Shu Jian didn’t know how he had managed to take that thing into his hands. When he came to his senses, he stared at it fixedly, his only hope being that he could detect some trace of it being a forged edict. As long as he could spot even the slightest clue of forgery, he could throw the thing right back. However, two seals were stamped on it. The larger one was the imperial jade seal that had been kept by someone designated by his Third Imperial Uncle since his ascension to the throne. The smaller one was a private seal that his father emperor, had used exclusively during his lifetime, which was buried with him and had long been sealed in the underground imperial mausoleum. Both seals were carved and perfectly fitted, and the vermilion ink’s color had faded from bright red to slightly darker due to the passage of time.

“Does Your Majesty truly believe that this old servant would dare to forge an edict and falsely convey the late emperor’s intentions?” Consort Li’s voice rang in his ears once again.

“Your Majesty should still remember that on the night before the late emperor summoned Lord Qi on his deathbed, it was this old servant who brought Your Majesty to accompany the late emperor at his bedside. Later, when Your Majesty grew tired, you were led away by the Empress Dowager. It was after Your Majesty left that the late emperor personally entrusted this edict to this old servant.”

Shu Jian’s ears were buzzing, and his blood ran cold throughout his body. That thing slipped from his hands and fell limply onto his knees. He also collapsed to the ground, unable to control his trembling. It started with his hands and teeth, but soon his entire body began shaking uncontrollably.

His father emperor and Third Imperial Uncle—weren’t they famously harmonious brothers? The scene of his father emperor removing his belt on his deathbed to entrust the care of the orphaned heir had moved countless people and had been recorded in great detail by court historians. Not only that, but it had also spread among the common people, becoming a celebrated tale.

What kind of illusory world was this?

“It’s only natural for Your Majesty to have difficulty accepting this suddenly. After all, Your Majesty is inexperienced in worldly affairs, unaware of how unpredictable human hearts can be, and your trust in Lord Qi has been long-standing.” He heard Consort Li speaking beside his ear again, her tone suddenly turning stern.

“The late emperor’s oral instruction was that if he should overstep his position, use his regency to interfere with the military, and attempt to march north from Yanmen, that would be iron proof of his ambition. The late emperor commanded this old servant that once such signs appeared, I should find an opportunity to deliver this testament to Your Majesty. Your Majesty must follow the edict’s instructions, be strictly on guard, respond accordingly, and ensure the removal of this threat to protect the imperial ancestral temples.”

“Impossible! This is impossible!” Shu Jian suddenly opened his eyes wide and responded with a hoarse, angry voice.

“What does Your Majesty mean? Do you not believe that Lord Qi harbors ulterior motives beneath his extremely loyal exterior, or are you questioning the late emperor’s sagacity?”

Consort Li picked up the testament from his knees and respectfully placed it back in the box.

“Your Majesty knows in your heart whether this testament is genuine or fake. Would Your Majesty dare to disobey even the late emperor’s dying command?”

Shu Jian suddenly fell silent. Consort Li looked at him for a moment, sighed, went over, helped Shu Jian up from the ground, and slowly seated him back on the couch.

“Your Majesty.” She called out gently.

“The late emperor originally did not wish to let you know about this testament. Not only that, but the person who would least want to see today’s events unfold should be the late emperor himself.”

Shu Jian struggled to straighten his stiff neck, raised his head, and met Consort Li’s gaze. He saw her looking at him with sympathy and pity in her expression.

“Your Majesty knows nothing of what happened back then. Lord Qi, relying on imperial favor, coveted the throne. Even someone as brilliant as Emperor Shengwu was once deceived by him. Fortunately, the late emperor was honorable and upright, maintained his integrity, received protection from the ancestors above and support from all officials below, and thus managed to preserve the legitimate succession with great difficulty. However, the threat remained. After the late emperor ascended the throne, within just a few years, your originally harmonious imperial brothers turned against each other. Behind this, Lord Qi may very well have been stirring up trouble. Your Majesty should be clear about his methods. He simply acted so secretly that it couldn’t be detected. When the late emperor was dying and appointed Lord Qi as regent, it was also due to circumstances beyond his control, a last resort. At that time, Prince Gao and Prince Cheng were powerful. Although the late emperor knew the hidden dangers were enormous, he could only enhance Lord Qi’s authority to surpass the other regents.”

