At the banquet, a high-pitched voice belonging to a eunuch rang out...

"His Highness is coming."

All the officials shouted in unison,

"May Your Highness live a thousand years! Congratulations on your recovery from your serious illness!"

Li Mufeng even personally stepped forward to greet him.

"Big brother, you've arrived."

"Um!"

Li Mutian looked around and, perhaps because of his inferiority complex, he saw mockery in the eyes of many people.

"Get up, all of you!"

Li Mufeng called out on behalf of Li Mutian, and after everyone expressed their gratitude, they returned to their seats.

"Brother, why aren't you wearing a python robe? Is it because the Imperial Wardrobe isn't doing what they want?"

If it's not satisfactory, the brother will have them make another one for him.

As Li Mufeng spoke, he helped Li Mutian to the seat of honor.

"No need, I think it's fine as it is."

Prince Li Mutian decisively rejected Li Mufeng's offer.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a murmur came from the corner.

"King Longxuan is giving Prince Xian too much credit, making him wear a python robe. Does he want him to become the crown prince again? Does he even deserve it? If I were Prince Xian, I wouldn't even have the face to go out."

"Who says otherwise? Back then, when the Wise King was forced to eat shit on the ground by the Rin King, the scene was truly laughable."

A prince of such stature, reduced to the level of a dog, ha ha ha…

The whispers of the two maids in the corner reached Li Mutian's ears without him missing a single word.

These words pierced his heart like needles, fueling his anger and inferiority complex.

Thinking back to that period of madness, Li Muchen's actions towards him, how his dignity and pride had been completely trampled upon, made Li Mutian's face turn pale instantly. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but he was powerless to refute it.

Li Mufeng naturally heard this as well. Seeing Li Mutian's grim expression, he gave a few instructions to Wang Feng, who then went out and returned shortly to report.

"Your Highness, everything is ready."

No sooner had they finished speaking than they heard a dog barking in the courtyard. Everyone looked at each other, wondering why there would be a dog barking in the palace.

Just as everyone was puzzled, they heard Li Mufeng clap his hands.

"Everyone, please be quiet and listen to what I have to say."

Li Mufeng's words were very effective; for a moment, the hall was completely silent, demonstrating the immense authority Li Mufeng held.

"Tomorrow, I am hosting a banquet here to celebrate my elder brother's recovery. My father, the Emperor, unfortunately passed away, and I only have one elder brother left. As the saying goes, the eldest brother is like a father, and I have great respect for my elder brother. However, some people have dared to humiliate my elder brother, and I will not let this matter go easily."

After Li Mufeng finished speaking, he glared fiercely at the two maids in the corner. Xiao Tao and Qiu Shuang were so frightened that they shivered.

Li Mufeng continued, "Before we eat, please go out and watch a play with me."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, wondering what Li Mufeng was up to.

Wang Feng, however, shouted in a deep voice.

"Someone, take Xiaotao and Qiushuang out."

At his command, several members of Li Mufeng's "Xuanlong Army" immediately came forward and forcibly dragged Xiao Tao and Qiu Shuang away.

"Lord Longxuan, spare me! Lord Longxuan, spare me! This servant will never dare to do it again, sob sob..."

The two maids were terrified and struggled desperately, their voices choked with sobs.

Li Mufeng ignored him. Seeing that their master had not stopped, the "Xuanlong Army" naturally did not stop either. The two maids were dragged outside the door and thrown to the ground, letting out two screams.

"Brother, if you don't want to go out, please sit here for a while. I'll take them out."

Li Mufeng didn't want Li Mutian to recall his painful past, so he spoke gently.

"good."

Li Mutian nodded slightly, and everyone followed Li Mufeng to the courtyard. There, they saw that each of the maids, Xiaotao and Qiushuang, had a chamber pot in front of them, emitting a foul stench. Everyone gagged in unison.

Besides, there were two vicious dogs not far away, baring their teeth and barking wildly in this direction, perhaps smelling the feces.

Everyone was terrified, fearing the vicious dog would pounce. Fortunately, two guards were holding it, which made them feel a little more at ease.

"Since you two like to eat excrement, I will grant your wish today."

Li Mufeng's voice was cold and eerie, as if it came from hell.

"No, Your Highness, please spare me! I'll never speak ill of the Prince again, sob sob..."

Xiao Tao was so frightened that she kowtowed frantically, while Qiu Shuang slapped herself repeatedly.

"This servant was too talkative, this servant will punish myself by slapping myself, please forgive this servant, Prince Longxuan..."

"So, you're planning to give orders on my behalf?"

Li Mufeng's voice was as cold as ice.

"This servant dares not, please forgive this servant, Prince Longxuan, sob sob..."

Qiu Shuang was in tears, but Li Mufeng remained unmoved, speaking in a cold voice.

