“Ninth Brother, you’re being too polite. Father may not acknowledge you, but your Eighth Brother will.” Qi Yanping said with a smile, “Once your Eighth Brother ascends the throne, your title of Prince will be restored.”

"Someone, please invite Ninth Master and this Miss Ye to rest in the side hall. Serve them some fine wine and food." Qi Yanping said with a smile, "Ninth Brother, go ahead. Eighth Brother will come over later to have a couple of drinks with you. We brothers can catch up."

Qi Jiu was about to refuse when he heard Ye Xianya's voice: "Father, I'm hungry. Let's go eat first."

"Okay!" Qi Jiu nodded.

He should listen to his daughter.

"Please, Ninth Master!" Two eunuchs approached and said respectfully.

"Then thank you very much, Brother Ba." After saying that, Qi Jiu led Ye Xianya towards the side hall.

"Why bother with him? He's just a useless pawn. In my opinion, he should be killed to prevent future troubles. After all, he is the legitimate son." After Ye Xianya and the others had gone far away, Consort Yi looked at her son and said coldly.

"Don't worry, Mother, your son will wipe them all out in one fell swoop. There's no rush." ​​Qi Yanping looked confident: "It's not too late to make a move when the second, fourth, fifth, and seventh sons arrive."

He always does things in a steady and pragmatic way.

My mother used to be very steady, but since she chose to become a demon, she has become increasingly impatient.

"My father is seriously ill and has summoned them to the palace to attend to him. Anyone who does not come is considered unfilial." Qi Yanping turned to look at Consort Yi: "I have already brought all the people from my residence. Even if the Fifth Prince has troops and many ministers in the court support him, he is definitely no match for me."

When Consort Yi heard him say this, a smile immediately appeared on her face: "Son, that old man just tried to kill me, you must not be soft-hearted."

Qi Yanping nodded: "My son knows what to do."

Consort Yi was relieved upon hearing this and had her attendants accompany her back to Fenghe Palace.

In the side hall, Ye Xianya and Qi Jiu were having their dinner.

The food delivered by the imperial kitchen was very plentiful.

"Xianya, are these dishes really non-toxic?" Qi Jiu asked in a low voice.

"No!" Ye Xianya said while drinking the soup, "Father, this chicken soup is extremely delicious, even better than the one stewed at Taoyuanju."

“The chickens in the palace are definitely not comparable to those outside,” Qi Jiu said, lowering his voice. “Are we really not leaving?”

"The real show hasn't even started yet. I was originally planning to take Father away first and then come to watch the show later. But since they don't want us to leave, let's just keep watching and pass the time," Ye Xianya said calmly.

Seeing her so calm, Qi Jiu felt much more at ease.

Don't let her young age fool you; she's very mature and steady. Plus, she's incredibly accurate and never misses a thing. Following her is always the right thing to do.

After finishing his dinner, Qi Jiu wanted to see the emperor.

"Xianya, can you tell me if I'll be in any danger if I go to see the old man?" Qi Jiu asked with a smile.

"No, Qi Yanping doesn't consider you an opponent at all. To be precise, he doesn't take you seriously. The reason he made us stay is to wait for the princes to arrive so he can wipe them all out in one fell swoop. He likes to do things perfectly." Ye Xianya shook her head and said.

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiu hurriedly went to the adjacent bedroom.

The eunuchs and guards standing at the door did not stop him from seeing the emperor.

At this moment, the emperor was lying on his bed in a daze. He never dreamed that things would develop to this point.

He used to think that he had everything in the dynasty under his control, but reality gave him a harsh lesson.

His most beloved woman and his most favored son both betrayed him and wanted to kill him.

Because of his two previous episodes of vomiting blood, he was not only listless but also in great pain in his chest.

"Your Majesty, Ninth Prince has arrived." The chief eunuch standing by the bed said hurriedly upon seeing Qi Jiu arrive.

The emperor paused for a moment, then suddenly struggled to sit up.

"Your Majesty, please be careful." The eunuch quickly reached out to help him.

"Yanchang..." The emperor looked at his son, tears streaming down his face.

"Do you know why I came here?" Qi Jiu dragged over a stool and sat down casually.

"Are you here to confront your father? It is true that your father was wrong about your mother and elder brother. Your father has wronged them. Your father has wronged them..." The emperor's voice trembled.

"What's the use of saying all this now? Mother and elder brother can't come back to life." Qi Jiu laughed as he spoke, "I came here to see how miserable you are."

The emperor was stunned by what he heard; he never dreamed that his son would say such a thing.

In my memory, my youngest son was the most obedient to me and had the sweetest tongue.

This was the first time he had ever said such a thing to me.

"The more ruthless you were to us, mother and children, back then, the more ruthless Consort Yi and Qi Yanping are to you now. What goes around comes around." Qi Jiu chuckled as he spoke, "Tell me... isn't this retribution?"

The emperor trembled upon hearing this.

"To be honest, even if I knew today that Qi Xuan wasn't my biological daughter, even if she had treated me terribly before, I still didn't want to kill her. After all, she was a child I loved. Even with cats and dogs, you develop feelings after raising them for many years, let alone a person?"

Qi Jiu looked at the emperor, his eyes filled with coldness: "My elder brother has been your son for fifty-one years. He has been very filial to you since childhood. During his years as crown prince, he has never overstepped his bounds. Even if you listened to slander and thought he was not your son, for the sake of the past, couldn't you have demoted him to a commoner and spared his life? Couldn't you have imprisoned him first? Why did you have to kill him without leaving any room for maneuver?"

"You are too arrogant and stubborn. You think you are never wrong. It is your ignorance and arrogance that killed your elder brother and forced your mother to her death. I have been thinking about how heartbroken and desperate they were before they died."

"I... was also deceived."

Before the emperor could finish speaking, Qi Jiu interrupted him: "Shut up. You are getting old and are no longer able to handle state affairs. Especially in recent years, your elder brother has taken on everything. There have been calls in the court for you to abdicate and give way to a more capable person. You were unwilling to accept this, which gave Consort Yi an opportunity to take over."

Qi Jiu sneered as he spoke: "Ask yourself honestly, did you really never suspect that it was a setup? You were just jealous that your elder brother had gained the support of the court officials. You didn't want to abdicate and hand over the throne to a worthy successor, so you went along with it and got rid of your elder brother. Although Consort Yi was a hateful woman, she was right about one thing: for the throne, you can abandon anyone, including your own wife and children."

"Yanchang, you've misunderstood your father. Your father has considered abdicating and passing the throne to a more worthy successor, Father..."

Before the emperor could finish speaking, Qi Jiu stood up from his stool: "What's the use of saying all this now? It's all too late!"

"Your father is indeed deeply sinful and ashamed to face you. If... Your father can escape this calamity today, he will bestow upon you the title of..."

"No need. I, Qi Yanchang, have long been a commoner. I never want to return to the royal family in this lifetime, and I don't want to participate in your disgusting struggles!" After saying this, Qi Jiu got up and walked out.

The emperor watched his departing figure, tears streaming down his face.