After the tragic death of the daughter of the emperor, she returned to her former marriage and refus

Inside the palace hall.

The emperor looked at Xu Jinghuai with deep eyes as he followed the eunuch into the hall.

"Huai'er, according to the intelligence reports from the spies that the Emperor has placed in Maple Forest City, your brother is likely to rebel soon."

When Xu Jinghuai heard this, his brows furrowed and he just looked at the emperor questioningly without saying a word.

The emperor knew what he was thinking and could only continue speaking.

"Your Majesty, I know what you're wondering. Over the past few years, I've used the courier traffic between Maple Forest City and the capital to obtain a list of your brother's followers. Most of them have already been subdued or eliminated by you. I just didn't expect..."

His Majesty looked at the towering mountains not far away.

Then I looked closer and saw the autumn atmosphere all over the city.

"I just didn't expect that Concubine Jing had left a hand for your royal brother, and that was the former forces of the eldest prince of Hansha Nation..."

As His Majesty spoke, he sighed deeply.

His face was filled with pain that was hard to conceal.

Although Xu Jingye was a prince designed by Concubine Jing, he was his own flesh and blood after all, and had royal blood flowing in his veins.

In order to ensure Xu Jingye's safety for the rest of his life, he was granted a fiefdom and made a king. In order to prevent him from taking this step of seizing power, he did not hesitate to place spies in Fenglin City and even dealt with his followers quietly.

Only some of those who were not very firm remained.

Even these less steadfast ones were gradually won over by Xu Jinghuai during the time when his second prince Xu Jinghuai returned triumphantly to the capital.

After doing so much, who would have thought that Xu Jingye would still embark on this road of no return.

She had become connected with the eldest prince of Hansha Kingdom without anyone noticing.

The rebel soldiers of Hansha Kingdom were welcomed into Fenglin City.

The remnants of the old subordinates of the eldest prince of Hansha Kingdom are still powerful. They are fighting an endless internal struggle with the Hansha Crown Prince Mo Nianci and Heping's faction in Hansha.

Although Xu Jinghuai helped Mo Nianci ascend to the throne of the crown prince, Mo Nianci was unable to cope with the situation.

Moreover, it is absolutely impossible for Tianze to allow any Hansha army to enter Tianze again.

If any unexpected event occurs, it is possible that Hansha will take the opportunity to occupy Tianze in one fell swoop.

This is also a result that His Majesty does not want to see at all costs.

then.

Right now, I can only...

"Huai'er, your brother has lost his mind and allowed Hansha's former followers to enter Maple Forest City in an attempt to seize power. Father had originally wanted to wait until Huai'er's wedding to ascend the throne, but now he can no longer wait. Therefore, he has no choice but to have Huai'er take on this important responsibility and inherit the throne as soon as possible, so that your brother can be even more incompetent."

"When Emperor Father said as soon as possible, how soon did he mean?"

"Tomorrow we will perform the great ceremony of abdication."

Hearing the emperor's answer, a hint of coldness appeared on Xu Jinghuai's lips.

"I think Father doesn't want to deal with my brother personally and wants to turn away his presence as soon as possible."

The emperor's face flashed with embarrassment for a moment after his secret was exposed.

So what if he is the emperor? He still has the same joys and sorrows as ordinary people. He is happy for his children and worried about them.

As parents, we are always unwilling to see our children harming each other.

Moreover, he had already made plans to abdicate, and he and the queen were already prepared for tomorrow's abdication ceremony.

All ceremonial supplies are fully prepared.

Just waiting for the time to come, and then perform the ceremony of abdication.

But what Xu Jinghuai said was right.

He did have the intention to avoid it, and he also had the intention to turn a blind eye.

"Huai'er, then it's settled."

After saying this, he guiltily tried to send Xu Jinghuai away, but Xu Jinghuai refused to leave and continued to look at him, "Father, when do you want me to attack Maple Forest City?"

The emperor was stunned when he heard this.

After hesitating for a long time, I still couldn't make up my mind.

"This kind of question is something Huai'er should think about."

"Father, do you want me to show mercy to my brother?"

The emperor was silent for a long time, his brows grimacing.

The Qinzheng Hall was peaceful and tranquil, with the scent of ambergris in the air. The father and son looked into each other's eyes.

Everyone has their own thoughts.

After a long while, the emperor opened his lips, but still could not say anything. He just sighed helplessly.

Xu Jinghuai understood instantly.

He did not continue asking, but took a step back and bowed.

"I understand, your son. I'll take my leave."

"and many more."

The emperor suddenly stood up from the throne and solemnly placed a roll of bright yellow brocade in Xu Jinghuai's hand.

"The abdication edict has been handed over to Huai'er. I, Tianze, have also been handed over to Huai'er. I hope Huai'er will always put Tianze first in everything, and put the country first..." The emperor paused for a moment and said, "Family second."

Xu Jinghuai frowned and took the imperial edict.

He pursed his lips, wanting to say something but remained silent. He knew that his father's biggest weakness was him and his brother Xu Jingye.

When abdicating, my father still wanted to protect Xu Jingye, which shows that as an emperor, even though he knew that the country came first and his family came second, he might not be able to do it.

Everyone has weaknesses, and the emperor is no exception.

The emperor's weaknesses are him and Xu Jingye.

His weakness is Yan Yunshu.

If a person knows his or her weaknesses well, he or she needs to plan ahead and prevent tragedies from happening.

The emperor knew this very well and had planned it early on, but he still failed to stop Xu Jingye's obsession.

So sometimes even if you are the emperor, you can't do whatever you want.

It applies to my father and it applies to me too.

Now, he had to agree to the only request of his father before abdicating, which was that even if he attacked Fenglin City, he had to save Xu Jingye's life and give him a decent ending.

But how can we give it a decent ending?

Attacking Fenglin City would inevitably result in bloodshed and injuries, a situation that no one could guarantee.

But since I agreed.

He had to do his best.

"Father, I will do my best."

His Majesty breathed a sigh of relief.

He understood Xu Jinghuai's character. He would definitely do what he promised, unless things really reached a point where they were irreversible.

Xu Jingye also understood that although he was greedy, he was timid by nature. He took this step only because he relied on the remnants of his biological mother's old subordinates and was stimulated by the incident with Yan Yunshu.

But if he really reaches a point of desperation, it is not impossible that he will turn to his younger brother and submit.

This is also the possibility he wants most now.

The next day.

A grand abdication ceremony was held in the palace hall, and the emperor solemnly handed the imperial seal to Xu Jinghuai.

This is still what I am thinking about.

The day after Xu Jingye returned to Beijing, he came to the palace to find him and asked him to arrange his marriage with Yan Yunshu.

He naturally rejected Xu Jingye and also explained that Yan Yunshu and Xu Jinghuai were already engaged.

At that time, Xu Jingye was hysterically yelling and shouting at himself, making heart-wrenching accusations.

He said that his father had lied to him and had been lying to him from the very beginning.

Four years ago, it was said that the marriage could only be discussed after Yan Yunshu reached the age of 15, but now that Yan Yunshu has reached the age of 15, she suddenly decided to get married with Xu Jinghuai.

"So, Father, what exactly do I mean to you, Your Majesty?"

What on earth is this...

The moment the jade seal was handed over.

The former emperor, now the emperor, looked at Xu Jinghuai in front of him.

While his face showed instructions and relief for the new wise ruler, he still couldn't hide the deep sorrow in his eyes.

My father is old and has white hair on his forehead.

The wrinkles at the corners of the eyes cannot be hidden.

Xu Jinghuai suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.