Chapter 42 (2/2)

‘I will never allow ninth prince sit on the throne!’ the emperor said.

‘Why?’ Pei Lam asked.

Pei Lam was curious why his father treated Pei Jin coldly for more than twenty years. He knew Pei Jin was intelligent and treated others fairly. If he could see Pei Jin’s strengths then their father could also see Pei Jin’s strengths.

‘Tenth son, you only need to worry about being a good crown prince!’ the emperor said. ‘You’re my heir, the kingdom will become yours.’

Pei Lam felt helpless to escape his cage. Would he ever even take one step out of his cage? He remembered the dead palace maid and a familiar suffocating sensation wrapped around his body.

Pei Lam stood. ‘I don’t want it!’

‘Pei Lam!’ the emperor said.

‘Imperial father!’ Pei Lam said.

‘Do you want me to be angry to death?’ the emperor asked.

Pei Lam cried, pulled out a dagger and stabbed his chest. ‘Imperial father, don’t force me!’

The emperor grabbed Pei Lam’s hand. ‘Pei Lam, what do you want to do?’

Pei Lam used his strength to stab the dagger deeper. ‘Imperial father, I want you to grant my request.’

‘Summon an imperial physician!’ the emperor cried out.

Wang Fu Mu rushed into the emperor’s chamber and realised that day was beautiful. Then he wondered if flowers were blooming in Pei Jin’s manor.

Wang Fu Mu hid his thoughts and he acted concern in front of the emperor.

‘Your majesty what happened?’ Wang Fu Mu asked. ‘Ah! Crown prince are you alright?’

That day news about the emperor taking away tenth prince’s crown prince position faster than punishing the Yan Manor surprised many people.

The empress almost died to see her son return with blood on his chest. She collapsed on a chair after she read the emperor’s edict in her son’s hand, her son was no longer the crown prince.

The empress thought her eyes misread the emperor’s edict. She had warned her son not to say any nonsense in front of the emperor. Why would the emperor grant their son’s insane request?

‘Bastard child!’ the empress said. ‘How many people do you want to kill?’

Pei Lam found peace amongst the chaos around him. After more than eighteen years in a cage, the door was opened. He could see sunlight, hear the sounds of birds chirping, smell the scent of blossoms and feel warmth enter his cold body. He had never felt as relaxed and happy as he did that day. He smiled like a fool because finally he escaped the cage.

At Pei Jin’s manor, Yan Shi Ning couldn’t believe the news about the crown prince.

‘He’s no longer the crown prince?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

Pei Jin nodded his head.

‘Then who will be the new crown prince?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

‘The emperor is keeping the crown prince position vacant,’ Pei Jin said.

‘Do you think it could be you?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

Pei Jin shook his head. ‘It’s alright, everything happened according to the plan. But there’s something else…’

‘What?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

‘Shi Ning, imperial father asked Yan Jing to kill Princess Kang Hua,’ Pei Jin said.

‘Why would the emperor do that?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

‘It’s hard to see imperial father’s true motives,’ Pei Jin said. ‘Shi Ning, do you want to go to the Yan Manor and give Princess Kang Hua a memorable parting gift? We can let her see clearly whose hands she died under.’

‘Yes,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘Of course we need to go. I want to see her die suffering.’

***

End of Chapter Forty-Two