“Your Majesty, the late emperor truly showed utmost benevolence and righteousness. According to the late emperor’s intentions, the instructions in this testament were truly a last resort taken out of necessity. His only hope during his lifetime was that Lord Qi would remember their brotherly bond, serve with a pure minister’s heart consistently, assist Your Majesty, and, after purging the inner court, return power to Your Majesty. Your Majesty could then grant him a princely title and honor him like a second virtuous prince. This way, it would have become another beautiful tale of our Great Wei imperial family. Unfortunately, Lord Qi has disappointed the late emperor himself.”

“He indeed has some talent. After becoming regent, his governing pace was faster than the late emperor had anticipated. The late emperor originally thought that it would take at least six or seven years until Your Majesty gradually matured and could fully understand matters before Great Wei would possess the national strength for external warfare. He didn’t expect that so quickly, Lord Qi would forcibly put this matter on the agenda. From when he arranged the marriage alliance with the Jiang family, this old servant knew something was wrong. Your Majesty, if he truly had Your Majesty’s interests at heart, he shouldn’t plan for external military campaigns. Everything should wait until Your Majesty truly holds power and leads personally—that would benefit Your Majesty! However, he couldn’t wait and is now about to start a war under his command! What the late emperor worried about most has indeed come to pass. His purpose and why this war cannot be fought now—Lan Rong has already reported this to Your Majesty, so this old servant won’t elaborate. Your Majesty is intelligent and will understand upon reflection.”

“This past year, this old servant has been anxiously worried, repeatedly wanting to remind Your Majesty to be on guard. However, Your Majesty trusts him so deeply that there was never an opportunity. Until today, the situation has reached a point of no retreat. In all the realm, only Your Majesty remains who can still restrain him! This old servant can no longer remain complacent and ignore the late emperor’s trust, and can only reveal his true face to Your Majesty. Please, Your Majesty, uphold the late emperor’s testament and act according to his commands!”

Shu Jian said hoarsely, “Tomorrow at the grand court assembly, he will publicly request to resign from his position as Regent Prince!”

Consort Li was startled, her gaze falling on the scattered memorials on his couch. After thinking briefly, she understood. She said: “Does Your Majesty think that his proactive offer to return power at this moment shows loyalty to Your Majesty? Wrong. He is deeply scheming and acts cautiously. Now that military deployment is imminent, he must also feel guilty, fearing that Your Majesty has detected his intentions, so he’s deliberately acting this way. Even if he loses the title, he will still be the only powerful minister in court, all officials will still follow his commands, and Your Majesty will still be a powerless emperor. This is his strategic retreat to advance, wanting Your Majesty to continue trusting him without doubt!”

“The only thing that could prove he harbors no ulterior motives would be to immediately halt the military campaign and strip the Jiang family of their military authority. Your Majesty can try this and see if he agrees.”

Shu Jian no longer spoke and showed no response whatsoever.

Consort Li quietly stayed with him for a moment, then sighed deeply again: “Your Majesty, the late emperor was benevolent throughout his life, his good name spread far and wide. How could he harm his brother without a reason? He exhausted himself worrying about Your Majesty, and before his death, he planned painstakingly. Your Majesty need not have any feelings of reluctance. Back then, when Lord Qi was gravely ill, if the late emperor hadn’t cut flesh from his own body to treat him, Lord Qi would have died long ago. And the reason the late emperor died young was precisely due to prolonged illness and weakness caused by that flesh-cutting. It’s no exaggeration to say that the late emperor used his own life to save Lord Qi’s life. Now Lord Qi harbors treacherous thoughts—he deserves death!”

Shu Jian’s dull eyes moved slightly. Finally, his gaze left the box and slowly turned to Consort Li’s face.

“Since Father Emperor predicted everything and arranged everything for me, how does he want me to kill? Should I act tonight?”

When he asked this question, his expression was extremely strange, seeming to smile yet not smile, his face pale azure, looking like a night ghost.

Consort Li added another layer of clothing to himself. “Your Majesty misunderstands. Now the entire court consists of his subordinates and spies. Any troop movement in Chang’an City probably couldn’t escape Liu Xiang and Chen Lun’s notice, so naturally, we cannot confront him head-on. Didn’t he propose to resign? Heaven is helping us—what a perfect opportunity!”

“Your Majesty should go along with it tomorrow, strip him of his regent title, which will at least demote him so he can no longer tower above all officials and continue acting arbitrarily, relying on his regency. Furthermore, whenever possible, you must quickly halt the military campaign and find ways to strip the Jiang family of their military authority. Otherwise, once troops are deployed, no one can predict how the situation will develop. If we try to stop it, then it might result in harming the enemy by a thousand while losing eight hundred ourselves.”

