Chapter 631: Mother and Son (Part 2)
"Zhou Tong is just a dog, a servant."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress looked at him with an indifferent expression and said, "But you are my son. Even if you are about to die, even if you are about to die by my hand, even if you can only live for one more day, as long as you are alive, you are a thousand times, ten thousand times more important than him. If you don't even have this understanding, what qualifications do you have to be my son?"
Chen Changsheng recalled that in the carriage, Prince Chenliu had said almost exactly the same thing. He didn't feel any particular emotion about it, only that the words were somewhat strange, not matching his understanding of this world. Since you were going to cold-bloodedly kill him, why bother caring whether he was qualified to be your son?
He didn't know what to say, so he fell silent again.
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress reached out and touched his face.
Two years ago, such a scene had happened before. He had resisted it, had only gotten used to it with difficulty. Now, he felt nauseated. Who was that doting, pitying look meant for? Why did this affectionate caress appear? Was this hypocrisy or self-spiritual comfort? Or did you just want to use this to soothe your Dao heart, ensuring that after killing your own son, your state of mind would not be affected?
Chen Changsheng felt as if a venomous snake was slowly crawling across his face. That extreme feeling of disgust made his body tremble uncontrollably.
He couldn't bear it any longer. He wanted to avoid it, but his body couldn't make any movement. He wanted to take out the letter Su Li had left in his bosom, but he couldn't even move his fingertips.
"You want to kill me?" The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress looked into his eyes and asked.
For some reason, even though she had sensed Chen Changsheng's intention, she was not angered by it. Instead, a hint of a smile appeared in her star-like eyes.
It was a smile of approval, as if she was gratified that Chen Changsheng had conceived such a treasonous thought towards his own mother.
Chen Changsheng only wanted to leave; he didn't have such thoughts. Looking at her eyes, he knew she had misunderstood something, but he didn't understand why she reacted this way after the misunderstanding.
"The cycle of heaven, the principles of nature, are all false. Mother and son killing each other, father and son killing each other, has happened countless times in this world. I also very much want to kill you, so if you want to kill me, I don't find it wrong. On the contrary, the fact that you can ignore those hypocritical and boring morals and laws and develop a killing intent towards me shows that you truly are qualified to be my son."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress said, looking at him.
Chen Changsheng looked at her and asked seriously, "You... really want to kill me?"
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress said, "I told you, those are all false. Since that's the case, why can't I kill you?"
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Then what is truly real?"
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress looked towards the Imperial Palace and was quiet for a long time.
She was now in the Hundred Herbs Garden.
The Imperial Palace and the Hundred Herbs Garden were places where she had lived for countless years.
Many years ago, in the Imperial Palace, she saw a dragon horse that was difficult to tame. Emperor Taizong asked everyone how to make this dragon horse obedient.
She volunteered to step forward, and then... she was banished to the Hundred Herbs Garden.
She would never forget the look of contempt and disgust in Emperor Taizong's eyes at that time.
In the Hundred Herbs Garden, she lived a bitter life that no one could imagine, and her clan's suffering during that time was even more unspeakable. Just when she thought she would sink into oblivion, the late Emperor did not forget her and secretly came here. Then she understood one thing: Emperor Taizong's contempt and disgust towards her... meant that there must be something about her that made him uneasy. What was it? It was power, the potential for possessing great power, the rare true phoenix bloodline, the omen faintly revealed by the Heavenly Dao?
If it was about understanding the Heavenly Dao, there was probably no one in this world more profound than her. But even she sometimes felt a sense of weariness. Yes, not confusion, not bewilderment, but weariness. Because reaching the other shore, entering the true world of freedom, required too long a time.
She looked at Chen Changsheng, about to say something, when she noticed his face had turned pale, and an unnatural flush appeared at the corners of his eyes—his injuries had finally erupted at this moment. The blood, containing his divine soul, or holy light, or life force, burst through his already riddled meridians, seeping and flowing endlessly among his internal organs. The holy light on his body's surface could no longer fully conceal that scent. In the early autumn night forest, the chirping of countless insects suddenly erupted.
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress watched him quietly, appearing exceptionally cold.
"Such a rich life aura, it smells quite good. I was not mistaken."
This referred to the wisp of aura she had extracted from Chen Changsheng's body earlier, and the conclusion she had drawn from it.
"So those remnants from back then really did go to the Holy Light Continent. No wonder, with Emperor Taizong's abilities, he searched for two hundred years and never found them."
Chen Changsheng was in extreme pain at this moment, as if tens of thousands of small knives were scraping his bones. But hearing these words, his attention was still diverted somewhat.
He knew who she was talking about.
The so-called remnants referred to the part of the Chen royal clan that had fled the capital after the Hundred Herbs Garden Incident. That part of the Chen royal clan were either the Crown Prince's family or royal clan members close to the Crown Prince, naturally including Chen Xuanba's family. According to the Daoist Canon, this part of the Chen royal clan numbered less than a thousand, and they were all extremely talented and gifted.
