Chapter 164 - Culmination of Emotions

Prince Yi had laid there on his bed seething for a long time after waking in the early hours of the morning. He finally understood that pull he always felt towards her since the first time he saw her, but what purpose could it possibly serve other than to further complicate his life?

When he could no longer stand being there, he got on his horse and fled his manor and fled the reality he loathed. 

In the end, he found himself at the flower field and thoughts of her filled his mind as he sat on the grass looking over the flowery landscape. A green snake slithered to him and he looked at it for a while and thought it looked to be the same snake Lei Xing had been running from, but it had grown, much like his feelings for her.

Prince Yi picked up the snake and it happily wrapped around his arm as he pet its head. He smiled at the memory of her cowering behind her maid, of her glaring at him from behind the carriage, of her in his arms. Then he frowned, closed his eyes and laid back on the grass with the snake looking at him quizzically. It unwound from his arm and slithered over to his head, looked at his face and then coiled up next to his face.

He stayed there like that until some of the Emperor's men arrived with the message from the Emperor. His irritation at the mention of his brother was overridden for concern for Lei Xing when he heard of the Empress dowager's actions. It was only later when he was galloping his way to the palace that it truly dawned on him what a grave mistake he had made, he had just given the Emperor a valid and justifiable reason to kill him.

But even then he would not flee. If he did not run from his father during that chaos, he would not run now. 

The Emperor finally stopped at the sparring grounds and Prince Yi frowned. This was a place where he suffered humiliation time and time again...At the hands of his father and brothers. He had not come here since he moved out of the palace when he was fourteen. He hated this place.

The Emperor also seemed to be reminiscing. He also had not come here since he returned. After the Second Prince and Prince Yi moved to their own residences, their father had decided to chang his "teaching" methods. He decided it would better serve him and the Crown Prince to combat with the Imperial guards, while he watched ready with his criticisms as usual. 

Their father also had him and the Crown Prince watch each other's sessions while he compared one to the other and was sure to tell them what they lacked that the other had, stoking the fire of malice between them. 

Of course, the Emperor never hated the Crown prince, but he did not care for him either. Getting rid of him was simply...ensuring his own survival. Not to mention that he had dug his own grave. But even then, the Emperor still spared Prince Yi their father's wrath...And at least he gave him a way out, but if Prince Yi was then stupid enough to have jumped headfirst into the fire, then that was simply his fate. But in the end, Prince Yi proved to have a lot more determination than the Emperor had expected.

Thinking on that, the Emperor realized he had just done the same thing with Lei Xing just now. He could have easily told her the plan as they made their way to the palace, yet he did not...he did feel inclined to...And honestly, he was not sure what he would have done if Lei Xing had not picked up on the clues and instead told the truth. But regardless of whether she was drugged or not, she did not have to kiss his brother...

The Emperor turned to Prince Yi, who was now glaring at the ground he was quite familiar with, "It has been a long time since we sparred together. How about a quick session?" The Emperor asked with a half-smile, that clearly did not reach his eyes.

Prince Yi glanced at him and bowed, playing the part of the loyal subject,  "I could never...What if your majesty gets hurt?..." Normally, no one other than the Imperial guards was allowed to wield swords in the palace for the Emperor's protection.

The Emperor snorted with dry amus.e.m.e.nt and simply motioned for two guards to bring their swords. He took one and then looked at Prince Yi who was frowning down at the sword the other guard held out to him. Prince Yi glanced at the Emperor's indifferent expression and then frowned down at the door again and then took it.

The Emperor then turned back to the guards and ordered, "Withdraw." They bowed and quickly moved to the far ends of the walls. 

Prince Yi watched them withdraw and then turned to the Emperor, who was leisurely scrutinizing the sword in his hand. The thought that if he decided to run the Emperor through right there, the guards were too far to get there in time stop him. He could kill him now.

Prince Yi frowned and he tightened his grip on the sword then calmly asked, "What if I accidentally end up seriously hurting you? I would rather not bear the blame for such a crime as your death."

The Emperor glanced up at Prince Yi with a raised eyebrow, "Do you want to kill me?..." Prince Yi blinked at the question, taken aback by the directness of it. But before he could find his words to deny such a "preposterous" suggestion, the Emperor continued, "You can try, if you can...But know that you will not leave here alive either."

Prince Yi angrily blurted out, "So you are allowed to kil-" But caught himself before he said more. This place was messing with him and making him agitated.

The Emperor snorted and then smirked, "I would have never thought you were afraid to die. You don't seem to care very much of late..." The Emperor's smile disappeared and he flatly said, "A simple sparring session, I will not kill you." And with that said, he swiftly moved towards Prince Yi with sword raised to attack. Prince Yi still had reservations but his hand instinctively moved to defend and he raised his sword to block the Emperor's.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow with a small smirk on his face as he looked into Prince Yi's eyes, as he pushed back against the strength of his sword, "You've improved."

On hearing that statement, words he had never heard from those around him. Words he once sought to hear and would have given anything to have heard from their father...Right now coming from his brother, from this particular brother enraged him. Prince Yi's eyes suddenly burned with immense fury, with the rage of many years long passed...All the pain, anger, humiliation, a lost life of hopes and dreams, all he once was and had become bubbled to the surface c.u.mulating into one emotion, rage. He pushed the Emperor back with all his strength as he bit out through gritted teeth, "I don't need to hear that from you."

{...You have no right!...}