Chapter 224 Abdication

Li Ye's gaze slowly fell on Li Yuanzhao.

Now that I have fulfilled her wish, she should be satisfied.

But Li Yuanzhao just looked at him, clearly not satisfied, and was still waiting for him to fulfill all the promises he made yesterday.

Upon seeing this, Li Ye let out a suppressed cough.

After his cough finally subsided, he weakly continued, "Since I fell ill at the New Year's Eve banquet, I have been bedridden ever since. The imperial physicians are helpless, and my health has not improved. I know that my days are numbered."

He took a deep breath before continuing, "However, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Since Yuan Zhao began assisting the government, his achievements have been remarkable, and he has long won the hearts of the people and the trust of the court officials."

"Now that the position of Crown Prince has been decided, if I were to continue to occupy this position, I fear it would delay the affairs of the state. Therefore, I have decided to hold the abdication ceremony on the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and formally pass the throne to the Crown Prince."

When he said this, he turned to look at Li Yuanzhao and said, "I hope that after the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will carry on my will and protect the peace and well-being of all the people of the Great Qi."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the entire hall.

Even the usually composed Zheng Wenkai and Su Jingzhi couldn't help but change their expressions.

"Abdicate? Good heavens, did I hear that right? His Majesty is actually going to abdicate?"

"This is too sudden! The crown prince was just appointed today, and now the abdication is announced. Why is it happening so quickly?"

"The fifteenth of the first lunar month, that's only nine days left? That's going by way too fast!"

Some people said, "It's a bit fast, but His Highness the Crown Prince is both talented and virtuous. His early accession to the throne will stabilize the court sooner, which may not be a bad thing."

Some people whispered in protest, "Good thing? What good thing? Have you forgotten what the Princess has been doing lately? Not only did she promote two women, but she also wants to amend the laws. What kind of good thing do you think that is for us?"

...

The officials whispered among themselves, their expressions varied, all stunned and incredulous at the sudden news.

Zheng Wenkai, disregarding his leg injury, eagerly stepped forward, leaning on his crutches.

"Your Majesty! This is absolutely unacceptable! Abdication is a fundamental matter of national importance and requires careful consideration! Although His Highness the Crown Prince is both talented and virtuous, his ascension to the throne concerns the stability of the nation. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"

He knew perfectly well that the appointment of Li Yuanzhao as crown prince today was an inevitable trend, and no matter how much he and His Majesty opposed it, it would be to no avail.

But as long as His Majesty is still sitting on the dragon throne, even if Li Yuanzhao is already the crown prince, he will still be subject to checks and balances from the officials, and the decisions of the court will always have to be discussed by His Majesty and the court.

Even if His Majesty were to pass away, he could leave a will appointing several senior officials as regents.

Even if Li Yuanzhao were to succeed to the throne at that time, he would not be able to do as he pleased, and would always have to be wary of the existence of these regents.

For example, there is still room for discussion on major issues such as amending the law.

But now His Majesty wants to abdicate directly, allowing her to skip the "crown prince overseeing the country" step and ascend the throne as Empress.

From now on, who in this court can restrain her?

Li Ye looked at Zheng Wenkai's anxious expression, then glanced at the shocked or puzzled expressions of the officials in the hall, and finally turned his gaze to Li Yuanzhao, who remained silent.

The next second, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, the high and mighty emperor covered his face and let out a suppressed sob.

Then, the crying grew louder and louder, turning from sobbing into heart-wrenching sobs.

"Think twice? What do I have to think twice about..."

He spoke haltingly, his voice filled with uncontrollable grief, as he cried.

"I have wronged the Empress! Back then, I was blinded by greed and listened to the slander of treacherous officials, believing she intended to rebel, and actually issued an edict to kill her..."

These words plunged the entire hall into a deathly silence.

Although everyone already knew this cruel truth at the New Year's Eve banquet, and the news had even spread to the common people, causing much discussion.

But an emperor is still an emperor. No matter who he kills or what he does, he is still the supreme emperor.

Aside from gossiping about it in private, how could anyone really demand that the emperor come out and apologize, or even make him pay with his life?

So when everyone heard the emperor admit it in person and repent in public, they couldn't help but feel shocked.

Only Li Yuanzhao was once again amazed that his father, the emperor, was indeed worthy of being an emperor for twenty years.

Even if they publicly repent and admit their mistakes, they can still shift all the blame onto the fabricated "slanderous words of villains," thus absolving themselves of any responsibility.

As Li Ye cried, he suddenly punched his chest hard.

"Over the years, I have been plagued by nightmares every night, always dreaming that A-Lang questions me, asking why I killed her..."

"I was wrong! I was really wrong! A-Lang was virtuous and loyal her whole life, and she never had a disloyal heart. It was I who destroyed her with my own hands, and destroyed Yuan Zhao's mother!"

Standing to the side, Shen Guojiu's face had turned black. He clenched his fists tightly, his eyes still filled with anger and grief.

He glanced at Li Yuanzhao, and seeing that she remained expressionless, he simply took a deep breath and said nothing.

Li Ye's voice grew weaker and weaker, and every word was spoken with great difficulty.

"I have failed the Empress, and I have failed the people of the world! Today, I repent in public, hoping to fulfill this wish before abdicating... I pray that Heaven will forgive my sins, and that the Empress's spirit in heaven may find peace!"

At this moment, Eunuch Wei, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines for a long time, saw that Li Ye was about to faint.

He then remembered his duty and quickly stepped forward to pat Li Ye's back to help him catch his breath.

But to his surprise, Li Ye suddenly twisted his body, avoiding his contact, clearly annoyed by him.

Zheng Wenkai, standing below the hall, keenly noticed this subtle movement.

His mind raced, and he immediately stepped forward, knelt down, and loudly pleaded, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Your Majesty was misled by the slander of treacherous officials back then, and it was not your true intention! Those villains maliciously sowed discord between the Emperor and Empress, attempting to confuse the public and disrupt the court, which led to this tragedy. The blame lies entirely with those who spread the slander, not with Your Majesty!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several senior officials stood up and echoed his sentiments.

"Prime Minister Zheng is absolutely right! His Majesty has always been wise, but he was temporarily misled by treacherous people. When the Empress passed away, the entire court and the people were heartbroken. Now that the truth has come to light, we can finally comfort the Empress's spirit in heaven!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, you don't need to blame yourself so much. It's all because of slander that the country has been ruined!"

"Your Majesty's willingness to confront your mistakes is a rare and admirable quality for an emperor, and we deeply admire it!"