Happy Spring Every Year

Chapter 196 The Zhao Family

"What are you talking about?"

Zhen Hanyi only felt the hand pinching her chin suddenly loosen, and then a handkerchief lightly covered her face.

"Wipe it, what does it look like?"

Zhen Hanyi opened her eyes in a daze. Dim light shone through the handkerchief and fell in front of her eyes. She could not see anything clearly, but only vaguely caught a glimpse of the backlit outline of the person in front of her.

Her heart trembled violently, and she was confused and uneasy for a moment. She raised her hand and pulled off the handkerchief from her face, then met Zhao Huailang's slightly inquiring gaze.

"What does your Majesty mean by this?"

Zhen Hanyi took a step back and subconsciously widened the distance between herself and Zhao Huailang.

Just now she was full of courage and had really made up her mind to die, but now her courage was half gone and fear came over her belatedly.

After all, the prince had never shown any pity for her, and what she had just said might have touched the prince's bottom line.

Seeing that Zhen Hanyi, who had just been arguing with confidence and righteousness, was now trembling with fear, Zhao Huailang raised his eyebrows and took a step closer.

"What? Are you scared again?"

As he spoke, he looked at Zhen Hanyi's eyebrows carefully, and when she leaned back desperately, he stretched out his palm to support her lower back.

Zhen Hanyi's face turned pale in an instant.

The prince didn't like her to get close to him on a normal day, but he was very close and passionate towards her in matters of love. Such intimate actions had never happened between them outside the bed.

Under the seat of Guanyin, in the Buddhist temple, he actually wanted to humiliate her like this?

In this case, it would be better to strangle her to death!

"I didn't know that besides using your beauty to please others, you also know what is the righteousness of your family and country."

Zhao Huailang uttered these words lightly and then let go of his hand.

Zhen Hanyi staggered, and when she looked up again, her face was pale and she was filled with shame and anger.

It wasn't just because the words were so harsh to hear, but also because she herself knew it was the truth, so she didn't even have the confidence to refute it, and at this moment she couldn't utter a single word.

She lives...how sad and ridiculous.

Zhao Huailang couldn't help but frown when he saw that the color on Zhen Hanyi's face suddenly faded because of his words.

he......

"I am indeed lowly and my methods are despicable. I have made the prince laugh at me for so many years. But what I said just now still counts. That letter... I have destroyed it!"

Zhen Hanyi's thin lips trembled as she gritted her teeth and said this, tears already streaming down her face.

"you......"

When Zhao Huailang saw this scene, he was stunned.

Except for the time when Mu'er was born and she shed tears of joy, Zhen was so well-behaved that she always had a quiet smile on her face.

Some time ago in Zhoushan, he got very angry, and Zhen just lowered her eyes for a moment and smiled apologetically.

Today...she shed a lot of tears.

Zhao Huailang couldn't explain what he felt for a moment, but the coldness in his voice had at least dissipated a little.

"Don't think so badly of me. Can't you see that it's an old letter?"

Zhen Hanyi looked up suddenly when she heard this, and then she heard Zhao Huailang say calmly:

"I am a son of the Zhao family. This vast land is the Zhao family's legacy for generations, carrying the well-being of the people. I cannot afford to make any mistakes."

"Collaboration with the enemy and treason?"

"That's what traitors and traitors, worse than pigs and dogs, do. Such self-destruction is shaking the very foundation of the nation and putting our ancestors' legacy and the people in ruins."

"I, Zhao Huailang, am ambitious and want to reach the pinnacle of power, but I do so to protect this beautiful land and to ensure that the Zhao family's name shines through in history, rather than becoming a sinner and leaving a lasting infamy."

When Zhen Hanyi heard this, she stared at Zhao Huailang in a daze, thinking that this was the prince in her mind.

But she was a little wary in her heart and didn't dare to believe it for a moment.

