"Your Majesty, you... you... you... Are you trying to scare me to death, or drive me mad with rage?" Xu Ji shot to his feet, staring at Huangfu Chongzhi in utter shock.
Beside them, Xu Su's mouth twitched violently. 'He always thought Xu Luo's sworn brother of royal birth was a refined and reliable person. Only now did he realize that anyone who could get along with his second brother was, as expected, not very reliable at all.'
'Even the formerly steady and refined Eldest Prince had a side like this. If word got out, no one would ever believe it.'
"Uncle, don't be anxious. Please hear me out before you say anything else," Huangfu Chongzhi said, a hint of apology in his voice.
"Hah!" Xu Ji let out a long breath and slowly sat back down, but he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, completely ill at ease.
'Back then, a single shout from Leng Mengde had doomed the entire future of the Leng Family. Now, the new Emperor was telling him, to his face, that he wanted to abdicate the throne to him... How could Xu Ji, a man with loyalty etched into his very bones, possibly bear it?'
"Xu Luo knows me well. As my sworn brother, he's the one who best understands my ambitions. I have no desire for the throne. It was true back then, and it's... still true now."
"The only reason I agreed with Aunt to return and ascend the throne was because I knew that besides my younger sister, Qiqi, there was no one left in the Cangqiong Royal Family. If I didn't take the throne, the world would descend into instability."
"While I was in Xu Luo's fief, I met a woman. At the time, I didn't know her identity. Later, when Hongzhi was sent back to me, a letter came with him. Only then did I learn that she comes from a major sect. She couldn't stay with me because she was afraid of bringing trouble upon me, but... as a man, I must take responsibility for my actions. I have to find her! I love her very much, which is why I've been preventing the selection of imperial consorts since I took the throne."
"I am well aware of my own capabilities. If you want a conservative monarch who just holds things together, perhaps I could barely manage. But to be an enlightened ruler like my Imperial Father? I'm afraid I fall far too short!"
"Now that I have a royal son, I believe that with you, Uncle, as the Regent King to guide and help him, he will surely become a great and wise sovereign in the future..."
Xu Ji stared blankly at Huangfu Chongzhi, as if he were seeing this once-awkwardly-positioned Eldest Prince—now the new Emperor—for the first time. He murmured, "But don't you know what people will say about me if you do this? What they'll say about my Xu Family? Won't I, Xu Ji... become a treacherous minister who holds the Emperor hostage to command the nobles?"
"If you truly wanted that position, Uncle, what would have become of me, Chongzhi? Why would you have waited until today?" Huangfu Chongzhi said, then pleaded apologetically, "Uncle, please, just forgive and indulge Chongzhi this once. If I'm forced to stay on that throne, I'll never be happy. I'm afraid I won't even live for very long..."
Xu Ji was slightly moved and fell silent. He thought about how if someone tried to forcibly separate him from Luo Xinlan, he would probably also give up everything just to be with his wife.
Previously, when Luo Xinlan had to temporarily return to her sect for Xu Luo's sake, Xu Ji had been depressed for a long time. If not for consideration for his son and the tense situation on the front lines, he probably would have charged over to get her back long ago.
Xu Luo, however, secretly rolled his eyes and thought to himself, 'It's been a while, and the boss has gotten crafty. "Won't live for very long," my ass. After taking Blood Pills, those two guys, Little Fatty and Sui Yan, both broke through to Sword Venerable Peak and reached the Half-Step Sword King realm. Though you've concealed your aura extremely well, you can't escape my eyes. You've clearly already entered the Transformation Realm. Your lifespan is countless times longer than an ordinary person's...'
Still, Xu Luo could understand the anguish in Huangfu Chongzhi's heart. Being unable to be with the person you love was already painful enough. On top of that, not only did a son of his own flesh and blood appear, but his entire family had also suffered a catastrophe, his parents and brothers all dying overnight. This had forced Huangfu Chongzhi, who originally had no interest in the throne, to step up and take charge of the situation.
This throne, a symbol of the pinnacle of the mortal world in the eyes of others, was probably worth less to Huangfu Chongzhi than a single page from a Pill Scripture.
Therefore, he had been gritting his teeth and enduring it the entire time since his ascension. Now that the political situation was stable and the most critical period had passed, he was preparing to dump his responsibilities at the first opportunity.
Fortunately, Huangfu Chongzhi had a son. Otherwise, this Cangqiong Empire, with its fourteen-hundred-year legacy, would likely have had to change its name.
"Uncle, there's no need to be troubled. There is, in fact, another solution to this. When the time comes, even if no one agrees, they will have no choice but to hold their noses and accept it." Huangfu Chongzhi smiled faintly at Xu Ji and said, "I can refine all sorts of Elixirs. Among them is one that, after being consumed, will induce a state of suspended animation. No matter how skilled a doctor is, they won't be able to find anything amiss..."
At this, Xu Ji was utterly speechless. 'This new Emperor, whom he had practically watched grow up, loathed the throne to such a degree that he would even think of a method like faking his own death. It seemed that, just as he said, if I don't agree, he might actually just shirk his duties and run away...'
'Is... is this guy really Huangfu Haoran's fucking son?' The thought suddenly popped into Xu Ji's mind.
Xu Luo grumbled from the side, "If you die suddenly, my dad will be the first person they suspect... You can't just go and die recklessly."
