20demayo Chapter 525 Joy of Life 81
Chapter 525 Joy of Life 81
Emperor Qing walked into Guangxin Palace step by step, and the palace gates behind him slowly closed.
His steps were very steady, but the thunder and lightning outside revealed his true feelings at that moment.
Even though Emperor Qing had tried his best to control the surging and domineering true energy within his body, a Grandmaster is still a Grandmaster, and his emotions at this moment still attracted strange phenomena in the heavens and earth.
The wind howled and the rain poured down; the whole world seemed to be venting his emotions on his behalf.
Inside Guangxin Palace, there were many gauze curtains. Through these hazy barriers, Emperor Qing saw Li Yunrui sitting on a low couch in the center.
Her exquisite face is like a meticulously painted portrait, with an indescribable elegance in her eyes and brows; her shapely figure, combined with her delicate and timid temperament, gives her a unique and graceful charm.
In addition to her status as the eldest princess of the Qing Kingdom and the resources of the imperial treasury under her control, it can be said that apart from the Emperor Qing, no man in the world could resist her charm if she so desired.
However, the person she loved was none other than Emperor Qing.
Emperor Qing stopped in front of the low couch, staring coldly at Li Yunrui, his voice low and icy: "Why?"
Li Yunrui raised her head, looked at the man in front of her, and slightly raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a half-smile, as if she had no idea of Emperor Qing's purpose for coming. She asked in return, "What, why?"
Having said that, without waiting for Emperor Qing's reply, she stood up directly, meeting his gaze without flinching. From the moment she seduced Li Chengqian, she had already foreseen this day, even anticipating its arrival. That's why, back at the imperial estate, she had instigated Li Chengqian to take action against Lin Ruofu and the others, rather than trying to approach and win them over. Her purpose was to let this matter spread so she could see her beloved brother's pained expression firsthand.
With a chilling gleam in his eyes, Li Yunrui retorted, "Brother Emperor, what exactly do you mean by 'why'?"
Starting with this rhetorical question, Li Yunrui's emotions gradually spiraled out of control, plunging her into a near-manic state as she began to pour out all the grievances and dissatisfaction she had harbored for years.
I'm over thirty and still not married because of you, blah blah blah...
For you, I managed the imperial treasury, working tirelessly day and night...
For you, I'm willing to ruin my reputation and bear all the blame...
For your sake, I secretly formed the Junshan Society to eliminate any potential threats to you, blah blah blah...
blah blah blah...
One accusation after another shot out like sharp arrows. The pleasure in his heart was now tainted by pain, and every word he uttered was filled with deep resentment.
Having just finished a brainstorming session, Emperor Qing's face grew increasingly numb as Li Yunrui recounted his past misdeeds.
Sure enough, he shouldn't have come to see this sister.
However, considering his own schemes, Emperor Qing resisted the urge to turn and leave.
"You've gone mad." Emperor Qing's voice was icy cold, ruthlessly interrupting Li Yunrui's outpouring: "Are you really protesting for yourself? Or are you using this to mask your burgeoning ambition?"
"Everything you do is simply because you have a distorted and morbid desire for power. You claim to be acting in my name, but in reality, you are only doing it to satisfy your own selfish desires."
Upon hearing this, Li Yunrui's emotions eased slightly, but she did not back down because of Emperor Qing's accusations. Instead, she sneered and curled her lip in contempt: "If wanting to seize power is considered perverted and twisted, then what are you, the emperor with the greatest power in the world?"
When men pursue power, it is seen as lofty aspirations and lofty ambitions; when women pursue power, they are condemned as twisted and perverted and despised.
Indeed, all men are hypocritical, and emperors are the most hypocritical people in the world.
It must be admitted that Ye Qingmei had a significant influence on Li Yunrui.
It was she who awakened Li Yunrui's mind from this chaotic world, telling her that women can also have their own pursuits and can live with more dignity.
Unfortunately, Ye Qingmei's failure showed her that this path was doomed to fail, completely extinguishing her half-awakened thoughts and leaving her torn apart by the contradiction between reality and ideals, resulting in her current deformed state.
Unable to see the road ahead and unable to return to the past, one can only struggle and waver between lucidity and madness.
When she is lucid, she is still the infamous princess; only in these moments of madness can she shed her pretense and express her desire for power.
"Insolence!" Emperor Qing's eyes flashed with rage. "Don't forget, the power you possess was bestowed upon you by me, and I can take it back at any time!"
Li Yunrui's voice suddenly turned sharp and shrill, as if a sore spot had been hit: "No, I earned all of this through hard work! If you want to take it away, then kill me!"
Seeing Li Yunrui break down, Emperor Qing's emotions calmed down, and he returned to his previous indifferent demeanor. His voice was as cold and piercing as the winter wind:
"You are my sister. I could have granted you wealth and honor, and allowed you to live a carefree life. But you insisted on seizing power in the court, disrupting the government, getting involved in the struggle for the throne between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, and even colluding with Northern Qi to betray the spies planted there..."
"However, these are all minor matters in my eyes, but..."
At this point, Emperor Qing's eyes suddenly changed, his calm and unwavering gaze instantly turning fierce and sharp, no longer showing the previous contempt and disdain: "You shouldn't have, you shouldn't have, tried to seduce Li Chengqian."
Before he finished speaking, a muffled thunderclap suddenly exploded, causing the entire palace to tremble slightly, as if even heaven and earth were resonating with his anger.
Emperor Qing's voice suddenly rose, and his long-suppressed anger erupted instantly.
He lunged forward, grabbing Li Yunrui's slender neck and slamming her against the palace wall. His fingers tightened, veins bulging on the back of his hand. "I've gone to so much trouble to train and cultivate the Crown Prince, eliminating the Empress's family and many powerful nobles in the capital, even sacrificing another son, all to ensure he becomes a worthy heir to the Qing Kingdom. But you..."
Emperor Qing's voice trembled with rage, his eyes bloodshot, the words almost squeezed out from between his teeth:
"You ruined all of this! Why? Why did you do this?!"
Li Yunrui's face had turned bright red and then purple, and he could only make weak gasps in his throat, unable to respond anymore.
At first, her eyes showed doubt, then she suddenly realized and understood, and finally, all of this turned into the pleasure of successful revenge.
She struggled to pry open the large hand gripping her throat, managing to breathe barely, her voice escaping in broken gasps:
"Why? What else could it be... why? Brother, you and I are the same, both selfish and hypocritical. You say everything you do is for Li Chengqian, but in reality, you never... never intended to pass the throne to anyone. So you deliberately... raised him to be like this. He is terrified and anxious every day, so he can only keep getting closer to me and eventually fall in love with me."
Emperor Qing's expression grew even uglier. He gripped Li Yunrui's neck tightly, his eyes devoid of any emotion: "Nonsense! Chengqian is the prince I value most. I will not allow you to defile him."