and asked, “Your Highness, how would you like me to thank you?”
The Crown Prince smiled gently and replied, “I’m about to leave. Before I go, can I hug you once more?”
A wu was caught off guard.
The Crown Prince sighed slowly, “If not, then never mind, I was out of line.”
A wu’s heart softened, though she hesitated.
Before her stood the Crown Prince, vulnerable and full of regret.
She looked into his eyes, and finally, gently nodded.
The Crown Prince smiled softly and opened his arms.
He hugged her again, gently as if holding a wisp of cloud, a blossom in bloom.
He closed his eyes, greedily savoring that familiar yet unfamiliar feeling.
Then he opened his eyes, looking again at the platform—though the man there seemed immovable, one hand had already gripped the thick iron eagle perch at his side.
Even across the distance, the Crown Prince could feel his displeasure blazing.
The emperor who ruled the world could not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes.
The Crown Prince let go of A wu.
Holding the grasshopper handkerchief, he slowly backed away, his gentle gaze always lingering on her face.
Then he stopped and bowed respectfully, “Mother, your son takes his leave.”
With that, he turned and strode away.
A wu stood rooted in place, watching the young man’s figure recede, watching him mount his horse and ride toward his banner and guards.
She knew, from this day on, that person would be only her stepson—their ties finally, completely severed.
At that moment, the sound of hooves approached—urgent and rapid, coming quickly to her side.
With a neigh, the horse stopped beside her.
A voice, flat and emotionless, rang out, “Is it really so hard to let go? He’s gone, you can’t even see him anymore.”
A wu wiped her tears, muttering softly, “You’re the one who let me see him. After meeting him and talking about the past, it’s hard not to feel sad. And…I do feel guilty, too.”
Emperor Jingxi said, “I let you talk, not hug him.”
A wu earnestly explained, “He hugged me, I didn’t hug him.”
Emperor Jingxi said, “Isn’t that the same? Couldn’t you refuse?”
A wu said, “But you didn’t say I had to refuse, did you? You already agreed to let me see him, why be so petty!”
It was hard to tell what Emperor Jingxi was feeling.
“I’m petty?”
A wu wasn’t afraid of him at all.
Confidently, she said, “Then chase him down, bring him back and give him a beating?”
Emperor Jingxi snorted, gripping the reins with strong fingers.
Suddenly, he turned his horse.
A wu saw the horse rear up high, hooves pawing the air, dust flying, white robes fluttering—the man and his mount as swift and agile as a dragon, charging straight toward her!
She was utterly stunned, blood frozen, unable to react, just staring ahead!
In an instant, robes flew before her eyes, the wind howled, and A wu suddenly felt herself lifted into the air!
He seized her by the waist, sweeping her up at lightning speed!
Startled out of her wits, she clung tightly to him, arms wrapped around his neck, legs encircling his waist.
As the horse galloped, she saw the man’s deep eyes, sharp as blades.
“Ah—” A wu screamed silently, pounding his chest with her fists.
‘Bad man, you scared me to death!’
But Emperor Jingxi suddenly bent his head, turning slightly, and kissed her fiercely.
The horse galloped, the man’s strong arms holding A wu tightly, rocking with the movement.
And amid that jolting ride, the kiss landed squarely on her lips!
His lips were thin and soft, both fierce and gentle, his cool breath overwhelming her in an instant.
A wu’s scalp tingled, her heart about to burst, her body turned to jelly with every bump!
He really was something!
Then, his breath brushed her ear, a grinding warning followed, “Forget him. Or else I’ll—”
A wu laughed enchantingly, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing those sharp lips of his, sealing them tightly.
Those lips were meant for biting.
If he had anything unpleasant to say, he’d better not say it at all!
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