As it neared the end of the year, the weather became colder and colder. Zhao Lan stepped on the snow, making squeaking sounds. Cheng Zheng supported her arm, "There is a soft sedan but you don't want to sit, you insist on walking. Are you suffering?"
Zhao Rao gently pushed his hand away, "I like to walk."
"Don't take Zhao Lan's words to heart." Cheng Zheng released her arm and his warm and thick hand held her cold little hand, "Whether it is Zhao Lan or the second prince, they are nothing. Don't worry."
"I'm not worried." Zhao Rao was greedy for the warmth in his hand and did not pull her hand away. She looked up at him and saw a hint of warmth in his deep black eyes, causing her heart to tremble. He was a decisive person and when she first got close to him, she had never seen a smile on his face. He did not have a single friend in court and no one dared to get close to him. He was proud and aloof, a general who killed without blinking an eye. Because he was on the battlefield all year round, there was a killing intent in his eyes that people did not dare look at. She never thought that there would be a day when he would be so gentle to her.
"With you here, I don't worry." Zhao Rao said in a low voice.
Cheng Zheng's eyes revealed a smile and he gently held her hand, "En."
"Let's go to the imperial study." Zhao Rao's heart beat faster. She pulled back her hand and quickened her pace towards the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Looking at her fleeing figure, Cheng Zheng's lips curled up slightly. He had never fought for anything for himself. She was the only one he wanted to snatch away at all costs. Regardless of whether Zhao Yong would agree in the future, she could only be his.
Their silhouettes gradually disappeared into the distance, but they didn't know that there was someone watching them from the corner behind them the whole time.
"So it's like this … …" The second prince coldly smiled. So Cheng Zheng was protecting Zhao Rao not because she was his niece, but because of their despicable relationship.
If the world knew that their nephew and uncle had such a shameless relationship, how could they continue living in this world?
Thinking of Cheng Zheng and Zhao Rao's fate, the second prince's heart filled with joy. He would definitely not let this adulterous couple go.
Zhao Rao and Cheng Zheng did not know that they had been seen. They had already arrived at the imperial study.
"Greetings Imperial Father." Zhao Rao obediently bowed, not even looking at Zhao Yong.
"No need for formalities." Zhao Yong stared at his daughter for a moment, then looked coldly at Cheng Zheng. "Marquis Anning, how come we didn't know that you had also entered the palace today?"
Cheng Zheng raised his eyes and looked straight into Zhao Yong's eyes, "This subject will escort the Eldest Princess back to the palace."
Zhao Yong snorted coldly. "All of you get out. Jin 'er, stay."
He had already suppressed his anger because of Zhao Ning, and now he just wanted to have a chat with this daughter in front of him.
"Yes." Cheng Zheng lowered his head and retreated. He felt that the father and daughter needed to have a good talk.
Only the father and daughter were left in the Imperial Study. Zhao Yong looked at his daughter, who resembled the late Empress, and did not know what to say.
"We …" Zhao Yong coughed lightly. "Sit down first."
Zhao Huang sat down expressionlessly. She did not want to listen to anything Zhao Yong had to say, but who asked him to be both a father and a ruler? How many people in this world could resist him?
"When your mother married us, she was only fifteen," Zhao Yong said in a low voice. Zhao Yong said in a low voice, "We are a young couple. When I was in deep danger, it was your mother who faced it with me. Your mother is good at everything, but she is a little headstrong. She doesn't allow me to favor others, and because of this, she talked back to me many times …"
At that time, he was already the ruler of a country. How could he only favor her? He loved and respected Cheng Ying, but he was also interested in fresh women. "We were injured, and after I recovered, there were side effects. I could not leave a woman every day. At that time, we did not know that it was caused by a headache. Jin 'er, we and your mother have too many unexplainable grudges. We were wrong back then, we should not have used the servant girls by her side to suppress her pride."
"After that, your mother no longer opposed us. We thought that we had suppressed her, but now that I think about it, your mother must have been disappointed in us at that time …" Zhao Yong said. "We have let down your mother, and we have let down you."
Zhao Ke looked at him expressionlessly. When a woman loved a man, she would not want him to touch other women. Only when she did not love a man would she not care.
"Concubine De deserves to die a thousand times. Even a hundred deaths would not be enough to atone for her crime." Zhao Yong continued in a low voice. "Concubine De is still alive, not because we were merciful."
"I know, you are doing this for the Second Prince." Zhao Rao laughed mockingly.
Zhao Yong sighed. "Are you worried that we will make him the Crown Prince, and that he will make Concubine De the Empress Dowager in the future?"
"Is that not the case?" Zhao Rao laughed coldly.
"Jin 'er, there is still the Third Prince." Zhao Yong explained patiently. "If the Second Prince is crippled, do you think the First Prince will tolerate the Third Prince?"
Zhao Rao suddenly looked up at him. She vaguely felt that she had guessed what he was thinking, but she was not sure. She knew that he did not like the First Prince, and felt that he was too weak. If even the Second Prince was crippled, then he would …
"I really want you to take care of the Third Prince." Zhao Yong said.
"What?" Zhao Rao stared blankly at Zhao Yong. What did he mean by that?
Zhao Yong said in a low voice, "We want Cheng Zheng to be the Third Prince's teacher, and let him live in the Cheng Residence. We hope that you can be closer to him."
"What if I don't agree?" Zhao Rao asked. She had not planned to forgive Zhao Yong, so why would she want to help him?
"Jin 'er, we are doing this for your own good." Zhao Yong looked at her. "As long as we are alive, you and Cheng Zheng cannot be together. If we let you take care of the Third Prince, he will naturally make plans for you in the future."
Zhao Rao's expression changed slightly. He already knew that she and Cheng Zheng …
"We only have two years left." Zhao Yong spoke of his illness for the first time. "There is not much that we can do."
"What did you say?" Zhao Rao asked word by word. She knew that Zhao Yong was sick, but she did not expect it to be so serious. What did he mean by only having two years left? Did he only have two years left to live?
"We are sick, and cannot be cured." Zhao Yong said.
Zhao Rao felt as if a hole had been dug in her heart, and the pain numbed her. "Could it be … that Duanmu Xiu cannot be cured?"
"No." Zhao Yong shook his head lightly. "If not for the Heavenly Concubine of Yuan Country, we might not be here anymore. She said that our illness cannot be cured."
"I don't believe it." Zhao Rao blurted out. She did not believe that Zhao Yong would die. Although everyone had been saying that he was sick for the past two years, she had never thought that he would die. In her heart, he was like a mountain that would never fall. How could he die …
Zhao Yong smiled. "We have said what we wanted to say. Are you willing to take the Third Prince with you?"
"I …" Zhao Rao wanted to reject, but the words were stuck in her mouth.
"We will give you time to consider." Zhao Yong said calmly. "Let Cheng Zheng in. We have something to tell him."
...
(Nine-headed Bird Academy)
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