mtl008 Chapter 621 He is the true eldest prince!
Chapter 621 He is the true eldest prince!
"Shut up!"
Zong Ke, enraged, retorted, "Don't put me in the same category as that self-righteous idiot!"
Zong Ke rarely got so angry.
Every word Zong Que said hit him right where it hurt and struck at the very point he hated most.
In the past, Zong Que was known for his sharp tongue, and no one in the palace, including the entire court, tolerated him. He simply thought Zong Que was arrogant, after all, it was understandable that the then-renowned Crown Prince did not take anyone seriously.
But after all these years, Zong Que, the former crown prince, has been crushed into the mud time and time again. So why is he still standing here?
It's really annoying!
Zong Ke almost ground his teeth to powder. "Zong Que, face reality. You've run out of options. You're really going all out to lure me in. Do you still think you're the Crown Prince you used to be? Do you know what I hate most about you? I know Father hates you from the bottom of his heart. He wishes you were dead more than anyone else! But even so, he still gave you all the fatherly love he could!"
"And then there are those two equally stupid fools, the third and fifth sons. What makes them so special? They rely on their maternal clan to back them up, so even though they're as dumb as pigs, they can still swagger around and act arrogantly! Oh, and the fourth son, you raised him yourself. Both of you didn't have maternal clans to take care of you, but he was born lucky and raised in the Eastern Palace until he was over ten years old. He never suffered a bit of hardship. What makes him so special? And what makes him so special!"
"Just because I am disabled due to illness, no one will even look at me anymore!"
"Zong Que, did you ever imagine that you would fall into my hands today?"
Zong Ke looked at Zong Que with satisfaction. They were brothers, sharing half the same blood. But in the palace, what were brothers? They were mortal enemies! Because of their different maternal clans, their treatment in the palace varied drastically. Aside from the younger ones, even though he was the eldest son—the heir apparent was traditionally chosen based on primogeniture—he held the title of eldest son, being the emperor's firstborn child!
He should have been showered with attention and affection, but simply because he lacked a maternal family to support him, and no one cared when he fell ill, he suffered long-term consequences from the fever, leaving him disabled. It's laughable that this eldest son of the emperor lived a life in the palace worse than that of a lowly palace servant!
But what about others?
Zong Que was the center of attention and received all the love from birth. His father wanted to hold him in the palm of his hand and raise him in his arms. Even with all the suspicions that followed, the father could not erase the effort he had put in. It was something Zong Que could never have even in his wildest dreams.
The third and fifth princes each have the support of their maternal clans. They don't need to do anything; a group of people will plan for them, follow one after another, and do everything they can to pave the way for them. No matter how foolish they are, they are still glamorous and high-ranking princes!
Then there's the fourth prince. His birth mother was merely a palace maid who had been favored by the emperor and then forgotten. She died in childbirth, without any official status or title. His background should have been pitiful enough, but he was incredibly lucky. The empress had him taken back to her palace. Later, when the empress's health deteriorated, Zong Que, not wanting her to be burdened, took him back to the Eastern Palace and personally cared for him. A son born to a maid, enjoying the privileges of the Eastern Palace, had a smooth and successful life until his teens. People even paved the way for him, arranging for him to gain experience at the border. From then on, he rose to fame in battle and became a young general with real power!
Everyone else is luckier than him.
They are all princes, people who are noble enough in this world, but why, why is it that only he, only he lives such a life!
He was forever huddled in a dark corner, and no one would even glance at him! His father despised him so much that he wouldn't even allow him to attend most occasions, as if his existence was a stain.
The more painful those past days were, the more joyful he felt at this moment.
Because he will destroy everything he couldn't have before.
He wanted to watch the once high and mighty Crown Prince be crushed piece by piece by him. How satisfying that would be!
Just thinking about it makes him unable to resist the temptation.
Zong Ke's smile gradually blossomed, becoming increasingly radiant.
"Brother," Zong Que scoffed, "you've traveled all this way to find a famous doctor, did you even have your head checked first, to see what illness you have? You, who wanted to kill me, are here recounting the past to me, complaining to me, blaming me for raising the fourth son but not you? If I remember correctly, I'm only your younger brother, not your father, am I?"
"Pfft—" "Pfft—"
Yan Yue and Pei Ji, who were not far behind Zong Que, were so angry that their faces turned red and their necks bulged. They couldn't hold it in any longer, so they exchanged an awkward glance and quickly turned their heads away.
"Shut up!" Zong Ke's smile froze instantly, and he shouted angrily.
"Are you resentful that no one cares about you, or are you resentful that you can't inherit the throne because of your disability?" Zong Que said calmly, "You say you had a bad childhood in the palace, that's a bit of a lie. Apart from the subsidies each palace provides, all the princes and princesses are treated equally. There were two older concubines who weren't so favored and offered to take care of you, but you disliked them for not being able to help you, so you deliberately scared them away. And afterwards, whenever someone offered to take care of you, you acted like you were going to die, making the concubines who were interested give up. You complain that no one cares about you, but have you ever given anyone a shred of sincerity?"
"The accident you had as a child was indeed an injustice from God, but God's injustice wasn't directed at you alone. You're just resenting that you can't openly and fairly take the position you want! If you want it all, why pity yourself so much?"
"Shut up! Shut up!" With each word Zong Que spoke, Zong Ke felt his heart crumble even more.
"You only talk about how pitiful you are after you've done all sorts of evil deeds. What about the people you killed? Weren't they pitiful too? Zongke, God may be unfair sometimes, but He is fair sometimes. Who knows if it's because you've committed so many evils that you're filled with resentment and can only hide in the gutter and watch everything others do?"
Zong Que's voice was like a thorn to Zong Ke, piercing the deepest part of his heart.
Tearing away all his pretense.
"They deserve it! You deserve it too!" Zong Ke raised his hand, and the archers around him drew their bows. Zong Ke stared at him with a gloomy gaze. "I wanted to have a good chat with you before you died, because after today, there are some things you will never hear again!"
"You're overthinking it. I'm not really interested in hearing about it."