Chu Yi’s face had turned completely dark.

When this little rascal was still in the womb, he had accompanied him every day. After he was born, he held him in his arms daily.

It was only recently that he had been busy and neglectful, and now this boy deliberately peed on him.

The little one had no idea he had done anything wrong. With a mouth showing only two teeth, he giggled cheerfully without stopping.

The wet nurse quickly carried Brother Jue away to change his diaper and clothes.

“Mother, I drew a portrait of Brother Jue.” Chu Changsheng walked over holding a painting. “Brother, you should look too. Is it good?”

Chu Hongyu immediately said, “Changsheng is amazing. This painting has the air of a master. If you sold it, it would probably fetch ten copper coins.”

“You!” Chu Changsheng was exasperated. “Brother, are you praising me or mocking me?”

“Of course I’m praising you. It’s just that you shouldn’t have painted that little bastard Brother Jue.” Chu Hongyu snorted. “If you had painted me, selling it for ten thousand taels wouldn’t be a problem.”

That boy didn’t like him as an older brother at all.

Every time Mother and Changsheng kissed the little one, he would let out giggles of laughter.

When it was his turn to kiss him, the little one immediately changed his expression. Really, comparing people just makes one die of anger.

Yun Chu laughed.

With these three children, life was truly complete.

The day after the flower-viewing banquet ended, Chu Yi sent back news that the Emperor had fallen ill and hadn’t attended the morning court.

“Generally, after people experience major emotional upheavals, they do fall ill.” Yun Chu spoke. “As long as the real Li Jingshu can recover, Father Emperor should also recover.”

Chu Yi shook his head. “The entire Imperial Medical Academy has examined her, but she cannot be cured. They can only maintain brief moments of lucidity.”

It was precisely because Li Jingshu was incurable that Father Emperor had flown into a rage in the palace, punishing several imperial physicians, and also made himself ill with anger.

This illness of the Emperor’s lasted for nearly half a month.

When he attended court again, the Emperor had lost much weight.

After the events of the last banquet, the Li family had been demoted, and an entire clan disappeared just like that.

The court ministers were extremely worried, fearing that the Emperor, in order to compensate his beloved, would in a moment of confusion make a madwoman the mother of the nation.

Thus, as soon as court began, numerous ministers stood forward.

“We report to Your Majesty! A nation cannot be without a ruler for a single day, and the harem cannot be without an Empress for a single day. We humbly request that Your Majesty establish a new Empress!”

“We also request that Your Majesty establish a mother of the nation!”

“Prince Pingxi is divinely talented in both civil and military arts, with profound wisdom and extraordinary bearing, all thanks to Imperial Consort Yin. This subject believes that Imperial Consort Yin can become Empress!”

“This subject believes that Imperial Consort Yun is magnanimous and generous, gentle and honest, worthy of being the mother of the nation!”

“…”

“Bang!”

The Emperor sitting at the highest position heavily slapped the table.

His voice was extremely cold. “This dynasty has one and only one Empress. The matter of establishing an Empress need not be mentioned again. Whoever dares to mention it again, I won’t mind making an example of them!”

Everyone immediately stopped talking.

The Emperor was currently in high spirits. They had mentioned it enough, but if they insisted on forcing the Emperor to establish an Empress, someone would certainly pay the price.

Just as everyone fell silent, the Crown Prince, standing at the forefront of the civil and military officials, walked out with his head lowered.

“Father Emperor, your son has something to report!”

The Emperor pressed his brow. “Granted!”

During this half month, while the Emperor was ill, it was the Crown Prince who supervised the state.

The Crown Prince had also lost a great deal of weight.

From the first day he was born, he had been the Crown Prince. At some future day, he would ascend to the throne—this was a belief carved into his very bones.

If his mother Empress’s death had dealt him a severe mental blow, then this half month of supervising the state had destroyed his belief.

For the first time, he realized he simply wasn’t worthy of the Crown Prince’s position.

All along, it had been his mother Empress who covered for him, who handled all kinds of matters for him. Now that he was alone, he seemed incapable of anything.

