this realm, who else besides the Emperor’s two brothers would possess such abilities However, everyone knows that Prince Anbang Ziyin is far away battling an enemy, while another prince, originally d...Chapter 40 He's Actually Just a Pitiful Child

"Hahaha Haha So you really are an idiot, right" Qi Lin laughed without restraint as she pointed at Feng Changqing. But seeing his dark face, she reined in her laughter and tried to suppress it, then said seriously, "But that’s also one of your lovable traits."

Uh She had no idea what Qi Lin was talking about; perspiration dripped down from the size of beans but he didn’t feel angry. Instead, a strange feeling emerged from his heart, indescribable.

"That’s why women are troublesome; that’s why I hate them." Feng Changqing didn't know what to say, so he made up an excuse, but his gaze never left Qi Lin's face.

Qi Lin rolled her eyes helplessly and turned her head like a teacher would, saying, "The ancients said, ‘Only small people and women are hard to keep company with.’ But if women are troublesome, then aren’t men just looking for trouble If you think about it, men really are idiots."

"You Hmph, twisting words around," Feng Changqing glared at Qi Lin but couldn't find a counterargument; this was the first time he found himself in such a situation.

But to her, his expression looked very funny. Suppressing her laughter, she patted Feng Changqing's shoulder and said, "Sigh, actually, neither of us should say anything about each other. You were raised with a silver spoon while I’m someone who sprang from the grassroots; our worldviews are different, understandable. Compared to those second-generation rich kids or official brats, you’re still decent."

"Worldview" Feng Changqing looked at Qi Lin in confusion. "Second-generation officials and rich kids What’s that"

Qi Lin was taken aback; bad, when excited she would say everything. How should she explain now She quickly thought about it for a moment, then hesitantly said, "Worldview is your view on things; after all, radishes and cabbages are different to people's tastes, right Second-generation officials mean those born into official families; second-generation rich kids are from wealthy backgrounds. Living off their parents' money, understand"

She thought she had given the simplest explanation, but looking at Feng Changqing’s calm expression, Qi Lin assumed he hadn’t understood anything and decided it was too troublesome to explain further, so waited quietly for him to recover.

In fact, his silence wasn't intentional; however, from watching how Qi Lin spoke just now, he found her quite interesting. More importantly, in front of her, he didn’t feel like an emperor but a common white phoenix instead. And unlike others who would flatter and even defend him without being asked to, Qi Lin did none of these.

What kind of person was this woman

Just as Qi Lin was about to fall asleep, Feng Changqing suddenly grabbed her hand; she opened her eyes wide in surprise, staring at Feng Changqing and foolishly saying, "Are you mad now This reaction is a bit too late, right"

"I’ll make you my empress."

Feng Changqing’s unexpected words left Qi Lin stunned; as she was about to ask why, he spoke again.

"But you must agree to one condition of mine." Grabbing her hand and tightening his grip slowly, Feng Changqing continued, "No matter what means you use, you have to get the Empress Dowager out of Changle Palace."

Empress Dowager She had never heard this term before; neither Yu Mu nor Zi Yin mentioned it. But today she heard Feng Changqing say it himself—what was going on

But from Feng Changqing’s eyes, Qi Lin saw something called longing. This forced her to nod in agreement.

Saw Qilin nodding, Feng Changqing smiled with a sigh of relief—only to leave Qilin dumbfounded. She had seen Feng Changqing smile before, but his eyes hadn’t shown such genuine happiness until now.

Feng Changqing found a comfortable way to lean on Qilin's leg and raised his gaze to stare directly at the stars through the window. His thoughts seemed to drift back in time with the vastness of the night sky.

"That was before I ascended to the throne."

Qilin’s heart skipped a beat; this was the prelude to his story. But looking into Feng Changqing's calm eyes, she saw the glimmer of loneliness and listened quietly.

"I was born alongside another prince by my mother. At that time, there were already more than ten princes and princesses in the palace. However, the smartest among us was Zi Yin, now Prince Anbang. But Zi Yin always protected us as an older brother, even though we weren’t from the same mother. We got along very well."

At this point, Feng Changqing seemed to have been transported back to that time of happiness, with a slight upward curve at the corners of his mouth.

"Although there were many princes, we four stood out: Zi Yin, adept in military strategy; Bai Qianye, my co-twin brother, almost flawless; and Long Ye, shrewd and intelligent. We were the most favored by our father."

Hearing Bai Qianye’s name, a flicker of Lily passed through Qilin's mind but quickly vanished as she continued listening to Feng Changqing.

"Although I was born alongside Bai Qianye from the same mother, he outshone us in every aspect: intelligence, martial arts, and strategy. Even surpassing our father. And me Doomed to live under his shadow."

His eyes radiated a complex light of envy and admiration. Pausing for a moment, Feng Changqing continued, "He became the crown prince naturally. At first glance, it seemed there was nothing wrong with that; Zi Yin didn’t object but rather agreed, while Long Ye never had ambitions to be crown prince."

"But why am I now the emperor instead of him You must wonder this," Feng Changqing coldly observed Qilin as he spoke. "Because I killed him—no, made his life a living hell. I crippled his most proud martial arts, severed his tendons in his hands and legs, turned him into a cripple, trampled on his pride, stole the woman he loved, took her away from under his nose, then killed her."

"Seeing the pain and anger in his eyes made me very happy. So very happy. The feeling of being stepped on for so long before finally turning the tables was truly exhilarating. Then I bestowed poison wine upon him—a slow-acting kind that would make his internal organs rot gradually. Afterward, I gave him a beating and banished him from the palace."

