Circ.u.mventing Fate - Volume 2 Chapter 324 Misplaced Entitlement
The frown on Prince Yi’s face deepened but he neither looked up at the Emperor nor responded. The Emperor apparently having “run out” of things his brother could have misconstrued as “theft” on his part, quietly waited for his response.
The Emperor could see that Prince Yi seemed to be in a bit of a shock right now, but he could not believe that Prince Yi seriously thought that he was in the dark about him wanting the throne. After all, his activeness in court in the years following the Crown prince’s death was quite telling. Not to mention the increased disdain he seemed to have for the Emperor since his return.
It was obvious that Prince Yi thought himself to be competent and thought he had proven as much, therefore he naturally believed he deserved the throne, completely disregarding the fact that Jun Kai himself was equally if not more competent.
But competency was not enough. The one thing that created the major divide between them was people and the power that came with them. And even though Jun Kai did not like his father, he had to admit that their father had given him the advantage of power since young.
Therefore, the Emperor could understand that given the circ.u.mstances, Prince Yi may have felt aggrieved and thus robbed when the younger brother was named Emperor in absentia after all his hard work in court.
The Emperor could also acknowledge that his handling of the ministers with the “ghosts” assault was done in a somewhat “underhanded” manner, but then he was sure Prince Yi would not have preferred it had been done in the “proper” way either.
The point is he could stand to give reason to justify the outcome of those events. But there was still one thing in his life that the Emperor reasoned that Prince Yi might feel a misplaced sense of entitlement that he failed to mention. And he no interest in bringing it up either.
It would be a lie for the Emperor to say that he did not suspect during the concubine selection that Prince Yi was interested in her. After all, there was obviously there was that battle of wits game the two were playing during the event. It was clear to everyone that there was something going on between the two of them.
The Emperor even had a hard time believing Lei Xing’s explanation about him picking on her because of the “rudeness” she had shown him outside the palace. Back then he had thought she was perhaps a spy working from him or something like that – a logical explanation. It was not until he had confirmed with his own investigation thatthe two had truly met for the first time that day at Doctor Lou’s pharmacy.
Anyone who knew Prince Yi would not have believed her. It was an abnormal reaction for Prince Yi. He naturally a restrained personality – Well, he used to have a restrained personality. Regardless, he was not the sort to publicly “pick” on anyone, much less a young woman.
But in the end, the Emperor decided to dismiss it, after all, Prince Yi had done nothing wrong. The sitting ministers and he were permitted to pose questions and “respectfully” criticize the candidates.
But then the encounters continued, the flower field…and that kiss happened. It became obvious that Prince Yi had feelings for Lei Xing and they did not seem to be simple feelings either.
So yes, the Emperor had considered the possibility that Prince Yi had become interested in Lei Xing before the concubine selection. And looking at Prince Yi’s current aggrieved mindset and daring behavior he has showcased it came to her, the Emperor got the feeling that Prince Yi was under the impression that because he met her first, it somehow reserved her for him.
Putting aside the fact that Lei Xing would refuse to accept that she ever “belonged” to anyone. The moment her name was submitted for the concubine selection, she, along with every other girl whose name was submitted, became the Emperor’s. And they remained his until he, the Emperor turned them away at the end of the competition.
Therefore, Lei Xing has never been Prince Yi’s to reserve or claim, at least not from the point at which he would have “marked” her for himself. The Emperor could stand to justify his claim to the throne and justify his handling of certain matters BUT he would not stand here and justify his claim to his own wife.
Since Prince Yi’s did not seem stupid enough to mention the Emperor’s omission or any other grievance really, the Emperor faced forward and declared, “I have taken nothing that was not already mine…”
Prince Yi glanced at the Emperor with a conflicted frown and the Emperor turned his gaze back to him with raised eyebrows, daring him to challenge that.
When Prince Yi again failed to state any claims, the Emperor continued, “You, on the other hand, seem intent on continuing to fixate on things that do n-” The Emperor suddenly stopped when the sound of a door slamming shut rung out from the back, interrupting the conversation. Prince Yi and the Emperor immediately went on alert, both looking towards the hallway, but no one came through nor did they hear any footsteps.
The Emperor knit his brows and turned back to Prince Yi, but before he could decidewhether to continue, the door louder this time.
***
“Arrgh, why are you being so stubborn?!” Princess Nalan said with frustration as her hand tightly gripped the handle of the back entrance, below Lei Xing’s own hand that was also tightly gripping the door. Both hands trying to seize control of the door – one trying to open and
“I am being reasonable, further disobedience of the Emperor’s orders will not help your case…” Lei Xing advised with a frown, slamming the door shut again. She and Princess Nalan were both tightly gripping on the handle of the back door, both struggling for control – one trying to open, while the other was struggling to keep it closed.
