Chapter 757: The Shocked Zhao Wang Lei
Standing inside the Imperial Chamber, Xi Ying saw the emotions flashing across Zhao Wang Lei's eyes very clearly. He also saw that Zhao Wang Lei had already realized that he was under attack.
"Prime Minister Xi"
Zhao Wang Lei spoke with a cold smile on his lips as he looked at Zhao Zhang Wei, General Li, Yi Junjie, and lastly at his biological mother.
A tint of bitterness surely flashed in his eyes before he continued.
"Can Zhen know the purpose behind your visit at such a time?"
There was no humor in Zhao Wang Lei's voice and he surely had understood what they were doing here.
So why was he asking such a question?
Because he wanted to buy time.
Xi Ying knew that very well. The Emperor must be startled. After all, their invasion was all of a sudden.
Hence, he must be trying to devise some plan.
However, Xi Ying was not going to let that happen.
He didn't need to move forward. It was Zhao Zhang Wei who did so.
"Your Majesty is surely not a fool not to understand anything by now? Or is he?"
Zhao Zhang Wei said mockingly as he moved forward and took out his sword.
His phoenix eyes were filled with nothing but coldness as he looked at his so-called father.
It could be seen just how eager he was to kill Zhao Wang Lei.
Zhao Wang Lei's eyes surely flickered with shock and surprise when he saw Zhao Zhang Wei like this. It was the first time he was seeing him like this. In front of him, he had always been very respectful and meek.
In fact, during his childhood when Zhao Zhang Wei silently let Zhao Zhuang Chen bully him, Zhao Wang Lei thought that he was dumb.
He never tried to protect him because, in his eyes, he didn't think that he could be used. Though Zhao Zhuang Chen was also not much intelligent, he could be manipulated and used for his selfish motives by him as long as he gave him the greed of the throne.
However, Zhao Zhang Wei was too coward in his eyes.
It was only a few weeks ago that Zhao Wang Lei realized that his second son was not as meek and dumb as he was portraying himself to be.
He was surprised when Zhao Zhang Wei suddenly started to speak in the Imperial Court. For a moment, he had been suspicious of Zhao Zhang Wei and had wanted to investigate. He wondered if he stayed silent all these years intentionally and now that when it was time to win the throne, he was suddenly trying to present himself as a capable prince.
If things were indeed like this, then he needed to do something regarding him. He could not let such a clever person succeed whose intelligence even he couldn't recognize because he wanted a fool person to succeed so that the throne would still stay in his hand partially and only Zhao Zhuang Chen was such a candidate. However, so much happened in the past few weeks that Zhao Wang Lei never got the time or thought to send his shadow guards to investigate Zhao Zhang Wei.
"You seemed to be very changed, Zhang Wei. Completely different from that dumb and meek boy Zhen used to see years ago. Have you been hiding from your father Emperor your real potential for so many years?"
There was suddenly a gentle smile on Zhao Wang Lei's lips as he spoke
"If Zhen had known that you are so capable, Zhang Wei, Zhen had never thought to give the throne to Zhuang Chem. However, it is not too late. The throne can still be yours. Father Emperor will help you. You just…"
Zhao Zhang Wei chuckled suddenly …coldly.
He looked at Zhao Wang Lei with disgust-filled eyes.
The latter was thinking that he would fall into his trap because he thought that he was the same as Zhao Zhuang Chen. However, Zhao Wang Lei was too wrong.
He stepped closer to Zhao Wang Lei and tilted his head as he whispered
"Father Emperor? Have you ever heard me calling you that?"
Zhao Wang Lei was already frowning when he heard Zhao Zhang Wei laughing at his offer. The question made his frown deeper and he couldn't help but try to remember the same. Indeed, he didn't seem to remember if Zhao Zhang Wei called him Father Emperor in the past.
His eyes were suddenly mysterious as he looked at his second son. Zhao Zhang Wei saw through Zhao Wang Lei's calmness his surprise and explained to him with a cold smile on his lips.
"I never considered you as my father."
He said coldly.
