Chapter 139 - An Invisible Fight (1/2)

In the study of the imperial palace.

The emperor Mo Xiangbin sat in the host’s seat and looked cold and solemn. Mo Junhao stood across from him and lowered his head, obediently waiting to be scolded.

They were silent for nearly fifteen minutes.

Mo Xiangbin asked out of the blue, “Junhao, are you going to admit your guilt?”

Mo Junhao played dumb. “Father, I don’t know what wrong I did to make you angry. Please forgive me because I am always obedient to you.”

He didn’t admit his guilt and pretended soft. Even if Mo Xiangbin was mad, he would be moved more or less by his son’s nice attitude.

However, this time Mo Xiangbin didn’t get soft-hearted and let him go as usual. He sneered. “Somebody told me that you have a troop in secret and want to rebel. Is that true?”

Mo Junhao’s heart skipped a beat and he didn’t look calm as before. He hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, defending himself. “I have never wanted to. Somebody must try to frame me up. Please observe clearly, Father.”

He could be offhand with anything else, but he must deny this matter firmly and quickly. Mo Xiangbin was suspicious. If Mo Junhao answered hesitantly, he would be accused of being rebellious and would never turn the table.

“So the manor in the suburb of Bai City is not yours? The person who trains soldiers inside is not your uncle?” Mo Xiangbin pointed out the truth expressionlessly and conveniently threw a stack of accounts on the table to Mo Junhao.

“What recorded in this account book are not the military supplies you sent to that manor?”

Mo Junhao didn’t dare to dodge. The heavy book hit his head and then bounced to fall on the floor.

He didn’t pick it up because he knew that everything Mo Xiangbin said was true, and the evidence was solid. There might be even more evidence of his crime on the table.

“Father…” Mo Junhao called in a low and sad voice. He thought of all kinds of countermeasures in his brain quickly, but it seemed that every way out was blocked.

His crime was confirmed.

When Mo Junhao was extremely terrified, a eunuch reported from outside, “Your Majesty, Lady Liu asks to see you.”

It was silent in the study all of a sudden. Mo Junhao felt that the pressure on him became lighter. Liu Yiyi’s arrival would be the best tranquilizer for Mo Xiangbin undoubtedly.

He heaved a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but raise his head secretly. He happened to meet Mo Xiangbin’s eyes with a faint smile. Then he was frightened and immediately lowered his head again.

“You have a good mother!” Mo Xiangbin said with no emotion. Nobody could tell if he sighed simply or said with sarcasm.

Mo Junhao didn’t have the gut to ponder and echoed cautiously, “Mother loves you most. I am only the witness of your love.”

Mo Xiangbin still looked serious, but Mo Junhao sensitively found that his eyes were less fierce.

It was the best time. Mo Junhao clenched his fists and lowered his head more, admitting his mistake sincerely and sadly, “I know it’s against the law to train soldiers in secret, and I didn’t respect you. I am willing to take punishment, but I did that because I had no other choice.”

He admitted his mistake first and put him in a positive position. Then he defined “training soldiers in secret” as being against the law to avoid the crime of treason. At last he said he had no other choice to show that he was forgivable.

And Liu Yiyi helped him outside.

Although Mo Xiangbin didn’t agree to see Liu Yiyi, he got softer when he faced Mo Junhao, saying casually, “Tell me what makes you have no choice.”

Mo Junhao gritted his teeth and looked pitiful, as if he suffered humiliation but could do nothing. He responded with a sad face, “If I can be proud, I know you love me most among all the princes, and I am always grateful, but the royal family is not like the ordinary family. Even if I want to respect my brothers and live in peace with others, more and more people intend to harm me since I was a child.”

He raised his head slowly and seemed to be pushed hard, with tears in his eyes. “Father, you don’t know how many times I was almost assassinated and had a close shave these years.

Facing the approaching life and death crisis, even if I know it’s not right, I still can’t help but think that it’s not enough just to win your love and I can’t protect myself without some power.

I…”

With two drops of tears falling along Mo Junhao’s cheeks, he instantly lowered his head to conceal them and murmured in a more depressed and helpless voice, “I just want to survive.”

A man wouldn’t shed tears easily until he felt really sorrowful.

Mo Junhao explained sincerely and ninety percent of the words were true. Even a hard-hearted man would be touched.

Moreover, Mo Xiangbin really loved and valued Mo Junhao. After hearing that, he was still angry, but his love as a father was aroused by the sadness and helplessness in Mo Junhao’s words.

They fell into a long silence again.

Mo Xiangbin sighed at last. He looked stern, but in fact, he let it pass. “You can’t do it next time!”

He was afraid that Mo Junhao would be bullied and then added helplessly, “I won’t bother about the soldiers kept in Bai City, but if I find that you do the same in somewhere else, don’t blame me after I turn against you.”

“Thanks for forgiving me, Father!” Mo Junhao was overjoyed and repeatedly kowtowed to express his thanks. Then he promised solemnly, “I just want to protect myself and don’t covet anything. And I don’t plan to harm anybody else. Father, please don’t worry.”

Mo Xiangbin snorted crossly. “It will be fine if it’s true.”

Even if the truth wouldn’t go on peacefully, the father and son thought alike and avoided talking about this matter.