“Are you seriously going to continue being like this?… I don’t want to have to use force.” Princess Nalan warned, glaring at Lei Xing.
Lei Xing lightly scoffed and narrowed her eyes at her, “That will also not help your case…Think this through, what do you hope to gain by storming in there?”
Princess Nalan blinked and hesitated, “This has to do with me and so naturally I should be there… Unless there is something to hide from me?”
Lei Xing let out an irritated sigh, “Nalan, no one is hiding anything from you… This is just between the brothers. You have siblings, you should understand. You may be at the center of the problem, but you are not the problem…This is not a conversation that involves you.” Lei Xing flatly said.
“Then what is the problem?” Princess Nalan asked narrowing her eyes at Lei Xing, “If you just tell me, then I’ll obediently wait, this is frustrating you know!” Princess Nalan said with a pout. She had tried to patiently wait but she was really not a patient person. Waiting is was killing her.
Lei Xing inwardly groaned and let out a sigh, “I know nothing more than you do, but it -”
“Then get out of the way!” Princess Nalan shouted, pushing the door open and Lei Xing pulled the door back with a hard, “No.”
Prince Nalan glared at her and let out an irritated breath, “I don’t want to hurt you so let go while I’m still asking nicely…” She menacingly said, staring Lei Xing down as she put more force into pushing the door, clearly showing that she had not been using her full strength in this push-pull game of theirs.
The door dug into Lei Xing’s arm as she did her best to hold it steady. It was painful but she could not just simply let go now. Princess Nalan was not the only one with a stubborn personality, moreover, she was the Empress, it would be embarrassing to lose especially in front of one’s subjects, who were watching this little squabble closely.
And while Lei Xing could order the guards to restrain Princess Nalan, she did not want to do that. Other than the fact that it would bruise Lei Xing’s ego a bit – just a little bit to relinquish her hold on this door, the more pressing and true concern was that Princess Nalan could actually be so daring to start a fight with the guards over this, causing even more trouble.
Lei Xing lightly sighed, “Nalan, if you’d pay a bit more attention to your surroundings, you’d realize that I am the one asking nicely here…”
Princess Nalan frowned and glanced to the side where Bi Lu and BiLo along with five imperial guards were standing, eyes fixated on her and hands on the hilt of their swords. She was sure she could take them, but still, she hesitated, she was not sure starting a fight here would be a good idea.
She was already trying not to cause more trouble by asking Lei Xing to move rather than simply flicking her out of the way. She was not stupid so she knew that if she actually hurt Lei Xing or even as much as pushed her down, those guards will attack her. But then she could not simply back down now and keep waiting here as if she were powerless. For all she knew, the Emperor could be killing Yi in there.
Princess Nalan pushed the door again, with more force and frowned at Lei Xing, who was frowning back at her, struggling to keep the door shut, so much so that she put her other hand on it and warned, “Stop it.”
But then suddenly someone pulled the door from the inside throwing the stalemate off balance. Sending both girls tumbling to through the open door, heading to the ground – Princess Nalan who was applying more push than necessary, and Lei Xing who had just barely been maintaining her stand with just Princess Nalan’s force alone.
Lei Xing closed her eyes and braced for impact but then she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her safely into a warm embrace. She let out a relieved sigh with a slight smile once her feet found the ground again. She did not need to be told that the Emperor was the one on the other side of the door.
“Th -” The words caught in her throat when she opened her eyes and saw the Emperor frowning at her, while he standing to her left, holding the handle of the door…not her.
…With Princess Nalan sprawled on the ground between them.
The Emperor raised a confused eyebrow at Prince Yi, lost as to what angle he was working now. How could Prince Yi’s lack of tact be his fault?
Conveniently, Prince Yi did not leave him hanging and promptly continued on his vent path, “I used to be the most considerate person? Alright, but you also didn’t used to be such a hypocrite either, but yet here you are. You have your Empress and flaunt your happiness in front of everyone’s faces, disregarding any and everyone in between yet now here you are scolding me about being considerate of others?!”
Prince Yi scoffed and then his glaring intensified, “You have taken everything from me! Everything I ever wanted, you have! My dreams, my aspirations, my happiness! So why would I believe that you would suddenly allow me this “joy” that I have now settled on when you have taken everything else?!” Prince Yi said it all one breath so took deep breaths both to catch his breath and calm himself as he looked up at the Emperor with an intensely aggrieved expression.
The Emperor blinked at Prince Yi with an even more incredulous expression, then he snorted and looked down at Prince Yi with a bemused smile on his face. His confusion at his brother’s aggrieved mindset overpowered the feelings of anger at his brother’s blatant disregard, “I have taken nothing from you.” The Emperor said, knitting his brows still with that bemused smile on his face, which further angered Prince Yi.
“You took -” Prince Yi caught himself and frowned at the ground, now convinced that the Emperor was simply toying with him but yet, he could not bring himself to simply turn and walk away.
