Chapter 649: Poison Oath (3)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Back then, not only did the previous Emperor want ‘Emperor Taizu’s Notebook’, but he also wanted the life of my Imperial Aunt! However, he never expected that my Imperial Aunt was long prepared. Her personal guard, Shang Yangjun, was already on standby and killed those advance soldiers of the prefecture army.”
“That night, blood dyed the palace.”
“Imperial Aunt led the army to the imperial mausoleum and pointed her long saber at the previous Emperor in front of Emperor Taizu’s coffin…”
Upon hearing this, Gu Yanfei narrowed her eyes slightly and roughly guessed the subsequent outcome.
In the end, Feng Yang wasn’t ruthless enough. If she had been ruthless enough and killed the previous Emperor, this wouldn’t have happened.
The Emperor continued, “The previous Emperor and the few trusted ministers at that time begged the Imperial Aunt bitterly. On one hand, they were moved by love, and on the other hand, they understood reason. They talked about the internal and external problems of the scene at that time, the internal strife in Yi Province, the army of Xirong that attacked Liang Province, the northeast mountain bandits, and the people of the State of Yue eyeing them covetously… At that time, if the royal family of the Great Jin Dynasty started a battle for the throne, the nation would be in danger.”
“At that time, the previous Emperor knelt in front of Emperor Taizu’s coffin and swore that he would never kill my Imperial Aunt in this life. If he went against his heart, his soul would be imprisoned forever. After he died, his soul would dissipate, and he would never be able to reincarnate.”
“After the previous Emperor swore a poison oath, he asked my Imperial Aunt for ‘Emperor Taizu’s Notebook’. He even kept saying that if my Imperial Aunt hadn’t hidden the note, he wouldn’t have wanted to go astray. He accused her of forcing him…”
“For the sake of the empire and for the sake of Emperor Taizu’s spirit in heaven, I didn’t want to continue fighting with the previous Emperor. 1 also swore the same oath in front of Emperor Taizu’s spirit to ensure that Emperor Taizu’s Notebook isn’t in her hands.”
The Emperor sighed deeply, and his voice became even more hoarse, as if it had been tempered by sand and gravel. “When 1 rushed to the imperial mausoleum, I only heard my Imperial Aunt’s oath and didn’t take it to heart too much. After all, ‘Emperor Taizu’s Notebook* was indeed not in her hands, which means that it was impossible for her to break the oath. This oath is just to make the previous Emperor feel at ease, in case he keeps suspecting that my Imperial Aunt was hiding the notebook.”
Until today, when Gu Yanfei mentioned the three points of soul imprisonment, soul dissipation, and not being able to enter reincarnation after death, the Emperor recalled this old matter that he had almost forgotten 21 years ago.
The Emperor’s intuition told him that this shouldn’t be a coincidence.
A son shouldn’t talk about his father, but even if the Emperor had any feelings for the previous Emperor, their relationship had long been worn down in the past few decades.
The previous Emperor was neither a qualified father or brother nor a qualified Emperor.
21 years ago, this so-called “oath” should have been a backup move left behind by the late Emperor because he couldn’t kill Feng Yang. And because Feng Yang cared about the big picture, he fell into the trap set by the late Emperor.
The Emperor closed his eyes and scratched the armrest of the chair again. His palm was covered in damp, cold sweat as he asked, “Yanfei, do you think this matter is related to my aunt’s ‘sickness’?”
His gaze was complicated. Even if he was already 80 to 90% confident, he still hoped to get a clear answer from Gu Yanfei.
Gu Yanfei nodded slightly.
Oaths were similar to words. Ordinary people casually swearing wouldn’t have the effect of words, but if someone who was proficient in Dao did it, the oath would no longer be ordinary words. It could even become a curse.
The oath Feng Yang made 21 years ago was a curse. It wrapped around Feng Yang’s soul like a chain and imprisoned and injured her soul over the long years.
Gu Yanfei didn’t say a word, but the Emperor and Chu Yi were both smart people. From her eyes, it was enough for them to guess a lot.
The air was almost frozen, oppressive, and solemn.
The Emperor’s pale lips moved slightly, and his chest heaved violently. His expression was sorrowful, and he was even filled with righteous anger towards the previous Emperor.
Just as he was about to say something, he heard the sharp report of the eunuch, Zhao Rang, coming from outside. “Emperor, Kang Wang requests an audience!”
The moment the emperor and Chu Yi’s gazes met, they had already understood each other’s thoughts. They both knew very well why Chu You had come. “Xuan.” The Emperor let go of his right hand and tightened it again, spitting out this word.
Soon, Zhao Rang brought Chu You in. Chu You was still wearing the previous court suit. The red leather vest made him look high-spirited.
Chu You’s deep and sharp gaze gently swept across Gu Yanfei and Chu Yi, and finally landed on the Emperor sitting on a high-back chair. He walked straight to the Emperor and cupped his fists.
“Imperial Brother, 1 just heard that Imperial Aunt Feng Yang is seriously ill and specially came to visit. My Princess Consort Li also has some medical skills. Do you want to invite her into the palace to take a look at Imperial Aunt?”
Chu You looked at the Emperor with deep eyes and met the Emperor’s eyes not far away..