vrcanaries Chapter 394 The Emperor and Empress Duel 2
Chapter 394 The Emperor and Empress Duel 2
"You are so cruel and ruthless, aren't you afraid of retribution?"
Upon hearing this, the Queen suddenly laughed: "Retribution? Your Majesty, do you think I'm afraid of retribution? When my eldest brother died young, Your Majesty only remembered my sister's pregnancy. Did you remember the child I had with you?"
"He burned with a high fever, his body scorching, and he died. I carried his body and walked in the rain all night, hoping to reach Yama Palace and beg the gods and Buddhas to exchange my life for my son's. But not a single god or Buddha agreed to my request!" Tears welled up in her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the cold ground. "From that day on, I no longer believed in gods or Buddhas, only in myself."
Her voice gradually lowered, filled with endless fatigue and despair: "Your Majesty, you must know that my heart has long been dead. From that day on, I knew that no one in this world would pity me, no one would care about my pain. I can only rely on myself, and can only use my own hands to fight for everything that belongs to me!"
The Empress slowly raised her head, her gaze like a knife piercing Yongzheng: "Your Majesty, you ask me if I am afraid of retribution? I tell you, I am not afraid. Because I am already in hell, what else do I have to lose?"
Yongzheng was silent for a long time, looking at her with complicated eyes, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't open his mouth.
The flickering candlelight in the hall illuminated the invisible gap between the two, as if it could never be crossed.
After an unknown amount of time, the Queen asked, "Your Majesty, do you really love your sister?"
"Of course, she is the woman I love most."
"Oh." The Queen sneered: "What about Concubine Xi?"
Yongzheng paused, his lips moving slightly, but he didn't answer. His eyes avoided the empress's gaze and fell on a certain place in the palace.
"Your Majesty, you betrayed my sister long ago, you just don't dare admit it. You've always claimed to be 'deeply affectionate,' but your heart has long been given to someone else. Your so-called 'deep affection' for my sister is nothing more than a cover-up."
The Queen said with a hint of sarcasm, "I have been with you for over thirty years. It's only during these years that I've gradually come to understand that the more someone lacks something, the more they desperately flaunt what they possess. You were never loved by the Holy Ancestor since childhood, and the Empress Dowager wasn't close to you either. Therefore, deep down, you've always longed for love, needing someone to love you wholeheartedly to prove you were worthy of love. And sister, you just happened to be that person."
There was a hint of wistfulness in her voice. "She appeared when you most longed for warmth, and you poured all your love and expectations into her. Everyone saw how good you were to her, and it was your compensation for the love you'd been missing. But have you ever thought about whether your love for your sister was because of her as a person, or because you needed this love to fill the void in your heart?"
Upon hearing this, Yongzheng's expression instantly turned extremely ugly, turning pale and blue, as if someone had uncovered a scar deep within his heart that he didn't want to show anyone. He clenched his teeth, his hands trembling unconsciously, the rage and panic that came from having his deepest secrets touched upon.
"You treat my sister this way, but isn't she the same way towards you?" The Queen narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone adding a touch of certainty. "I know my sister all too well. She once told me privately that the man she admires must be cheerful, pure and honest, someone who glitters in the sun." A hint of sarcasm played at the corner of her mouth. "But Your Majesty, ask yourself, are you such a man? Or, in her eyes, are you truly the man she expects you to be?"
Yongzheng's eyes flickered slightly, as if stung by these words. He had never imagined that his feelings for Chunyuan would be analyzed in this way, and he had never imagined that Chunyuan's expectations of him would be so different from his self-proclaimed deep affection.
The Empress looked at Yongzheng's expression and sneered, "Your Majesty, the most feared thing about love is self-deception. Your deep affection for your sister may have been mixed with too much of your own desires and expectations from the very beginning. And your sister's feelings for you may not be entirely what you imagined. Can such a relationship really last?"
If I had seen this clearly earlier, perhaps I would not have attacked my sister. Instead, I would have allowed her to live well, letting you two gradually see each other's true colors over the long years as the passion fades and the trivialities of life wear away. Then, as you grow tired of each other and torture each other, wouldn't that be more satisfying than death?
A trace of sorrow flashed across Yongzheng's eyes, and he murmured, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have believed in your sisterly love!"
The Empress wiped the tears from her eyes and sneered, "Sisterly love? Your Majesty, you actually believe in it!" Her gaze was like a knife, piercing Yongzheng directly, "When the nine princes were vying for the throne, didn't you also show deep brotherly love? But after you ascended the throne, you killed your brothers and sisters without mercy! I am not even one-tenth as good as you!"
Upon hearing this, Yongzheng's face suddenly darkened, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes: "Are you blaming me?"
The Queen stood firm, her back straight, her gaze blazing. "I dare not accuse the Emperor. I am only speaking the truth. The Emperor can kill his brothers for power, so why can't I harm my sister for my own position?"
Yongzheng was struck in the heart, and his usually calm face was now filled with anger. He slammed the table and his voice exploded like thunder: "It was I who insisted on marrying Chunyuan, it was I who insisted on making her your consort. Why don't you hate me? Why do you put all your hatred on her!"
Upon hearing this, the Queen's tears finally fell, but she smiled, a smile that was sad and desperate: "I want to hate you so much, but I can't do it... My love for you is greater than anyone else's, deeper than anyone else's. Do you know that this love has long become a shackle for me, leaving me without even the energy to hate you."
Yongzheng sneered, his eyes as sharp as a knife: "Venomous woman, your love is also poisonous! No one in the palace loves me more pure than you!"
The Empress slowly raised her head, the tears in her eyes glaring against the candlelight. Her voice was gentle, but every word was sharp as a knife: "Your Majesty, Concubine Xi loved you before, but you treated her like a substitute for your sister. Ask her now, does she still love you? Concubine Hui also loved you, but since she knew she was a pawn you used against Concubine Hua, does she still love you? Concubine Hua did love you, but she was deceived by you her whole life. If she could do it all over again, would she still love you? And Concubine Duan, she loves you, but she loves herself more. As for Concubine Wen, haha, she never really cared about you."
She stepped closer to Yongzheng and said, "Your Majesty, have you ever thought about who truly loves you in this deep palace? Is it those who you have used and hurt, or is it this concubine who has always been ignored and hated by you?"