So satisfying! The Great Demon King wiped out everyone equally!

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye. In the winter palace of Tianqi Kingdom, the cold wind was biting and piercing.

Inside the emperor's bedchamber, the charcoal fire burned brightly, yet it couldn't dispel the lingering chill.

The emperor, dressed in a heavy dragon robe, leaned against a soft couch, his face pale, occasionally letting out bursts of violent coughing. His brows were furrowed, and his face was full of exhaustion and illness.

Inside the imperial bedchamber, the ministers, their expressions solemn, entered one by one and respectfully bowed to the emperor.

Xie Wu immediately stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, urgent news has come from the border. Tianwu Kingdom is secretly contacting Xilan Kingdom, and they may intend to attack our country."

The Emperor's expression grew increasingly grave. He coughed as he slowly said, "If the Tianwu Kingdom and the Xilan Kingdom join forces, my Tianqi Kingdom may be in grave danger. Do any of my ministers have a good plan to deal with this?"

At this moment, Li Yu's ministers knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the situation is critical, and the country cannot be without a ruler for even a day. Your Majesty earnestly requests that you establish a crown prince as soon as possible to reassure the people and stabilize the court."

The emperor glared angrily, slammed his hand on the armrest of the soft couch, and shouted, "I am still alive, why establish a crown prince? Ahem, let's not talk about this again. The most urgent matter is to discuss how to deal with foreign enemies."

The ministers looked at each other, not daring to say anything more.

"Ahem! All of you, leave!" After saying this, the emperor quickly took a sip of tea and sighed. As the emperor, how could he not want to establish a crown prince as soon as possible? But now his nine princes truly proved the old saying: like begets like.

None of his nine sons followed his example. If only Yilan were still alive, then the family of three could be reunited...

Thinking of the empress who had killed her, a ruthless look appeared on his face. He would never let her have her way, nor would he let her son have his way!

Chongwen Academy.

"Zhaohua, since Xie Xing'er left the palace, why has she suddenly become so well-behaved? She's not openly flirting with Li Yu anymore, but she's always crying and making those brainless men say we're bullying her," Qin Yurou said angrily, her face full of dissatisfaction.

"Her days of running around won't last much longer!"

"Oh, by the way, I heard that Li Yu is openly pursuing you, hehehe!" Qin Yurou's eyes gleamed with gossip, her face full of teasing as she leaned closer to Cang Lan.

As soon as Qin Yurou finished speaking, Li Yu walked over with a smile on his face and a hint of expectation in his eyes. He was dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, with a tall and straight posture, and his whole demeanor was elegant.

But in front of Cang Lan, she was just a flirtatious fox.

Li Yu walked up to Cang Lan and bowed slightly. "Zhao Hua, I've heard there's a lantern festival going on recently, and it's quite lively. Would you be interested in joining me?"

Cang Lan frowned slightly, fully aware of Li Yu's intentions, but remained outwardly calm. She had just reached a cooperation agreement with Qin Yaoguang, and now Li Yu had delivered himself to her doorstep.

Qin Yurou, who was standing to the side, jumped up excitedly and said with a look of anticipation, "Lantern Festival! I want to go too! Zhaohua, let's go together."

"Alright, since you want to go, then let's go together. The Ninth Prince won't object, will he?" Cang Lan's lips curled slightly, looking at Li Yu with a hint of provocation.

Li Yu was furious, but he couldn't show it, so he could only stand there awkwardly, his smile stiffening. "Of course, in that case, it would be more fun if we played together during the Lantern Festival." After saying that, Li Yu gave an embarrassed smile, and just as he was about to turn and leave, he met Qin Yaoguang's gaze as she came to find Cang Lan.

It's fine if you don't look, but once you do, you'll see that Qin Yaoguang looks exactly like his father, the Emperor.

He immediately suspected, "Are you the second young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion?" After saying that, Li Yu turned around and looked at Qin Yurou. They were twins, but they didn't look alike at all.

Qin Yaoguang, however, was quite poised and curtsied slightly. "Greetings, Your Highness. I am indeed Your Highness. May I ask what business Your Highness has with me?" Qin Yaoguang was neither humble nor arrogant, her eyes clear and firm.

But Li Yu felt that her gaze was somewhat similar to that of her father, the emperor, and both were unsettling.

"It's nothing!" Li Yu said and left. He was going to find his mother, but he was filled with doubts about Qin Yaoguang.

In the inner palace, the Empress paced anxiously back and forth in her palace. She was dressed in magnificent clothes, but could not hide the urgency on her face.

"The Emperor's illness is unpredictable; who knows when he will recover? If a Crown Prince is not appointed soon, the situation will become uncontrollable." Thinking of this, the Empress stopped and immediately sent someone to summon Li Yu to the palace.

Unexpectedly, Li Yu arrived at the Empress's palace first and respectfully bowed, saying, "Mother Empress."

The Empress then dismissed the others and said, "Yu'er, what's the matter? You're covered in sweat." The Empress frowned slightly, her eyes showing a hint of concern.

"Mother, I just met Qin Yaoguang, the daughter of the Prime Minister. She looks nine-tenths like Father. Her tone and eyes are exactly the same as Father's." Li Yu was full of doubt and his brows were furrowed.

"Qin Yaoguang? You mean she's Qin Yilan's daughter, and that she switched a stillborn baby with her own biological daughter to safely send her biological daughter back to the Prime Minister's residence?" The Empress narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in them.

It turns out that Qin Yilan and the current emperor were childhood sweethearts. As soon as she entered the palace, she was named Consort Lan and received continuous favor. She was also the first consort to become pregnant.

The Empress was naturally the first to object, since Consort Lan was favored and if she gave birth to a prince, the position of Crown Prince would be out of reach for anyone else.

So when she was about to give birth, the Empress ordered someone to push her into the lake. After being rescued, Consort Lan was barely alive and gave birth to a stillborn child before passing away.

The Empress slowly moved to the window, gazing at the scenery outside, her mind filled with countless thoughts. She hadn't expected Qin Yilan to have such a backup plan.

"She's just a woman, no threat whatsoever. Since she's the Emperor's daughter, there's no intention of leaving her out in the world. Once she enters the palace, we'll deal with her properly." The Empress's lips curled into a sinister smile.

Having said that, she slowly walked up to Li Yu, gently patted his shoulder, and said, "Yu'er, you must know that the position of Crown Prince belongs to you alone. Now that Tianwu and Xilan have joined forces, the three kingdoms are at war, and the situation is critical. You must send troops."

But to achieve merit, you must have General Xie's full support. He will certainly assist you, and if you win this battle, you will have the support of the people. Only in this way can you gain a firm foothold in the court and lay a solid foundation for ascending to the position of Crown Prince." The Empress's eyes were firm, and her tone was full of expectation.

Li Yu quickly replied, "Mother, rest assured, I will use any means necessary to make Xie Zhaohua my ally."

Li Yu then said with a smug look on his face, "Xie Zhaohua only seems indifferent to me, but she has long harbored feelings for me. In the future... I hope Mother will give her much help." Li Yu's eyes were full of confidence.

"If that doesn't work, then kill her." The Empress's eyes turned cold, and her tone was resolute.

"Yes!" Li Yu replied with his head bowed, but secretly he was calculating his own plan.