Her goal was clear: to make Zhao Bi the crown prince now, and then ascend the throne directly after Emperor Mingde died. In any case, Emperor Mingde looked weak and listless, and didn't seem like he would live much longer.

If Emperor Mingde were to abdicate directly, it would likely give others grounds for criticism; she was quite shrewd.

Emperor Mingde stared at her coldly for a long time, as if he wanted to kill Yide with his eyes.

"Your Majesty, why are you looking at me like this? Do you want me to write it for you? Very well, I will do it for you. Your Majesty can use the Imperial Seal." After saying this, Yi De actually picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write the imperial edict.

Xie Yun, who had been standing to the side, could no longer bear to watch, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you must know that women are not allowed to interfere in politics. Do not go astray and cause misunderstandings between the court and the people!"

Yi De turned around and looked at Xie Yun, saying with a playful tone, "Lord Xie, you are absolutely right. Why don't you do it for me? You are highly respected, and who in the court or the country doesn't respect you? If you do it, I'm sure the Emperor will agree."

Xie Yun never expected Yi De to be so shameless. What did that smile mean? Was she trying to seduce him? Xie Yun had been through thick and thin for decades; what kind of woman hadn't he seen? Would he really be interested in a middle-aged woman?

Although this middle-aged woman was stunningly beautiful, he was a man of principle and would not be easily swayed by others.

He snorted coldly, "Your Majesty, I am utterly loyal and would never write the imperial edict to establish Chu, nor would I ever collude with you!" As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Shu out of the corner of his eye, hoping that Zhao Shu could come up with some wicked idea.

Zhao Shu found his forced composure and death-defying demeanor rather comical and couldn't help but laugh. Yi De, seeing Zhao Shu actually laugh, immediately frowned, walked up to Zhao Shu, and said, "I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be able to leave Cining Palace!"

"You only see me now? I thought you would never see me. But it's not too late now, Your Majesty, Fourth Brother. I advise you not to be so stubborn. Quickly apologize to the Emperor. Perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope."

Yi De laughed loudly, "Hahahaha, Zhao Shu, are you talking about Zhao Xiu? If he dares to come, I dare to destroy him!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu's relaxed expression vanished instantly. She seemed flustered and timidly looked at Xie Yun, who lowered his head. She then looked at Emperor Mingde, who had already closed his eyes.

Seemingly with no way out, she began to tremble and feel afraid. She took two steps back, but Sun Yun grabbed her and said loudly, "Imperial Consort, what you want is the throne. We are not fighting for it, so why are you clinging to us!"

"Hmph." Seeing that Zhao Shu was afraid, Yi De lost interest in competing with her, but she didn't want to kill her either. Zhao Shu was Jiang Ying's daughter, and she wanted to keep her alive to torture her slowly.

She turned around, took a few light steps to stand in front of Emperor Mingde, lowered her head, and brought her face close to Emperor Mingde's. "Your Majesty, write it down. You don't have many days left. The country cannot be without a ruler for a single day."

Emperor Mingde was furious, but he was too weak, and the slap he made on the dragon throne didn't ring. "You...you actually dared to curse me to death!"

"Your Majesty, I dare not." Yi De straightened up, waved to the outside, and Qi Xu, who was standing outside the door, walked in and bowed to Yi De, saying, "Your Majesty."

"Bring everyone in to witness that today His Majesty will establish the Fourth Prince as Crown Prince." She said calmly, as if the very foundation of the nation were a trivial matter.

Upon receiving the order, Qi Xian didn't even glance at Emperor Mingde. He simply made a military gesture, and soon rows of soldiers, holding matchlock guns, marched in in perfect unison.

When Emperor Mingde saw the so-called matchlock gun for the first time, his brows furrowed tightly, and he pointed tremblingly at the weapons in the soldiers' hands, asking, "What is this?"

"Your Majesty, please write the imperial edict establishing Chu first. I will tell you about it slowly after it is written." She moved the blank imperial edict toward Emperor Mingde.

Emperor Mingde roared angrily, "What is this?!"

Yi De did not get angry, nor did he even blink, showing that he had no fear of Emperor Mingde. Emperor Mingde's dignity was completely lost, and he coughed for a while, coughing up a lot of blood, which soaked his handkerchief.

Liang Yunsi patted him on the back to help him catch his breath, and it took him a long time to recover.

Yi De glanced at Qi Xu and said to Emperor Ming De, "Since Your Majesty is so eager to know what this is, I will let Your Majesty take a look."

Upon receiving the order, Qi Xian instructed a soldier to step forward. The soldier aimed his gun at the tall plum vase behind Emperor Mingde, and with a 'bang,' the tall plum vase shattered.

This time, