Chapter 90: Chapter 90: The Die is Cast
Translator: 549690339
“Why is it that each of my brothers has married a talented and virtuous girl from a prestigious family, and I, of all people, end up with a cripple?”
Enraged, the Emperor threw the inkstone he was holding: “You ungrateful wretch! In what way is Jiang Ning not good enough for you? In terms of looks, who in Chang’an City can outshine her?”
“I don’t find her beautiful at all. In fact, I think she’s lazy and shameless.”
“You have no taste!” The Emperor sneered. “If you look down upon her so much, why did you choose her during the selection, even throwing the flower ball in her direction in front of the Empress and the other concubines? That was not something I forced you to do.”
Li Hongyuan was silent for a moment before he spoke, “What if I hadn’t chosen her back then?”
“Would you have not chosen her?”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“That’s right. I am your father; don’t I know you well?” said the Emperor. “In any case, everything happened because of my whims. Things have already reached this point, and there is no turning back. Is there anything else you want to say?”
Say?
What else is there to say?
You, as the Emperor and my father, are just capricious, but always right!
Li Hongyuan felt like gouging out both of his eyes right now.
However, the Emperor added, “If you don’t believe me, you can check the records at the Evaluation Office. They have a clear account of my whereabouts and every action I took on that day.”
Li Hongyuan:
No, he didn’t want to check.
He was afraid of dying on the spot.
What kind of madness had possessed this foolish and stinky old man? Instead of simply targeting him, he had also implicated an innocent young girl.
What kind of logic was this?
But since such a thing had already occurred, there was no point in feeling regretful.
The key issue was that he had already sent the divorce letter with those words.
How could he possibly reverse everything now?
Li Hongyuan so wished he could kick this old fool out of the way and become the Emperor himself.
While he was at it, he might as well slaughter those obnoxious, weird, and wayward brothers of his – the second, third, and fourth child – too.
He really didn’t know what kind of misfortune he had brought upon himself to be born into this royal family.
Seeing Li Hongyuan’s face turning pale, the Emperor urged, “What are you still standing there for? I thought that once you saw a beauty like Jiang Ning, you would fall in love with her at first sight. I wanted you two to develop some feelings for each other, but who knew that you not only failed to develop any feelings but also sent her back to her parents’ home? Hurry up and bring her back now! If anything happens to Jiang Ning and the child in her womb, see how I’ll deal with you.”
Li Hongyuan sneered: “Can all this be blamed on me? If only Emperor Father had explained everything earlier, it would never have come to this.”
“You chose your own Princess Consort but instead of treating her well, you let two of your concubines manage the prince’s residence – who are you trying to disgust?” The Emperor slammed the table, “Don’t think you can act with impunity just because of your concubine mother. These days, both inside and outside the Imperial Court, people are clamoring for me to name the Crown Prince. Among you four, I haven’t decided yet who will be the Crown Prince!”
After leaving the Imperial Palace, Li Hongyuan’s mind was still in chaos.
He couldn’t believe that his own Emperor Father had ruthlessly manipulated him, causing a girl to become pregnant without his knowledge.
From the moment he met Jiang Ning, every step thereafter had been within his father’s calculations.
Both Prime Minister Jiang and he had unwittingly walked right into the trap.
Although the Emperor seemed careless, he was in fact meticulous and extremely dangerous.
Li Hongyuan looked back at the Imperial Palace with a cold expression on his face.
But the next moment, when he thought of Jiang Ning, the child in her womb, and the divorce letter he had sent, he suddenly felt a headache.
If Prime Minister Jiang, that old fox, really let his daughter remarry, wouldn’t his son end up calling another man ‘father’?