"I know, but throughout my life, I will regret not stopping my mother." Jian Guozhi curled up his fingers, clutching his robes. "She did not even give me a hug for the last time." Jian Guozhi lowered his eyes.
It was true, though. Jian Guozhi made the toughest decision of his life, but if he had not done this, then his mother might have continued plotting against the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.
Wiping the tears which were on the verge of falling from his eyes, Jian Guozhi quickly wiped them off and lifted his eyes. "Crown Princess, I shall take my leave. Thank you for conversing with me," Jian Guozhi stood up from the chaise so did Ying Lili.
"Brother Jian, you are a great brother and a son. Earlier I had a different perception of you, but as time passed, I found out that you were always considerate of your brothers. Your qualities are indeed like your name! You healed this Kingdom by taking such a great decision. I urge Brother Jian not to blame himself."
"Hmm. I will try, Crown Princess," Jian Guozhi said, passing her a tiny smile before leaving the chamber. Ying Lili knitted her brows and sat back on the chaise.
In prison, Sheng Li was standing in front of Weng Wei. Seeing the disheveled state of Weng Wei, Sheng Li smiled. "I warned you not to do anything which will bring doom on you. Everything ended for you." The two were glaring at each other.
"Good times remain for some time. You are also in that phase, Sheng Li. It's your mother's fault who seduced my husband," Weng Wei shouted. Sheng Li clenched his fists so tightly that his veins on the wrist popped out.
"Do not say anything about my late mother," Sheng Li growled.
Weng Wei chuckled and laughed slightly. "Everything was fine in my life until she entered the Palace," she gritted her teeth. "I was the queen but then your mother she…" Weng Wei tried moving forward but the shackles in her feet stopped her from going closer to Sheng Li. She then continued, "...that wench-"
Sheng Li did not let her speak further as he squeezed her neck by grabbing it tightly. "Shut up! At least respect the dead. I can cut your tongue for disrespecting my mother. I am stopping myself because I called you 'mother' many times, though that was never from my heart." His eyes turned blood red. The long nails of Weng Wei had pierced through his skin on the fingers as she tried to get free of his hold.
"Your highness," Wang Hao pulled Sheng Li back. Weng Wei was coughing loudly as she held her neck.
"Leave me," Sheng Li moved ahead, but Wang Hao did not set him free. "Your highness, you cannot do this. Don't do this," Wang Hao pacified Sheng Li, who had calmed down. He jerked off his arms from Wang Hao's grip and pointed his finger at Weng Wei.
"Your mother first snatched the love of a husband from me, and now your wife snatched my son from me. You are so proud of your position, right? Sheng Li, how can you forget whoever gets close to you is destined to die!" Weng Wei smirked while Sheng Li frowned. "Ying Lili will die soon. That will be because of you," Weng Wei passed an evil smile to him.
"Shut up! Don't take the name of the Crown Princess with your filthy mouth." Sheng Li bellowed at her. Wang Hao did not stop the Crown Prince this time. He recalled the face which he had seen the other day in the temple. The face of the person who was helping Weng Wei in everything. After Lili got injured, he had almost forgotten about that person.
"Who is the person behind you? Tell me his name," Sheng Li suddenly asked her. The smile on Weng Wei's lips disappeared. She never expected Sheng Li to learn about that. Sheng Li pulled out the sword from the sheath and grabbed Weng Wei's arm. Pointing the sword near her neck, he gazed into her eyes.
"Tell me the name of the person whom you meet at the temple," Sheng Li demanded the answer from her.
"Person!? What are you talking about?" Weng Wei tried to act.
"I have seen you with my eyes, talking with that person. Now, tell me." The blade of the sword had cut the skin of the neck. Weng Wei flinched but did not open her mouth.
"You will not speak this easily. Because you were once an Empress that's why you did not go through this prison's torture. Do you want to experience that torture before dying? I am not gentle on enemies even if you are a woman or elder. Right now, you are a traitor who betrayed the Han," the grip on his sword tightened and the blade cut a little more of her skin.
"I do not know what you are talking about. Torture me if you want to! I know you are born cruel like your mother," Weng Wei snapped at Sheng Li, who dropped the sword, shocking her and General Wang at the same time.
"If you think I will lose my temper hearing those words then you are wrong," Sheng Li pronounced. Weng Wei carried a bewildered expression on her face as she drew her brows together. The blood drops had stained her dress near the neck.
"A mother always loves her son no matter what. Now, your end is near so why do you not do something useful for your son?" Weng Wei confusedly peered at Sheng Li.
"W-what do you mean?" Weng Wei was a little terrified.
Wang Hao was also trying to understand what the Crown Prince was trying to do.
"First Brother accepted how he did wrong to me. You are right. I am proud of this power that I have. I can do anything I want to. I can even ask for the banishment of the First Brother. What do you think will happen, then?" Sheng Li smirked this time and left Weng Wei's arm. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and covered the wound on her neck. "Hold it, else you will end up dying because of blood loss," Sheng Li removed his hand from her neck.