Huangfu Chongzhi's mouth twitched. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Then I won't die. But this emperor gig—I'm dead set on not doing it anymore! You have no idea, ever since I became the Emperor, I don't even have time for Alchemy!"
Xu Ji and Xu Su were both speechless, but they could see that Huangfu Chongzhi wasn't joking. He was serious.
With a long sigh, Xu Ji glanced at his eldest son, Xu Su, and said with a solemn expression, "Ah, Xu Su, you see, your father's position is too high, my power too great. If I were to get involved in court affairs, it would surely cause discontent. Therefore... the matter of educating the young emperor... ahem, this arduous task, I'll be leaving it to you!"
"Anything but that, Father! You're my own father, I want to cultivate too!" Xu Su tried to protest.
"Of course I'm your damn father! Hmph, this matter is settled! Remember, from now on, you are the Imperial Tutor! If the Little Emperor doesn't turn out well, I'll hold you responsible first!" Xu Ji snorted, speaking in a completely unreasonable tone.
Xu Su was on the verge of tears. "Why don't you ask Second Brother!"
Xu Luo rolled his eyes from the side. "Second Brother says he's very busy!"
An unreliable new emperor and three even more unreliable top dignitaries thus decided the course of the Empire for at least the next few decades. If their conversation were to get out, it would certainly scare a great many people to death.
Could there really be people in this world with absolutely no desire for power? Outsiders would find it completely unimaginable.
But if anyone from a sect were to hear this, they would likely understand. Once one steps through the gate of cultivation, mortals and immortals are forever separated. The affairs of the mortal world become as fleeting as floating clouds.
「Four months after the palace coup.」
New Emperor Huangfu Chongzhi announced to the world that he was abdicating to become the Supreme Emperor, passing the throne to the Crown Prince... Huangfu Hongzhi, who was not yet a year old.
Marquis Zhongyong, Xu Su, would serve as the new Emperor's Imperial Tutor and assist him.
Once the news spread, the entire Cangqiong Empire was in an uproar, and as expected, it caused a massive disturbance. At the same time, Xu Luo's family was thrust into the eye of the storm. They became fabulously prominent, but by the same token, they also became the target of public condemnation!
Such powerful ministers were a rarity in history, and almost none who wielded such immense authority ever came to a good end.
Excessive power can dazzle the eyes and blind the heart, leading one to ultimately fall in a pool of blood from the ensuing power struggle.
Fortunately, the news that Xu Ji had previously refused to become emperor had already spread throughout Cangqiong. Although countless people jumped out to decry the Xu Family's excessive power and accuse Huangfu Chongzhi of being irresponsible, very few actually dared to make a move.
However, some chaos behind the scenes was unavoidable.
This was the price of a change in power.
In Huangfu Chongzhi's words, it was better to rip the band-aid off. Withdrawing before his brand had been seared onto this ancient Empire was the best choice.
The last major act Huangfu Chongzhi performed before abdicating was... to put Wei Feng on trial!
「In the main hall of the Ministry of Justice.」
Xu Ji sat in the center, flanked by Sun Yunpeng and Zhao Wenzhao. Xu Luo stood off to the side, leaning against a pillar. His expression seemed nonchalant, but deep within his eyes was a profound sorrow.
He would never forget the sight of those two iron-willed men, Tang Yong and Li Yu, roaring themselves hoarse with tears streaming down their faces. He would never forget how the vibrant lives they spoke of replayed like scrolls in his mind. He would never forget everything the Yuan Brothers had sacrificed for the sake of revenge.
In comparison, the trouble his father had been dragged into back then seemed far less important in Xu Luo's eyes.
To think that Wei Feng had done such a conscionless thing for his own selfish gain. Xu Luo wondered if, over all these years, Wei Feng had ever felt a shred of guilt.
Or perhaps, in the eyes of Prime Minister Wei, whose power once overshadowed the entire court, those vibrant lives were nothing more than a meaningless set of numbers.
"Wei Feng, were you responsible for the Wansong Town incident all those years ago?" Xu Ji's eyes fell upon the man below, dressed in a prisoner's garb, his hair disheveled and his face haggard.
Wei Feng gave a listless smile and raised his head, staring at the three men seated above him. A faint sneer touched his lips as he opened his mouth, his voice hoarse. "That's right, I did it. Back then, in order to suppress your Xu Family, I conspired with the proprietor of the Fengyue Building at the time, Leng Yu Lian, to set that trap. Hao Liancheng was also very cooperative. Heh heh."
SLAP!
Xu Ji slammed his palm on the table, the thunderous sound startling everyone.
Xu Ji glared at Wei Feng with ice-cold eyes and gritted his teeth. "I never thought you'd admit it so easily. Can it be... that you feel no guilt whatsoever for what you've done? So many soldiers, who didn't die on the battlefield, but were killed by the schemes of their own people. Wei Feng... do you not recognize your crimes!"
"I know. Of course, I know," Wei Feng sighed softly, but the sneer on his lips only grew more pronounced. In that same hoarse voice, he said slowly, "However, I don't believe those men died because of my scheme. They... died because of your ignorance! Xu Ji, back then, you were far too arrogant! In truth, that incident was not without its flaws. The pity is, you failed to notice any of them. It's not that I look down on you, really. When it comes to fighting wars, you're an expert. But when it comes to intelligence... you're no match for me!"