latelenovela Chapter 437 Please Abdicate
Chapter 437 Please Abdicate
Beside Emperor Wenjing, Liu Haifu gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, too terrified to breathe, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, his whole body trembling like a leaf.
Behind King Qi, Li Zhuoyue's eyes flickered, and she secretly gave a wink to the guards beside her. The guards understood and quietly dispersed, taking control of all the palace servants who were originally in the main hall.
“Father, you have misunderstood me.” As he spoke, Prince Qi took a few steps forward. “You are my father, the person I respect most in this world. How could I possibly harm you?”
Emperor Wenjing looked at him, seemingly believing his words, and his tone softened, "Then what exactly was the purpose of you leading troops into the palace in the dead of night?"
Prince Qi sat down in the empty seat below Emperor Wenjing. "Father, as I just said, I entered the palace because I heard that there were traitors plotting to harm you. I was extremely anxious, so I rushed into the palace to protect you."
Emperor Wenjing stared at him with a half-smile, his eyes revealing a sharp insight that seemed to see through everything. "Oh? So now you can see clearly, there's no traitor in this palace who wants to harm me?"
"It's late and the dew is heavy, Prince Qi, you should go back to your residence and rest early."
Upon hearing this, King Qi did not rise.
Instead, he slowly reached out and picked up the tea on the table, pouring himself a cup.
With a faint smile on his face, he glanced up at Emperor Wenjing as he sipped his tea. “Your Majesty, I am truly worried about your safety. I fear that there may be treacherous villains lurking in the shadows, so I cannot leave the palace at this moment.”
Emperor Wenjing's gaze sharpened instantly as he stared directly at the Prince of Qi, exuding the majesty of a superior: "Prince of Qi, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"You led troops into the palace in the dead of night and took control of the palace servants..." Emperor Wenjing paused slightly, glanced outside the Hall of Longevity, and continued, "I suppose by now, the area outside the Hall of Longevity is full of your men."
The Prince of Qi put down his teacup, his face still bearing a respectful smile. "Father, please don't misunderstand. Those people were specially summoned by your son to protect you. Heaven and earth can bear witness to my sincere heart; I only wish to safeguard you."
"Is that so?" Emperor Wenjing coldly uttered two words, then fell silent.
Seeing that he was no longer speaking, the King of Qi was not in a hurry and simply drank his tea quietly.
Although the father and son remained silent, Liu Haifu felt that the atmosphere in the hall was becoming increasingly strange and heavy.
The two remained locked in a stalemate in the hall for about a quarter of an hour. The teapot beside King Qi was empty, and he was about to order the palace servants to make tea when Li Zhuoyue, who had been guarding outside the hall, suddenly entered the hall, hurriedly walked to King Qi's side, and whispered a few words in his ear.
"Your Highness, Prince Chen, Prince Su, and Prince Jin are leading troops toward the palace."
Upon hearing this, the King of Qi's expression changed slightly, and he almost dropped the teacup in his hand. He suddenly turned to look at Emperor Wenjing, his eyes filled with shock.
He and his family had meticulously planned for tonight, surrounding the palace like an iron barrel, so that not even a fly could get out. How could anyone possibly sneak out to deliver a message?
Why did Prince Chen and his entourage arrive so quickly?
Prince Qi subconsciously tightened his grip on the teacup, his knuckles turning white from the force. He frowned and looked at Emperor Wenjing, a hint of unease flashing in his eyes. "Father, did you know I would come tonight?"
His implication was that Emperor Wenjing might have known all along that he intended to rebel.
Emperor Wenjing remained calm and composed, as if he had completely failed to understand the implied meaning in his words. "Didn't you just say that you came to protect me? How could I have known in advance that you were coming?"
King Qi stared intently at Emperor Wenjing's unreadable expression, trying to find a flaw in his demeanor.
However, they couldn't see through anything.
He couldn't immediately tell whether his father had been prepared for this.
If the Emperor had been prepared, why would he have allowed him to be so disobedient?
The Emperor dares not act rashly, is it not because the area outside the Hall of Longevity is full of his men?
