Suddenly, Shunaizel stepped forward from the crowd. He addressed the Emperor on the dais in a most respectful tone: "Forgive me, Your Majesty, Father — I would like to say a few words to this young man called Rulu, if you would permit it."
"You may." The Emperor gave a slow nod.
Shunaizel turned to face Rulu, a polite smile on his face. "Forgive me — should I address you as Mr. Qin, or as Rulu, or perhaps as my imperial brother?"
Rulu frowned and cast Shunaizel an impatient, puzzled look, but said nothing in response.
Shunaizel was untroubled by Rulu's silence. He continued at an unhurried pace: "Then I'll call you Rulu. I have actually heard something of what you went through in the Sanctuary in the past. When that incident occurred, I was deeply shocked, and I felt tremendous regret for what you and your mother and sister suffered."
Rulu said coldly: "Save it. I don't need your sympathy."
"I mean every word." A look of sorrow crossed Shunaizel's face as he spoke slowly. "In fact, after that incident I conducted a secret investigation, and over time I discovered that while it appeared to be an accident, it was in truth a carefully orchestrated assassination."
At those words, Rulu's interest was piqued. "Is that true? What did you find?"
Shunaizel glanced around at the others in the hall, then let out a quiet sigh, his expression filled with deep regret. "My investigation revealed that the masterminds behind that carefully planned assassination were members of the imperial family — the same as myself — and not a small number of them. Among those individuals was the one you harmed — Princess Meiyu."
A look of hateful satisfaction crossed Rulu's face. "You're right. Princess Meiyu was the one who passed information to the people who planned that assassination. She had a hand in the deaths of my mother and sister. I didn't kill her — that was already mercy on my part."
Shunaizel nodded, acknowledging Rulu's words. "I deeply regret what Princess Meiyu did in the past. Although you did grievously harm her, your actions were understandable under the circumstances. I can comprehend both what you did and how you felt."
Rulu said with a frown: "Shunaizel, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Shunaizel turned to face the Emperor. "Your Majesty, Father — although Rulu secretly infiltrated the Sanctuary and deliberately harmed Princess Meiyu, given that he himself was once subjected to persecution by others, I ask that you hold him free of blame. If it is possible, I hope you will allow him to remain in the Sanctuary and have his title and status as prince restored."
Surprise spread across the faces of those in the hall. No one had anticipated that Shunaizel would speak on Rulu's behalf. Someone immediately raised an objection: "Your Highness Shunaizel, that proposal goes far too far. This man called Rulu secretly infiltrated the Sanctuary, deliberately harmed a member of the imperial family, and attempted to steal our Sanctuary's treasures — these are extremely serious crimes. Whatever misfortunes he may have suffered in the past cannot serve as grounds to pardon them."
Another voice spoke up: "I also find Shunaizel's proposal unreasonable. He should first be detained so we can determine the true purpose of his infiltration before deciding how to deal with him."
"Though he is His Majesty's child as we are, he was stripped of his title long ago and expelled from the Sanctuary. He may well have joined organizations outside that oppose us — he could be our enemy. Allowing someone like that back into the Sanctuary is far too dangerous."
The people in the hall voiced their opinions one after another. Most were opposed to pardoning Rulu, and even more strongly opposed to letting him return to the Sanctuary. Among all those voices, Euphemia was one of the few who supported his return — but her voice was entirely drowned out by the others and had no effect whatsoever.
"Quiet — all of you, quiet!" The Emperor's attendant called out sharply. The crowd gradually settled. The Emperor fixed his gaze on Rulu and said without expression: "Rulu, what do you make of what Shunaizel just said?"
A sardonic smile crossed Rulu's face. "I don't know what Shunaizel is trying to accomplish — but one thing is certain: I don't want his sympathy or his help."
Shunaizel said: "No — this is not sympathy. I'm doing this only to make amends for my own past failings."
Rulu said: "What do you mean by that? Are you saying you had a part in that assassination?!"
Shunaizel said: "I was not involved in the assassination itself. But the affair left me deeply unsettled — because although I had quietly uncovered the truth, out of various considerations I chose not to make it public and kept it to myself instead. That ultimately led to where things stand today. I am telling you this now only in the hope of lessening the hatred you bear toward me, toward His Majesty, and toward others."
Hearing this, Rulu couldn't help but laugh. "Shunaizel, you're far too naive. Do you think doing this will make me forget everything that happened? That will never happen."
Shunaizel said: "Why must you be this way? If His Majesty allows you to return to the Sanctuary and have your title as prince restored, why cling to old hatred?"
Rulu said coldly: "Shunaizel, I think you've misunderstood something. I have never wanted to return to the Sanctuary, nor have I any interest in reclaiming my title. There is only one thing I want — and that is to make those who killed my mother and sister pay for what they did. If you truly want my forgiveness, then go and kill every last one of my enemies — leave not a single one alive. If you can't do that, then stop wasting my time with this pointless talk. Do you hear me?!"
Shunaizel seemed to feel the full force of the hatred burning inside Rulu. His expression froze, and he said nothing more.
At that point, the Emperor spoke: "Shunaizel, step back."
Shunaizel acknowledged the command and returned to the crowd. The Emperor looked steadily at Rulu and said: "Rulu, what exactly have you come back to the Sanctuary to do? Is simple revenge truly all you want?"
Rulu replied to the Emperor with a sardonic edge: "You are the Sanctuary's Emperor. Surely you already know what I want."
The Emperor glanced at C.C. beside Rulu, then back at Rulu, and said: "If I am guessing correctly, you obtained certain intelligence and secrets about the Sanctuary from C.C. Your plan is to use what you gained from her as a weapon against me, to carry out your revenge. Am I wrong?"
Rulu said: "You're not wrong. You should understand C.C.'s importance better than I do. It's just my bad luck — if that damned bird hadn't interfered, I would already have succeeded."
The Emperor smiled with an inscrutable expression. "Yes — with C.C.'s help you successfully made contact with that thing, and there is a very good chance you have already obtained powerful knowledge and ability from it. Yet judging by the state you're in right now, it seems you don't yet have sufficient mastery over that knowledge and power. Otherwise you would never have been seized by my apostle and brought here."
Rulu's heart gave a jolt. So the Emperor already knows everything, he thought. He didn't bother arguing. He said bluntly: "And what of it? Just tell me how you intend to deal with me. I have no patience left for this pointless conversation."
The Emperor said: "Rulu, what is the deepest wish of your heart?"
Rulu said: "I have no obligation to answer that."
The Emperor said: "Even if you don't, I know. You want to kill those who once persecuted you — to take your revenge on them."
"You already know, so why ask?"
The Emperor said: "But beyond that, there is something else you wish for — though it is something you have perhaps never allowed yourself to think about. You wish your mother and sister could be brought back to life. You want them to return to your side. Am I wrong?"
At those words, Rulu was momentarily stunned. Suddenly, the memory of encountering his mother and sister in that strange city came back to him. He fixed the Emperor with a complex, searching gaze and said: "On that subject — there is something I want to ask you, Emperor of the Sanctuary."