His phoenix eyes suddenly flashed with red when he said his next words filling the Imperial Chambers with cold air.
"The day, you killed my mother, I stopped considering you as my father. Since that day, I have waited for this day….when I would kill you with my hands and avenge my mother."
The Imperial Chambers were silent for a long time after these words.
Standing behind Zhao Zhang Wei, Xi Ying had a cold face while General Li and Yi Junjie looked slightly shocked.
Though General Li had already been told by Xi Ying that it was Zhao Wang Lei who killed Noble Consort Shu, it was still shocking to see how Zhao Wang Lei stayed silent at Zhao Zhang Wei's words. The shock in his eyes presented that what Zhao Zhang Wei said was indeed true.
On the other hand, Yi Junjie who was never aware of any such thing was obviously shocked.
He inhaled sharply and suddenly felt more disgusted with the Emperor.
Zhao Wang Lei was also left shocked by Zhao Zhang Wei's words.
"How do you know?"
The shocked Emperor asked suddenly.
At his question, Zhao Zhang Wei smiled coldly.
"I was there that night."
The remembrance of that night flashed in front of his eyes suddenly.
That night, he had sneaked inside his mother's chambers because it had almost been a month since he had seen her and he really wanted to see her.
Zhao Zhang Wei liked the smile on his mother's face whenever she saw him and he knew that his mother smiled rarely. So in order to have her smile more and more, Zhao Wang Lei wished that she would see him every day. However, the Emperor didn't like many people to see his mother.
Zhao Zhang Wei was joyful when his mother was shocked on seeing him inside her chambers.
She was very worried because she was scared that he would be caught by someone.
However, he assured her that everything was fine and no one saw him on his way.
His mother sighed and then hugged him tightly.
Zhao Zhang Wei was happy but suddenly his eyes were filled with tears …perhaps because he was hugged by his mother after almost a month.
He was just seven at that time. He knew that he was a grown-up boy now but he still wished to see his mother at least once a day if not more. He would be grateful if his father allowed him to see her at least once a week in such circumstances where he was forced to stay away from her for so many days.
He had hugged her back tightly.
However, both of them stiffened when the Eunuch suddenly announced the arrival of the Emperor.
His mother had hidden him behind the curtains and made him swear on her life that regardless of what happened he will never come out.
Zhao Zhang Wei knew that if he was found out then he as well as his mother would be punished so he didn't dare to disobey.
His father came soon.
Zhao Zhang Wei saw when he kissed his mother's forehead gently. He smiled.
At least his father loved his mother. He had thought.
However, his eyes suddenly widened when he saw his father tearing his mother's clothes.
Zhao Zhang Wei covered his eyes. However, before he closed them, he surely saw his mother's cold and indifferent face.
After that, weird sounds fell in his ears.
Zhao Zhang Wei was scared when he heard his mother's scream so he immediately uncovered his eyes and there he saw his mother on the bed.
His father was above his mother and both of them were covered. He didn't understand what they were doing, however, his face went red when he had seen his father kissing his mother's face.
Zhao Zhang Wei covered his eyes again.
The sound stopped suddenly.
Zhao Zhang Wei thought that whatever it was, it was finally over so he uncovered his eyes.
However, when he opened his eyes, he saw his father still on his mother's body but now his father had a dagger in his hands.
His mother looked scared as she shook her head while trying to run away with the blanket covering her body somehow.
However, his father caught her.
Zhao Zhang Wei trembled when he saw his father's face. He looked like a monster to him.
He had wanted to step out when he saw the sharp dagger moving toward his mother.
She looked in his direction and glared at him sharply. He knew that she wanted him to stay there.
But could he really stay there?
Zhao Zhang Wei had wanted to step out and stop his father. However, his legs didn't seem to listen to him. They were trembling fiercely.
Suddenly he could see only black in front of his eyes.
However, before he lost his consciousness, Zhao Zhang Wei saw his father stabbing his mother's stomach mercilessly…not once, not twice but thrice.
It was not his father. His heart said.
He was a monster.
A monster who stole his mother from him.
And he …he was a coward who stood there and could do nothing to save his mother.