Chapter 4: Unworthy of Being a Father

It was my father who slapped me.

If I give birth to a male infant, there will be hope for him to be conferred as the crown prince. A mother gains honor through her son, and both the Sun family and the Yang family will be able to wield power through this. At that time, King Zhao, Sima Lun, will no longer be in their eyes

"Vile woman!" Yang Xuanzhi's eyes widened in anger as he scolded, "You actually seduced Sun Hao! Just as despicable as your mother!"

The sound of "pa" echoed crisply in the ears

Marrying Sima Zhong as his consort, my happiness in this life was thus destroyed. He felt sorrow, unwilling for me to be confined in the deep palace; he wanted to give me happiness and protect me for a lifetime. This thought and intention of his, I could only understand in my heart.

This is their hope and scheme

"On what basis? Just because I am your elder!" Sun Xiu said coldly and harshly, shouting, "The Sun family has no unfilial descendants like you, get out!"

I sighed inwardly; for my sake, my cousin broke into the Zhaoyang Palace and offended Sun Xiu, and I fear that the days to come will not be easy

Although this pain has become numb, it still hurts

He further stated: "Serve His Majesty well, and bear him one son and one and a half daughters. If a son is born, he will be the Crown Prince, and you will never lack for wealth and honor in this lifetime"

"Alright, I will wait for Brother Yang outside the hall." Sun Xiu glanced at me and kindly advised, "Rong'er, listen to your father."

"Brother Yang, please do not be angry." Sun Xiu smiled and said, "After all, Rong'er has been officially conferred as the Empress, the mother of the nation, so let us speak amicably."

Because I do not wish to harm him; moreover, he has the will but lacks the strength

Yang Xuan gazed at me with a dark glare, devoid of any paternal kindness or affection, only filled with disdain and anger. "I warn you, you had better abandon any thoughts of escape and fulfill your role as my queen."

Sun Xiu immediately called for someone to come in, and seven or eight guards subdued Sun Hao, escorting him away

Sun Xiu returned, accompanied by Sima Zhong, who also arrived at Zhaoyang Palace

"Let me not embarrass you, esteemed one. Perhaps you should wait outside the hall for a moment while I exchange a few private words with the Empress." The smile on Yang Xuanzhi's face was disgustingly contemptuous.

Sun Xiu's face darkened with anger, "Unfilial child!"

"The honor of the family is maintained by a mere weak woman, which is not the act of a great man! Having descendants like you in the Sun family is truly a disgrace!" Sun Hao shouted in anger

With a cold smile in my heart, I watched Sun Xiu, who was so obsequious, leave without casting a glance at my father

He struggled and shouted incessantly, and finally turned to look at me with a glance, a gaze so despairing that it was chilling

I straightened my back and said lightly: "Your Excellency, times have changed. This is the Zhaoyang Hall, I am the Empress, and you are a subject, so you should refer to yourself as 'this humble minister'"

He is unworthy of being a father

Yang Xuan carefully smiled and said: "Lord Sun, please do not be angry. Sun Hao is still young and does not know better. It would be best to take him out of the palace first."

I nodded slightly, pulled my hand away, and stubbornly gazed out the window

How could I surrender myself to that foolish emperor

Sima Zhong's entire life was never in his own hands; he was manipulated by the late emperor, controlled by Empress Jia, and dominated by King Zhao. He was merely a pitiable and tragic puppet emperor, worse off than I am. If I were to bear a child for him, it would be to harm the child, placing them in a situation of deep suffering and peril.

I stood in shock, covering my cheeks; the burning pain was nothing compared to the pain in my heart

I am too lazy to waste words with him, and said: "It is getting late, I am tired, I kindly ask Lord Yang to return to the residence and rest."

He was taken aback and said in an extremely disdainful tone: "If it were not for me, could you ever be worthy of being a queen? I am still your father, and in my presence, you dare to put on the airs of a queen? Hmph!"

Yang Xuanzhi became angry, gripping my wrist tightly, his eyes filled with menace. "Let me tell you, being made empress is a privilege for you. Do not think that just because you are empress, you can defy me, nor should you entertain thoughts of escaping the palace. Do you understand?"