Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Emperor Jingzhao felt extremely pleased and gratified upon seeing the Empress's reaction.

The Queen was indeed so sincere and caring towards him.

When the Empress saw the gentle look in Emperor Jingzhao's eyes, she was overjoyed, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Jingzhao quickly comforted him, saying, "You've worked hard."

The Empress quickly shook her head gently and said, "I am not tired, not tired at all."

After saying this, she wiped away her tears, took the medicine from Eunuch Yuan, and personally served Emperor Jingzhao the medicine.

Then, she looked softly at Emperor Jingzhao and said, "Your Majesty, please rest well tonight. We can discuss anything tomorrow. Although I do not know what has upset Your Majesty, Your Majesty must not be upset again today, otherwise..."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingzhao immediately replied, "I understand. My health is of utmost importance. I will get a good rest tonight."

After saying that, he put everything out of his mind and quickly fell asleep.

The Empress was completely relieved to see this.

Then he ordered someone to spread the news to everyone that His Majesty had woken up and was fine.

Now, all the officials in the court also received the news.

They each had their own plans in mind.

Some people even made certain resolutions in their hearts after this incident.

So when Emperor Jingzhao, despite his illness, attended the morning court the next day, more than half of the court officials requested the establishment of an heir apparent.

Half of them support Xiao Muyao.

The remaining officials were divided into those who supported the eldest prince, those who supported the second prince, and those who supported the fourth prince.

Some even supported the Fifth Prince because of his outstanding military achievements.

At this moment, an old minister stepped forward first. He held the tablet in both hands, bowed, and spoke in a loud but urgent voice: "Your Majesty, the country cannot be without an heir for a day. Now that Your Majesty's health is not good, in order to ensure the stability of the country, I implore Your Majesty to establish an heir as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, many ministers stepped forward and echoed in unison: "We second your proposal and earnestly request Your Majesty to establish an heir!"

The ministers who supported Xiao Muyao were in high spirits. One of them spoke earnestly: "Your Majesty, Prince Rui is the legitimate son. His status is rightful, and he is virtuous, talented, benevolent, and loves the people. He is truly the only choice to be the crown prince!"

Officials who supported the eldest prince also stood up and said, "The eldest prince is the eldest son, and there is an order of seniority. The eldest prince is mature and steady, and he handles government affairs in an orderly manner. He should be established as the crown prince."

Those who supported the Second Prince shouted, "The Second Prince is intelligent, quick-witted, and exceptionally talented; he is a suitable candidate for Crown Prince."

The ministers who supported the fourth prince bowed and said, "The fourth prince is kind-hearted and respectful to scholars, making him a suitable candidate for crown prince."

At this moment, a minister who supported the Fifth Prince stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell: "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince has made outstanding military achievements and is brave and fearless. If he is established as the Crown Prince, he will surely ensure the eternal stability of our dynasty!"

At this moment, in the imperial court, the ministers were arguing heatedly about the matter of choosing an heir, their faces flushed, like a pot of water about to boil.

At this moment, a minister who supported Xiao Muyao widened his eyes, pointed at the other party with a trembling finger, and almost roared: "His Highness Prince Rui has the world in his heart and is full of benevolence and righteousness. His philosophy of governing the country will surely make our dynasty prosperous and strong. Why do you turn a blind eye to this?"

The officials who supported the Crown Prince did not back down. They stepped forward, their necks stiff, and loudly retorted: "The Crown Prince is mature, prudent, and incomparably virtuous. How can anyone else compare?"

His forehead veins bulged, and his face turned bright red.

The minister who supported the second prince snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and said in a shrill voice, "The second prince is exceptionally intelligent, and his writing and poetry are all excellent. Such talent is exactly what is needed to govern the country!"

Officials who supported the Fourth Prince couldn't contain themselves any longer and jumped out, waving their official tablets and shouting, "The Fourth Prince is kind-hearted and implements benevolent policies. The people praise him highly. These are the qualities a crown prince should have!"

The ministers who supported the Fifth Prince glared angrily and shouted like thunder: "The Fifth Prince has always been at the forefront of battle, repeatedly achieving great feats and protecting our borders. Such a brave man is the hope for the future of our country!"

For a time, spittle flew everywhere in the court, and everyone spoke at once, refusing to give way to each other.

Some ministers were so angry that they blew their beards and glared, while others were so anxious that they stomped their feet, and still others had red faces and clearly visible veins on their necks.

The entire court seemed to be engulfed in a chaotic struggle, with various factions on the verge of conflict, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

The Golden Palace seemed to have turned into a noisy marketplace, with all sorts of sounds intertwined, giving Emperor Jingzhao a splitting headache.

