Chapter 367: Do You Have a Way to Kill Him?

Chapter 367: Do You Have a Way to Kill Him?

The Emperor, his mouth covered by Jiao Kangsheng, attempted to cough without making a sound, his face turning beet red, and even tears started to well up. When Jiao Kangsheng finally lowered his hand, the Emperor's tears truly began to flow, becoming uncontrollable.

"They are all traitorous officials, every single one of them," the Emperor wept softly, "I bestowed upon Xiang Tianhe the rank of General, rewarded him with high office and rich emoluments. How could he treat me thus?"

Seeing him weep like a child, Jiao Kangsheng couldn't help but shed tears himself. He heard the Emperor cry again, "They all bully me, taking me for a weakling. Yet, this throne was bequeathed to me by the late Emperor. Father, teach me what to do. Father, tell me how to deal with these traitorous officials... Father..."

The Emperor wept softly, while Jiao Kangsheng knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, until he could no longer contain himself and said, "Your Majesty, I have some thoughts that may be treasonous."

Wiping away tears, the Emperor looked at Jiao Kangsheng, now his only loyal subject left. He said, "Speak."

"Your Majesty, why not just comply with Duke Dingguo's wishes?" Jiao Kangsheng suggested softly while gazing into the Emperor's eyes. "After all, the Seventh Prince is your son, even if he is adopted by Prince Xiaoyao, he remains your offspring!"

The Emperor, wiping away his tears, remained silent as Jiao Kangsheng continued, "From what I've observed these past few days, Duke Dingguo has shown no ambition to monopolize state affairs, and the Seventh Prince is also astute. The cabinet ministers are quite pleased with him."

The Emperor sniffed, his eyes red, and asked, "What is Little Seven doing now?"

"I've heard that he is attending the cabinet ministers' discussions," replied Jiao Kangsheng.

The Emperor sat in contemplation for a long while before saying, "Then I shall have Little Seven returned to me. After all, my sixth brother is... my sixth brother will not bear me ill will; I do all this for the great empire of Daqian."

Jiao Kangsheng hesitated, "...Your Majesty, if you were to do so, would the Empress Dowager agree? Would the Seventh Prince agree? What would the ministers say?"

The Emperor retorted, "Why do they not think of me? Why not consider the greater good of Daqian's realm?"

Jiao Kangsheng knelt there silently; he was at a loss for words. How could things always go your way? Otherwise, we wouldn't have reached such an embarrassing impasse. And what about Duke Dingguo? He has made such a big fuss; how could he withdraw his troops without saving face?

Then the Emperor added, "Bring back Xiao Qi. I promised the Empress Dowager that once Xiao Qi ascends the throne, she will be the Grand Empress Dowager. As for those ministers... pay them no mind. I am the Emperor; I can do whatever I wish. And as for Xiao Qi, he must be eager to be my son again."

With a sigh in his heart, Jiao Kangsheng asked, "And what about Duke Dingguo? How can we persuade him to withdraw his troops?"

The Emperor continued to ponder while sitting there, but his headache intensified, piercing his mind. Clutching his head, he gritted his teeth and said, "Is he not just afraid that I will have him killed? I shall grant him an imperial amnesty."

Jiao Kangsheng didn't know what to say; he wasn't sure if Duke Dingguo would be satisfied with such a condition. In fact, it seems that Duke Dingguo has not harbored any treasonous intent; he was purely forced into this position. But he could not voice this thought.

"Ah... Ah..." The Emperor cried out in pain, collapsing onto the bed and saying, "Summon the imperial physician."

Seeing this, Jiao Kangsheng hurriedly ran outside, shouting, "The imperial physician, the imperial physician!"

The imperial physician had been on standby in the next room and, hearing Jiao Kangsheng's voice, he hurried to the Emperor's bedchamber. At this moment, the Emperor was in so much pain that he was rolling on the bed. Several imperial physicians quickly surrounded him and, after some commotion, finally relieved the Emperor of his headache, but he was left completely weak and powerless.

After a good while, he said, "Summon Duke Dingguo."

Jiao Kangsheng hurried out, only to see the Empress and several ladies standing at the bottom of the steps, while Xiao Yuming leaned casually against a pillar. Despite his nonchalant demeanor, no one dared to ignore his presence.

"Second Young Master," Jiao Kangsheng approached Xiao Yuming, bowed respectfully, and then said with a smile, "His Majesty wishes to invite Duke Dingguo to the palace."

Xiao Yuming glanced in the direction of the bedchamber. "How is the Emperor's condition?"

Jiao Kangsheng replied, "His Majesty has awoken, and his condition has stabilized."

"Hmm, I will send someone to fetch my father," said Xiao Yuming.

"Thank you, Second Young Master," said Jiao Kangsheng, bowing.

He gestured to someone nearby, and a soldier came over. Xiao Yuming gave him a few instructions; the soldier nodded and then quickly departed. The Empress, upon seeing this, wanted to step forward but then decided to address Xiao Yuming instead, "I wish to see the Emperor."

Xiao Yuming looked at her casually, "If you wish to see him, go ahead. I am not stopping you."

The Empress: "………"

After giving Xiao Yuming a sharp glance, she strode up the steps, with Consort Liang and the other consorts following closely behind. Upon entering, they saw the emperor propped up in bed, his hair disheveled and wearing a forehead cloth, resembling a woman in confinement. The empress and her entourage were taken aback, then struggled to suppress their laughter. Naturally, they would not dare to laugh outright.

The empress quickly approached the emperor, dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief, and said, "Your Majesty, you have scared me to death."

The other consorts also dabbed their eyes with handkerchiefs, causing the emperor to develop a headache. He frowned and said, "Enough, let me be at peace for a while. Consort Liang, stay; the rest of you, leave."

The empress was startled once again, then clutched her handkerchief tightly and said, "Your Majesty, I have many things to discuss with you."

The emperor knew what she was going to say—it was nothing more than her desire to have the Third Prince appointed as Crown Prince immediately. But aside from the fact that the Third Prince simply could not compare to the Seventh, even if he could, was the Empress capable of dealing with Xiao Huai?

"I know what you're about to say, we can talk about it later," the emperor said.

Tears streamed down the Empress's face even more fiercely, "Your Majesty, you must think of a solution in this situation!"

The emperor's brows were knotted with frustration. He gestured for the others to leave, keeping only the Empress behind, "Aren't you and the Wu family quite capable? What solutions do you expect me to come up with? If you can deal with Xiao Huai, I will appoint the Third Prince as Crown Prince immediately."

The Empress: "...It is my incompetence, but are we to just watch Xiao Huai succeed?"

The emperor looked at her silently; how else to prevent Xiao Huai from succeeding now? Do you have a way to kill him?

Naturally, the Empress understood what the Emperor meant, but she couldn't reconcile herself to it! Just then, the Emperor added, "No matter who succeeds to the throne in the future, you will still be the Empress Dowager. What is there for you to be discontent about?"

The Empress wanted to say, of course, she was unwilling! The Third Prince was weak, and nominally, she was his mother. If the Third Prince succeeded to the throne, she would wield even greater power.

"My head aches terribly; you should go back now," the Emperor said as he began to dismiss her, and the Empress had no choice but to leave resentfully.