The words spoken by Yang Yi resonated clearly in the grand hall, and the Emperor quietly gazed at him, remaining silent for a long time.

The air in the room seemed to come to a standstill.

An eunuch, who had already reached the threshold, peeked inside the room and then silently retreated.

Only then did the Emperor look away and asked, "What is it?"

The eunuch stepped back in and said, "Your Majesty, General Pei and the General’s wife request an audience in the palace."

The Emperor glanced at Yang Yi, "Did you ask them to come?"

Immersed in his emotions, Yang Yi looked up, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes. He then said, "No."

The Emperor then turned back to the eunuch, "What is their purpose?"

The eunuch replied, "General Pei did not say."

The Emperor fell silent again.

Under such quietness, Yang Yi felt a trace of awkwardness.

His hands, hanging at his sides, tensed then relaxed, tightened then loosened. Finally, he lowered his head slowly and with an even slower voice said, "I’m sorry."

The Emperor, deep in thought, suddenly quivered, his eyes filled with intense surprise, lifted up to look at him.

Yang Yi took a breath, swallowing, and said, "These words just now have been buried deep in my heart for a very long time. In every darkest moment of the past, they would surface, filling my mind, occupying my whole heart.

"Several times I have madly cursed you, cursed the unjust heavens, in my teenage years, in every near hopeless moment, I indeed hated you.

"But, actually, it is not that serious anymore.

"Maybe seeing the difficulties of the imperial matters, I also understand that being the ruler of a nation is not a trivial matter.

"I know that over the years, for the sake of Great Zhou, you have expended much effort, and during the most difficult times of the war in the northwest, you did not give up.

"You were able to persevere and still win the trust of all the meritorious officials. Without considerable sacrifice and effort, it would have been difficult.

"Seven years ago, when Ning Pochi advised me with the greater good in mind, my hatred towards you had nearly faded away.

"So at that time, I was willing to come to the capital, willing to meet you all.

"As for what happened later, perhaps it was just destiny playing its tricks."

His face was exceedingly calm, completely devoid of the agitation and anger from earlier.

The Emperor stared at him fixedly, as if even his breathing had ceased.

After a long time, the evening breeze swept through the window, flickering the candle flame, causing his silhouette to shift slightly, and he said in a lost voice, "Then just now you..."

After starting to speak, he found he couldn’t continue. Looking at Yang Yi, who was so close, the latter part of his words inexplicably carried a trace of caution.

"Just now, I don’t know." Yang Yi lifted his head and let out a profound sigh, "I don’t know why, I thought I had trained my heart to be calm like still water over the years.

"I had imagined countless times the scene of meeting you all, thinking it would be very calm, but in the end, I still couldn’t manage it.

"Right before entering the palace, I thought having seen you last time, meeting again this time would not be out of control, but I still could not manage it.

"Perhaps, I still long for familial bonds.

"During those ten years by your sides, though there was danger at every moment, though I ate poorly and dressed poorly, I felt happiness.

"Those ten years were too precious, so much so that I couldn’t let go for a long time, I longed to have it again. But I am already thirty-four years old, in the eyes of the world, I should have long been a mature and steady person, I cannot voice my desires.

"Then they turned into resentment, turned into hatred, those once torturous dark thoughts turned into a flood, rushing forth.

"Compared to becoming the new monarch for Great Zhou, I still prefer to first be your son as the Prince.

"I wish for everything inherited from you, to be because I was once a child loved by you, not just because you need an heir."

Yang Yi looked up at the colorful paintings on the ceiling, his voice serene as if traversing through time long past. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Where indeed could there be resentment that could last over twenty years? If there truly were, he would have long twisted into another Yang Yi.

He would also, like the second brother, storm into the palace in an extreme manner, using more brutal means to take revenge on his biological father.

It is precisely because he knows his father’s sins are not deserving of death, that he is conflicted, that he suffers.

Having gone through so much hardship, he can still discern right from wrong, still understands the grand duty to the family and nation, it is impossible for him not to understand the Emperor’s actions back then.