Murong Jie didn't know how to convey his father's words to his mother. He was embarrassed, afraid that his mother would be sad, and even more afraid that she would have expectations.
"Mother, please stay here. I will beg my father to bring you out as soon as possible."
Murong Jie hesitated for a long time before speaking, but before he could finish his words, Concubine Dong's hysterical voice came from inside the door.
"Murong Jie, do you know what you are saying? Why are you so useless? If it was the Queen who was imprisoned in this Qingliang Palace, the eldest prince would kneel down in front of the Emperor and plead for mercy for his mother. What about you? You actually let me stay in here for a few days. This is not a place for human beings at all."
"Mother, I will go and ask father for help, don't worry. It's just that father is furious now, and I..." Murong Jie felt a headache when he heard Concubine Dong repeat the same old tune and compare himself with his elder brother.
"Don't make excuses for me. You are incompetent. Just find a way to get me out of here." Concubine Dong just wanted to leave here at the moment. When she heard Murong Jie still looking for excuses to shirk his responsibilities outside the door, she became furious and shouted loudly.
"Mother, your son..." What Murong Jie couldn't stand the most was his mother's unreasonableness. If he could take her out of Qingliang Palace, then there would be no need for him to ask his father for help, and there would be no need for his mother to wait here for a few more days.
"My biggest mistake was giving birth to a useless son like you. If I were the eldest prince, I would never allow my mother to be wronged. That year, when I caused trouble for the queen, the eldest prince ignored me and slapped me directly. When will you have the courage of the eldest prince? Then I won't have to worry about your future."
"You are such a loser, how can you understand my mother's suffering? Even if you see my mother suffering, you won't..."
"Every time the Queen encounters difficulties, the eldest prince will help her solve the problem. But you, when I encounter problems, you run away faster than anyone else. You really make me feel cold."
"Jer..."
When Concubine Dong thought of Murong Jie's incompetence, she seemed to have forgotten that she was in Qingliang Palace and just kept expressing her dissatisfaction with her son.
Murong Jie stood outside the Qingliang Palace, and the coldness in his heart grew heavier.
To him, these words from his mother were just a repetition of the same old tune. Every time his mother encountered something, she would express her disappointment in him in this way, every time.
"Mother, I am not as good as my elder brother. What's more, my elder brother was taught by my mother herself, and my mother is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Sui." Murong Jie finally couldn't help but quietly remind his mother that he and his elder brother were never on the same level and had different starting points.
Murong Jie was just about to tell his mother that the Empress Dowager and his father also paid attention to his eldest brother's education, but before he could open his mouth, Concubine Dong shouted like crazy in the Qingliang Palace: "Murong Jie, you little heartless man, you despise me because of my low birth, right? I am much lower in birth than the Queen, but I can become your father's favorite concubine, and even the Queen looks at my face. Why don't you say this? If you have half of my ability, you won't be compared to nothing by the eldest prince."
Concubine Dong's voice was so hysterical that it startled the quiet birds flying not far away.
As soon as the words were spoken, there was only silence inside and outside the Qingliang Palace.
Murong Jie's face was already covered with tears.
"Mother, I don't want to be like you. I just want to be like my third and fifth brothers, and be friendly and respectful to my eldest brother. I have the guidance of my mother and the love of my mother. I am just the son of a favorite concubine, not the legitimate son of the queen. I just want to be a free prince. I..."
By the end, Murong Jie was already sobbing. He had been holding it in for many years. Today, because he could not see his mother's disappointed face, he finally had the courage to speak out. But before he could finish his words, his tears began to fall. No one knew the grievances he had suffered over the years, and no one asked him what he wanted, including today. He was the most pitiful person. His mother was locked up in the Qingliang Palace. His father did not comfort her, his brothers did not care about him, his mother did not say a word, and even his own mother looked at him coldly.
(End of this chapter)