Chapter 297 - Hollow

Inside The study room Zhao Yi Chen stand in the middle of the room with both of his hands clasped behind his back, he turn his head around when Zhao Li Xin enter the room, Zhao Yi Chen smile faintly at him "You have interesting room, the design is dark, stiff and cold…like you" he teased.

Zhao Li Xin ignores him he sits on the arhat chair while Mong Yi served them with wine "You came here just to praised my study room, you know I'm a busy man" he lifts the winecup than take a sip.

Mong Yi face twitch slightly 'Milord you haven't done anything since Miss Luo return' but of course he didn't dare to voice his opinion, he left the room after he served them wine.

On the other hand Zhao Yi Chen chuckles, after he last meeting with Zhao Li Xin he's opinion about Zhao Li Xin gradually change although they're relationship is base on benefit but this is more comfortable then his pretentious relationship with other people, at least in front of Zhao Li Xin he doesn't need pretend to be polite and gentle.

"Of course not, I'm here to inform you about something…. well, I think Lao min Na wanted me dead," he said with an ironic smile.

"Surprise?" Zhao Li Xin glance indifferently towards him.

Zhao Yi Chen sigh "I expected it…but it still hurt nonetheless" he cleans the winecup in one gulp than he pours himself another cup of wine "You seem to know this"

"Only recently" he put down the winecup on the small table on the arhat chair "turn out you are not easy to control so she finds another candidate….the easier one"

Zhao Yi Chen stifles "Zhao Qin Feng?"

Zhao Li Xin rests his head on his fist, he raised his eyebrows with ridiculed expression.

"Of course, other then Zhao Qin Feng their is no other candidate Zhao mu fan is dead and other Princes is too little or too weak to fight for the throned" Zhao Yi Chen pondering while rubbing his chin than he lifted his chin "You know the Emperor condition is not well? 'Not well' is the gentle way to describe it, the truth is the Emperor is become a bit muddlehead, No….I think he becomes crazy, one time he even rapes one of the official daughters" he said in a baffled look.

Zhao Li Xin frowned "He does?" he said casually in low voice but for people who know Zhao Li Xin, they would recognize the shocked in his tones.

"I know father emperor have weakness for beauty but the old him will never be this brazen, the woman in the fourth rank official so it can cover up easily especially when it happened inside the Imperial Palace, the news that was released is that woman died drawn in the pond, and people who knew about this killed on the spot accept the Empress and her faithfull eunuch and personal maid" Zhao Yi Chen sigh, he was not their when incident happened he just got the news from his spy that he planted inside the royal palace.

"What are you thinking?" Zhao Li Xin awoke him from pondering.

Zhao Yi Chen leans his back on the chair "Same as you I presume…."

Zhao Li Xin rubs his thin lips and immerses in deep thought "Lao Min Na" he said quietly.

Zhao Yi Chen nods his head "I heard 'Gu' can control the host, if the Emperor has 'Gu' inside of him could it be…can we?"

"If the 'Gu' already control the host brain that means it is too late to cure the Emperor, maybe he wouldn't live more then a month," Zhao Li Xin cut him in a monotone without sadness, anger or joy on his face.

Zhao Yi Chen let out a long heaved, he knew what the Royal family had done to Zhao Li Xin since he was young so he can't blamed Zhao Li Xin remain indifferent towards them but not like Zhao Li Xin, Zhao Yi Chen is the Emperor biological son and their was a time where the Emperor cares for him so Zhao Yi Chen can't help feeling sad for his Father.

"Do you hated the Emperor?" Zhao Yi Chen suddenly asked.

Zhao Li Xin frowned he wonder how is he feeling about that old Emperor "Maybe I was when I was little but not after I reach adolescence, for me he just a stranger who I met once a year nothing more, I don't hated him or care for him, I make clear the line between us so he wouldn't take advantages of me….that's all"

'No hate, not love'

Zhao Yi Chen look down on the half-full wine cup on his hand, what Zhao Li Xin said isn't that worse then the words 'I hate him' at least when you hated someone that person would give impression in you're heart maybe not in a good way but it was their but if you don't love and you don't hate that means that person is nothing more like a pebbles on the street that soon be forgotten and that's how Zhao Li Xin felt about the Emperor. But can he Blamed him? what comes around comes around.

"Why Lao Min Na do this?" Zhao Yi Chen suddenly lift his head in sad and baffles looks.

"She's you're fiancée, you tell me…" Zhao Li Xin shrugs his shoulder casually.

Zhao Yi Chen becomes silent, he takes a deep breath "She's not always like this…" he muttered. He finish the wine than put down the empty winecup on the table in front of him gently "The first time I saw her, she is a strong woman, stubborn, relentless, she has a lot of anger inside of her but who's not if you live the life like her but behind that I saw her fear, anxiety, sadness, and her fragility her contradictive and her persistence against her circumstances make me fell in love with her"

Zhao Yi Chen sighs than he leans his back and he closes his eyes, he feel helpless, hurt and sad everything mixed together makes him feel lost, he thought he could hate Lao Min Na, after all, she's done to him but when he knew she wanted to end his life he feel the old wound is torn open and someone rub the salt on it.

"I know she has great ambition, her hunger for power is because she desperately tries to control her owned destiny I don't know why she's so scared why she tries so hard, so cruel, so merciless to everyone and to everything and why she's changed so much" Zhao Yi Chen pressed his palm on his forehead "She changed and its not little….now I can't see anything in her, no sadness, anger or fear. The last time I saw her is like I staring on the deep of abyss, its nothing but hollow…."

Zhao Li Xin clench his fist until it paled "And that hollow would swallow everything near it whether it is a human, beast or Kingdom, her hunger seems insatiable, her eyes remain me of you once….so tell me, Zhao Li Xin, what make her changed? Where's my fiancée go?"