After Rebirth, She Becomes the Revenge Queen-Chapter 554 - 359 Emperor_2

"Do you think the other side was taking advantage of vulnerability? But what you don’t know is that the battle was all part of his premeditated plan!

"At that time, His Majesty had already led the Zhou Army to conquer 80% of the Central Plains, and entering the capital city was already part of the plan.

"This meant that His Majesty was already seen as the predestined new emperor by everyone in the Zhou Army.

"However, the few Righteous Army factions that joined the Zhou Army were not convinced, and conflicts had already occurred in several strategic meetings before.

"But no one anticipated that those Righteous Army forces, who originally rose against the tyranny of the previous dynasty, would deliberately send internal Zhou Army intelligence to the court troops of the previous dynasty even before the war was finally resolved for the sake of seizing power!

"They were initially resisting tyranny, but they ended up becoming tyrannical themselves. In the Battle of Huzhou, we lost tens of thousands of our brothers and comrades!"

The Empress, upon reaching this point, was extremely agitated, her bony fingers tightly gripping the back of the chair, the veins on the back of her hands bulging prominently.

Fu Zhen heard this and felt as if fire was burning within her heart.

She picked up the tea beside her and handed it to the Empress, and after she drank a couple of sips, Fu Zhen couldn’t help but ask, "I have never heard of this part before, what happened afterwards? How did His Majesty think of sacrificing the Crown Prince to break through?"

The Empress took a deep breath, and after a pause, she said, "The other side came prepared, obviously not intending to leave His Majesty any way out.

"However, our regular troops were strong, and the other side couldn’t just crush us or take our place in one go.

"So back then, His Majesty had two choices, one was to resist to the end, and the other was to take our troops and go through the gap they left.

"But if he chose the latter, His Majesty would have to give up his title as King Zhou and the power he had gained, meaning that if he was willing to let the other side become the leader of the Zhou Army, we could safely leave the city. Moreover, given our own strength, there was still a chance to rise again elsewhere."

Fu Zhen suddenly realized, "His Majesty did not choose this path, he chose to stay."

"Exactly," the Empress’s eyes filled again with pain, "from the start, he never considered abandoning the position; he intended to fight to the bitter end, even if it meant dying in the city.

"But at that time, Yi Yi appeared.

"He appeared in the baited formation his father had set up. His father could have called him back! But he didn’t! Not only did he not call him back or stop him, but he also actually had someone release Yi Yi’s horse at that moment!

"That horse was a prized Ferghana horse his father had given him when he was ten years old! He saw his father as a hero and cherished the horse his father gave him as a treasure! He chased into the trap his father dug for him!

"Then he galloped out of the city gate and disappeared for twenty-four years!

"His father succeeded, not only taking down the leader of the court troops of the previous dynasty but also beheading the leader of the Righteous Army that colluded with the previous dynasty!

"He secured his position as King Zhou! The subsequent battles were like a hot knife through butter, and two years later, he stormed into the capital city, successfully overthrowing the dynasty and became Emperor Zhou!

"But my Yi Yi never returned. He never came back! He even killed the soldier who released the horse back then; he concealed this matter so well that no one knew that the much-celebrated victorious battle was actually won by using his own son as bait!"

Tears streamed down the Empress’s face like a spring, and her frail body crumpled from grief.

Unable to bear it, Fu Zhen stepped forward, extending her arms to embrace her: "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!"

The Empress held on to her arm, took a deep breath, and straightened herself up: 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"From the day he raised the banner of rebellion, I have never been apart from him for a single day. Whatever he went through, I have gone through as well.

"I have witnessed countless poor people under a world that devours them, and rationally, I could understand why His Majesty refused to yield then.

"Perhaps if I were in his position, I would also sacrifice small loyalties for grand purposes. I know he sacrificed Yi Yi to save more people. But emotionally, I can’t forgive him for this.

"Yi Yi was supposed to assist his father; he went there to protect me, yet in the end, he was sent out by his own father. And I couldn’t do anything for him at all."

"Your Majesty!" Fu Zhen felt as if needles were pricking her eyes; she helped the Empress sit down and, striving to steady her breath, said, "This is not your fault. This was His Majesty’s decision, it has nothing to do with you!"