Remarrying Chun Yuan

Yuan Cuo stood there solemnly, motionless.

The two remained locked in this stalemate for a long time until Cheng Haixian finally couldn't stand it any longer and led Yuan Cuo into the hall quickly.

"Our family has already brewed tea and is waiting for the Duke to taste it."

He invited Yuan Cuo to his seat and instructed a eunuch to bring over tea and snacks. "Your Excellency has been busy all day and must be exhausted. I wonder if you have eaten anything yet? Have something to eat first. His Majesty just said that he wants you to stay and dine with him."

Cheng Hai said everything he could, then looked expectantly at Emperor Qi Xiao.

Emperor Qi Xiao coughed to ease the awkwardness, then turned and sat down in his seat.

He looked at Yuan Cuo, his words of concern somewhat insincere, "You've lost a lot of weight these days, your face is just skin and bones. Although you're eager to find someone, you still need to take care of your health and not overexert yourself. What will happen to the Duke's mansion if you collapse?"

Yuan Cuo was indeed unable to think about tea or sleep at night, and in just a few days, he had already lost more than ten kilograms.

He also understood that he hadn't been in a good state lately, and perhaps appeared even more sharp.

But he didn't care at all, and asked directly, "Your Majesty summoned me here, may I ask what important matter it is? If there is nothing else, I still need to continue searching for the whereabouts of the Lady, so I will not stay here to dine with Your Majesty."

Emperor Qi Xiao was surprised that he asked so directly, even though there were other court officials in the hall at the time.

He gave Cheng Hai a wink, and Cheng Hai told everyone to wait outside the hall, leaving only Emperor Qi Xiao and Yuan Cuo to speak alone...

"In order to help you find Liu Yuechu, I have already given you all the power. But this has naturally caused dissatisfaction among others. You are now acting recklessly, and I need to have an explanation to face others." After careful consideration, Emperor Qi Xiao still took a roundabout approach. No matter what the subsequent decision is, he wants to tie Yuan Cuo to the same vine first.

Yuan Cuo sneered, "So what? Does Your Majesty expect me to hand over all power?"

"I feel sorry for you."

Emperor Qi Xiao's attitude became more serious, even reprimanding him like an elder, "I have already discussed this with the Empress, and she may recognize you as her legitimate son."

"You understand that my delegating power in this way is against the rules of the Great Qi Dynasty. Only by formally incorporating your identity into the royal family and having you take over the Eastern Palace can everything be properly done and people will no longer gossip."

……

Yuan Cuo was not surprised at all by his words. "Your Majesty has made the suggestion before, but I refused."

"That was then, and today is today. As you know, I am already resented by the other princes and court officials, and the hatred runs deep."

"I am considering your needs, and you should also share my burdens."

Emperor Qi Xiao had already prepared these arguments and was even considering them repeatedly in his mind.

Yuan Cuo looked at Emperor Qi Xiao, "What's the price?"

"The price?" Emperor Qi Xiao was momentarily stunned.

“Yes, there is a price to pay.” Yuan Cuo said calmly, “Now that I have taken over the Eastern Palace, I naturally have to help Your Majesty share your burdens. But what are Your Majesty’s burdens?”

Emperor Qi Xiao paused for a moment, "I am old. I have spent my whole life upholding integrity and do not want to leave a single stain on the history books."

"Regarding the matter with the State of Chu, I hope you will take charge. Whether it is war or peace, it can be done according to your wishes. But I also hope that the State of Qi can be peaceful and harmonious internally, no longer like the internal strife we ​​have now."

He naturally wouldn't directly and frankly tell Yuan Cuo to deal with all the third prince and court officials who forced him to abdicate.

If Yuan Cuo were to assume the position of Crown Prince, he would naturally face resistance, and at that time, whether he wanted to or not, he would have to step in to resolve the trouble.

The biggest problem was Qin Muyan.