“Don’t worry about having no support. The late emperor knew Lord Qi would be difficult to deal with. The great way is not solitary—besides Lan Rong, the late emperor also left other people for Your Majesty. They are all Your Majesty’s loyal ministers with deep foundations. Previously, to avoid persecution, they remained hidden and restrained. When the time comes, they will all step forward. Additionally, Your Majesty must strive to gain Prince Xian’s support. In the future, not only must there be no slighting of him, but he must be elevated even more than before. He is a sensible person. Your Majesty represents the legitimate line of Great Wei. As long as Your Majesty treats him with proper courtesy, he has no reason not to follow.”

“Your Majesty must temporarily endure and deal with him deceptively, planning gradually. When the opportunity arrives, strike unexpectedly, and with the testament’s support, whether to kill or execute will be entirely up to Your Majesty!”

The candlelight in the sleeping chamber gradually dimmed. Consort Li gazed at the young emperor’s already distorted face.

“Your Majesty, this old servant knows this comes suddenly, but please, Your Majesty, consider: between a blood father and an uncle, who would truly consider your long-term interests?”

Shu Jian’s eyes were bloodshot. He slowly turned his face away, his gaze finally fixing on that box, motionless.

Consort Li followed his gaze.

“Your Majesty, you are the emperor. You absolutely cannot have a woman’s tender heart. To prevent future troubles, Lord Qi must be eliminated. After eliminating him, the external relatives cannot be left unchecked either. The purpose of supporting those people is to make them serve you and help you consolidate power. In the end, Your Majesty must personally hold all power to continue the legitimate succession.”

“This is the late emperor’s final words left for Your Majesty. Your Majesty must remember carefully and not disappoint the late emperor’s earnest expectations of Your Majesty.”

Consort Li solemnly lifted the testament and placed it in Shu Jian’s hands, then departed, walking through the night of the imperial palace.

After Emperor Ming’s death, she had spent her days curled up in her own gradually decay-scented deep palace, completely unremarkable. She was only remembered when people needed her. She was a symbol representing imperial filial piety, a living puppet, nothing more.

But tonight was completely different for her. She was like an insect that had been buried underground, awakened by thunder, and revived. Returning to Dunyi Palace, she went alone to the rear hall where Emperor Wu’s memorial tablet was enshrined. Standing before the tablet for a long time, she suddenly let out a cackling laugh like a night owl.

At this moment, she felt that all the unwillingness and resentment deeply buried throughout her life had been released, bringing immense satisfaction. She raised her hand, pointing at the spiritual tablet reflected in the dim incense candlelight, and said through gritted teeth: “Your Majesty, despite your imperial dignity and self-proclaimed heroism, what can you do about what happens after your death? I worked hard my entire life—what did I get in return? That woman—why did she deserve to take everything from me? Didn’t you favor her most? Open your eyes wide and look carefully! Her son will soon meet misfortune! Your other son—he has avenged me! You never thought such a day would come, did you? What a pity you’re already dead, but it doesn’t matter—she’s still alive! Let her suffer properly in your place!”

Consort Li’s hoarse voice echoed in this dark rear hall, lingering for a long time.

Night ended, and New Year’s Day of the third year of Tianhe arrived as scheduled.

This was the fourth year since young Emperor Shu Jian’s ascension to the throne. In the past year, after purging Prince Gao, Prince Cheng, and other rebellious traitors, many events had occurred in the court. The Regent Prince married a female general from the Jiang family, made a southern tour, the young emperor mysteriously fell ill and remained hidden for several months, then came the Eight Tribes War, and finally astronomical phenomena and earthquakes occurred.

Regardless of praise or criticism, gains or losses, everything had passed, and ultimately, everything seemed to be improving.

Today, before the fifth watch, all personnel participating in the grand court assembly, including foreign princes and ministers, had gathered from all directions of Chang’an and assembled at the imperial palace—over three thousand people in total. Among them, besides capital officials, were many high-ranking local officials from various regions. Even the spacious Xuanzheng Hall couldn’t accommodate everyone, so lower-ranking officials had to line up in formation in the square outside the hall. Not to mention that after the grand court assembly ended, there would be New Year’s banquets, variety shows, suburban sacrifices, and other ceremonies to follow. By the time everything concluded, it would be at least three days later.

The emperor had not yet appeared. The Regent Prince had also not arrived. But outside the hall, there was already a sea of people, everyone wearing brand-new robes, faces bearing smiles, bowing and greeting each other.