Throughout the entire process, the candidates for heir apparent remained silent.

He watched quietly as the court officials argued amongst themselves.

Just as they were about to make their move, Xiao Muyao solemnly stopped them, saying, "Ministers, this is the Golden Palace."

All the courtiers who had been attacking each other instantly stopped what they were doing and fell silent.

Then, without saying a word, he quickly took his place.

The hall fell silent once more.

Emperor Jingzhao then spoke in a deep voice, "Have you had enough of arguing?"

The civil and military officials all knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying, "We are guilty, Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

At this point, the officials couldn't understand how they had started arguing and almost come to blows.

For a moment, the emperor forgot that this was the Golden Palace and that His Majesty was sitting at the head of the table.

At this moment, they were filled with regret.

Emperor Jingzhao had actually anticipated that someone would bring up the matter of establishing an heir during the morning court session.

He just hadn't expected so many officials to raise this issue.

What I didn't expect was that they would be so verbally abusive and almost come to blows, causing the situation to get out of control.

It was beyond his expectation.

However, after his recent fainting spell, he felt it was time to establish an heir apparent.

He had always favored the sixth brother and never considered changing his mind.

However, he hesitated to make him the crown prince, partly because he wanted to further train him.

However, he gradually realized that the sixth brother didn't need any training at all, because he was already good enough.

His ability to uncover so many private matters and gather evidence in such a short time through his investigation of the second brother is truly remarkable.

Moreover, he was naturally aware that several princes coveted the throne.

He just felt that no matter how much they struggled, they would never be able to beat Lao Liu.

The sixth brother would definitely suppress them all, so he wasn't that worried.

On the other hand, this was a common problem among most emperors.

He feared that if he established a crown prince too early, the crown prince's power would inevitably grow stronger.

As time goes on, those opportunistic ministers in the court will inevitably side with the Crown Prince, and his authority will be absolutely threatened.

He did not want to be overshadowed by the crown prince's brilliance and become an emperor whose power was usurped.

This thought sent chills down his spine, which is why he wanted to wait a little longer.

He felt that he was in the prime of his life and in good health, so how could he let an immature crown prince take away his power?

Of those ministers who support the crown prince, how many are truly devoted to the country and its people, and how many are merely seeking personal wealth and glory by currying favor with the new ruler?

Therefore, he felt uneasy and saw the crown prince as a threat.

However, it was only after he fainted that he regained his senses.

His health isn't very good, and there might be other accidents.

If he does not wake up this time, then the country will have no rightful heir. Whether it is the princes or the court officials, they will inevitably fall into a struggle, causing the Great Zhao to be in turmoil and torn apart.

The slightest misstep could trigger serious unrest and even jeopardize the very foundation of the regime.

At that time, it will be the Great Zhao that will be harmed, and the millions of people of the Great Zhao.

Therefore, he cannot become a sinner of the Great Zhao Dynasty. He has come to his senses this time and has decided to establish an heir.

Of course, this candidate can only be the sixth brother, and it can only be the sixth brother.

Let's settle this matter today.

This will put his mind at ease and put the court officials at ease as well.

This makes those with ulterior motives give up and settle down.

Emperor Jingzhao sat on the magnificent dragon throne, his gaze slowly sweeping over the assembled officials, his expression solemn and dignified.

Then, with a firm and powerful voice, he said, "After careful consideration and weighing the pros and cons, I have decided here today to establish Prince Rui, Xiao Muyao, as the Crown Prince!"

Upon hearing this, the other half of the court officials who supported Xiao Muyao all shouted, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The ministers who supported the other princes were pale and looked terrified.

They wanted to speak, but Emperor Jingzhao's warning gaze silenced them completely.

What can be said?

Don't they know it perfectly well?

I have always known that His Majesty's heart belongs to Prince Rui, and Prince Rui is the most outstanding among the princes.

They knew perfectly well that this was true, but they continued to support others because of their own selfish motives.

After all, if a monarch is too wise and powerful, then his unsavory thoughts and methods will have nowhere to hide.

When the ruler is strong, the ministers are weak; when the ruler is weak, the ministers are strong.

Therefore, they did not want the king sitting on the dragon throne to be powerful; they only hoped that he would be mediocre.

They knew long ago that the chances of success were slim, but they still clung to a sliver of hope and harbored wishful thinking.

But now that bit of luck has been completely shattered.

They were utterly despondent and had lost all hope.

These ministers were not the only ones who were heartbroken; the eldest prince and the second prince were also devastated.