Remarrying Chun Yuan

Cheng Hai felt a chill run down his spine, and instantly thought of Qin Muyan.

His eyes darted around. "Does the Duke mean that this matter is related to the Third Prince?"

“I didn’t say that, I was just guessing.” Yuan Cuo turned his head and quietly looked at the ruins in front of him. “But almost everything I guessed came true, without any surprises.”

Cheng Hai: "..."

Although he had considered the possibility of the Chu Emperor joining forces with Qin Muyan, he hadn't anticipated that Qin Muyan might use this matter to pressure His Majesty into abdicating!

"So there really is no other way to solve this?" Cheng Hai was still unwilling to give up.

“Yes, we will fight the Chu army to the death, until the very end, until we each die,” Yuan Cuo said.

Cheng Hai stammered, "This is simply impossible. Not to mention whether the Great Qi has enough money to fight a war, it doesn't even have the confidence to fight one."

In particular, neither the Yan nor the Meng states will intervene; they will simply remain on the sidelines.

What if they take advantage of the situation and dismantle the Great Qi? In the end, the Great Qi would be the one to suffer. Even if Emperor Qi Xiao wanted to fight, the ministers would not agree.

Cheng Hai was at a loss for words, but Yuan Cuo simply looked up at the sky.

The sky was completely obscured by dark clouds, devoid of any azure blue, but a rapidly moving black dot could be seen swooping down towards him.

Cheng Hai's eyes lit up; he knew this was the Falcon of the Dark Guard.

Moreover, judging from the manner of this message, it came from afar.

Yuan Cuo raised his hand, and the falcon landed.

"It seems I was a bit too late in my prediction. The Chu army has already amassed at the border, and the Third Prince has submitted a memorial demanding the abdication of the emperor."

He didn't say the rest aloud, but left it to Cheng Hai to figure out for himself.

Cheng Hai took the note and, startled, threw it on the ground.

He never expected that the Third Prince would actually unite with the Left and Right Chancellors and most of the civil officials to make Emperor Qi Xiao apologize for this matter and even abdicate!

"This, how is this possible..."

“Why is that impossible?” Yuan Cuo stopped sitting and stood up, dusting off the wrinkles in his clothes. “I just said that this matter must be handled by His Majesty himself and cannot be entrusted to outsiders.”

Cheng Hai had no intention of continuing to deal with Yuan Cuo. He hurriedly returned to the palace with the urgent report in his hand. This was a matter of utmost importance, and His Majesty had to know about it immediately!

……

When Emperor Qi Xiao saw the urgent memorial before him, his heart sank into despair.

He never expected that his third son would join forces with outsiders to force him to abdicate!

"That rebellious son, he's a complete rebellious son!"

"Why didn't I kill him back then, but instead sent him to the west!"

"I knew he had ulterior motives all along, but he deliberately rubbed salt into the wound when the Great Qi was gaining momentum! He just can't stand the prosperity of the Great Qi, and he just can't stand my comfort!"

This was the first time Emperor Qi Xiao had ever been so enraged that he smashed everything in the imperial study!

Cheng Hai had already hidden by the door, and only came in to speak after the house was completely destroyed and Emperor Rong Qixiao had vented his anger.

"This is an urgent report from the secret guards. The court officials may not be ready yet and are all hesitating."

"If Your Majesty takes action now, there might still be room for maneuver!"

"A place to maneuver? How can we maneuver? I never expected that those two old dogs, the Left Chancellor and the Right Chancellor, could join forces. Their marriage alliance was a mistake!" Emperor Qi Xiao had never cared that Pei Chun had married Jiang Yunjiao.

But this was indeed a clue that had disappeared between the two mansions, and unexpectedly they joined forces on this matter!

Cheng Hai didn't know what to say.

But venting is no longer effective, so it's better to think of ways to deal with it.

Emperor Qi Xiao had vented his anger enough before he instructed Cheng Hai to order the carriage to be moved to Fukang Palace.

He was going to see the Empress. At this time, it might be more effective for the Empress to persuade the old ministers than for him to do so himself.

The Empress and Emperor Qi Xiao had a private conversation for an hour before the Empress left the palace incognito.

Unfortunately, she returned dejected, clearly having failed.

"Several Confucian scholars also felt that His Majesty's ambition and desire for glory led to this grave mistake. Moreover, they believed that a simple edict of self-reproach would be enough to force the Chu army to retreat, and that this was the best solution."

She even went to see Pei Youcheng, after all, he was the Crown Princess's maternal family.

Unfortunately, the Right Chancellor also felt that it was not advisable to fight against the State of Chu to the end, since the State of Qi could not afford to suffer any more damage.

In truth, the Empress understood, and the court officials were well aware, that Emperor Qi Xiao intended to use this incident to reshuffle the court and purge the veteran officials. If that was the case, why didn't they get rid of Emperor Qi Xiao first?

This is the best strategy to protect the family.

Otherwise, the current situation would never have occurred.

"An edict of self-reproach! An edict of self-reproach! Do they think that just because I issued an edict of self-reproach, the Chu Kingdom will let it go?!" Emperor Qi Xiao roared in fury!

"They couldn't defeat me, so they resorted to the most underhanded tactics. And the third prince actually colluded with outsiders to force me to abdicate. This is treason, treason!"

"Your Majesty, I have already made a promise to the Right Chancellor, but he still refuses... But Your Majesty cannot be swayed by these people." The Empress had promised that as long as the Right Chancellor stood up to support Emperor Qi Xiao this time, she would guarantee the Right Chancellor's family prosperity for three generations. Unfortunately, the Right Chancellor refused to accept this offer.

"That old fool, he just wants to see me make a fool of myself. He's done so many terrible things, and he thinks he can take advantage of the Third Prince's rise to power and continue to wield influence in the court? Once the Third Prince takes the throne, the first thing he'll do is kill him!" Emperor Qi Xiao said.

"Otherwise, let the Duke of Baoguo speak with the ministers?" the Empress suggested, mentioning Yuan Cuo.

Upon hearing Yuan Cuo's name, Emperor Qi Xiao felt a chill run through him. "Do you think I haven't contacted him? This information was given to me by him!"

Queen: "..."

She remained silent for a long time, then raised her handkerchief to wipe the sweat from the corners of her eyes. "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion, and I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to grant it."

"Actually, this matter has been delayed for a long time. I feel that it cannot be delayed any longer. Perhaps if we do it, it can bring about a change in the current situation."

Emperor Qi Xiao looked at the Empress. Even though she didn't say it aloud, he understood that the Empress wanted him to acknowledge Yuan Cuo as a prince, so that he could be fully recognized as a member of the imperial family.

Now the crown prince is mentally impaired and has no heir;

The reason why Qin Muyan dares to be so arrogant is because, apart from him, no other prince can support the precarious Qi Dynasty.

Apart from Yuancuo, there was indeed no better choice.

Emperor Qi Xiao smiled wryly, "I'm afraid he's unwilling to take on this hot potato..."

"Well, we should at least give it a try." The Empress felt the possibility was not small. "Your Majesty could be more sincere and treat him as your heir."

"I have long said that we can recognize him as the legitimate son, so that he has the right to inherit the throne."

The Empress wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice choked with emotion, "As long as Your Majesty is willing to spare Shuo'er's life and not kill him, I will do anything."