Chapter 160
The sound of the clanking manacles roused the young emperor from his stupor.
Song Zhilan couldn’t bear it anymore. He stepped forward and raised his hands to help the person in front of him, but his actions were in vain.
Lu Li’s knees touched the ground. He was kneeling in front of him.
Song Zhilan’s outstretched hands stopped in midair. His breath caught in his chest and there was a stinging sensation in his eyes. He withdrew back. He looked down at the figure kneeling before him with dazed eyes.
This was the first time that Lu Li has ever knelt before him.
There was a twelve-year age difference between the two of them. The year that Lu Li scored number one on the imperial exam, Song Zhilan was still just an immature prince who did not understand anything. His smiling imperial father had brought the elegant young man to Song Zhilan and told him that the young man would be his studying companion.
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Lu Li served as his studying companion for three years, and when he reached the age of majority he entered the imperial court and became a government official.
Within those three years, Lu Li has not once knelt down to him, and Song Zhilan had not perceived anything wrong with that. He had just earnestly followed behind that dazzling figure, enjoying his gentle and patient guidance. Day and night, Song Zhilan looked forward to the day when he would finally grow up to become a remarkable adult and modest gentleman like Lu Li.
After Lu Li entered the imperial court, everything changed. In just three short years, he had become a completely different person.
That person won over the emperor’s trust and was promoted to the Prime Minister of the Right. Ever since then, he became a callous and arrogant man that threw his weight about. The gentle smile within his eyes were gone without a trace, and every time Song Zhilan saw him there would be an arrogant disdain in his eyes that stung.
He suddenly lost any status he had in the imperial court. No one took his words seriously anymore, and no matter what he tried to do he would be met with inexplicable obstructions. The crown prince was repeatedly suppressed. It seemed as if the emperor and the rest of the world had forgotten that he existed.
That was when he realized that Lu Li’s tenderness and easy-going nature were false, and that his elegance and brilliance were all part of a thin mask that easily crumbled to reveal his true nature. Song Zhilan saw that once a person gained power, they could ruthlessly stomp everything under their foot.
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Hatred quietly bred in his heart. He painstakingly studied the library’s collection of books around the clock, seeking knowledge on how to become a good ruler. He got in contact with court councilors surreptitiously and secretly gathered influence. Finally, it came time for him to counterattack.
The positions reversed. He became the victor and Lu Li became the loser. Lu Li suffered a total defeat and ended up as a prisoner.
He swore to himself that he would make Lu Li kneel before him one day. Now that the man was kneeling in front of him, but he did not feel a shred of victorious glee.
“Prime Minister!”
Song Rong was the first to realize that something was wrong. He quickly came over to support Lu Li’s stiff body. He turned the prime minister over and held him in his arms.
Lu Li’s white clothes were almost completely dyed in red blood. Lu Li leaned against Song Rong’s shoulder, completely motionless. His eyes were closed and his lips were pale. He had completely lost consciousness.
“Escort the emperor back to the palace!”
Song Rong picked up Lu Li in a bridal carry and gave out orders in a sharp voice. Just as he was about to bring Lu Li onto the carriage, a hand on his elbow stopped him.
The person in his arms was hurt very badly. He could not afford a moment’s delay. With anxiety riddling his heart, Song Rong turned around with a frown. It was the young emperor who had stopped him. Song Zhilan had a complicated look in his eyes.
“…The royal carriage is faster.”
Song Zhilan spoke in a low voice. His knuckles had turned white from the force of his grip. It was as if one of his core pillars of belief had almost been overturned.
This makes us even, he thought.
Regardless of what the reason might be, Lu Li had saved him this time, so he had to save the other man in turn. After this, neither one would owe the other anything. And then they could continue to settle old debts.
If Lu Li died just like this, he would be getting off too easily.
For a split second, Song Rong’s expression turned complicated, but he did not refuse. He carried Lu Li into the royal carriage. Song Zhilan also got on, and they sat together.
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The carriage driver cracked the whip and the carriage sped forward towards the palace. At the moment when they were about to enter the palace’s gate, Song Rong seemed to perceive something and he lowered his head.
The person in his arms was slowly opening his eyes. Lu Li’s gaze was blank for a moment before regaining clarity. Those eyes took in the situation within the carriage.
There was a radiant light in Lu Li’s gaze that came on so swiftly that even the person in question did not notice. Song Zhilan eagerly sat up straight. He looked into Lu Li’s eyes, which were clear and bright like freshly fallen snow. His lips moved but no words came out.
Lu Li frowned. Then it was as if he had figured something out, and all at once the arrogance and indifference of before returned to his pale face. His voice was mocking and cold.
“I’m afraid you got the wrong impression. I never entertained the though of saving you. It’s just that those people insisted on going after me. That is all…”
Thanks for the update
Lolol bro is trying to save his pot the moment he wakes up.
Thank you for the chapter!!