The mere thought of that high position soon being his own, and the joy of ascending to the pinnacle of power, had long since outweighed his sorrows.

Therefore, among all those present, only the Crown Prince was the one with the least sorrow.

On the contrary, many princes who had no power or position were grieving for their future.

Just as the emperor's eyes widened and he was about to breathe his last, a Taoist priest burst in, shouting, "This humble Taoist has a miraculous medicine that can save Your Majesty! Let me in!"

The guards naturally tried to stop him, but the Taoist priest seemed to have the help of ghosts and gods. He reached the emperor's bedside in a few steps and fed the emperor a handful of "medicine".

The crown prince was furious.

He was both anxious and afraid.

I'm afraid this Taoist priest is telling the truth.

What's infuriating is that a group of people actually allowed a Taoist priest to barge into the emperor's bedroom; they're utterly useless.

He shouted, "Seize this thief who has trespassed into His Majesty's bedchamber!"

The Taoist priest remained fearless, allowing himself to be bound hand and foot.

Li Ye looked up and saw that he recognized the Taoist priest; it was Qi Wuhe, who was about to be taken away.

He hurriedly exclaimed, "Crown Prince, there might be a misunderstanding. This Abbot Qi is the abbot of Baiyun Temple, the number one temple in the world. He would not harm Father Emperor. What he fed Father Emperor might really be a miraculous medicine. Please wait a little longer, Crown Prince, and see if Father Emperor can wake up before we deal with him."

"Ninth Brother, are you in cahoots with him?" The Crown Prince seemed to have found a pretext. He didn't want to start fighting amongst themselves so soon, but Li Ye had to come and cause trouble.

Li Ye was stunned for a moment, realizing that the Crown Prince was taking this opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop, and he couldn't help but feel a little bitter.

Even though he was bound, Qi Wuhe still maintained the air of a sage. He looked at the Crown Prince and said, "This matter has nothing to do with the Ninth Prince. It was done by me alone. If Your Highness wishes to punish someone, punish me alone. Although I trespassed into the palace, it was to treat His Majesty's illness. This 'medicine' is a resurrection pill made by me by gathering rare herbs and sensing the timing of the heavens. Does Your Highness not want to cure His Majesty?"

The crown prince was furious.

He naturally didn't want to cure His Majesty, but filial piety was the most important virtue, and no matter how eager he was to ascend the throne, he couldn't say such a thing.

He forced himself to remain calm, put his hands behind his back, and shouted angrily: "Eloquent and deceitful! Guards, take him away first and let the imperial physician come in to treat His Majesty."

"Yes!" the guards shouted in unison.

"No need!" an old voice said.

"Who said it's not necessary?" The Crown Prince was almost unable to contain his anger. Today, he was supposed to become the new emperor smoothly, but one person after another came up to obstruct him, which was really annoying.

He waved his sleeves, exuding an aura of dominance, displaying the imposing presence of a ruler surveying the land, his gaze sweeping over his assembled ministers.

He wanted to see who was so foolish as to speak up; he didn't mind bearing the stigma of beheading court officials in front of the old emperor's bed.

The courtiers remained silent, kneeling in submission.

A rustling sound came from behind him, and an old, steady, yet familiar voice rang in his ears.

"I said it!"

The prince stiffened, his expression freezing.

He turned around in disbelief and saw his father, who was already on his deathbed, sitting calmly and dignifiedly on the bed, his eyes, which seemed to have seen through the world, staring at him without any emotion.

The prince's fervor had subsided, and he seemed to hear the sound of his imperial dream shattering.

His face was filled with sorrow and honor, as if his spine had been broken by his father's gaze.

His knees buckled and he collapsed to his knees.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and congratulates Your Majesty on your full recovery."