Only after being reborn did I realize that I was the white moonlight of a powerful minister.

"Your son, your son..."

The crown prince was speechless.

"I shouldn't have agreed when you tried to win over the Bai family and begged me to grant you a marriage." The Emperor was filled with regret. "It fueled your ambition, making you think you could control everything in the capital?"

"Your Majesty, I did not!" The Crown Prince shook his head vigorously, but at this point, no amount of sophistry would be of any use. The Emperor had already spoken, which meant that things were beyond repair.

"Since you asked the Bai family for the marriage, why did you kill Bai Xu?" The Emperor slammed his fist on the table, coughing with agitation.

Killing Bai Xu would be one thing, but the Emperor could still cover for the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince wanted to kill three birds with one stone, taking down Princess Longyu, Prince Hui, and Prince Duan all at once.

"What a brilliant scheme you have!" The Emperor looked at his second son, whom he had painstakingly raised, and was at a loss for words. "You are already the Crown Prince. Is it really necessary to exterminate all your brothers? After I pass away, everything will be yours. You can do whatever you want with them then. Aren't you satisfied?"

At this point, the emperor no longer thought the crown prince was impatient, but rather that he was incredibly foolish.

Why bother with all this when we could just wait a few more years until the crown prince has real power?

People must understand themselves clearly.

The Emperor was actually pleased with the Crown Prince's shrewdness. As an emperor, one must have such a keen mind. To a certain extent, he chose to indulge the Crown Prince and nurture his ambition.

However, the Emperor and the Crown Prince did not strike the right balance; one gave too much freedom, and the other exerted too much force.

Xie Bohuai asked everyone to leave because he didn't know if the emperor would depose the crown prince because of this.

Royal matters cannot be decided simply by right and wrong. The crown prince is the heir apparent of the country, which is related to the very foundation of the nation, and cannot be easily deposed.

"Father, please give me a chance. I was confused, I shouldn't have been so suspicious. But I'm afraid, I'm really afraid. Ever since I became the Crown Prince, I feel like there are countless eyes watching me. They want to drag me down, to climb up over my dead body." The Crown Prince kowtowed and cried, "So I haven't had a good night's sleep. I'm so scared."

"If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. It was you and the Empress who put you in this position, so you should blame yourself for your fear." The Emperor was also once the Crown Prince. He knew how difficult it was to be in the Eastern Palace, but at the same time, he knew that only if he had enough ability would he not have to fear anyone. "Crown Prince, you have lost."

One sentence of defeat was enough to sentence the crown prince to death.

The crown prince froze instantly. "Father, I really know I was wrong. Nothing's wrong, please forgive me this time!"

He kowtowed repeatedly until his head bled, but he didn't stop.

The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince with a pained expression. "It's too late. You've gone too far this time. Guards! Convey my decree: The Crown Prince is immoral and has plotted against his own brother. Effective today, he is hereby deposed as Crown Prince, demoted to commoner, and imprisoned forever in the Imperial Clan Court. As for the Imperial Grandson and the others, they are to be moved out of the Eastern Palace immediately and find another place to live!"

Upon receiving the decree, the crown prince laughed loudly, and was dragged out like a madman.

"Xie Bohuai, I'm waiting to see the day you fall!" The Crown Prince was dragged out, and his disheveled appearance was seen by everyone. Upon learning that the Emperor had deposed the Crown Prince, the expressions of the princes varied.

At this moment, another imperial decree came from the camp: Prince Hui had privately amassed an army and was demoted to a county prince, and was to depart immediately for his fief.

The removal of the crown prince gave other princes an opportunity, but the fact that Prince Hui was to be sent to his fiefdom meant that the emperor was telling him to withdraw from the struggle ahead of time.

Prince Hui had fought for most of his life, and finally waited for the day when the crown prince would be deposed. He was unwilling to accept it. "Father, I was wrong. Please let me stay in the capital. I will do whatever you want. I beg you, please don't send me to my fiefdom."

Xie Bohuai emerged from the tent, looking down at the kneeling Prince Hui, his voice cold, "Prince Hui, do you really intend to continue to anger the Emperor at this time?"

"Xie Bohuai! No, Lord Xie, please beg my father for me! I can't leave, I absolutely can't leave!" Prince Hui kowtowed forcefully, his joy turning into resentment. How could he be allowed to leave at this moment?

“Prince Hui, I advise you to obey the imperial decree and leave. This is already an act of mercy from the Emperor. If you are unwilling to leave, the Emperor will send someone to personally escort you to your fiefdom,” Xie Bohuai said ruthlessly.

"Lord Xie, aren't you afraid?" Prince Hui looked up. The Emperor was old, and who knew how long he could last? When the Emperor passed away, who could protect Xie Bohuai?

Xie Bohuai coldly curled his lips, "When the town government is handling affairs, there is no such thing as fear."

Prince Hui understood that he had no room for maneuver today. "Then I would like to go to the palace to say goodbye to my mother. Is that alright?"

"His Majesty said it's unnecessary and will have your mother accompany you to your fiefdom. His Majesty's meaning should be clear, and I believe you understand." After Xie Bohuai finished speaking, he looked at Prince Jing and said, "Prince Jing's words were impolite and he is not worthy of being a prince. You have also been demoted to a county prince and confined to your quarters for a year, not allowed to come out."

Upon hearing that he too had been demoted, Prince Jing stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "Why? I did nothing wrong, I only spoke a few words of justice, how come even I cannot be tolerated?"

A guard gestured to Prince Jing, indicating that he could leave, but Prince Jing, who was known for his fiery temper, snatched the guard's sword and charged at Xie Bohuai, shouting, "You must have been the one who spoke ill of me in front of the Emperor! I'm going to kill you!"

But the pampered Prince Jing was no match for Xie Bohuai. In just one move, Prince Jing was knocked to the ground by Xie Bohuai. "Prince Jing, it's time for you to leave."

Princess Longyu cursed him inwardly as a fool. Her father's decision to confine the sixth prince was clearly a way of protecting him. With the sixth prince's cunning, how could he possibly outwit his shrewd brothers? And the fourth prince too—his desire for the crown prince position was too strong, and he would soon become the target of everyone's attacks. The fourth prince would be the first to die, followed by the sixth prince, who was easily manipulated.

As it turned out, these two were both incredibly confused, still criticizing Xie Bohuai for abusing his power.

Alas, Father Emperor is truly getting old and can no longer bring himself to do it. When he forced the late Empress to her death, Father Emperor showed no mercy whatsoever.

Now, the Emperor is going to great lengths to protect his two sons.

However, Xie Bohuai really doesn't leave himself any way out. He has offended three princes in a row, and the other princes are probably wary of him as well.

Princess Longyu looked at Xie Bohuai with only one thought in her mind—this man is courting death!