Chapter 61 - Companion (1/2)

???? Note: Ongoing the voice thoughts will have a *, to make it easier for you all...Enjoy!***

...*You Can't Kill Her!...

The Emperor left the reception hall feeling irritated and made his way to his study, ignoring the shouting in his head.

...*You are not allowed to kill her!...

The Emperor then frowned.

...I don't remember you being in a place to dictate what I can and cannot do...

...*It's not her fault, you even confirmed that she does not remember...It's not fair for her to carry blame...

...Then who should? Me? Her victim? Her suffering does not absolve her of blame, revenge is one thing, this is another...

...*You will regret it! She's your mother!...

...So? You seem to be unaware of the family I come from...

The voice then stopped responding and the Emperor peacefully arrived at his study, sat down and asked Eunuch Li, ”Have they found him yet?”

Eunuch Li furrowed his brow, ”No, they have searched all over the city and still have not been able to find a trace, he should not have been able to leave either...”

The Emperor knit his brows. Shortly after the Empress dowager's condition was reported he had sent people to go bring Doctor Lou back to be interrogated, as there was some suspicion of poison. There was not enough time in between the search starting and him leaving the Palace for him to have made it to the city gates on foot. The guards at the city gates also confirmed that no one matching his description had passed through that day, and were put on alert. His disappearance made it seem all the more likely that he had something to do with her illness.

Song mama had informed the Emperor of what led to Doctor Lou being summoned to the palace, Lei Xing's explanation had aligned with what Ah Jin's had said to him the day before, which made him set aside some of his misgivings about that situation....but then the Doctor had said they were friends. So, the Emperor still felt it was suspicious and had planned to speak to Lei Xing after court today to see if she knew the location of her ”friend”, but then the Prime minister and Defense minister made their appearance and delayed the conversation.

”Your majesty, do you really think the Doctor had something to do with the Empress dowager's illness? Even if he is skilled, he did not go anywhere near enough to have dealt poison...”

”If he is not guilty, why run?”

...and why lie? It's very suspicious...

...*Stop wasting time on irrelevant things and focus on what is important?!!...

The Emperor knit his brows in annoyance and then sighed.

...I never said I was going to kill her...

...*Leave the old man alone too, his powers are not enough to cause that!...

The Emperor raised an eyebrow.

...Powers?...

...*Stop wasting time on irrelevant things!!...

The Emperor frowned again, in the past he had wanted to talk more with this...entity, but now that it is doing exactly that, it seemed more irritating than pleasant. It seemed to be changing and was becoming more and more nosy, confusing and persistent in its efforts.

The change really began when he got the news that his father was dying and for him to return to the capital a few months ago. While planning his return, it had advised of traps waiting on certain routes that would have been the obvious and quickest routes back. So the Emperor opted for the scenic route, despite the protests of others. He was personally in no rush and was not at all interested in seeing his father's last days and this gave him reason not to bother at all.

After the meeting ended and the others left to prepare for his departure, Lei Yong had stayed back to further advise him of the urgency of the situation, saying that while he was taking his time, his brother was by his father's side showing him care that could change the tides. Then the Emperor had laughed and said, ”My father does not want compassion. If he wanted to make my brother Crown prince, he would have done that a long time ago...and even then there's still the Empress. All I have to do get there alive.”

Lei Yong frowned, ”The Empress is not your birth mother, even if he gets the throne she would still retain her power and be the Empress dowager, so how can you trust her not to turn on you?”

”I am her only option.” Eventually, Lei Yong got exasperated and left, leaving behind the Emperor who was in a good mood and was thinking about how things were finally about to get interesting. He had thought that the voice had left as usual after advising on the route, but it seemed to have quietly stayed there all along, listening. So while he was anticipating and planning the events of the future in his mind, it had went on to caution him with the words, 'Don't be so quick to kill; Be patient with your mother, she is not to blame and be patient with your brother, he can learn.'

At that time, he had not calculated his mother into the situation. While he knew he would have to help her for the sake of the Xia people, thinking of her dampened his mood so he often didn't. After thinking about it, he had taken the caution to mean that the fault lied with his father and his mother was just a victim of the chaos he started, so he had made allowances for her in his life. But now it was even supporting her in this too...How is his father the cause of her actions today? Thinking up to here, made the Emperor more irritated.

...Irrelevant? You asked that I be patient with her and I have been endlessly so...You asked that I be patient with my brother, and so I have been going through convoluted schemes to clip his wings so he moves on...I never intended to kill him, at least I never wanted to but he still-...Haah, you ask me to be patient with people that would probably kill me without much thought if ever given the opportunity...She's still alive, he's still alive, so what are you dissatisfied with?... Then you threw the girl into the mix, and I am investigating the matter as I should, so tell me, what am I missing?!...

...*Who asked you to INVESTIGATE?!!..

...Well, you don't normally a set of instructions so...

...*Tch, here I thought you were becoming more adorable, but you're just becoming more and more like your little tyrant self...

The Emperor's frown deepened in annoyance. Eunuch Li looked at his face and called out to him a few times before the Emperor finally looked up and said, ”Keep searching for that old man, I want him brought before me as soon as possible.”

...*Leave him alone!...

...I didn't say I was going to do anything to him, I just want to have a conversation...And why are you so against it? It makes me feel more curious about him now...

”Your majesty, considering the Empress dowager seems to have recovered on her own. Do you still think t-”

”Even though he is innocent of that, there are still some things I need him to explain.” The Emperor interjected. Eunuch Li then nodded, remembering the other issue with Lei Xing and Prince Yi, Eunuch Li then left the room to expedite the search.

The voice then gave a long sigh in the Emperor's head.