Of course he had capable people under him—the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Guardian each gave different suggestions, and he didn’t know whose advice to follow.

He was confused.

He was at a loss.

He thought of Third Brother’s words—that Mother Empress had used her own life to exchange for Father Emperor’s tolerance toward him.

He also wanted to live well.

Rather than being in such a whirlpool, constantly trembling with fear.

“Father Emperor!” The Crown Prince lifted his robes and knelt down, his spine straight. “Since Mother Empress passed away, your son has dreamed of Mother Empress every night. Mother Empress said she wanted to see the great mountains and rivers of Great Jin. Your son was unfilial and couldn’t show filial piety while Mother Empress was alive, so he wishes to fulfill Mother Empress’s cherished wish! Your son has always been dull-witted, inferior to Second Brother in literary matters, inferior to Third Brother in martial matters, relying entirely on Mother Empress’s support in all aspects… Now that Mother Empress is gone, your son no longer has the heart or the ability to continue as heir apparent. Your son requests that Father Emperor depose the Crown Prince!”

These words were like a drop of water falling into a pot of hot oil, instantly boiling over.

“What? Did I hear wrong? The Crown Prince is requesting his own deposition?”

“The Crown Prince is both the legitimate son and the eldest son, having never committed any wrong. How can he be deposed?”

“Crown Prince, quickly tell His Majesty that you misspoke just now!”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince…!”

The Crown Prince’s faction was sweating profusely with anxiety.

These past few days, though the Crown Prince’s supervision of the state had some minor problems, they were insignificant and hadn’t caused any major disasters. With them watching over things, even if the Crown Prince was mediocre, it didn’t matter.

They never expected that the Crown Prince would, before all the civil and military officials, request that His Majesty depose himself from the Crown Prince position.

Since ancient times over thousands of years, there had been Empresses who requested their own deposition, but never had a Crown Prince requested his own removal—it was utterly absurd!

“Father Emperor, your son believes that the position of heir apparent should be given to someone more capable.” The Crown Prince knelt on the ground. “In any case, that person is not your son. I humbly request Father Emperor to grant your son’s wish and allow him to travel throughout Great Jin with his wife and children to fulfill Mother Empress’s cherished wish!”

The Emperor’s fingers gently rubbed together. After a long while, he said, “Are you certain? You must know, an emperor’s words carry no jest. Once I depose you, there will be no room for reversal whatsoever!”

The Crown Prince nodded. “Your son has thought it through clearly. Please, Father Emperor, issue the decree!”

The Emperor quietly looked at him.

This was his first son. On the first day he was born, he had issued a decree conferring him as Crown Prince and moved him into the Eastern Palace.

Later, he gradually discovered that the Crown Prince was too mediocre. He wasn’t as good at studying as others, had no talent for martial arts, and in every aspect, there wasn’t a single thing he excelled at.

But the Crown Prince was the eldest son and also the legitimate son, with the Empress planning and scheming for him. So he thought he would wait quietly. One day, the Crown Prince would become outstanding.

But before the Crown Prince could grow up, he personally heard him request his own deposition.

Would a person who had given up on himself ever accomplish anything great?

The Emperor’s eyes were full of disappointment.

“Hear the decree! From this moment, the position of Crown Prince is abolished. The Crown Prince is granted the title Prince Ren and bestowed a fief. By imperial decree!”

“Your son kowtows in gratitude to Father Emperor. Long live Father Emperor, long live, long live!”

The Crown Prince kowtowed three times loudly on the ground.

In that instant, he suddenly felt liberated.

No need to worry about being plotted against anymore.

No need to worry about people around him dying anymore.

No need to scheme about how to frame his brothers anymore.

Three days after the Crown Prince was deposed, he departed for his fief with his wife, children, and concubines.

Yun Chu admired the Crown Prince’s decisive choice. Otherwise, caught in such a whirlpool, his ending wouldn’t be much better than in her previous life.

The matter of the Crown Prince’s deposition was also widely discussed among the common people.