When Zhao Huailang saw Zhen Hanyi's half-believing and half-doubting expression, the coldness between his brows dissipated, and he even raised the corner of his mouth slightly at this moment:

"It would be nice if everyone in the world was as simple as you, with all their thoughts clearly visible on their faces."

Zhen Hanyi was stunned when she heard this, then she realized that she had revealed her true feelings, and quickly lowered her eyebrows to avoid it.

Such a poor reaction made Zhao Huailang couldn't help but laugh out loud, and he relaxed a little for once.

At this moment, he also began to understand why he had only kept Zhen by his side for so many years.

After calculating everything all day, he felt that he could finally catch a moment of respite only when he was with Zhen, the simple-minded woman who treated him wholeheartedly.

If she hadn't made such a fuss today, I wouldn't have even realized it.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huailang frowned slightly again.

There are some things that Zhen should know.

Otherwise, she was afraid that one day, she would be used like her third brother's wife, and give him a gentle yet fatal blow at the critical moment.

"I know you won't destroy the letter. Take it out."

Zhao Huailang stretched out his hand towards Zhen Hanyi with such confidence.

Zhen Hanyi panicked, but Zhao Huailang did not try to force her. He just said in a deep voice:

"It's not that easy to get to that position."

"There are some old things that I cannot tell you, but you should know one thing: the throne should have been mine, but it was my father who went back on his word."

"After my eldest brother passed away, my father still refused to fulfill his promise. First, he brought my third brother out, and then pushed Jiang Xun to Ye'er, gradually leading to the current situation."

"I've never denied my ambition. After all, I'm the most powerful prince. I have the Cui family to lean on. I was once only one step away from becoming the crown prince."

"Besides, what I shoulder is not just my own honor and disgrace, but also the entire Cui family behind me."

"The Cui family and I share common prosperity and common suffering. If I lose, the entire Cui family will surely suffer a devastating disaster. After all, no new emperor can tolerate such a powerful yet disloyal courtier family."

"Grandfather has devoted all his energy and heart to me. Even if there are selfish motives for the Cui family, his love for me is unquestionable."

"The royal family... human sensibilities are inherently weak, and with a master who is indecisive and strives for perfection, this struggle is destined to be even more brutal, a fight to the bitter end."

"I can't afford to lose."

When Zhao Huailang said this, he was not at all panicked or helpless. Instead, his eyes were bright, full of excitement and calmness.

"Do you know how many princes and grandchildren of the emperor were doomed to fail in their attempts to seize the throne?"

"Countless."

"If you want to fight, you must give it your all. Being submissive and soft-hearted is tantamount to self-destruction."

"On this point, Third Brother and I are indeed brothers. We think alike."

"Why do you think he gave up so easily? It's simply because he didn't have the support of the Cui family. After being tricked, he had no chance of winning. So he had to settle for the next best thing and just try to survive."

"But I—I don't have such a way out."

When Zhen Hanyi heard this, her eyes widened in shock.

The prince had never told her these things before, but now that she heard them, she felt her heart grow even colder.

At this moment, she finally understood what her mother had said to her in the Imperial Garden.

"If I lose, all I'll end up with is my head and body. I've already personally experienced the most prosperous and wealthy life in this world. What regrets do I have?"

It turns out that the prince and his mother...had the same idea and the same determination early on.

Seeing Zhen Hanyi's face full of thought, Zhao Huailang knew that she must have heard it.

He had never said these words to anyone else, and now he realized that perhaps this was what it felt like to "confide."

Even though nothing can be changed, I feel relieved.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huailang softened his voice and said with open mind:

"I'm not telling you this today to do anything. I just hope you won't be like my third sister-in-law and stab me at the last moment."

"If I really faced a life-or-death situation, even though I've been proud all my life, I would still shamelessly beg Father or Ye'er to spare your life for you and Mu'er."

"When the time comes, you can blame me or hate me, but if you can't live together, then we can stay together as a family."

"If you and your son can survive, you should raise Mu'er well. You don't have to teach him to be outstanding. Just having a simple mind like yours is good enough."