Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 1128: Chapter 144: Mother and Son Reunited (Part 2)

"No cuisine in the world is as delicious as the dishes Mother Consort makes." He had tasted many delicacies in Swamp Prefecture, but none compared to the meals prepared by his mother. "What I missed most in Swamp Prefecture were Mother Consort’s cooking."

Lady Liang teased, "Don’t you miss Mother Consort?"

"Of course I do." Zhao Yao said sweetly, "I missed Mother Consort the most."

Lady Liang was very pleased by her son’s words, "I thought you were reluctant to return to the capital."

"How could that be possible?" Zhao Yao paused his chopsticks and said, "With Mother Consort in the capital, how could I not want to return?"

"My lady, His Highness is becoming more and more sweet-talking."

Lady Liang teased her son, "You must have eaten a lot of sweets in Swamp Prefecture."

"Mother Consort, you’re making fun of me."

"Alright, alright, Mother Consort won’t say more, you eat well first."

Zhao Yao ate four bowls of rice in a row before he felt full. If Lady Liang hadn’t stopped him, he could have eaten another bowl.

After the meal, the mother and son started chatting.

Zhao Yao first inquired with concern about Lady Liang’s life in the palace over the past year, to which she said she was doing well.

Lady Liang also asked about some matters, then moved on to the main topic.

"Why didn’t you inform me in advance about your return to the capital?"

"I wanted to surprise you." Zhao Yao winked at Lady Liang, "Mother Consort, were you surprised?"

"You encountered an assassination attempt." Lady Liang stated firmly.

Zhao Yao wanted to say "no," but seeing Lady Liang’s calm gaze, he couldn’t say it. He paused and said, "As expected, I couldn’t hide it from Mother Consort."

"Sent by Prince Han, right?"

"Yes." Lady Liang guessed that the assassin was sent by Prince Han, to which Zhao Yao was not surprised. "Two days after I left Swamp Prefecture, he sent assassins to kill me, wave after wave, even dispatching a suicide squad. Recently, it’s been the Xun Family and the Wang Family sending suicide squads after me."

Lady Liang’s expression changed immediately, and she hurriedly asked, "Were you injured?"

"I wasn’t." Zhao Yao finished, and seeing that Lady Liang didn’t believe his words, he rolled up his sleeves and opened his shirt to let her see.

Lady Liang carefully inspected him, and seeing no new wounds on his body, she felt relieved.

"It’s good you weren’t injured."

"I anticipated that Prince Han would attempt an assassination, so I was prepared."

"Why does Prince Han want you dead?"

Zhao Yao spoke calmly, "Recently, I dismantled his forces in Annan and Johor and indirectly found evidence of his collusion with the Third Princess of the Xiongnu."

Lady Liang was shocked by her son’s words, "You destroyed all his forces in foreign countries?"

"Yes, not a single one remained." Zhao Yao smiled and said, "Their influence in those countries wasn’t small, so I made quite a fortune from it. Prince Han and the Third Princess had a lot of wealth stored in those countries."

Lady Liang: "..." It’s no wonder Prince Han wants him dead.

"You destroyed their hard work; no wonder they hate you so."

"Let them hate; it’s not like it will cost me a thing." Prince Han never considered Zhao Yao of worth, and Zhao Yao wasn’t impressed by him, either. "Prince Han thought his and the Third Princess’s activities in those foreign countries were done in secrecy, believing I, as Prince Han, was just a figurehead. I had to show them I’m not."

"What did they do that made you completely destroy their foreign power?" Lady Liang understood her son; he wouldn’t act rashly unless provoked by them.

"Sending people to assassinate me repeatedly, does that count?"

Lady Liang frowned and said, "What, Prince Han kept sending people to assassinate you, and you didn’t tell me?"

"Should I tell you just to make you worry?"

"Why did Prince Han send people to assassinate you before?"

"What else could it be, because I didn’t give him business deals I had?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Liang was filled with anger, "That’s unbearable."

"Mother Consort, don’t be angry. All those he sent to assassinate me are dead." Zhao Yao said, "And his spies in Swamp Prefecture have all been removed."

Lady Liang trusted in her son’s capability, "What else did Prince Han do?"

"He trafficked people, selling the citizens of Great Zhou to foreign lands." Thinking of what Prince Han and the Third Princess did, Zhao Yao’s expression turned cold, "In those foreign countries, they committed heinous acts. By removing them, I was doing a public service." Zhao Yao did not elaborate on what those heinous acts were.

"Good riddance." Lady Liang could roughly guess what Prince Han and the Third Princess had done. "He’s probably too scared to return to the capital because of you, right?"

"Yes, he thinks he’s smart. If he had returned to the capital and firmly denied everything, there’d be no problem. But instead, he claimed illness and stayed away." Zhao Yao said with a look of derision, "By not returning, he revealed his guilty conscience, proving his collusion with the Third Princess."