She and A’Li had been played completely by Xiao Rongyan and that Great Zhou Emperor Bai Qingyan! Yet her foolish son still trusted him so much! A’Li… was just a child after all. With his father dying young, it was natural for him to trust his uncle. But she, an adult, had also been deceived by Xiao Rongyan—that was pure stupidity!

Since she had been deceived from the beginning and made mistakes, even if Heaven wanted to punish her with death, she had to correct her errors before dying. She absolutely could not let the nation-wagering matter continue, ultimately allowing Great Zhou to obtain Yan without shedding blood.

Seeing that her son, though steeling his heart to issue the order that she would be executed if she left the palace, was still… her son after all, and couldn’t bear to watch her die before his eyes.

“Empress Dowager!”

“Empress Dowager!”

The imperial clansmen hurriedly climbed onto the platform from both sides to check on the Empress Dowager’s condition, fearing she might die before finishing her business. They cried out: “Empress Dowager, you cannot have anything happen to you! His Majesty is young… the national traitor Murong Yan seeks to usurp the throne, Yan still needs the Empress Dowager to hold things together!”

The imperial clansmen had urgently declared their wish for the Empress Dowager to govern precisely because they knew she was severely injured and near death, afraid she couldn’t hold on much longer. They wanted to get things done while she still had breath left.

“No need to summon the imperial physicians! This dowager… is no longer of use.” The Yan Empress Dowager gripped Murong Li’s hand tightly. “A’Li… A’Li! Mother knows you’ve been kind-hearted since childhood and trusts your Ninth Uncle Murong Yan greatly, but A’Li, he has changed. Why must you cover for him… even telling such lies that your father emperor, passed the throne to Xiao Rongyan? Xiao Rongyan won’t be grateful, and it will only make people criticize the illegitimate origin of your throne!”

The court officials and clansmen’s expressions changed again. They say that the words of the dying are kind…

Was it that the Emperor had lied to protect his uncle, or that the Empress Dowager had lied to destroy the Regent?

The ministers could not know.

“Mother!” Murong Li looked at his weakened mother, not knowing how to argue with her. He couldn’t control his tears, his voice heavy with sobs: “Everything I said is true! You know everything I said is true! Why… even at this point, do you still slander Ninth Uncle! Ninth Uncle serves the nation wholeheartedly! How much has he sacrificed for this Yan nation—don’t you know? Stop wronging Ninth Uncle, stop talking!”

Murong Li turned his head, his choked voice crying out weakly, his words just suppressed, soft sobs: “Summon the imperial physicians… imperial physicians…”

This was Murong Li’s birth mother! She had raised and protected him from childhood. Even though she had made mistakes later, the love she gave him had never been false.

Even though he had issued the death order, he had never imagined his mother would truly die under his death order.

But why did it have to be so cruel, making his mother die under his death order, and die before his very eyes?

As Emperor of Yan, he disapproved of the Yan Empress Dowager’s actions, but as a child… how could he watch his mother die before his eyes with indifference?

“A’Li, your father emperor… was not without sons, so why would he pass the throne to his brother?” The Yan Empress Dowager spoke lies against her conscience, but she believed she was right—she was protecting her husband’s and son’s kingdom. Without waiting for Murong Li to speak again, the Yan Empress Dowager continued: “A’Li, Mother can’t hold on much longer! The Yan kingdom is now in your hands!”

“Mother… why must you do this!”

Murong Li’s throat swelled with pain. He resented his mother’s actions and felt sorry for Ninth Uncle. Sadness, guilt, and fear intertwined, leaving him at a loss. It felt as if violent winds swept through his body, tearing his organs to pieces.

Why couldn’t Mother just be like before—not interfering in court politics, not being the Empress Dowager of Yan, just being his mother and Ninth Uncle’s sister-in-law?

A perfectly good Yan nation—Ninth Uncle had handed it to him, yet how had he turned Yan into this state…

Why couldn’t the people of Yan unite like those of Great Zhou?! If all of Yan were united, wagering the nation against Great Zhou wouldn’t be without hope of victory!

Why didn’t they understand…

No, it wasn’t that they didn’t understand, but that they only calculated their gains and losses, thought of their interests. Universal unification and peace under heaven had nothing to do with them!

Compared to the newly established Great Zhou, the Murong imperial family of Yan had long rotted from the roots! The Great Zhou had prevented such possibilities from the very beginning!

And his mother was being used as a pawn by these Yan imperial clansmen. They exploited his mother’s desires and greed, using the Yan Empress Dowager as their banner, speaking of serving Yan while harboring only selfish interests.

His burning anger gradually cooled…

Murong Li suddenly felt the desolation and helplessness of a ruler of a doomed kingdom, as well as the confusion of a ruler at a loss.

He didn’t know whether to blame the Great Zhou for being too powerful or Yan for having too many burdens.

He wondered… had Father Emperor known that if he passed the throne to him and his brothers, Yan would end up like this, which was why he passed the throne to Ninth Uncle?

“The nation-wagering matter must not continue! Murong Yan can no longer be the Regent of our Yan nation. Our Yan… cannot surrender without a fight!” The Empress Dowager seemed to have reached her limit, her voice floating weakly.

Watching his mother still scheming against Ninth Uncle even as she lay dying, Murong Li was already too exhausted to say another word. He closed his eyes.

“Fellow imperial clansmen, the Emperor is young… he needs your support, but you must not forget—he is your Emperor!”

The leading elderly uncle among the imperial clansmen seemed truly grief-stricken, tears streaming down his face as he kowtowed: “Empress Dowager, rest assured! We serve Yan wholeheartedly and have never harbored disrespect toward His Majesty! We simply don’t want to fail our ancestors! As long as His Majesty abandons the nation-wagering agreement and leads Yan to rise against the tyrannical Zhou, whether it’s us… or the regional princes, we will all support His Majesty with all our strength!”

Seeing the imperial clansmen all kowtowing and pledging their full support for His Majesty, the Yan Empress Dowager finally felt at ease. She let out a long breath, and her consciousness gradually became hazy.

In her daze, she saw someone entering through the golden hall’s entrance. Her heart suddenly filled with unease. She struggled to see clearly who had come, then heard that person speak…

“So you’re saying the regional princes’ rebellion is inseparably connected to you clansmen!”

The court officials saw the masked, upright figure of Xiao Rongyan stride into the golden hall and immediately didn’t know what to do… unsure whether they should bow to the Regent.

Some officials who had been following Xiao Rongyan all along felt greatly relieved to see him return and hurriedly called out loudly: “This subject pays respects to the Regent! Long live the Regent, long live!”

The officials quickly turned around while on their knees, kowtowing toward Xiao Rongyan’s direction.

Outside came another sound of military chaos—the soldiers the Regent had brought had surrounded the golden hall.

The imperial clansmen turned toward the entrance of the great hall upon hearing the commotion. Murong Li’s uncle’s pupils trembled as he looked in disbelief at Xiao Rongyan standing in the center of the great hall.