We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

The hall was empty and silent, and you could hear a pin drop.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the window lattice, casting patches of mottled and broken light and shadows on the ground, as if the old days were scattered all over the ground.

The front hall was unusually empty, without any extra furnishings. There was only a large chair placed alone in the center.

There was a figure sitting upright on the chair.

The figure was not tall, and even looked a little thin compared to the seat. He was sunken in the wide chair back and was not very noticeable.

However, the moment their eyes met the figure, Li Che and Li Lin's footsteps seemed to be nailed to a halt at the threshold.

Li Lin's pupils suddenly contracted, his breathing stagnated, and he almost blurted out:

"Father...Father, are you okay?!"

Before pushing open the door, he had already imagined countless possible scenes in his mind.

Perhaps it was because my father was dying, lying on his sickbed in a haggard state.

Perhaps my father is on his deathbed and cannot speak.

Or even worse, what you might see is a cold corpse...

Before coming to the imperial capital, he had already prepared for the worst.

What he didn't expect was that Emperor Qing was actually sitting in the chair in good health, and he didn't look as seriously ill as he had imagined.

Li Che remained silent, staring at the figure in front of him.

Compared to the last time they met, Emperor Qing's appearance had indeed changed a lot.

Time and illness have left deep marks on his body, making him look old and haggard.

The originally tall and majestic figure became thin, and the dark dragon robe draped over his body seemed somewhat empty, no longer able to support the former majesty.

Her full head of white hair was not neatly tied up with a crown, but was scattered slightly behind her shoulders, adding a bit of old age.

The only thing that remains unchanged is those eyes.

Those eyes, which have experienced the vicissitudes of life and have insight into the world, are still as sharp as a knife, and contain the majesty of the founding monarch.

As long as he glanced at her, no one would dare to look down on this old man in his twilight years.

"You arrived sooner than I expected," Emperor Qing said slowly, his voice unexpectedly gentle. "You didn't get hurt along the way, did you?"

Although his gaze was still intense and compelling, the first thing he said was to ask if they were okay.

Li Lin's nose felt sore and his eyes turned red instantly.

He fell to his knees with a thud, his voice choked with sobs: "Father..."

Li Che's heart also trembled, and complicated emotions surged in his heart.

He took a deep breath, bowed and said:

"I am late, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

He only said that he was late, but did not mention that he came to save the emperor.

Emperor Qing slowly shook his head and looked at Li Lin with a smile: "Fourth Brother, get up. I don't have the strength to help you now."

Li Lin hurriedly stood up and took a few steps forward, speaking in an extremely urgent tone:

"Father! How is your health? What happened in the capital? Why did you allow the Seventh Prince to commit such a rebellious act and hand over the court to the aristocratic families?!"

Emperor Qing did not answer his question, but turned his head slightly and his eyes fell on Li Che again.

He asked softly, "You don't look too surprised, but have you guessed it already?"

Li Che nodded and said frankly: "I was just confused at first."

"With my father's wisdom and bravery, even if he was seriously ill, he would never completely lose control of the court or even the imperial capital in such a short time."

"That in itself is extremely unusual."

"Oh?" The corner of Emperor Qing's mouth curled up into a smile. "Then when did you start to be sure of what you wanted in your heart?"

"From the moment we entered the imperial capital," Li Che analyzed calmly, "all the forces in the city that were originally loyal to my father have almost disappeared, but order in the capital remains in good order."

"Daqing was founded by you. No matter how powerful the family is, it is impossible to complete such a thorough cleansing so neatly and efficiently, unless..."

He paused and looked at Emperor Qing with a serious look:

"Unless you proactively ordered the forces loyal to you to temporarily retreat and deliberately handed this imperial capital over to them."

Emperor Qing did not comment, but just signaled him to continue with his eyes.

"It was not until I entered the Imperial City and saw Prime Minister Du's reaction that I became even more certain of my suspicions."

Li Che continued, "What kind of person is Prime Minister Du? Like Elder Huo, he is a loyal minister to your father. Although he comes from an aristocratic family, he is also an old friend of yours. His loyalty to you cannot be shaken by ordinary interests."

"There's absolutely no way he would so easily side with the aristocratic families when you're seriously ill, unless... everything he says and does is in accordance with your secret orders."

Emperor Qing finally showed admiration in his eyes and nodded slightly: "Not bad, you are very observant and thoughtful. You have made great progress."

Only Li Lin, who was standing aside, was stunned. He looked at Emperor Qing and then at Li Che.

I just felt dry mouth and confused.

No...what are they talking about?

I was the only one who was kept in the dark and could not keep up with the thinking of these two people at all.

Li Che took a small step forward, frowning, and asked the biggest question that was lingering in his mind:

"But Father, I don't understand."