“As my elder brother, even I have to respect Prince Xian. Who are you to dare to insult him? To insult him is to insult me.”

And Li Muchen, no, Feng Muchen, that beast! I've already ground him to dust, and I'm still not satisfied. How dare you still call him "Prince Lin"? What, are you reluctant to part with him? If you are, then I'll send you to join him.

"No, no, this servant didn't, sob sob..."

The two maids shook their heads desperately, but Li Mufeng was not about to let them go.

Xiao Tao and Qiu Shuang were once from the Cixi Palace. Li Mufeng had no good impression of anyone from the Cixi Palace, but because they had made a good contribution by reporting Empress Dowager Feng Xiu, Li Mufeng couldn't really touch them for the time being. Now, the two maids had walked right into the line of fire.

Li Mufeng took the opportunity to make an example of these two to establish authority for his elder brother, Li Mutian.

With a shout, "Execute!"

Two guards forcibly pried open the mouths of the two maids, and two other guards began to pour excrement into their mouths with two large spoons, making everyone feel extremely disgusted.

Only after both buckets of excrement had been forcibly stuffed into the bellies of the two maids did Li Mufeng raise his hand. Immediately, two vicious dogs pounced over, and everyone screamed in fear that the dogs would attack them.

However, the two vicious dogs only went after the two maids because they reeked of a foul stench.

"Ah...ah..."

With each scream of agony, the crowd was filled with terror. Taking advantage of the moment, Li Mufeng coldly shouted...

"From now on, if I hear anyone speaking ill of the wise king again, they will suffer the same fate as these two."

Furthermore, I must not hear a single word spoken by the Wise Prince during his illness, otherwise…”

Li Mufeng deliberately left his words unfinished, but they were full of threat.

The crowd shouted in unison,

"Your subject dares not."

"This servant dares not."

"This servant dares not."

...

Everyone ate the meal with trepidation, but they all uttered impeccable pleasantries.

"His Highness's recovery is a blessing for our 'Purple Cloud Kingdom,' and he will surely enjoy lasting good fortune and be free from all illnesses from now on..."

"It is truly a joyous occasion that Your Highness has recovered from your illness. Under the leadership of the two princes, our 'Zixiao Kingdom' will surely prosper in the future. I believe that the late Emperor, if he were alive, would also bless the two princes, ensuring their safety and longevity."

...

Li Mutian returned the wine one by one, but because he was not feeling well, he asked the guard Geng Yuan to do it for him.

After several rounds of drinks, Grand Tutor Xie Yan, with great reluctance, stepped forward to offer his advice.

"Your Highnesses, may I have a few words to say?"

"Please speak, Grand Tutor."

Li Mufeng had a fairly good impression of Xie Yan. During the time when the Feng family was in power, Xie Yan hadn't tried to curry favor with them and had remained neutral, which was already quite good. So, he politely made a gesture.

"A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Now that His Majesty has been dead for several days, shouldn't Your Highnesses consider who should succeed to the throne?"

After Grand Tutor Xie Yan finished speaking, his words immediately resonated with the ministers.

"This humble servant believes that Grand Tutor Xie's words make sense, and hopes that Your Highnesses can make a decision as soon as possible."

Yun Chao, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, also stepped forward.

"We second that proposal!"

The ministers all shouted in unison!

"There is an order of seniority, so it will be the eldest brother..."

Before Li Mufeng could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Li Mutian.

"Now that I have been dismissed, if I were to be reinstated, it would likely invite ridicule from other countries. Ah Feng, you are better than your elder brother in both literary and military affairs, so you should take on more responsibilities!"

"Brother, don't try to refuse. If anyone dares to laugh at you, I, Li Mufeng, will be the first to punish them."

The state laughs at its destruction, the people laugh at its killing.

Li Mufeng exuded a cold aura, while Li Mutian shook his head.

"Just because others don't talk about it doesn't mean it didn't happen."

Just like today, although the officials respect me, it's actually because of you.

Regarding the Feng family matter, eldest brother did not contribute at all. Even the funeral ceremony for Father Emperor was handled entirely by you. Eldest brother did nothing. If eldest brother were to become the crown prince, eldest brother would feel unworthy.

Ah Feng, even if your elder brother begs you, for the sake of Father and for the sake of "Ziwei Kingdom," please take on this responsibility!

...

The officials were all frustrated to see Li Mufeng and Li Mutian passing the throne back and forth. Other countries were fighting tooth and nail for the crown prince position, but these two in their own country were being pushed around like hot potatoes.

Just as everyone was lost in thought, a man in black walked in and whispered something to Li Mufeng. Li Mufeng then suddenly stood up.

Is this really true?

"Ah Feng, has something happened?"

Seeing Li Mufeng's solemn expression, Prince Li Mutian couldn't help but ask.