The old emperor even started to question his ears. His eldest son was known to be someone who was level headed and never made rash decisions. However, this time, his request seemed too absurd to be true. The old emperor had to pinch himself to make sure that he wasn’t imagining things.

Seeing that Pei Rumo had no intention of backing down or withdrawing his request, the old emperor felt a sense of unease. Did he knock his head in the ruins?!

“I want Luo Chu as my consort.” Pei Rumo repeated his words.

“That’s absurd!”

As soon as Pei Rumo repeated what he said, the old emperor flung an inkstone at him in a fit of rage. The inkstone smashed against Pei Rumo’s head with a loud “Crack!” A streak of red spurted from his forehead and onto the carpet in an arc of blood. His blood blended in with the patterns on the carpet.

De Quan scurried out of the door and rushed to get an imperial physician to look at Pei Rumo’s wound.

Pei Rumo had already expected his father to throw something at him in anger. When he repeated what he said, he had already enveloped himself in spirit qi in preparation. He only allowed the ink stone to graze himself in order to invoke a sense of pity in the old emperor’s heart.

The old emperor was shocked to the core. Why did his son not dodge and allow himself to get hit? Why was he so worked up then his son brought up the name of a woman who was supposed to be dead? Thoughts raced through his mind as he struggled to regain his composure.

When De Quan brought the Imperial Physician in, he saw that neither of them had moved an inch.

Pei Rumo was staring wordlessly at his Emperor Father as the blood dripped down his forehead and blurred his vision. The old emperor was standing before the Dragon Throne, with arms clasped behind his back, as if observing Pei Rumo.

Upon seeing this sight, the Imperial Physician immediately knelt down in an act of obeisance

“Your Majesty, your Highness.”

His words echoed through the Throne Room. No one motioned for him to stand up or to start treating Pei Rumo’s wounds. The Imperial Physician felt extremely tense and anxious, as if he were kneeling upon a bed of hot coals.

The old emperor spoke up, breaking the silence, “Go and bandage the First Prince’s injury.”

The Imperial Physician felt a sense of relief wash over him as he rushed to Pei Rumo’s side and prepared to treat him.

To his surprise, Pei Rumo stopped him from doing so. The blood on his forehead was nearly dry and his gaze didn’t waver as he stared at the old emperor. “I am still waiting for your reply, father.”

The old emperor seemed to have lost all his willpower and strength as he collapsed back onto his chair. He pointed a trembling finger at Pei Rumo and said, “When will you stop?! Will you only stop when you anger me to death?!”

That was the first time that Pei Rumo had disobeyed his father’s orders.

He might be the First Prince, but to the old emperor, he was merely a pawn in the game of chess. When his father told him that he had to achieve accolades in the battlefield, he listened and went to battle, sustaining injuries as a result. When his father told him that he had to be at the top of his field, he even went to make an enemy out of his younger brother, just to appease his father!

If he hadn’t requested to make Luo Chu his consort, he knew that sooner or later, his father would force him to marry a woman that he did not love. After all, the stability of the court and political gain was the most important in the royal family.

He was sick and tired of taking orders his whole life. Just this once, he wanted to do something for himself. Something that he truly wanted to do. He didn't think that his request was bordering on impossible.

“I do not dare to disobey your orders. However, if you disagree, I will kneel outside of the throne room until you agree to my request! Even if you hit me till I’m covered in blood, I will not care!” Pei Rumo said as he staggered out of the Throne Room.

“Are you threatening me?!”

“I do not dare to do so, father.” Pei Rumo stopped in his tracks to reply to the old emperor before continuing to make his way to the door.

“You don’t dare? You dare to say that you don’t dare when you have the cheek to ask for a dead woman to be your consort when you don’t even have a wife yet?!”

Pei Rumo refused to reply as he left the Throne Room. He closed the door behind him, ignoring the raging emperor. The old emperor felt his blood boil in anger, and he grabbed anything he could get his hands on and flung it on the ground. The Throne Room soon turned into a mess.

De Quan shot the Imperial Physician a look and he immediately took his leave. The Imperial Physician was an intelligent man and knew that he would be dead if he were to stay in there any longer.

The old emperor looked as if he had aged ten years, as he sank back into his chair after venting his anger.

When Bai Luochu left, he had merely lost a helping hand. If Pei Rumo were to leave, he would lose the most obedient son he had. How can he do something so foolish for a damn woman like her?! The old emperor thought to himself.

“De Quan, where did I go wrong?” The old emperor asked with a dazed look on his face. He looked like a wronged child who was caught doing someone bad.

De Quan remained silent. After so many years of serving the royal family, he knew exactly what Pei Rumo was like. He even knew the sides to Pei Rumo’s character that Pei Rumo had hidden from his own father.

Just like how Pei Qingfeng had a hidden stubborn side to his otherwise laidback disposition, Pei Rumo was hiding part of his personality. On the outside, he looked like a polite gentleman. However, he was also a meticulous and shrewd tactician when no one was looking.

Although Pei Rumo was an obedient Prince, he was a stubborn one.

No one had replied to the old emperor, even after the incense stick had burned out. He sighed and relented. “Call him in, I have a few words to say to him.”

When Pei Rumo entered the Throne Room, he noticed the sullen look on his father’s face. It made him wonder whether he had been too rash and whether or not he had done the right thing. But after thinking about it, he steeled his resolve. He knew that if he didn’t fight for what he wanted, he might not have the chance to do so ever again.

It was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the old emperor’s guilt and use it to get what he wanted.

The old emperor felt that the person standing before him was a complete stranger. The First Prince who was also his eldest son seemed to be nothing more than a stranger to him now. He couldn’t even guess the thoughts running through his son’s mind!