Li Ji froze.
Like a heartless marionette, he slowly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes turning to Mu Qing.
"What did you say?"
Mu Qing: "The Princess Consort asked me to tell you, she will come back!"
When the Princess Consort had asked her to pass on this message, she hadn’t understood what it meant.
Only now did she understand. The Princess Consort must have known she wasn’t going to make it, so she had deliberately left these last words for Prince Zhao.
Li Ji heard Mu Qing’s thoughts and knew she wasn’t lying.
Manman really had left this message for him before she died.
Manman said she would come back.
In a world that had been filled with despair, a glimmer of hope now appeared.
It was like an oasis suddenly appearing in a barren desert.
Even if the oasis was far away, looking more like a mirage, he could at least see that it was there.
’What if the oasis is real? What if the hope is real, too?’
Manman had so many secrets. Perhaps she really did have a secret art to return from the dead.
’I can wait a little longer.’
The hand holding the dagger slowly lowered.
’I’ll trust Manman one last time.’
’This is really the last time.’
Seeing that Prince Zhao had finally given up the idea of taking his own life, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The palace was already in utter chaos. If Prince Zhao were to die now, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty would likely collapse.
Anyone could have an accident right now, but not Prince Zhao!
Mu Qing held out the baby in her arms, suppressing her own grief as she said gently,
"Your Highness, look. This is your and the Princess Consort’s child. Look at his eyes and brows. He looks so much like you."
She thought saying this would make Prince Zhao dote on the child more.
However, what Li Ji disliked most was people like himself.
He stared at the little thing still wailing in its swaddling clothes, his gaze chillingly cold.
’If it weren’t for giving birth to this child, Manman would have at least had a chance to escape.’
’It’s all because of this child.’
’If this child didn’t exist, Manman might not have died.’
One thought after another surfaced, crowding Li Ji’s mind and making him despise the child more and more.
But soon, his reason suppressed those thoughts.
He told himself that this was the child Manman had risked her life to bear, the apple of her eye.
’If Manman were still alive, she would have definitely adored this child.’
’The blood of both Manman and I flows through this child’s veins.’
’The child is a continuation of Manman and me, a treasure she left for me.’
’I have to take good care of this child.’
Mu Qing noticed that Prince Zhao’s expression had turned strange, and she felt a little uneasy.
"Your Highness, what’s wrong?"
Li Ji said in a hoarse voice, "I can’t take care of the child right now. You look after him for me for the time being."
Mu Qing quickly said, "I will definitely take good care of the young master!"
Li Ji’s gaze fell on the child again.
’So it’s not a sweet, soft little daughter, but an annoying son.’
’No wonder he’s so ugly.’
...
After Wu Wang’s attention was diverted by Zuo Ji, the Emperor struggled to his feet. He dragged his weak body off the bed and staggered toward the door.
Zuo Ji was seriously injured by Wu Wang and fell unconscious on the spot.
With no one in his way, Wu Wang immediately spotted the fleeing Emperor.
He picked up a vase from the floor and threw it in the Emperor’s direction.
The vase struck the Emperor’s back.
He screamed in pain and fell heavily to the ground, unable to get back up.
Wu Wang strode over. Looking at the gasping Dog Emperor, he prepared to deliver the final blow.
Suddenly, Bian Ziming charged in with his men.
They saved the Emperor, whose life was hanging by a thread.
Knowing he could not escape, Wu Wang tried to kill himself but was knocked unconscious by a blow from Bian Ziming’s club.
Bian Ziming shook his wooden club and ordered,
"Fall back, quickly!"
Hanzhang Hall had already become a sea of fire, the building nearly burned down to its wooden frame.
They had barely escaped when a roof beam, burnt through, came crashing down with a terrifyingly loud crash.
By the time the fires in the palace were gradually extinguished, it was already the next day.
Most of the palace buildings had been burned beyond recognition.
The air was thick with the smell of char.
Thanks to the Imperial Physicians’ desperate efforts, the Emperor’s life was saved. However, due to a severe spinal injury, he would never be able to stand again. He would even need help just to sit up.
In short, the Emperor was paralyzed.
For the Emperor himself, this was a bolt from the blue.
He couldn’t accept this cruel reality.
But aside from lashing out at those around him, there was nothing he could do.
The Empress Dowager was heartbroken. Crying, she tried to console the Emperor, hoping he would pull himself together.
The Emperor was utterly despondent. How could he possibly pull himself together?
He was a cripple now.
The palace was in ruins, the court was in a state of panic, and a huge mess was waiting for someone to clean it up.
But in his current state, the Emperor was clearly in no position to manage the situation.
Despite his bitter unwillingness, the Emperor knew that the Great Zhou Dynasty would not allow a cripple to continue occupying the throne.
He had to give up his position.
The only ones who could succeed him now were the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince.
When the Emperor learned that Princess Consort Zhen had already affixed the Jade Seal to an edict appointing the Seventh Prince as Crown Prince, he understood she was making a bid for power on her son’s behalf.
Since that was the case, it would have to be the Seventh Prince.
The Emperor deliberately ignored the matter of the Jade Seal being used without permission. He directly summoned Prince Zhao and the Left and Right Ministers to announce his intention to name the Seventh Prince as Crown Prince.
"Although the Seventh Prince is still young and cannot handle many matters personally, I must trouble you all to look after him.
"You are all pillars of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I trust that with your guidance, the Seventh Prince will surely grow to become an enlightened ruler."
As he finished, the Emperor gave Prince Zhao a pointed look.
Even though the Emperor could no longer leave his chambers, he knew that the most powerful person in the court was now Prince Zhao.
During the time the Emperor had been paralyzed, Prince Zhao held complete control over court affairs.
The remnants of Prince Wu Zhang’s faction had already been purged by Prince Zhao, and all the new appointments were from his own camp.
If Prince Wu Zhang was once said to have blotted out the sky with one hand in the capital, then Prince Zhao’s power now was even greater.
If Prince Zhao was displeased with the appointment of the Seventh Prince as Crown Prince, the situation would become very unfavorable for the Seventh Prince.
It wasn’t just the Emperor; the Left and Right Ministers were also secretly observing Prince Zhao’s reaction.
According to their speculation, Prince Zhao shouldn’t object to the Seventh Prince becoming Crown Prince. After all, the Seventh Prince’s mother and Princess Consort Zhao were sisters.
They were all one family. If the Seventh Prince could become Emperor, it would be highly beneficial for Prince Zhao.
However, Li Ji let out a sneer and said disdainfully,
"A little brat who can’t even speak properly? Does the Saint really intend to make him Crown Prince? This subject advises you to think twice."