She naively believed that Dongfang Hong should be the emperor and he should be a prince, but she never considered that he was also her son and the legitimate son, so why wasn't he qualified to be the emperor?
"Che'er!" The Empress stared blankly at Dongfang Che. In her eyes, Dongfang Che had always been a simple and lovely child who would act coquettishly towards her, buy her delicious pastries to make her happy, and unknowingly do wrong things, waiting expectantly for her to clean up the mess.
But the man before me had shed his former innocence, replaced by an unbelievable coldness and ruthlessness. His face was so familiar, yet his expression, which kept people at arm's length, was so unfamiliar.
"You can leave now. Don't come to see me again." Dongfang Che coldly gave him the order to leave.
The Empress staggered, nearly falling to the ground. An invisible heartache filled her entire body, and her beautiful eyes welled up with tears. Her son didn't want to see her and was trying to drive her away.
"Let's go." The Fifth Prince turned around, his back to the wall, ignoring the Empress.
Looking at his thin figure and stubborn temper, the Empress couldn't hold back her tears. It was all her fault for neglecting her son: "Che'er, just endure it for a few more days, and your mother will definitely find a way to get you out of here."
Dongfang Che neither spoke nor moved, simply standing there quietly, as if he had not heard what the Empress had said.
The Empress felt another pang of sorrow. Her son didn't want to talk to her anymore. She quickly wiped away her tears and strode out of the prison gate, her steps unsteady and somewhat disheveled.
The hurried footsteps gradually faded away until they disappeared completely. The Fifth Prince turned around and saw a food box placed to the side. He gently opened it, and a rich aroma of food wafted out, making his mouth water.
Braised pork belly, steamed fish, Mapo tofu—every dish was one of his favorites. The Empress had put a lot of thought into her son. However, no matter how exquisite the food was, it was just a meal. What he needed was more than just such small acts of care.
"Fifth Prince!" A respectful call echoed in the empty air, very soft and low, only the Fifth Prince could hear it.
The Fifth Prince looked around to make sure no one was watching, then lowered his voice and asked, "What is it?"
"Reporting to the Fifth Prince, the Imperial Palace will hold a ritual on the high platform the day after tomorrow to consult the heavens." The voice of the guard echoed in the empty prison cell.
The Fifth Prince raised an eyebrow and, as if consulting the heavens, asked, "Is it the same rule as last time?"
"Yes, it's still Yu Xin's method, with the Emperor and his ministers assisting him." The guard's voice was deliberately lowered again, so that even the prisoners in the nearby cells with the best hearing couldn't hear it.
The Fifth Prince nodded, a strange smile playing on his lips. He was tired of this musty, dark cell. Performing a ritual to consult the heavens was a good opportunity.
On an auspicious day, with bright sunshine and clear skies, to prevent any further mishaps, the emperor issued an order that no one was allowed to stand near the high platform. On the high altar, Yu Xin once again performed rituals to inquire of the heavens, while the emperor and his officials watched from the sidelines.
As Yu Xin continued to pour talismans, the platform was once again enveloped in a thin layer of smoke, bursts of fire shot out, the sky gradually darkened, and layers of dark clouds gathered in mid-air. A gentle breeze drifted across the platform, bringing with it the sounds of fighting.
The ministers' expressions changed slightly. Why were there sounds of fighting all of a sudden?
Amidst the speculation, a guard's scream rang out: "Ah... there's an assassin..."
"Swoosh!" A cold light flashed, and blood splattered everywhere, staining the high platform where the ritual was performed, one after another dazzling and blinding.
"In broad daylight, who is so audacious as to break into the palace and kill someone?"
"It is me!" Amidst the shocked and angry gazes of the assembled officials, the Fifth Prince, clad in a red cloak and wielding a gleaming longsword, stepped onto the high platform, his body stained with blood.
After a few days apart, the childishness on his face had long since faded, replaced by an icy glint in his eyes. A faint blue beard had sprouted on his smooth chin, and his thin figure stood against the wind, adding to his air of strength and desolation. His clothes were stained with blood, it was hard to tell whether it was his or the enemy's. As the wind blew by, the strong smell of blood quickly spread through the air.
The emperor stepped forward, looking down at him, and roared, "You unfilial son! Not only did you escape from prison, but you also led troops to kill and slash indiscriminately in the palace. What are you trying to do? Rebel?"
How the Fifth Prince escaped and how he entered the palace are no longer important. What matters is that he led a large number of soldiers to surround the high platform.
