TFWYH – Chapter 616 Empathy

The Emperor fell silent upon hearing this. Of course he knew—Jiang Shi had nearly died several times and had given birth in a mass grave.

A descendant of the Huangfu imperial family had also been cast into the common world to suffer hardship.

He understood Ling Yu’s unwillingness to let go of his resentment and hatred, and he pitied everything his precious grandson had unfairly endured. But… he still could not let go of Ling Yu’s ruthlessness.

After all, how could a person willing to strike against even his own biological grandfather possess virtue? How could such a person rule as a sovereign?

Seeing the Emperor remain silent, a trace of mockery flashed through Ling Yu’s eyes.

People were always like this. They could never truly empathize with the suffering of others. They only stood from an objective position and judged right and wrong.

If you have never suffered another person’s pain, do not urge them to be kind.

Did the Emperor understand this principle?

Of course he did!

Yet he still thought Ling Yu was too ruthless.

Ling Yu cupped his hands and continued, “The young lady gave birth to a son in the mass grave, but what she didn’t know was that she had been carrying twins.”

“What?” The Emperor shot to his feet in shock, staring at Ling Yu in disbelief. “You’re saying Jiang… this young lady was carrying twins?”

Ling Yu nodded. “Does Your Majesty still remember the Second Prince’s foolish eldest daughter?”

The Emperor froze.

Wasn’t that eldest daughter Gu Yanshuang’s child?

Back then, he had even assumed that his useless second son had long been involved with Gu Yanshuang.

Later, after learning of Ling Yu’s existence, he merely thought the Second Prince had fallen victim to a scheme and slept with the wrong woman.

But now what was this supposed to mean?

Was Ling Yu saying that little fool was actually Jiang Shi’s child?

Ling Yu’s expression remained unreadable as he calmly continued recounting the truth.

“The young lady suffered hunger and cold every day. In her dazed condition, she never even realized she had given birth to a daughter as well. Only after she was thrown into the mass grave and rescued by a former servant did she narrowly escape death and later give birth to a son.”

“She never knew that her daughter had fallen into the hands of her elder sister, who poisoned her with gu insects, leaving her mentally impaired since childhood and forcing her to live worse than an animal.”

At this point, Ling Yu lifted his robes and knelt down, respectfully kowtowing three times before the Emperor. Only then did he continue:

“After enduring repeated brushes with death and bearing such deep hatred, Your Majesty—if it were you, could you truly let it go? Some days ago, the Second Prince invited my wife to treat his eldest daughter. Did Your Majesty know this? After my wife returned, she said that the young lady’s body didn’t have a single patch of healthy flesh left. She was emaciated, filthy, and disheveled like a beggar. Moreover, her body had been hollowed out by gu insects over many years. Even if the gu were removed, she would not live past fifty.”

“Killing someone with a single blow is one thing. But to torture one’s own blood relative like this—how can such a person still be called human? Even if this humble subject were the reincarnation of Buddha himself, I could not tolerate it. I beg Your Majesty to understand this subject. Otherwise, how could I ever face my birth mother? How could I face my elder sister?”

“Get up, get up…” The Emperor was deeply moved by Ling Yu’s words. At the same time, murderous intent arose in his heart toward Gu Yanshuang, and even Prime Minister Gu became an object of hatred.

He did not believe that Prime Minister Gu, a man with influence everywhere, had been unaware of this matter.

He had known—and yet ignored it all, allowing his eldest daughter to abuse the younger one.

If a father lacks compassion, how can he blame a son for lacking filial piety?

Every cause had its effect.

Whether it was Ling Yu or that poor foolish girl, both had suffered terribly.

If he had known all this earlier, he would have brought that girl into the palace long ago and cared for her properly.

How could he have allowed her to remain trapped in a wolf’s den for more than ten years?

At this moment, the Emperor felt incomparably guilty toward Ling Yu.

Seeing Ling Yu still kneeling, the Emperor personally stepped forward to help him up, his aged eyes moist with emotion.

“Good child, I know you’ve suffered. I know that child has suffered too. Don’t worry—this Emperor will uphold justice for you. I’ll have that vicious woman thrown into prison immediately and executed by dismemberment.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for understanding this subject. However, this matter lacks evidence. I ask that Your Majesty leave it to me and refrain from intervening.”

The Emperor did not want to agree. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to tear Gu Yanshuang into pieces.

But after considering certain consequences—and because it was his precious grandson’s request—he still agreed in the end.