The guards held Prime Minister Lin down by pressing his shoulders and forcing his body off the dragon throne.

The dragon throne gleamed with golden light, yet it was also cold and hard.

Prime Minister Lin used every ounce of his strength to resist, his whole body trembling, before finally managing to break free of the guards with all his might.

He trembled and lay prostrate on the ground, his forehead touching the earth, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, spare my life, I know my crime."

Sitting on that dragon throne could cost the lives of the entire family.

Emperor Yanwu remained standing. He gave a faint "hmm" and said, "Since you know your crime, I will spare you from punishment because of your advanced age. You may resign and return home to retire."

Prime Minister Lin had no choice but to remove his official hat while wailing, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

He's only fifty years old, what's with the age!

What a load of rubbish about supporting an old person!

Emperor Yanwu continued to pat the gleaming golden dragon throne, gazing at the assembled civil and military officials, his voice booming.

"Come on, who else wants to sit on this dragon throne? Come up. Today, I will generously let you all try on this noble dragon throne. If you are not satisfied, I will take off this dragon robe and let you all try it on."

All the ministers knelt down, wailing that they knew they were guilty.

Seeing everyone kneeling down in unison, Emperor Yanwu's flowing beard finally settled.

"I am unwell and will not hold morning court from today onwards."

"Huh?" The ministers all looked up, their faces full of confusion.

Eunuch Xi: "Dismiss the court."

The officials, regaining their senses, began to waile at the top of their lungs, "Your Majesty, no! A monarch who doesn't hold court in the morning is incompetent..."

Emperor Yanwu slammed his fist on the dragon throne again, his voice brimming with arrogance: "Come, come, whoever doesn't faint, can sit on this dragon throne! I'll give it up!"

The ministers all choked on the word "ruler" that followed "drowsy".

The emperor has been diligent and hardworking for more than 20 years, and he is indeed not a foolish ruler.

Emperor Yanwu glanced at Ling Yongnian, who was kneeling, and pointed directly at him, "Kneel for four hours."

After Emperor Yanwu left, the officials all looked to Eunuch Xi for help.

Eunuch Xi glanced at Ling Yongnian seemingly casually, then smiled and said, "As long as you follow His Majesty's wishes, His Majesty's health will be fine. You can figure it out yourselves."

The military officer, puzzled, pulled aside the civil official and asked, "What does Eunuch Xi mean by this?"

The civil official said, "It's simple. Don't mention establishing another crown prince. Just go along with the emperor's wishes. Once he's feeling better, he'll naturally attend court."

“Then…” someone looked at Ling Yongnian, who was kneeling upright.

The Third Prince was forced to kneel for four hours. Is it appropriate for them to leave now?

Prime Minister Lin stood up, patted the official hat that had been removed, and said, "In accordance with the emperor's will."

If you dare to accompany him, then let's all follow him and take off our official hats.

The ministers who had intended to kneel with him immediately lost interest and all left.

Only one eunuch and two guards remained, watching Ling Yongnian kneel.

Upon hearing the news, the Empress quickly came and wept, and then ran to the Imperial Study to kneel and beg to see Emperor Wu.

Eunuch Xi came out and reported, "Your Majesty, please return. The Emperor is busy..."

He changed the subject abruptly, "Let's look at the memorial."

He dared not say that he was busy cracking melon seeds and reading storybooks.

The Empress refused to leave and cried for half an hour, but still could not see Emperor Yanwu, so she had to leave disappointed.

When Eunuch Xi turned around and entered the Imperial Study, he saw Emperor Yanwu cracking melon seeds with one hand and patting the imperial desk with the other.

"Good, that feels so good! That's how it should be. Only a bastard would swallow his anger, but a little bitch should be beaten. That's what makes it satisfying."

Where is the slightest trace of imperial majesty?

The eunuch Xi served closely, glancing at the storybook.

It tells the story of a legitimate daughter who was bullied by a concubine's daughter for several years. One day, she woke up to the truth and beat the concubine's daughter up.