The Heavenly Mechanism Elder said his body contained countless holy lights, which must be related to the Holy Light Continent. His senior brother said he was found by a stream, and that stream flowed out of the Cloud Tomb. Xu Yourong had once said that the solitary peak in the Cloud Tomb might be the path to the Holy Light Continent...
Combining all this information, the original appearance of this matter was gradually revealed.
He was indeed the hope, or the means, for the Chen royal clan to reclaim the throne.
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress felt the increasingly strong scent in the autumn forest, and her brow furrowed deeper and deeper. The bright star at the deepest part of her pupils trembled slightly, its light growing dim. At the same time, emotions like coldness and disgust—not entirely opposite but certainly not meant to appear together—showed on her face.
For a moment, she closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, those emotions had vanished without a trace, leaving only calmness and indifference.
She lightly flicked her sleeve, and an indescribable pressure instantly enveloped the entire autumn forest. Several beams of clear light scattered from her sleeve, landing on Chen Changsheng's body.
That aura, capable of making all living beings in the world infatuated, desirous, even mad, was temporarily sealed off by those beams of clear light.
The insects in the Hundred Herbs Garden, which had been frantically chirping, gradually stopped their calls in confusion, and the autumn forest returned to silence.
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress looked at Chen Changsheng's expression and said with a hint of mockery, "Now you know you've been used, don't you?"
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time. He raised his right hand, trembling with pain, and held the empty teacup, saying, "I have never seen those people."
The people he referred to were naturally the remnants hidden behind the night, the descendants of the Chen royal clan who had left this continent many years ago.
"Some people don't need to be seen to know how despicable and shameless they are, because their bloodline stinks."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress clasped her hands behind her back, looking towards the distant east in the night sky, and said without emotion, "A father killing his own son, a younger brother killing his elder brother—such things have happened too many times in this family. I still remember when Emperor Taizong was on the throne, the Crown Prince Chengqian was executed. Prince Wei, Li Tai, went to the palace to see Emperor Taizong. As soon as they met, he threw himself into Emperor Taizong's arms, crying and saying, 'From today on, I am truly Your Majesty's son. I have a son. When I die, I will surely kill him for Your Majesty and pass the throne to the Prince of Jin, whom you favor.'"
Saying this, she turned to look at Chen Changsheng and said, "Hearing this, what do you think?"
Chen Changsheng's body was still trembling, from pain and also from emotion. He said, "I think... it's very disgusting, and very cold."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress said with a half-smile, "Everyone who heard those words at the time felt the same as you. However... our Emperor Taizong didn't seem to think so. He felt very gratified and even said, 'Who does not love their own son? Seeing Prince Wei like this, I feel great pity for him.'"
Chen Changsheng thought to himself, Emperor Taizong was known as a wise ruler through the ages; how could he be deceived by such childish and absurd words?
"Of course Emperor Taizong wasn't deceived. It's just that he truly admired Prince Wei's shamelessness—having just killed his own elder brother, he couldn't wait to burrow into his father's arms to suckle. That's not something just anyone can do... They say a son resembles his father. Emperor Taizong had done the same thing back then; how could he have the face to criticize Prince Wei?"
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress's words became somewhat harsh, even vulgar, when mentioning Emperor Taizong.
Chen Changsheng looked up at her and said, "Why are you telling me this? Earlier, when you thought I wanted to kill you, you felt gratified—is it the same principle?"
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress said, "I just want to tell you that the Chen royal clan, whether Emperor Taizong's line or those remnants, are all hypocritical and disgusting things."
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then said, "My body also flows with the blood of the Chen clan. So I must also be hypocritical and disgusting?"
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress said, "You can understand my meaning that way."
Chen Changsheng looked into her eyes and said, "In the end, you just want to kill me, and you're just finding reasons or excuses for it."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress looked at him with a hint of sarcasm and said, "When I want to kill someone, when have I ever needed a reason or excuse?"
Chen Changsheng said, "But I am different after all."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress raised an eyebrow and said, "Where is your difference?"
Chen Changsheng said, "I am your son after all. If you, like Emperor Taizong, care about how future history books will write about you, then you always need to make some explanation."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress said, "When I, a woman, ascended the throne, I never harbored any illusions about a good evaluation from posterity. Do you think I look like someone who cares about gossip?"
Chen Changsheng thought of her ruthless methods in handling state affairs after her coronation, and indeed, that was true. But there were still other issues that needed to be resolved.
He said, "Everyone has to explain their choices. Even if you don't care how the world sees you, you still have to convince yourself."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress looked at him quietly and said, "Perhaps that's true."
Chen Changsheng said, "Since you've finished speaking, what are you waiting for? Kill me, or eat me, complete the reversal of fate, fulfill all the karma, and help you reign for ten thousand generations."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress said, "That makes sense. You were originally a piece of flesh that fell from my belly, and now I'll eat you back into my belly. That is truly a matter of natural justice."
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(Because I was afraid of disturbing everyone's reading, I held back from chatting with you all. Let me say a word now: I am writing very carefully, even if the quantity isn't much. Actually, I've been saving up drafts, preparing for the terrifying October schedule. At the beginning of October, there might be a... book signing. Yes, the kind I would never have done before... the legendary... book signing.)