Chapter 716: Protagonist

After uttering his final word, Li Qiong violently overturned the table beside him.

The teapot and cups on the table crashed to the floor, sending shattered porcelain flying everywhere.

Princess Consort Zhen’s heart ached as she looked at the utter mess on the floor.

She said in a trembling voice,

“I’m sorry. I never thought things would turn out like this. Back then, when your father, the Emperor, was gravely ill, Prince Wu Zhang had control of the court. You and I were both stumbling blocks on his path to the throne. If I hadn’t fought to put you on the Crown Prince’s throne, he would have killed us. It wouldn’t matter if I died, but I wanted you to live. Qiong’er, I just wanted you to live. That’s all.”

By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears.

At this moment, she was no longer the noble, beautiful, and poised Princess Consort Zhen, but just an ordinary mother.

It was the first time Li Qiong had ever seen his mother in such a state.

He was stunned. After a long moment, he slowly asked,

“How do you want me to live? To live on in disgrace like a stray dog?”

Princess Consort Zhen choked out, “You’re not a stray dog. You still have me, your mother. I will always be with you, always protect you.”

Li Qiong slowly shook his head. “You don’t understand how I feel.”

He extended his pale, thin right hand and picked up a shard of broken porcelain from in front of him.

Seeing this, Princess Consort Zhen instantly panicked.

She rushed toward Li Qiong. “Qiong’er, don’t do anything foolish!”

“Don’t come any closer!” Li Qiong pressed the porcelain shard against his throat. His eyes were bloodshot, filled not only with despair but also a reckless madness.

Terrified, Princess Consort Zhen stopped in her tracks.

She pleaded through her tears, “You are my only child. I love you more than anything. Please, I’m begging you, don’t hurt yourself.”

Li Qiong’s fingers, clutching the shard, trembled slightly.

“Mother, you’re the one who made me Crown Prince. You taught me to never, for a moment, forget my identity as the Crown Prince. I remembered. As long as I live, I will forever be the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty!”

He closed his eyes and forcefully plunged the shard into his neck.

Princess Consort Zhen let out a scream of terror and grief.

“No!!”

When Chen Wangbei and his guards burst into the room, they were met with a scene of utter chaos. Princess Consort Zhen was cradling the blood-soaked Li Qiong, her cries heart-wrenching.

“Qiong’er, Qiong’er, don’t die!”

Li Qiong struggled to open his mouth and forced out a few words.

“I am the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How could I… how could I grovel before my enemy like a stray dog begging for mercy?”

Princess Consort Zhen broke down completely. “I was wrong. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have made you the Crown Prince. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this fight for the throne. I’m the one who should die! Don’t you die, please, I’m begging you, don’t die.”

The imperial physicians hurried over.

They lifted Li Qiong onto a bed and began emergency treatment.

To avoid obstructing the treatment, everyone not involved was asked to leave, Princess Consort Zhen included.

She walked out of the room, looking utterly devastated.

Outside, the sun shone brightly, and the autumn air was crisp and clear.

However, Princess Consort Zhen’s heart felt nothing but an icy chill.

Xi Xiang came forward to support her. Seeing her deathly pale face, she said with concern, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. The Saint will be all right.”

Although Li Qiong had been defeated, the Regent King had not yet formally ascended the throne, so Li Qiong still held the title of Emperor. However, everyone knew that it wouldn’t be long before even that title was taken away.

Princess Consort Zhen seemed not to hear anyone, completely lost in her own world, her eyes staring blankly ahead.

It was impossible to know what she was thinking.

Just then, Hua Manman and Li Ji appeared.

They walked up to Princess Consort Zhen.

Hua Manman took the initiative to greet her. “Noble Consort.”

It was this address, “Noble Consort,” that finally brought Princess Consort Zhen back to her senses.

She looked at the woman standing before her, a torrent of emotions swirling within her, leaving her speechless for a long moment.

Fearing the Regent King’s displeasure, Xi Xiang hurriedly said, “The Noble Consort has just suffered a great shock and is still a bit dazed. I hope Your Highnesses, the Prince and Princess Consort, will not take offense.”

Hua Manman said to the man beside her,

“I’d like to speak with the Noble Consort alone.”

Li Ji nodded slightly and agreed.

He and his men stepped away.

But he didn’t go far. He found a place to sit down, sipping tea while keeping his eyes on Manman.

The distance between them prevented him from hearing Hua Manman’s and Princess Consort Zhen’s conversation, but it allowed him to see Manman clearly, ensuring her safety.

With no one else around, Hua Manman changed her form of address, calling her, “Sister.”

Hearing this long-unheard address, “Sister,” Princess Consort Zhen’s expression involuntarily softened.

She said slowly, “I thought I would never hear you call me Sister again.”

Hua Manman replied, “You will always be my sister.”

These words struck the softest spot in Princess Consort Zhen’s heart, and the tears she had just managed to suppress started falling again.

She hastily took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, laughing self-deprecatingly.

“I don’t know why, but I can’t stop crying today. I was never like this before.”

Hua Manman sighed softly. “I’m sorry.”

Princess Consort Zhen replied, “You haven’t done anything wrong. Why are you apologizing to me?”

Hua Manman glanced at the closed door behind her.

“I’m sorry about what happened with Li Qiong.”

Princess Consort Zhen was about to say it had nothing to do with her, but Li Qiong’s earlier words suddenly echoed in her mind.

On a strange impulse, she couldn’t stop herself from asking, her tone feigning nonchalance,

“Qiong’er told me just now that this world is actually a book. He said that you and I are both characters in it. Heh… the boy must have been deceived by someone. How could something like that be true? Right, Manman?”

She expected Manman to nod in agreement. ‘How could anyone possibly believe something so absurd?’

But she waited for a long while and didn’t get the answer she was hoping for.

The feigned ease on her face gradually faded.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Hua Manman didn’t answer but asked a question instead.

“What if I told you that what Li Qiong said is true? That this world really might be a book, and you are its protagonist.”

Princess Consort Zhen stared at her blankly, her face a mask of utter disbelief.

Hua Manman spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“In the book, you are intelligent and kind, while I am foolish and vicious. I was jealous of your beauty and did everything I could to frame you, ultimately reaping what I sowed and bringing about my own death. Meanwhile, you relied on your extraordinary intelligence to steadily rise through the ranks of the imperial harem. Eventually, you became the Empress Dowager, your son inherited the throne, and you became a true winner at life.”

Princess Consort Zhen didn’t know what to make of this story and could only shake her head repeatedly.

“This is impossible. It’s too absurd.”

Hua Manman let out a soft breath and said with a smile,

“Yes, I think the story is absurd too. You and I are living people of flesh and blood. We have our own thoughts and feelings. How could our entire lives be summed up by just a few lines in a book? Sister, this world has never had protagonists or supporting characters. Everyone should be the protagonist of their own story.”