"Huh?"

Chu Yan seemed to realize at this time that his elder brother's attitude was a little strange, and subconsciously took a step back.

"Brother, don't look at me like that. I'm just telling the truth..."

Seeing that he was not in a serious state, Chu Yi was too lazy to talk any more.

I just walked up to him and waved, "Come out, there are some things we need to discuss."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yan also nodded.

The two brothers walked outside the hall, and Chu Yan was the first to ask curiously: "Brother, my sister-in-law is fine now, but where is the dog emperor?"

The three words "Dog Emperor" were very sudden. Chu Yi stared at him for a long time, wanting to say something but stopping himself. In the end, he did not give any explanation.

"I'm afraid we have to withdraw today. Something unexpected happened. I'll explain the rest to you when we get back home."

Chu Yi is now in a dilemma.

If I don't usurp the throne, I will be sorry for the group of brothers behind me.

Let's usurp the throne, but usurping the throne of your own wife, that's not a big deal at all, right?

So, at this moment, he has not made a decision yet and can only think about it carefully first.

However, he knew very well what the empress meant. The empress would surely not hold him responsible for the rebellion and forcing the emperor to abdicate, and she was unwilling to start any disputes. Otherwise, Chu Yan would definitely not have been able to reach the palace in such a short time.

Chu Yi was in a very tangled mood, but Chu Yan had no idea what was going on.

He was immediately stunned when he heard this outrageous decision.

"Brother, it has already come to this point, why did you come up with such a decision?"

"It's hard to put it into words."

Chu Yi patted his third brother's shoulder helplessly.

"Listen to my eldest brother. Withdraw the troops from the palace now. I will explain everything to you when we get back home."

Chu Yan was confused. They were only half a step away from their goal, but...

After a long silence, he looked towards the imperial study, "Brother, did you make this decision because of... my sister-in-law?"

Chu Yi nodded slightly, "Yes, but not entirely."

Seeing this, Chu Yan also knew that something seemed to have gone wrong. He no longer insisted.

"Alright then. I'll withdraw the troops outside the palace and wait for you back home."

After saying that, Chu Yan left first.

As soon as Chu Yi turned around and arrived at the imperial study, Xiao Ling hurried over to greet him.

"...Chu Yi, what does your third brother say about this matter?"

When Xiao Ling asked this question at this time, he felt inexplicably uneasy.

Although she had already prepared for the worst in her heart, it was only the worst after all.

It would be great if Chu Yi could forgive himself.

She can be selfish in the country, but... this Da'an country does not belong to just her, Xiao Ling.

She could even not consider how her cowardice and selfishness would be recorded in history books a hundred years later.

But the country was conquered by the ancestors of the Xiao family, so she must have a clear conscience.

Chu Yi obviously knew what Xiao Ling was going to ask, and immediately shook his head, "Your Majesty, I haven't told you your identity yet."

"This is something I never expected. I may need to have a good talk with him."

Xiao Ling was silent for a moment, gritted his teeth and finally took the initiative to pull Chu Yi's hand.

"Chu Yi...if...if you really want the throne, I can definitely give it to you..."

"I know you're in a difficult situation right now, so... I can give in for you and not care about this position..."

Chu Yi seemed to have heard some shocking decision, and his face was full of surprise.

He looked down at the little empress in front of him and his eyes became weird.

It’s strange. The little emperor was obviously not like this before.

It seemed that only half a year ago, the little emperor was scheming against me and wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible.

Chu Yi didn't understand.

Could it be that he really fell in love with me in these few short months?

He couldn't help but raise his hand and press it on Xiao Ling's forehead.

"Your Majesty may have a fever. Do you know what abdication means?"

"I'm very clear," Xiao Ling said seriously, "I've made up my mind, but the premise is that... your child with me must inherit the throne..."

At the end of her speech, her face couldn't help but turn red.

Chu Yi: “…”

Why does this seemingly normal request sound so awkward when spoken?

But speaking of children, he thought of the night on New Year's Eve when Tang'er mentioned that she was pregnant.

But when he looked at the little empress's expression, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.

"Your Majesty, I forgot. Was your Majesty's statement that night about being pregnant genuine or intentional?"

Xiao Ling felt guilty when she mentioned this, but she didn't intend to continue lying, so she confessed, "When you said you wanted to rebel, I... lied to you. I just wanted you to be quiet for a while for the sake of the child..."

Chu Yi: “…”

OK!

It was all for nothing.

He had been cheated many times today, so he didn't blame anyone this time.

In fact, if you think about it carefully at that time, you will know that something is wrong. After all, he and the little empress had only been married for more than a month. Even if he was hit by a bullet, his body would not react so quickly.

"In that case, I understand your majesty's intentions, but this matter is of great importance, so I still need to consider it carefully."

Chu Yi held Xiao Ling to his chest very gently, feeling the softness of the little empress's body.

"Besides that..."

Having said that, he suddenly raised the corners of his mouth with a hint of amusement, and put his hands on Xiao Ling's shoulders so that she could meet his gaze.

"Your Majesty owes me a child. Adding the child I was originally expecting, it should be twins now."

Xiao Ling was immediately furious. "Chu thief... you... are so shameless. Now is clearly... not the time to talk about such things."

Really, this kind of thing is obviously a very serious matter, but for some reason, when it came out of Chu Zei's mouth, it sounded a bit mocking, which made her feel inexplicably ashamed.

"I will go back first. I will come back to see Your Majesty after I have dealt with everything."

…

When Xiao Ling raised his head again, Chu Yi had already left.

Xiao Ling was in mixed mood and stood blankly in the imperial study.

Chu Yi went back.

The Chu family's rebels also retreated, leaving behind a huge, empty palace.