"Rest assured, as long as you do as I say, I will definitely give you the other half of the antidote."
The Emperor looked at his calm demeanor and felt a surge of anger. All his plans had been disrupted by this man. He had originally planned to reveal his contingency after receiving the antidote, but this person was too cunning.
Reluctantly, the Emperor stood up and walked to the desk. He picked up the brush and couldn't write a single word for a long time.
"If Your Majesty cannot write it, I can do it for you. Your Majesty only needs to sign and affix the imperial seal," Ouyang Chenxi prompted subtly.
"Hmph," the Emperor shot him a glare, picked up the brush, and wrote quickly. After finishing, he threw the brush down and sat to the side, huffing.
Ouyang Chenxi calmly stepped forward to read what he had written. To his surprise, his brow furrowed. "So Your Majesty doesn't need the antidote. I shall take my leave now."
"Wait, it's just writing an imperial edict. I'll write it," the Emperor quickly stopped him, seeing that he was truly about to leave.
This time, the Emperor earnestly wrote down the imperial edict and signed his name. As his hand was about to touch the imperial seal, the door was forcefully pushed open. Upon seeing the scene inside, the First Prince exclaimed, "Father, no!"
Soon, the princes and other royal family members surrounded them. Looking at the contents of the imperial edict, everyone stared at him with disbelief.
"Father intends to become a sinner of the Wu family? With the seal, the Wu family's empire will be handed over. Why don't you consider your descendants?" the Second Prince said to him with heartbreak. He had not believed the rumors at first, but now he saw it was true.
"Brother, you snatched the throne from me. If you don't want to sit on it, you can return it to me." Several princes looked at him with eagerness, clearly thinking the same thing.
The Emperor looked at their accusatory gazes and suddenly felt a sense of desolation. Everyone blamed him and wanted the throne, yet no one cared about his health or his life.
"If I don't abdicate, I will die."
"Our heads can be severed, and our blood can flow, but the Wu family's empire cannot be lost. Future generations will be grateful for your sacrifice. We will burn more incense for you during festivals."
The Emperor was furious at the First Prince's words. He had originally intended to make him the Crown Prince, but he turned out to be an ungrateful wretch.
The First Prince regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. He was the most likely to ascend the throne. The thought of his father giving up the throne, which was within his grasp, made him impatient, and he spoke without thinking. He knew, without a doubt, that his father would look at him with sadness and disappointment.
The Emperor scanned the crowd, closed his eyes, and reached for the imperial seal. At the same time, seeing that he was determined to go down the wrong path, the First Prince immediately commanded, "Ouyang Chenxi dares to rebel! Kill him without mercy."
Ouyang Chenxi drew the soft sword from his waist and held it to the Emperor's neck, saying with a half-smile, "Who dares? The Emperor is in my hands. Do you not care for his life?"
"My father is bewitched and doesn't care about us. Why should we care about him? We cannot stand by and watch the Wu family's empire fall into the hands of others. We must consider the bigger picture," the First Prince said righteously, then slowly approached them.
They were going to kill him. Seeing this, the Emperor no longer hesitated and directly pressed the imperial seal down.
"Now I am the Emperor. Are you rebelling?" Ouyang Chenxi looked at them with confidence.
"Hahaha, this is the funniest joke I've ever heard. A rebel accusing others of rebellion? If I kill you, the throne will be mine." The First Prince glared at him fiercely, drew his saber, and charged forward.
As the sword was about to pierce him, a smile began to form on the First Prince's face. Before the smile reached his eyes, he froze. At some point, two women had appeared behind Ouyang Chenxi. He didn't see how they made their move, but his sword was deflected.
He heard the clash of weapons and quickly turned his head. He found that, unknowingly, many men and women dressed in white were entangled with his men. To be precise, his men were being beaten.
"Master, these people have all been dealt with," the leading woman bowed respectfully to Ouyang Chenxi and reported.
He nodded and turned to look at the Emperor. "It's your turn to play."
"Father, no! Our ancestors worked so hard to build this empire. Are you worthy of them?" the First Prince, held by two men, struggled with all his might and spoke his heartfelt words. Then he cried out in pain as the two men, seeing his continued defiance, punched him hard in the stomach, causing him to instinctively double over.
His pained expression made the Emperor feel a sense of empathy. Fearing that these methods would be used on him, he quickened his pace.
He realized that Ouyang Chenxi had planned this meticulously and had somehow gathered all the ministers. He couldn't help but feel apprehensive. How could he be so sure that he would comply? If he didn't obey, would he not see tomorrow's sun?
"Minister Liu, this is the first time we've had an audience at this hour in many years. Do you think something major has happened in the court?"
"I haven't heard anything. I only know that His Majesty has been unwell lately and hasn't even attended morning court."
"We've been waiting for so long, and His Majesty hasn't appeared. My old bones can't take it anymore."
...
The ministers discussed amongst themselves. When the Emperor and Ouyang Chenxi arrived, they were in the midst of a heated discussion and immediately fell silent upon seeing them.
Old Master Ouyang raised his eyebrows in surprise as he saw Ouyang Chenxi following the Emperor. The recent news was that his son had offended the Emperor. He was fortunate to have disowned him, knowing he was a troublemaker. How could he be so close to the Emperor now? Was his information wrong?
Old Master Zhou was also surprised. He had spread so much information, and based on his understanding of the Emperor, he should have been in an irreconcilable conflict with Liu Yan Yu. Although they were filled with questions, no one dared to ask them in front of the Emperor.
The moment he sat on the throne, the Emperor felt a sense of daze. Thinking that this position would soon no longer be his, he lingered on it. He didn't know if this choice was right, but he didn't want to die.
Seeing his hesitation, Ouyang Chenxi subtly pushed him from behind with his sword. The Emperor jolted and tried to calm himself. "All my beloved subjects, please rise."
"Today, I have summoned you all to announce a major event. I am advanced in age and intend to abdicate the throne to the wise and mighty General Ouyang." As soon as he spoke, the Emperor felt all his energy drain away, and he worried about his future.
"Impossible! Your Majesty's reign has been marked by clear governance and peace for the people. You are a rare wise ruler."
"Your Majesty, please reconsider. Even if you were to abdicate, it should be to the First Prince. Why would you give it to him? Is he forcing you? If so, Your Majesty, just nod your head, and we will risk our lives to protect the Wu family's empire."