The Emperor studied Prince Yi for a bit. He then let out a weary sigh, got up, and walked down the steps towards Prince Yi, whose frowning intensified as the Emperor got closer. He felt the impulse to shift but he would not give the Emperor the impression that he was cowering. He was not afraid of him… He would not give the Emperor the satisfaction of thinking he feared him.
The Emperor stopped at Prince Yi’s side put his hands behind his back and calmly said, “Stand up.”
Prince Yi kept his glare on the ground, unmoving. The Emperor lightly snorted with a small smirk and then said, “Alright, keep kneeling then.”
And right on queue, Prince Yi in his defiant mood stood up. The Emperor slightly shook his head as Prince Yi rose to his feet. Prince Yi turned and faced the Emperor squarely with a frown and said, “Is it so difficult for you to let me have one thing?”
The Emperor raised his eyebrows and calmly said, “It depends on what that one thing is… What is it that you believe I have taken from you?” He seriously asked, slightly knitting his brows.
Prince Yi blinked and then averted his gaze with a frown. Since he had suddenly lost his tongue, the Emperor decided to help him state his claim, “Is it the throne?” The Emperor asked.
Prince Yi stiffened and glanced at the Emperor with a wary expression, not sure what the Emperor was trying to do now.
The Emperor faced forward, towards the big open doors of the main hall, looking at the sky ahead as he emotionlessly went ahead to state the facts, “As I am sure you are aware, the throne has always been mine from the onset. But perhaps, one could claim that I took it from our eldest brother’s, but as you know he ran himself into a wall. And even if I had a hand in his undoing, that still has nothing to do with you. You, yourself, even once said that the throne was not for you…Therefore, it cannot be that. What else is there?” The Emperor finished with this question, turning back to Prince Yi with raised eyebrows.
Prince Yi blinked at the Emperor still in shock, he quickly recovered and looked away, frowning at the ground, “I have no interest in the throne, if that is what you fear, ease your worried heart…” He said with his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He did not understand why the Emperor was bringing this up.
The Emperor glanced at Prince Yi with a raised eyebrow, “Really? My mistake then…” The Emperor lightly said and Prince Yi went to sigh in relief, but that sigh got stuck in his throat when the Emperor continued on to ask, “…Then perhaps it’s the support those little ministers?”
Prince Yi stiffened. He already suspected that the Emperor was responsible for that nonsense about a “ghost” attacking his ministers of a few months ago. He knew the Emperor was targeting his supporters, but it was still shocking to actually hear him confirm his suspicions. Moreover, why would the Emperor tell him about it?
{…How much does he really know?…}
The Emperor carried on in his casual tone as if he were unaware of Prince Yi’s inner struggles, “As Emperor, I am entitled to the support of the ministers of my court. Moreover, considering you acquired said support through blackmail, it was never truly yours to begin. I am sure you need no reminder of how you came to acquire said support… Therefore, that cannot be counted as taken something from you. I simply reclaimed what belonged to the throne, and as I own the throne, it was naturally mine to begin with…What else is there?” The Emperor asked, again turning to Prince Yi.
Of course, Prince Yi had the good sense not to admit to anything of illegal nature, “I do not understand what you speak of…Perhaps you have made another mistake…Your majesty.” He said, cupping and raising his hands with a slight bow with beads of sweat starting to form on his brow. This was getting out of hand.
{…Is he looking for a reason to kill me now?…}
The Emperor ignored his words, faced forward, and answered for him again, “Your dreams…I remember them being about exploring the world. I had heard you used to travel quite a bit in the past but then after our elder brother’s tragic end, you became busier trying to handle affairs in my absence. That added to the late Emperor’s illness made it impossible for you to travel…”
“…In light of that, I have freed you from the chains of court and given you back the ability to live your dreams again. You have your freedom and the funds so how I have impeded you?… Unless your life’s dream has changed in recent years. In that case, it is possible that I may have impeded them in some way…What is this dream of yours that I have taken from you?” He asked, again turning to Prince Yi.
Prince Yi blinked at him and then averted his eyes, gulping. He did not know what to say. What sort of conversation was this? He had no idea where the Emperor was going with this, but it was obvious that the Emperor was trying to goad him into making an irreparable mistake.
The Emperor calmly scrutinized Prince Yi for a bit and then said, “I will take your silence to mean that it remains the same…In that case, I have facilitated rather than taken your dreams from you.” The Emperor was quiet for a bit, seemingly in thought, then finally he spoke, “Your mother…” The Emperor paused, frowning, “I had no hand in her demise…but because of her, I have spared you where I would have spared no other. I have given you chance after chance to continue to live rather than to take your life from you…”
The Emperor looked at Prince Yi’s frowning face, the aggrieved expression more prominent on his face now. The Emperor sighed and then asked again, “What else is there that you feel that I have taken from you?”