freenovelworld Chapter 242 The Truth Behind Princess Anyang's Death
Chapter 242 The Truth Behind Princess Anyang's Death
The heavy doors of the pilgrimage temple slowly opened, making a creaking sound.
The Emperor walked out slowly, his gaze sweeping over the captured people before finally settling on the Marquis of Anyang.
"There are quite a few people here!"
"You eat the imperial salary, yet you commit such a heinous act?" The emperor's voice was deep and cold, echoing in the empty square.
Despite being bound hand and foot, the Marquis of Anyang remained upright and fearless.
"Your Majesty possesses the entire empire, yet shows no compassion for the people. Corrupt officials hold sway in the court. We, your subjects, merely wish to find a way for the people to survive!"
"Nonsense!" the Emperor roared. "You are clearly plotting to overthrow my empire for your own selfish desires!"
He looked at the emperor, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Haven't you already done something like this before?"
The emperor looked at him quietly, his eyes filled with complex and unreadable emotions.
He knew that the Marquis of Anyang was referring to the chaos of the Five Princes' Rebellion, the struggle for succession and power.
At that time, he struggled to survive in the vortex of power struggles, using ruthless methods to ascend the throne over the corpses of his brothers.
Thinking of this, the emperor's eyes instantly sharpened like an eagle's, and he said in a cold voice, "I had no choice. How much I have sacrificed for the greater good of the world is beyond your wildest imagination."
Marquis Anyang laughed loudly, his laughter full of sarcasm: "Hypocrisy."
Marquis Anyang suddenly turned his head to look at Gu Junze, his eyes like poisoned arrows: "Haven't you always wondered why I attacked you?"
He paused, his voice hoarse but each word clear, "You are not my biological son at all, but the bastard child of Princess Anyang and another man."
These words were like a thunderclap.
Everyone was shocked, looking at each other in disbelief.
How could the pure and virtuous princess, the war god of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, do such a thing as secretly becoming pregnant?
Chu Ruohan looked at Gu Junze with concern, but saw that he remained calm and showed no reaction.
Her heart tightened for a moment, then she felt relieved.
Didn't she already guess that?
Even tigers don't eat their cubs. If Marquis Anyang is truly Gu Junze's biological father, even if he dislikes this son, he wouldn't necessarily want him dead.
She recalled the past and realized that Marquis Anyang's feelings for Gu Junze had long since crossed the line of what a father should do.
Gu Junze grasped Chu Ruohan's hand and squeezed it gently to reassure her.
He had already suspected it, but he simply didn't want to confirm it.
"Just because of this?" Gu Junze asked, his voice calm and undisturbed.
"Back then, Princess Anyang was heavily pregnant and had no choice but to marry me," the Marquis of Anyang said, his voice filled with resentment. "But after you were born, she wanted a divorce..."
Gu Junze listened quietly, but his heart was in turmoil.
He had considered countless possibilities, but he never imagined that this would be the truth.
It turns out he had been living a lie all along.
Marquis Anyang looked at Gu Junze with eyes full of resentment and venom: "I have tolerated such humiliation. I love her so much, but you, this bastard, have ruined her!"
"Haven't you been secretly expanding your power, trying to find out exactly how Anyang died back then?"
Gu Junze's eyes sharpened, and he tightened his grip on Chu Ruohan's hand.
Marquis Anyang suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, the laughter was shrill and mad, and it echoed in the pilgrimage hall.
"She was forced to her death by her own younger brother. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he was wary of her high achievements and began to gradually erode her military power. Back then, the emperor used the pretext of suppressing bandits to lure away the Shadow Guards and then coaxed her into the palace, forcing An Yang to make a choice."
Marquis Anyang's voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with pain and hatred, "She chose to let you live, how can I not hate you..."
Gu Junze's body jolted violently, as if struck by lightning.
He clutched his chest, tears silently streaming down his face. The doubts in his heart were finally answered at this moment.
Chu Ruohan held Gu Junze's hand tightly, and only then did she understand that after Zhi Qiu went mad, she kept muttering "what to choose".
The Emperor forced Princess Anyang to choose between living herself and living Gu Junze...
How could a mother not choose her son?
"Nonsense!" the Emperor shouted sternly, his face turning ashen.
Prince Yong stepped forward, his voice low and deep: "Marquis Anyang is still trying to exonerate himself for his treasonous act."
After saying this, he cast a concerned and loyal glance at the Emperor, but out of the corner of his eye, he secretly glanced at Gu Junze, and a hint of tension flashed in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Anyang laughed even more maniacally, pointing at the Prince of Yong and cursing, "You despicable villain who aided and abetted evil! You were also involved in what happened back then. You two colluded to drive Anyang into a desperate situation step by step!"
Prince Yong's expression changed slightly, but he forced himself to remain calm and retorted, "This is utterly absurd. Anyang is my own niece. How could I possibly do such a thing?"
Marquis Anyang looked at Prince Yong with a mocking expression: "Haven't you had enough of pretending all these years?"
"You've been pretending all along, always crying and wailing at the slightest provocation. Now you're finally about to lose your temper, aren't you? This talk of establishing Prince Yongsu—are you trying to seize the emperor and become regent?"
Prince Su's previously calm expression instantly turned extremely ugly, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
Upon hearing the words "holding the emperor hostage to be a regent," his body jolted violently, as if he had been whipped.
Prince Yong composed himself, stepped forward, and said loudly, "The Marquis of Anyang is too cunning. One should not easily believe the words of such a traitor."
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Anyang is attempting to confuse the public and undermine the foundation of the royal family with these absurd words. His intentions are despicable! He is desperate and trying to find an excuse for his treasonous crime."
As he spoke, Prince Yong's face was full of righteous indignation, and his eyes burned with the anger of "justice," though it was unclear whether he was truly enraged by the slander.
It really hit the nail on the head...
"Today I will give the people of the world an explanation!" The Emperor looked down at the crowd. "All those who participated in the rebellion will have their entire families executed, nine generations, as a warning to others!"
Upon hearing this, a chorus of cries erupted, and those arrested knelt down, begging for mercy, creating a chaotic scene.
Marquis Anyang remained unmoved, instead letting out a cold laugh, his eyes full of contempt.
"Your Majesty, your reign on the throne will not last much longer." Marquis Anyang's voice was hoarse but clear, each word like a nail, hammering into the hearts of everyone in the hall.
The emperor stared at him coldly, his eyes like knives: "Insolence!"
Marquis Anyang, however, remained unfazed and continued, "Soon someone will come to take your life; the Eastern Jin Dynasty is about to perish."
"How dare you!" Prince Yong shouted, taking a step forward to drag Marquis Anyang away.
The Emperor's gaze turned sinister and fell upon Gu Junze.
In that gaze, there was probing, doubt, and even a hint of hidden fear.
Gu Junze met the Emperor's gaze, neither humble nor arrogant, yet he did not shy away.
Chu Ruohan's heart tightened.
Now Gu Junze has learned the mystery of his origins and that his mother's death was related to the Emperor.
The emperor was naturally worried that he might have ulterior motives...