"Then I became emperor. But my mother On the day of my ascension, she issued an edict to never leave Changle Palace, nor allow me to visit."

“I knew she hated me; after all, Bai Qianye was her most beloved son.”

"Why does everything go to him Why am I called such names when we are from the same mother and possess similar talents" When my mother and father sacrificed me for Bai Qianye to ascend as emperor, do you know how much it hurt me"

“When Bai Qianye flipped the world with a wave of his hand, reveling with his beloved woman while trampling on my pride, do you know how much that hurt me”

"As brothers, when everyone flocked to him and ignored me, do you know how much it hurt"

“When we both made mistakes, Bai Qianye got away scot-free while I received a beating and was imprisoned in a dark room. Do you know how that hurt”

"When my father fell ill and needed a child’s blood for medicine, the first to step forward was me. But why did he praise Bai Qianye after drinking my blood and even bestowed the White Tiger Mountain upon him"

“So I decided to ruin him. I gave him a chance—just beg like a dog for forgiveness, and I would give him life. But his bones were too hard; he never uttered a word.”

"Do you know how he ended up in my hands It's because he was too clever, so he underestimated the people around him. Don't forget, we were born of the same mother. I'm not worse than him, only that I've been denied."

"I used my mother to send him a bowl of powder that strips his abilities. While he was poisoned, I took everything from him. Wasn't it supposed to give him a life of carefree happiness That's why I made him the Free and Easy King, letting him be carefree in suffering."

"I've said it before, I'm not worse than him."

"But since that day, my mother has never left the Changle Palace."

"Three months ago, news came from the Changle Palace that my mother was seriously ill and wouldn't last long."

"Huhu Now, all I want is for her to come out and see this Phoenix Kingdom. I've made it completely anew and powerful like this. All of this was done with my own hands back then when she looked down on me."

"See that I'm not a weakling"

At this point, Feng Changqing's eyes were filled entirely with anger; sweat covered his forehead, and Qi Lin carefully wiped it off for him.

This is who Feng Changqing truly is.

The boy merely went down the wrong path in order to prove his abilities. But isn't this something that happens all too often Aren't the hands of every emperor stained with blood

But he must be suffering, right Otherwise, why would he tremble when talking about these things.

Gently covering Feng Changqing's clenched hand, Qi Lin’s mind was suddenly filled with another person - Bai Qianye as mentioned by Feng Changqing.

Just who is this man that could make Feng Changqing hate him to such an extent What happened to cause his downfall

Is he dead

Right when Qi Lin was in deep thought, her hand was suddenly grabbed. Looking down, she found Feng Changqing coldly staring at her, tightening her heart.

"You seem to have overheard what you shouldn't," a cold voice came out of his mouth as if freezing the air around them. "Should I make you die"

Just as expected. Qi Lin calmly said, "Doesn't it feel better after saying it aloud"

After all, she had endured for so many years; if it were her, she would have gone mad long ago.

Feng Changqing was slightly taken aback, then reached out and stroked Qilin's cheek. He said, "Three months from now is the empress dowager’s birthday; I will hold a grand ceremony to crown my queen on that day. Within three months, you must get the empress dowager out of Changle Palace. Otherwise, three months later, I’ll make you suffer the same fate as Bai Qianye."

"I will do my best," she replied calmly and nodded her head. Suddenly, Feng Changqing grabbed her chin forcefully, almost breaking it.

"Dare to speak of this matter You will regret being alive."

Qilin merely smiled and massaged her jaw once Feng Changqing released his grip. She said, "A monarch has a monarch’s troubles. Tonight I received only one order—to get the empress dowager out of Changle Palace."

Feng Changqing curled up the corner of his mouth with satisfaction and laughed, saying, "Intelligent; maybe I’ll like you."

"Then it is better if His Majesty does not like me. I have sworn that I will never fall in love with a monarch," Qilin said indifferently. "No matter what happens, I won’t be swayed by such matters."

The air within the room instantly froze and the temperature dropped to its lowest point. The only sound was from the candle flames crackling awkwardly.

"Hahaha! Haha!" Feng Changqing suddenly burst out laughing and stood up, leaving Qilin behind. "Life is precious but love is more valuable. For freedom’s sake, both can be given away. Without love, to want freedom, one must first preserve their life."

Looking at Qilin, he continued, "I remember your words. Don’t worry; within the next three months, I will protect you."

Saying that, he jumped out of the window.

Qilin stared blankly at where Feng Changqing had been standing a moment ago and then collapsed to the floor in the next second. She raised her hand to touch her forehead; she was drenched with sweat and startled by his words.

She thought he was going to kill her.

"Miss" Lüzhu carried a basin of water outside the door and called softly.

Qilin remembered that Lüzhu must have gone to fetch hot water. She guessed Feng Changqing had sealed her acupoints. Qilin waved her hand dismissively, "Go back downstairs; I’ve already washed up and am going to bed now."

Lüzhu went down the stairs obediently as instructed. Only then did Qilin head toward her own bedroom.

A split personality is surely formed through a bizarre and dramatic experience.

Feng Changqing, an emperor high up on his throne, was actually just a lonely child who wanted others’ recognition.ok's first update site, please search [book name] on Baidu."Her skin was naturally good to begin with. Even in the twenty-first century, she only wore makeup when necessary for work. Since coming here...