Chapter 374: Died With Eyes Wide Open
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
After Emperor Kangze regained consciousness and named Xiao Jin as the Crown Prince, he fell asleep again.
He slept for three days before waking up again.
This time, Emperor Kangze could clearly feel that his body wasn’t going to make it. It was a lifeless aura that only a dying person would have.
Emperor Kangze shouted in panic, “Somebody, anybody, quickly…” He used all his strength, but the sound he made was as loud as a mosquito’s buzzing.
The eunuch heard the commotion and ran in. When he saw Emperor Kangze struggling to get up from the bed, he quickly went forward to support him. “Your Majesty, you are still injured. You must not move around recklessly. It would be bad if the wound burst open.”
Emperor Kangze grabbed the eunuch’s sleeve and said through gritted teeth. “Crown Prince… Crown Prince… where is the Crown Prince?”
The eunuch said, “Don’t be anxious, Your Majesty. The Crown Prince has already left the palace at this time. If Your Majesty has something urgent to see the Crown Prince, your servant will send a message to ask the Crown Prince to come to the palace.”
“Go, go. Get the Crown Prince to come. Crown Princess Consort, Crown Princess Consort too…”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The eunuch bowed and excused himself.
The moment he left, a palace maid came to report that the Empress Dowager had arrived.
Emperor Kangze panted heavily as he lay on the bed. He remembered that the Empress Dowager had blocked Prince Ma’s sword for him in the palace. This was something he had never expected.
After a moment of silence, Emperor Kangze agreed to let the Empress Dowager in.
The Empress Dowager had not recovered from her injuries and was pushed in by the palace maid in a wooden wheelchair.
When the Empress Dowager entered the palace and saw Emperor Kangze, who was lying on the bed with a pale face, her heart ached unbearably. “Is Your Majesty alright?”
Emperor Kangze felt somewhat moved by the Empress Dowager’s worried expression.
He couldn’t remember who told him that his birth mother didn’t like him at all. She only cared about the bastard outside the palace.
However, he didn’t know who that bastard was until once, when he saw the Empress Dowager with Prince Ma, he guessed that the bastard that the Empress Dowager had been so concerned for was Prince Ma. However, she had never been willing to admit it.
At that time, Prince Ma was preparing to go to war, so Emperor Kangze did not immediately take his life. Emperor Kangze now regretted his hesitation at that juncture. He should have killed him at that point!
“Wouldn’t 1 be granting your wish if 1 died? So that your bastard child can snatch my throne.” Emperor Kangze’s expression changed as he glared at the Empress Dowager ferociously.
The Empress Dowager shook her head with tears in her eyes. “1 have never thought of hurting Your Majesty. If I had known that he had such evil thoughts, I would have tried all means to persuade him not to return.”
Emperor Kangze gave a sneer. He obviously did not believe the Empress Dowager’s words.
“In that case, tell me where that traitor is now!”
“I also just regained consciousness from a serious injury. How would I know?”
Outside the palace.
Just as Xiao Jin was about to sleep, he heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the door.
He sat up on the bed and took the robe from the rack. Before anyone could knock on the door, he opened it.
Just as Jiang Yang was about to speak, Xiao Jin gestured for him to keep quiet, indicating to him to go to the side to talk.
Su Ying had just fallen asleep, and he didn’t want to wake her up.
“What is it?”
“Your Highness, just now the palace sent someone over, saying that the Emperor wants the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Consort to enter the palace immediately.”
Xiao Jin’s sharp eyebrows furrowed. “What happened?”
Jiang Yang shook his head. “I don’t know either, but the people from the palace seem quite anxious.”
Xiao Jin wrapped his robe around himself properly. “There’s no need to alarm the Crown Princess Consort. 1’11 enter the palace to take a look first.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
With that, the two of them disappeared into the dark night.
Xiao Jin spurred his horse forward urgently and arrived at the palace in the shortest time possible.
In the sleeping chamber, Emperor Kangze was still interrogating the Empress Dowager about the whereabouts of Prince Ma, but the Empress Dowager kept saying that she didn’t know anything.
At this moment, the eunuch walked in and said that the Crown Prince had arrived.
Upon hearing this, a conflicted look flashed across the Empress Dowager’s eyes.
Emperor Kangze’s eyes lit up. “Hurry up and let the Crown Prince in.”
Emperor Kangze had never been so eager to see Xiao Jin.
When Xiao Jin walked into the inner hall, he clearly felt the strange atmosphere hanging over the Empress Dowager and Emperor Kangze. He stopped a few steps away from them. “Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Imperial Highness.”
The Empress Dowager spoke first and dismissed all servants in the inner hall.
Xiao Jin glanced at the Empress Dowager and did not miss the viciousness that flashed across her eyes.
The moment the doors of the inner hall closed, the Empress Dowager pushed her wheelchair straight to Emperor Kangze’s side. She looked at him with a conflicted and sorrowful expression.
“I know that Your Majesty has been blaming me for so many years, but has Your Majesty ever thought about how I survived all these years? I have never coveted Imperial power and wealth. I only wished to be with the person I love for the rest of my life, but all of this was crushed by your Emperor Father with his own hands. I hate this so much. So today, so let me end all of this!”
The Empress Dowager suddenly let out a low roar and whipped out the dagger in her hand before stabbing it into Emperor Kangze’s heart.
Emperor Kangze’s eyes widened in shock. Up till the moment he died, it never once occurred to him that the person who would send him to the afterlife would be his biological mother, whom he still had the last shred of trust in!
“Your Majesty!” Xiao Jin cried out in shock. He was stunned on the spot as he watched the life force gradually drain away from Emperor Kangze’s body.
The Empress Dowager pulled out the dagger, and fresh blood splattered all over her face. She raised the dagger and suddenly stabbed it into her heart.
In an instant, both mother and son died.
At this moment, an angry roar suddenly rang out from outside the door. “The Crown Prince killed his own father and the Empress Dowager. I want to avenge His Majesty and the Empress Dowager!”
All of a sudden, a group of people charged in. They raised their swords and rushed to the sleeping chamber.
Prince Ma, who was leading the group, kicked open the door of the sleeping chamber and rushed in with bloodshot eyes. He glared at Xiao Jin and turned to look at the dead Emperor Kangze and the dead Empress Dowager nearby. A sinister smile appeared on his face.
“The Crown Prince is indeed bold. I, Prince Ma, will capture you today, you traitor!”
Prince Ma gave a furious roar and stabbed Xiao Jin with his sword.
Xiao Jin quickly backed away and pulled out a precious sword from the rack beside him to fight Prince Ma.
Both of them were people who had fought on the battlefield, and their moves were vicious.
The space in the sleeping chamber was limited. Prince Ma turned around to get out, but Xiao Jin blocked the door first.
Bang! The doors of the inner hall slammed shut, cutting off Prince Ma’s escape route.
Prince Ma looked at Xiao Jin and suddenly realized something. He attacked even more ruthlessly.
“Xiao Jin, how dare you scheme against me? Even if I die, I will drag you to hell!” The hidden weapon in Prince Ma’s hand suddenly shot out toward Xiao Jin. The instant Xiao Jin dodged it, Prince Ma took the opportunity to escape through the window.
Xiao Jin turned around, and the sword in his hand shot out swiftly toward Prince Ma!
“Argh!”
The long sword pierced Prince Ma’s thigh viciously, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.
Xiao Jin darted forward and quickly pulled out the long sword. He then pierced Prince Ma’s throat with it.
Prince Ma’s two eyes widened in shock, and he died with his eyes wide open..