"Your Majesty! He's just a concubine-born son—how dare he strike the legitimate heir, and even scheme to... to harm Ji'er... Wuwuwu, Your Majesty, you must seek justice for me and Ji'er!"
Inside the imperial palace.
All around were flowers and plants, along with elegant, classical carvings.
Xu Zhen sat on a reclining chair, holding a fishing rod, eyes closed, quietly resting.
The empress was half-kneeling at the bottom of the nearby wooden steps, her expression sorrowful. Beside her knelt Xu Jiran—though due to being run through recently, his kneeling posture was rather awkward.
Just a few days earlier...
What Xu Jiran had done had spread throughout all of Mingdu. Xu Cheng showed no mercy and circulated the explicit video of him and a certain muscular man everywhere.
"Sigh, can't I just enjoy a peaceful retirement?"
Xu Zhen let out a soft sigh.
He glanced at the sobbing empress, and at Xu Jiran, who was gritting his teeth and constantly adjusting his posture.
This fourth son of his—his assessment was that the boy was arrogant and overconfident. If not for Crown Prince Xu Tianran having had his legs crippled, the throne would never have been in contention. During his power struggle with Xu Cheng, he revealed many flaws.
As a prince, he lacked the depth and scheming a royal should possess.
How had the Sun Moon Empire survived and thrived through tens of thousands of years of history, surpassing others despite generally poor innate cultivation talent, and even becoming the continent's top military power?
It was because very few emperors in history had been incompetent.
Even the worst were merely mediocre—you could say they were inactive, but never outright foolish.
That's how the Sun Moon Empire managed to pass power down from generation to generation, allowing this behemoth to continue functioning smoothly to this day.
Just like him, Xu Zhen.
He might appear utterly lazy, ignoring politics, but he was absolutely a master of manipulation and intrigue.
The key arteries of the empire's military and political structures were firmly in his grasp. It could be said that if he wanted to, he could even know what color underwear a certain minister was wearing today...
"Your Majesty, I've borne you two sons and two daughters. Over the years, my father was also wholly loyal during his time in court. Now Daoran has been poisoned and hovers between life and death, and Jiran is also..." The empress continued to cry and plead.
"If what?" Xu Zhen glanced at her, eyes filled with curiosity.
"If you don't punish Xu Cheng, then I will end my life!" the empress said through gritted teeth, steeling herself.
"Mother!" Xu Jiran, who was gritting his teeth in pain while adjusting his position, immediately panicked upon hearing this and spoke up quickly.
"Heh..."
Xu Zhen withdrew his gaze and shook his head. "Threatening me? That's the lowest form of tactic. It's a pity—Old Lin was a master of political maneuvering, yet you didn't inherit even a sliver of it."
"If you want to die, go ahead. I'll wait."
"Hand or back, it's all flesh! How can you show such favoritism!" the empress sobbed bitterly.
"That's enough. This matter ends here." Xu Zhen waved his hand dismissively.
He looked helplessly at the empress and his fourth son. After all, they had shared a bed for years, and the other was his own blood. He certainly didn't want them to be purged by Xu Cheng after his own death—this kind of fratricidal drama was not something he liked.
But...
Only if they could behave themselves.
At this rate, the same mistakes of the past were bound to repeat.
"Do you really think he doesn't dare kill you?" Xu Zhen looked calmly at Xu Jiran.
Xu Jiran instantly felt the oppressive might of the emperor. Trembling, he collapsed prostrate on the ground. He was still deeply afraid of his imperial father.
"Your son... your son doesn't know..."
Xu Zhen slowly stood and looked down at the two kneeling on the ground.
"He dares to kill you—even while I'm still alive. And even if he does kill you, I wouldn't say a word."
"Ah..."
Xu Jiran looked up in terror, gazing at his father's indifferent expression.
Xu Zhen ignored him and continued calmly:
"As emperor, I must consider the empire above all. If two tigers fight, the first to be wounded is the Sun Moon Empire itself. The former Douluo Continent is full of wolves eyeing us greedily—the empire has not yet passed its most dangerous period. Do you understand?"
Seeing the unwillingness in Xu Jiran's eyes, he chuckled lightly: "See? That's the difference between you and him. He could have killed you but restrained himself—yet you can't even grasp that point."
"As an emperor, the most basic bottom line is loyalty to one's country. To be frank, even if Xu Cheng didn't exist and you had the upper hand over the other princes, the one who would sit on the throne still wouldn't be you. I would personally remove your followers and arrange everything before my death—or... take you down with me."
Xu Zhen looked at the pale-faced Xu Jiran and the collapsed empress.
His gaze turned to the elderly man who had appeared at some point nearby.
"Announce my decree: Xu Jiran is stripped of his title and demoted to commoner. His estate is sealed, and all assets are to be confiscated by the national treasury. Empress Lin... is to be banished to the Cold Palace."
Cough cough cough...
Xu Zhen coughed twice.
Then added, "Also, Crown Prince Xu Tianran is stripped of title, likewise demoted to commoner. The Royal Soul Engineer Corps is to be led personally by Xu Jiangnian to confiscate the prince's estate and deliver all contents to the treasury. Resistance is to be crushed on the spot."
"Lastly... declare Xu Cheng as Crown Prince."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The elder nodded calmly, bowing slightly.
He cast a glance at the mother and son collapsed on the ground and sighed to himself. All these years and they still didn't understand His Highness's temperament—really...
Still, being demoted to commoner might be a form of protection.
This decree officially ended the struggle for succession. Regardless of when Xu Zhen might die, Xu Cheng would now be the undisputed sole heir.
The empire... was about to change.
Xu Jiran caught sight of the old man and went limp all over. This man was the emperor's close aide, guarding him for years. If he was the one delivering the imperial edict, it meant there would be no changing it.
His imperial father... was serious.
Elsewhere, inside a prince's estate.
Xu Tianran let out a long sigh.
He naturally understood what his father meant. If not for Xu Cheng, he and the fourth prince would've been evenly matched—who would have won in the end was still uncertain.
But the problem was... Xu Cheng had appeared.
He had stirred not just the entire Sun Moon Empire, but the entire Douluo Continent.
He was unquestionably the publicly acknowledged future heir. Even if he were unwilling, countless people would still push him to the top.
Xu Tianran had no chance. Unless Xu Cheng suddenly dropped dead.
"Your Highness..." a servant nearby said sorrowfully.
"No need to call me that anymore. Leave everything in the estate untouched—hand it over exactly as is. Don't try anything sneaky. I used to turn a blind eye to your petty thievery, but now... it'll cost you your head." Xu Tianran chuckled.
Now that the dust had settled, he actually felt much more at ease.
What he feared was that his father would use him to continue tempering Xu Cheng—pitting the two against each other. That would be the true death sentence for him.
"Yes, sir." The servant bowed, his face filled with grief.
"Open the gates!"
Knocking sounds echoed from outside the prince's estate.
The fact they didn't storm in directly was a final gesture of respect for his position as Crown Prince.
Xu Tianran smiled with relief.
"Let's go."
(End of Chapter)