To prevent further disturbances to the ritual, the emperor dismissed the nearby guards, leaving only a few to guard the site. Unexpectedly, the fifth prince took advantage of the situation and sneaked into the Confucius Temple.
“Father is truly wise. He saw through my intentions at a glance. You are right. I risked my life to escape from the prison and led troops into the palace because I wanted to ask you to abdicate and hand over the throne to me.”
The Fifth Prince's casual words startled the Emperor, who was enraged: "Shut up! I'm perfectly fine, and you already want to usurp the throne? Do you even have any respect for me as your father?"
"This area is now filled with my men. It is precisely because I care for you that I am calmly discussing this with you. Otherwise, I could simply kill Father Emperor, seize the Imperial Seal, and ascend the throne!" The Fifth Prince was in complete control of the situation, brimming with confidence.
After dealing with the surrounding guards, the black-clad guards quickly gathered around the Fifth Prince. The guards formed a dense, continuous line, each covered in blood, their imposing presence not much less than that of the court officials. From a distance, the Fifth Prince truly gave off an air of supreme authority.
Behind him, Yu Xin was still performing a ritual to inquire of the heavens. The dark clouds in the sky condensed into a thick black mist, pouring down onto the high platform. This was the most crucial moment of the ritual, and it absolutely could not be disturbed. Last time, they had failed here, and the emperor did not want it to fail again. He stepped aside to block the fifth prince, coldly looking at the densely packed guards below the platform:
"I always thought you were the most innocent of all my sons, but I never expected you to be the most cunning. You pretended for more than ten years, fooled everyone, and secretly cultivated so many powerful forces."
"Winning is about deception, and to become a ruler, one must have enough trump cards to protect oneself." The Fifth Prince looked at the large group of guards behind him, his eyes filled with undisguised pride: "These are the guards that I have painstakingly trained myself, without relying on anyone else. Do I not deserve to be emperor?"
Dongfang Hong and Dongfang Zhan's power was cultivated with the help of others, but his power was entirely due to himself. Years of hard work and dedication were all for this day, to ascend the throne and rule the world.
In the emperor's heart, the most outstanding sons were Dongfang Hong and Dongfang Zhan, and it was never Dongfang Che's turn. In addition, his affair with his stepmother angered the emperor, so the throne of Qingyan was even less likely to be his.
He didn't want to spend twenty years in prison, nor did he want to suffer endless torment. Therefore, he decided to take a gamble, leading his carefully trained guards to storm the palace and use the most direct and effective method to force the emperor to abdicate, thus seizing control of the entire Qingyan Empire.
"No, you are not qualified to be emperor." The emperor looked at the fifth prince and shook his head repeatedly, his sharp gaze carrying a hint of admonition: "Your heart is too restless and impatient. Sometimes you are cunning enough, but sometimes you are also foolish enough."
"You!" The Fifth Prince pointed at the Emperor, gritting his teeth in anger: "I originally thought that, out of consideration for our father-son relationship, I would make you the Retired Emperor after I ascended the throne, but you have gone your own way and refused to pass on the throne. Don't blame me for being ruthless."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Fifth Prince swung his longsword, creating a sharp, cold glint, and thrust it towards the Emperor.
The emperor stood still, neither dodging nor avoiding the long sword that shot towards him.
Dongfang Heng's dark eyes were as deep as pools, and his wide court robe sleeves suddenly billowed out as powerful internal force shot out, striking the Fifth Prince's wrist, causing the long sword in his hand to fall to the ground!
Who? Who knocked his sword away without him noticing?
The Fifth Prince was shocked. His sharp gaze swept quickly across the ministers and landed on Dongfang Heng. His eyes were so angry that they seemed to be spitting fire: "Prince An, was it you?"
How could he forget that the court officials weren't all just smooth-talking fools? There was also the extremely difficult-to-deal-with Azure Flame War God.
"Fifth Prince, this place is already surrounded by the Imperial Guards. You and the elites you have trained will not escape. Lay down your weapons and surrender, and the Emperor will spare your life out of consideration for your father-son relationship." Dongfang Heng's voice was indifferent, and his obsidian-like eyes flashed with a cold and eerie light, making people dare not look directly at him.
"Don't try to fool me. This place is entirely under my control. The Imperial Guards won't be able to get here anytime soon..."
Before the Fifth Prince's roar had even faded, a fierce fight broke out. Turning around, he saw his trained guards clashing with the Imperial Guards. A tall, slender figure flew through the air and landed directly in front of the Emperor, bowing respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your aid. I beg your forgiveness."
The familiar figure in cyan, the familiar handsome face, and the familiar clear voice were none other than Crown Prince Dongfang Hong.