Chapter 164 - Culmination of Emotions (1/2)

Prince Yi had laid there on his bed seething for a long time after waking in the early hours of the morning. He finally understood that pull he always felt towards her since the first time he saw her, but what purpose could it possibly serve other than to further complicate his life?

When he could no longer stand being there, he got on his horse and fled his manor and fled the reality he loathed.

In the end, he found himself at the flower field and thoughts of her filled his mind as he sat on the grass looking over the flowery landscape. A green snake slithered to him and he looked at it for a while and thought it looked to be the same snake Lei Xing had been running from, but it had grown, much like his feelings for her.

Prince Yi picked up the snake and it happily wrapped around his arm as he pet its head. He smiled at the memory of her cowering behind her maid, of her glaring at him from behind the carriage, of her in his arms. Then he frowned, closed his eyes and laid back on the grass with the snake looking at him quizzically. It unwound from his arm and slithered over to his head, looked at his face and then coiled up next to his face.

He stayed there like that until some of the Emperor's men arrived with the message from the Emperor. His irritation at the mention of his brother was overridden for concern for Lei Xing when he heard of the Empress dowager's actions. It was only later when he was galloping his way to the palace that it truly dawned on him what a grave mistake he had made, he had just given the Emperor a valid and justifiable reason to kill him.

But even then he would not flee. If he did not run from his father during that chaos, he would not run now.

The Emperor finally stopped at the sparring grounds and Prince Yi frowned. This was a place where he suffered humiliation time and time again...At the hands of his father and brothers. He had not come here since he moved out of the palace when he was fourteen. He hated this place.

The Emperor also seemed to be reminiscing. He also had not come here since he returned. After the Second Prince and Prince Yi moved to their own residences, their father had decided to chang his ”teaching” methods. He decided it would better serve him and the Crown Prince to combat with the Imperial guards, while he watched ready with his criticisms as usual.

Their father also had him and the Crown Prince watch each other's sessions while he compared one to the other and was sure to tell them what they lacked that the other had, stoking the fire of malice between them.

Of course, the Emperor never hated the Crown prince, but he did not care for him either. Getting rid of him was simply...ensuring his own survival. Not to mention that he had dug his own grave. But even then, the Emperor still spared Prince Yi their father's wrath...And at least he gave him a way out, but if Prince Yi was then stupid enough to have jumped headfirst into the fire, then that was simply his fate. But in the end, Prince Yi proved to have a lot more determination than the Emperor had expected.

Thinking on that, the Emperor realized he had just done the same thing with Lei Xing just now. He could have easily told her the plan as they made their way to the palace, yet he did not...he did feel inclined to...And honestly, he was not sure what he would have done if Lei Xing had not picked up on the clues and instead told the truth. But regardless of whether she was drugged or not, she did not have to kiss his brother...

The Emperor turned to Prince Yi, who was now glaring at the ground he was quite familiar with, ”It has been a long time since we sparred together. How about a quick session?” The Emperor asked with a half-smile, that clearly did not reach his eyes.