"With your ability, if you want your son to take over the throne safely, there are a hundred more reliable ways to proceed step by step."

"Why did you choose such a drastic approach, not hesitating to use yourself as bait, putting the imperial capital in danger, and forcing me to return in this way?"

After hearing Li Che's words, Emperor Qing was silent for a moment.

The setting sun moved outside the hall, and the light and shadow quietly changed under the feet of the two people.

After an unknown amount of time, Emperor Qing let out a low but hearty laugh.

The laughter echoed in the empty hall, diluting the dull atmosphere.

He did not directly answer Li Che's question, but asked as if chatting with family:

"Those two big insects you kept in Fengtian are quite old, aren't they? Are they still alive?"

Although Li Che did not understand what he meant, he still replied respectfully: "The big pine tree is old, and I did not bring it with me when I returned to the capital this time, but it is still safe and sound."

"As for Xiaosong, he is in his prime, carefree every day, and lives a more comfortable life than I, your son."

Emperor Qing's gaze grew distant as he spoke slowly, "Even if a tiger is old and its teeth are weak, as long as it has a breath left, it will stubbornly defend its mountaintop and protect its cubs, and will not allow any outside enemy to covet it."

"I... am I not the same?"

Hearing Emperor Qing's words, Li Che's mind moved slightly, and his heart became even more complicated.

Emperor Qing did not notice the change in Li Che's expression and continued:

"I have read over and over again the memorial you submitted to me after pacifying Japan."

“The more I look at it, the more I like it.”

"The more I watch, the more my heart surges and I can't help myself."

"Sixth Brother," Emperor Qing stared at Li Che with a burning gaze, "In that memorial, you painted a picture of the future for me... a future that I'm fascinated by and can't help but yearn for!"

"In your blueprint, the future of Daqing will be so great!"

"It will surely surpass the previous dynasty and surpass all previous dynasties, creating an unprecedentedly powerful empire!"

"I... firmly believe in this!"

"But...I am old."

As soon as these words were spoken, a sense of dejection emanated from Emperor Qing, and his entire body seemed to have a more decadent air.

But he quickly got rid of it and continued:

"but!"

"Before this, there are still two heavy mountains weighing down the future of this magnificent empire!"

"Do you know... which two?"

Li Che answered without hesitation, "It's the princes and the noble families!"

Emperor Qing was slightly startled, then a complex smile appeared on his face:

"That's right! It's the princes and the noble families!"

He sighed deeply, his voice becoming even deeper: "Speaking of which, this is still the hidden danger I left behind."

"In order to seize the throne and unify the country, I have no choice but to rely on the power of the aristocratic families and win them over."

"And in order to secure his throne, maintain a balanced political balance, and suppress those arrogant and powerful generals whose achievements threatened the emperor, he firmly grasped the military power."

"I had no choice but to divide my sons among the feudal lords, grant them authority, and elevate their status..."

"If my successor is only an average person, or even just a ruler who can maintain the status quo, I will definitely not touch these two mountains."

"I will continue to follow the old system, win over the noble families, show favoritism to the vassal kings, and maintain this delicate balance."

"After all, this has been the case throughout the dynasties. At least this way, no matter how the world changes in the future, the people sitting on the throne will still be the descendants of my Li family."

Emperor Qing's gaze focused on Li Che again, and his tone became firm: "But your appearance changed everything!"

Li Che stood there silently, with no joy or sadness on his face, listening to what was going on.

Emperor Qing continued, "It was you who opened my eyes to a wider world, letting me know that the territory of Daqing is not all that belongs to the world, and that I... am far from being worthy of being called 'the common ruler of the world'!"

"Beyond the mountains and seas, there is a vast expanse of fertile land!"

"Daqing has an even more glorious and limitless future!"

"And if we want to move towards that future, we must remove the two huge mountains weighing on Daqing!"

"I...will pave the way for you, or rather, for that future."

After saying this, Emperor Qing seemed a little tired and his voice began to lower.

"I have already done most of the work of reducing the feudal lords for you."

"When you take the throne, you won't have to bear the stigma of slaughtering your brothers and being mean and ungrateful. And the aristocratic family..."

Emperor Qing's tone remained unchanged, but his eyes became sharper:

"Aristocratic families...are difficult to destroy!"

"I've put myself in your shoes, thinking about it over and over again for many years, and deducing it thousands of times."

"But I could never have imagined a foolproof plan that could solve the problems of the aristocratic families once and for all!"

"They are no longer vassals of the empire; they themselves are the most important part of Daqing. Their disciples and students are spread throughout the court, prefectures, and counties, and their influence is pervasive."

"As long as Daqing exists, they will always exist, deeply rooted and intertwined!"

"unless......"

Emperor Qing paused, then met Li Che's gaze.

"Unless this country is overturned, all this must be torn down and started all over again!"