My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

As the eunuch's shrill voice faded, Pei Yuyan and the others arrived just in time to hear the words "appointed regent, to oversee the country on behalf of the emperor."

He saw Pei Ji on horseback through the dense crowd.

The anger in his eyes and the frustration in his heart reached their peak at this moment.

This was actually an imperial edict written by the emperor himself.

Why? Why is this happening?

His back was straight, but his clothes were already soaked with sweat.

How would the court officials view him? How would the people of the whole country view him? He was the crown prince, but the emperor appointed someone else to oversee the country. It was like an invisible slap in the face, clearly telling everyone that the emperor disliked him and would replace him as crown prince as soon as he woke up.

He was simply the most ridiculous and incompetent crown prince in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty.

But he was the emperor's eldest son, yet he suspected and guarded against him.

Even when choosing Pei Ji, who held considerable military power, as regent, he still had to be wary of his own son.

When Mingming was young, his father would hold his hand and teach him to write. Even when he rode a horse for the first time, his father would carry him onto the horse's back, spending the whole day riding with him, even if it meant neglecting state affairs.

When exactly did it begin that made the Emperor so suspicious of him?

After the imperial edict was read, everyone hesitated for a moment, and it was the Imperial Guard behind Pei Yuyan who took the lead in kneeling and kowtowing.

"I pay my respects to the Regent."

The others then realized what was happening and rushed to kowtow, each one trying to outdo the other, afraid that if they were too slow, their heads would fall to the ground.

"Your humble servants pay homage to the Regent. May the Regent live a thousand years!"

Pei Yuyan was left standing there, his mouth sour and weak, the blazing sun shining down on him, making his back hunch slightly.

Only when that cold gaze swept over him, and someone pulled him down, did he numbly and slowly kneel down.

He heard his own voice, hollow and pale, saying each word clearly: "Your subject pays respects to your uncle, and to the Regent."

In a short period of time, he knelt before Pei Ji twice.

This is not kneeling, it is clearly humiliation, breaking all his bones and muscles, forcing him to bow down and submit.

Is he about to admit defeat? No, so what if Pei Ji is the regent? If he tries to bypass him and sit on the throne, he is a traitor who plots to usurp the throne.

As long as the emperor remains asleep, he will forever be the crown prince of Great Yan.

He will never admit defeat.

The little eunuch had already run quickly to the ground, his face beaming like a chrysanthemum, and he held the golden imperial edict high in both hands, his expression full of flattery and obsequiousness.

"Regent, quickly receive the decree!"

Pei Ji seemed not to hear, dismounted, and walked towards the Empress Dowager. This was something many people would kill for, but Pei Ji didn't even glance at it, coldly saying, "It's yours."

The little eunuch was so frightened that he couldn't even hold it up. How could he possibly be worthy of possessing such a treasure!

Pei Ji strode up to the Empress Dowager, lifted the hem of his robe, and knelt down: "Mother."

"My son is back. Get up, get up quickly."

Empress Dowager Jiang personally stepped forward to help him up, but Pei Ji rose without leaving a trace; her fingers did not even touch his sleeve.

The Empress Dowager was already in her sixties, with graying temples and a face full of wrinkles. Surprisingly, she was still quite clear-headed. When she saw her youngest son, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, she was filled with mixed emotions.

Her marriage to the late emperor was arranged by their elders. She always knew that the late emperor did not love her, but he had no choice but to marry her as his empress.

In her youth, she was busy competing for the emperor's favor with his many concubines. At that time, the emperor doted on his concubine and his second son, so she focused all her attention on whether her eldest son could secure the position of crown prince.

In order to win favor, she sacrificed her eldest daughter's lifelong happiness by marrying her off to a distant man in the northwest for a political marriage.

She even competed with the Imperial Concubine in having children, hoping to gain the late Emperor's favor. Even knowing that she was in poor health when she gave birth to her eldest son, and that she was already over thirty years old at the time, she still tried her best to give birth.

Unfortunately, after giving birth to Pei Ji, the late emperor disliked that he looked too much like her, being handsome but lacking in imposing presence.

Aside from showing some concern for the first year or two, he devoted the rest of his attention to the Consort and her son.

At that time, she was busy all day long trying to win over her maternal family and the court, and she also felt that her son looked too much like her and not like the emperor, so he couldn't get any favor from her.

She didn't pay much attention to him; her heart and soul were only focused on her eldest son.

By the time she realized what was happening, Pei Ji had already escaped the palace and entered the military camp. At that time, she had no regrets whatsoever. She even felt that he was causing trouble and would only make the late emperor dislike her, the empress, even more.

She waited and waited, but Pei Ji not only didn't cause any trouble, he became more and more courageous in killing, eventually becoming a regional ruler who held military power.

She successfully outlived the emperor, ordered the death of the imperial concubine and those illegitimate children, and ascended to the position of empress dowager as she wished, but what awaited her was endless emptiness.

Especially in recent years, as she has grown older, she has watched familiar people die one by one, and there are very few people left to stay by her side.

Only then did she realize how good Pei Ji was and how negligent she had been as a mother.

But it was too late to make amends.

Looking at her somewhat unfamiliar yet tall and imposing son, Empress Dowager Jiang's eyes welled up with tears.

Her second son had long since grown into the lonely and aloof person his name suggested. He was only willing to kneel before her because she gave birth to him; everything else had long been worn away by her.

"The Emperor is seriously ill, and they all kept it from me. Fortunately, you've returned. With you here, I can finally rest easy."

Pei Ji gave a faint "hmm": "The Empress Dowager is enjoying her retirement; such matters are not for you to worry about."

Empress Dowager Jiang knew that his true intention was not to care about her, but hearing him say that still made her feel a little happy.

"Alright, then I won't cause you any trouble. You've been away from the capital for many years and you're not familiar with many of the ministers. I'll have Zhou Fuhai accompany you. He's reliable and can help you out."

This refers to the little eunuch who just delivered the imperial edict. He's still holding the edict in his hands, and his legs are trembling at the thought of it. Serving this master would be incredibly exciting.

When Empress Dowager Jiang saw that he didn't say anything, she realized that her actions seemed to imply surveillance.

After all, the mother and son hadn't seen each other for a long time, and their relationship wasn't particularly close. She cautiously added, "Shouzhuo, I didn't mean anything by it..."

Before she could explain, Pei Ji calmly interrupted her: "Mother has thought things through very well. Thank you, Mother."

Empress Dowager Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and was even happier. Seeing the Crown Prince standing at the back of the crowd, she added, "Ayan, listen to your uncle in everything and learn from him."

Pei Yuyan had just calmed down a little when his emotions were stirred up again.

His grandmother used to love him very much, always saying that he was the most capable and outstanding member of the family. But all of that changed after Pei Ji appeared.

This undoubtedly crushed his dignity, broke his bones inch by inch, and made him unable to hold his head high.

He forced an ugly smile: "Yes, grandson obeys."

Pei Ji, may you be reduced to ashes, we shall never share the same sky again.