After Rebirth, She Becomes the Revenge Queen-Chapter 553 - 359 Emperor

Chapter 553: Chapter 359 Emperor
The Empress gazed intently, "Originally, to prevent anyone from discovering Yi Yi’s whereabouts and acting ahead of us, we told no one. This included the two brothers, not out of distrust, but fear they might inadvertently let it slip.
"Thus, we never expected the second prince would come to know about it.
"However, his knowledge makes sense, after all, he is the Crown Prince, and his channels of information and network are stronger than King Yan’s."
"I understand. So, before the deposed Crown Prince forced the palace, neither the Emperor nor the Empress had ever spoken to His Highness King Yan about the matter regarding the elder prince."
The Empress nodded, "One should say, before the truth of this matter was revealed, everyone assumed Yi Yi was no longer among the living."
Fu Zhen stared at the Empress, taking a long time before retracting his gaze.
The Empress was as open as ever, not a hint of hesitation when discussing this matter, unlike someone concealing the truth.
To take a step back, if the Empress had indeed informed King Yan about the search for Yang Yi, there would be no reason to hide it from the deposed Crown Prince.
On the other hand, if the Empress hadn’t disclosed anything to the brothers, why would King Yan come to know Yang Yi?
How could he watch his mother miss her brother without showing any reaction?
She replayed the conversation she overheard between the brothers last night in her mind and then picked up the portrait, "Currently, it seems the elder prince still harbors grievances over some matters in Huzhou. If, back then, before the incident, the Empress had communicated with the elder prince, perhaps things would have turned out differently."
Judging by their responses, although outsiders might not know precisely what transpired in Huzhou back then, it likely related to the information Mrs. Feng initially disclosed.
If the Emperor sacrificed his own flesh and blood to win that battle, Yang Yi’s reluctance to return to them is understandable.
Such matters, even if you find yourself in another’s place, could be accepted; emotionally, however, it’s something no one can entirely ignore.
"No, that’s not right," the Empress shook her head and said, "There was no possibility of communicating; do you think this was a joint decision by me and the Emperor? It wasn’t! In fact, it was long after the incident that I learned of it!"
The Empress’ gaze was penetrating, as if she saw through the intention behind Fu Zhen’s words.
"You are a clever child, I know, even if Yi Yi never spoke to you about this matter, you have somewhat guessed it.
"Yes, he refused to return because his birth father betrayed him! That was the leader he had admired since childhood, his flesh-and-blood father!"
Fu Zhen’s chest tightened, "Please, Your Majesty, enlighten me further."
The Empress clenched her teeth, swallowed hard, turned her face away, and said, "This is a past I am most unwilling to recall. On one side is my husband with whom I’ve shared mutual reliance, on the other is my son whom I carried for ten months and raised by my side for ten years. Every recollection is a heart-wrenching pain."
Fu Zhen stepped forward, "I remember the Empress said last time, it was all a disaster brought by power, does this mean back then, His Majesty chose to sacrifice the elder prince because of power struggles?"
"The chaos of the world stemmed from the previous dynasty’s king’s lack of virtue; at that time, there were rebellions everywhere, and we had to face not only the imperial army but other forces of the Righteous Army too.
"After several years, only two or three armies remained, and when we reached Huzhou, we had become the strongest force.
"Several Righteous Army forces capitulated to us, and their leaders became generals under Zhou Army’s command.
"That night, the main force of the imperial army attacked Huzhou City. Surprisingly, those who seemed at the end of their rope launched a vigorous assault, not only choosing the timing of the ambush flawlessly but also selecting the attack locations precisely.
"Having no other choice, the Zhou Army had to rise up immediately to oppose the enemy.
"I don’t know if you’ve heard about the military situation that month, but it was one of the toughest battles in our entire campaign.
"Our main camp was set ablaze, and the rear where all womenfolk resided was attacked.
"And just when surrounded from all sides, a rebel leader who had submitted to Zhou Army, started vying with the Emperor for the commander’s position of the Zhou Army at such a critical moment.
"At that time, like your father-in-law and the Du family, the generals of the Cheng family were not by his side. The Emperor only had the two generals from the Liang family, who had already perished, with him. But they, too, had been sent with tasks to counter the enemy.