“If Your Majesty would be so frank as to let me deal with the Third Prince and the Left and Right Chancellors who are forcing you to abdicate, I would still have the utmost respect for you,” Yuan Cuo suddenly blurted out.

Emperor Qi Xiao's expression hardened. He hadn't expected Yuan Cuo to tear off this fig leaf so directly.

"That's a matter for later; for now, let's talk about your situation!"

“Isn’t this a question? If I were to tell Your Majesty that even if I were to assume the position of Crown Prince, I would not deal with the Third Prince, the Left Chancellor, or the Right Chancellor, would Your Majesty still be willing to pass the position of Crown Prince to me?” Yuan Cuo asked a question that was impossible to answer.

Emperor Qi Xiao took a deep breath. "Don't provoke me on purpose. My patience has its limits."

"I am not provoking you, but stating the facts." Yuan Cuo said in a serious tone, as if he were the emperor above all others and Emperor Qi Xiao was the subordinate.

"I still remember when I was a child, Eunuch Cheng Hai brought me to the palace to see His Majesty. At that time, His Majesty only asked me to kneel and kowtow before sending me away. The reason why he allowed me to enter the palace again was because he knew that my Chu medicine acupuncture technique could detoxify the Empress Dowager."

"At that time, His Majesty wanted to recognize me as his successor, but on the condition that I stay in the palace permanently and serve the Empress Dowager. So I refused in order to be free."

"When I met you, we got married and started a family. At that time, Your Majesty instructed Eunuch Cheng to prevent me from taking the imperial examination and entering officialdom, because he did not want me to confront you in court and make you feel embarrassed."

“My wife is a business genius who has given you a way to make money. Although you have always protected and doted on her, it is actually to protect the money that you can take at any time. My wife and I are just lambs to the slaughter, waiting to be fleeced.”

"The last time you wanted to acknowledge me as your subject was because I was able to help the Great Qi escape from the bottom of the Seven Kingdoms, and you became the first emperor of the Great Qi with great achievements, which no one can match."

"You cannot bear to see your ministers calling me a hero. You only wish that this hero is your child, and that all the credit will be attributed to Your Majesty."

"And this time, you want to acknowledge me again. I asked directly what the price would be, but you didn't tell me to kill the Third Prince, my half-brother, and to take on the shame of going to war with Chu, which could even cause Qi to fall back to the bottom of the Seven Kingdoms."

"Over the years, whether it's the Crown Prince or the Third Prince, almost everyone has been nothing more than His Majesty's tools."

"Therefore Your Majesty need not discuss these matters with me. You must issue the edict of self-reproach, otherwise I will not stand on your side."

Yuan Cuo looked at Cheng Hai and said, "I have said everything I needed to say."

"Your Majesty may also reclaim all the powers granted to me and allow me to search for the Lady's whereabouts on my own."

"But whether or not we can take it back is not a decision I can make."

He left those words behind and turned to leave.

They completely ignored Emperor Qi Xiao and Cheng Hai.

Emperor Qi Xiao pointed at Yuan Cuo's back, trembling uncontrollably. He never expected that this most inconspicuous illegitimate son could say the most ruthless things to him!

"He...he's gone mad! I must kill him, kill him..."

"His Majesty!"

Cheng Hai knelt down, embraced Emperor Qi Xiao, and wept bitterly, "I'm afraid that's the only path you can take."

He looked at Yuan Cuo leaving the hall. As he went out, almost all the court officials followed him, and no one paid any attention to Emperor Qi Xiao anymore.

Yuan Cuo dared to directly provoke Emperor Qi Xiao, so let him try to take back his power.

Isn't this just mocking Emperor Qi Xiao for being completely incapable of doing it?

Or perhaps, the moment he helped Daqi find the Huaizhou mine, power was already in his hands.

Yuan Cuo also disdained the position of Crown Prince of Qi, and didn't even care about the throne of Qi anymore...