An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Edict of Succession

The emperor was sent to heaven to carry the order, and the edict said:

With my humble resources, I have inherited this great legacy, and I work diligently and diligently, fearing I will disgrace the trust bestowed upon me by the late emperor. As my years grow older, my energy declines, and I, mindful of the importance of this sacred artifact, must entrust it to the right person.

The Emperor's second son, Xu Dingliang, possesses a gifted spirit of fortitude and perseverance, and a profoundly benevolent and filial disposition. He has served on the frontier since the age of twelve, enduring the rigors of war. He has personally experienced the hardships of soldiers and civilians, always prioritizing the safety of the nation. With a righteous character and unwavering resolve, he has comforted the troops and the people, repeatedly achieving meritorious service and earning the trust of his fellow soldiers and the hopes of the people. I believe his virtue and talent are worthy of inheriting the throne.

The eldest son is honest, yet he loves a leisurely life; the third son is intelligent, but unfortunately he is too young and arrogant. Only Dingliang has both civil and military talents, possesses both benevolence and courage, and can carry on my will and successfully carry on the family line.

You will immediately pass the throne to your second son Xu Dingliang, who will succeed me as the emperor and rule the world.

All civil and military officials, both inside and outside the country, should work together to assist and support the new policies. Upon ascending the throne, the new monarch must prioritize loving and caring for the people, strengthen border defenses, appease the common people, ensure peace within the country, and secure a lasting foundation for his rule.

This is it.

The eighth day of the twelfth month in the winter of the eleventh year of Daqing

Written by the Emperor

……

As expected, the one who should have succeeded to the throne was the Prince of Yan. Jing Chunxi sighed inwardly. That bastard emperor, in order to gain the throne, had indeed personally poisoned his own father and brothers. His heart should be killed.

This realization made her unconsciously clench her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, but she felt no pain at all.

The Prince of Yan held his forehead with his left hand, his wide sleeves falling to cover most of his face. He remained motionless for a long time, seemingly dozing, but Jing Chunxi clearly saw a drop of water slipping from between his fingers, gleaming faintly in the candlelight.

Xu Zize sat next to Jing Chunxi again. He covered the back of Jing Chunxi's hand with his right hand. The warmth from his palm made Jing Chunxi tremble slightly, but it was surprisingly reassuring.

Jing Chunxi leaned lightly on the back of the chair, feeling the subtle touch of the carved patterns on the backrest through the fabric.

The three of them remained motionless once again, as if time had stopped at this moment.

Outside the house, a night breeze blew past, making the window frames rustle slightly, but no one paid any attention.

As the candlelight flickered, the shadows of the three people intertwined on the wall, stretching very long.

Prince Yan's calloused hands gently stroked the edge of the rosewood table, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

He asked again about the process of discovering the two incidents, and this time he asked in great detail, even asking how Jing Chunxi saved Madam Zhou, how he set the fire, and how he escaped.

Jing Chunxi repeated the story according to what he had said to Prince Jing and Prince Hong.

Similarly, when talking about Nanny Zhou's miserable condition, Prince Yan's eyes also turned red, and Xu Zize once again lowered his head sadly.

The candlelight cast a swaying shadow in the deep eye sockets of Prince Yan. When he asked about the shape of the lotus on the gold brick, Xu Zize noticed that his father's left hand was unconsciously twisting the jade pendant at his waist.

This jade pendant was secretly given to Prince Yan by Eunuch Liu, who served the late emperor personally, when he rushed back to Beijing after the death of the retired emperor.

He still clearly remembered what Eunuch Liu said at the time, "Second Prince, the Emperor passed away, tightly grasping this jade pendant and extending two fingers, and told us to give it to the Second Prince."

Prince Yan suddenly clenched his fist and knocked his forehead hard. "Xi'er can figure this out, how could I be so confused?"

The Prince of Yan suddenly leaned forward, his sharp gaze fixed on Jing Chunxi's face. The little girl was wearing a lilac-colored skirt and a single carved apricot blossom in her hair, making her look exceptionally plain.

Prince Yan looked at the fine shadows cast by her eyelashes in the candlelight, and suddenly remembered the rainy night thirteen years ago when he was forced to go to Lingnan. He knelt in front of the imperial mausoleum and swore to uncover the truth of his father's sudden death and retrieve the imperial edict.

"Thirteen years..." Prince Yan's Adam's apple rolled as he uttered these words, his voice hoarse as sandpaper worn by time. He held up the yellowed edict, the brocade rustling in the air, the cracks in the cinnabar imperial seal clearly visible.

Jing Chunxi noticed the Prince of Yan's hand trembling. The arrow scar on his wrist, left during the Northern Expedition, now looked particularly hideous. "I've been searching for thirteen years..." The Prince of Yan suddenly chuckled, a moist glint hidden in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

"Xi'er is my lucky star!" The ending of this sentence trembled, like the buzzing sound when a bowstring that has been stretched for too long is finally released.

"You—" Prince Yan had barely opened his mouth when Jing Chunxi frantically pulled the letter from her bosom. She had warmed the envelope, and the wax seal of Prince Jing had melted slightly on the seal, now glistening like honey in the candlelight.

When she stood up, she almost knocked over the teacup on the table, but she didn't bother to wipe the water stains on her sleeves, and handed the letter over with both hands.

"Prince Jing and Prince Hong have instructed Xi'er to be personally delivered to Your Highness." Her voice was clear, but with a slight gasp. When she had just touched the letter in her arms, she realized with shock that she had almost forgotten this important matter.

Prince Yan's gaze froze on the envelope. The wax seal was unique—Prince Jing's customary five-petal plum blossom seal, with Prince Hong's private seal inscribed with a tortoise shell.

He looked up at Jing Chunxi. The little girl was nervously pursing her lips, her dimples barely visible. "Prince Jing and Prince Hong have pledged their allegiance with sincerity..." she added hastily, "They both said they would follow the orders of Prince Yan and the Crown Prince." She breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had accomplished a crucial mission.

Prince Yan took a deep breath, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the envelope. Jing Chunxi clearly saw a gleam of water in the prince's eyes, as if the morning sun had suddenly been reflected on the surface of a frozen lake.

He did not open the letter immediately, but turned to Jing Chunxi. Outside the window, a nightingale was chirping, making the study even quieter.

“Speak!”

Prince Yan's voice suddenly softened, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes relaxed. "What reward does Xier want?" He moved casually as if asking what she would like for breakfast tomorrow.

Jing Chunxi was stunned. He never expected that Prince Yan would suddenly ask this question.

Reward? She had never thought of that.

Her fingers unconsciously touched the pouch at her waist—it still contained the dried dates the children from Qingshan Villa had stuffed into her pocket before she left. Just as she was about to shake her head, she suddenly remembered the Jing family members still in exile, and her father, who couldn't show himself openly without a pardon document.

But she swallowed the words back when they came to her lips. She glanced to the side and found Xu Zize nodding slightly at her.

"Father, do you remember..." Xu Zize suddenly spoke, his voice like a clear spring hitting a stone, "Last time, your son told me that the youngest son of Grandpa Jing, Uncle San, has been found."

He gave Jing Chunxi a reassuring look as he spoke, "Third Uncle is now Xi'er's stepfather. He was originally the deputy general of General Jing."