King Qi was in a state of confusion and couldn't understand these things, but with Prince Chen and others leading troops into the palace, the situation no longer allowed him to proceed slowly.
He hardened his heart, got up and walked towards Emperor Wenjing.
As Emperor Wenjing saw him approach, he subconsciously tightened his grip on the armrest of his chair.
The Prince of Qi stopped three steps away from Emperor Wenjing and said, “Father, the world is now beset by internal and external troubles, the court is corrupt, the people are suffering, and resentment is boiling over everywhere.”
"Some time ago, I heard that a celestial dog ate the sun in Lingzhou. Your Majesty should know that such ominous phenomena are often a warning from Heaven that those in power are not benevolent..."
"Your Majesty, I cannot bear to see our ancestral legacy destroyed, so I have no choice but to ask you to do this."
Emperor Wenjing's face darkened. "Prince Qi, what do you mean by that?"
The Prince of Qi was getting impatient with Emperor Wenjing's continued feigned ignorance, and his tone was tinged with agitation, "Father, do you really not understand what I mean? Why pretend to be confused when you know the answer!"
"What do you mean?" Emperor Wenjing chuckled. "You accuse me of being incompetent in governing the country, and you use celestial phenomena to accuse me of being heartless. Prince Qi, after going through all this trouble, in the end, you still want to kill your father and seize the throne!"
When asked before, the King of Qi did not admit it, but this time, he no longer concealed it.
King Qi opened his eyes slightly and protested, "Father, I have no intention of killing you."
He wouldn't kill his father, but he wanted to seize the throne.
However, these words could not be spoken directly by the Prince of Qi, so Li Zhuoyue quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. His Highness the Prince of Qi is also concerned about the affairs of the country and is full of sincerity. Now the situation is critical. Only when the new emperor ascends the throne and implements new policies can our dynasty be saved from dire straits."
"Your Majesty, please abdicate in favor of Prince Qi."
"Abdicate?" Emperor Wenjing laughed angrily. "Prince Qi, I am not old yet, and I have no intention of handing over the throne to you."
The Prince of Qi narrowed his eyes, a hint of ruthlessness inadvertently flashing in them, but he quickly concealed it. "Father, all my actions are for the sake of the country. If you are willing to abdicate in peace, I will certainly honor you as the Retired Emperor, ensuring your continued honor and a life of wealth and comfort for the rest of your days..."
Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Wenjing coldly interrupted him, saying, "What if I don't agree? Are you really going to commit patricide?"
"Father, this palace is now under my control. If you insist on refusing, don't blame me for disregarding our father-son relationship!"
Seemingly pushed to the limit, King Qi's voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of threat.
Liu Haifu, standing to the side, was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, crying out, "Your Highness, you mustn't! The Emperor is your father! You absolutely cannot do such a vile and immoral thing! Otherwise, it will be an outrage against Heaven! It will be an outrage against Heaven!"
Prince Qi was already deeply remorseful for disobeying his father, and when Liu Haifu pointed it out, he instantly flew into a rage, shouting, "Shut up! It's none of your business, a eunuch, interrupting when I'm speaking to my father!"
Liu Haifu was so frightened by the King of Qi's shout that he trembled and instinctively covered his mouth.
Emperor Wenjing glanced at Liu Haifu, then at Prince Qi, his eyes filled with disappointment and heartache.
He paused for a moment, then asked, "Did you want to do this yourself, or were you instigated by others?"
King Qi paused slightly, his eyes lowered, as if recalling something, or perhaps weighing the pros and cons.
When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with determination. "Father, now that things have come to this, what does it matter who instigated it?"
"This country should be governed by capable people. You have been in power for many years, but you have failed to enable the people to live in peace and prosperity, and the court is rife with corruption and chaos."
"What I have done today is in accordance with the will of the people. This is the trend of the times. Father, please do not stop me."
He has already taken this step, so why he wants to rebel is no longer important, and there is no turning back.
If he cannot obtain the abdication edict today, this day next year will likely be the anniversary of his death.