The soft little Tuanzi insisted she wasn't easily fooled. She put on a serious face, "Confess the truth!"
Ji Zhangzhuo laughed, half crying.
"Alright, alright, I'll confess."
He didn't exactly walk away empty-handed. After all, having rendered service, that father of his rewarded him with the title of Commandery Prince.
It sounded good, but not only was his fief poor, his father sent him straight there, effectively exiling him from the power center. It was a clear message: don't even think about claiming the throne.
He had no intention of becoming emperor, but his mother's vengeance was unavenged, and he couldn't let it go.
Then the struggle continued.
While far away at his fief, he kept a close eye on the capital's affairs, sometimes helping this prince, sometimes another.
"In the end, the outcome was," Ji Zhangzhuo smiled meaningfully, "the Crown Prince staged a coup, the Third Prince rallied troops in defense, and the emperor passed away."
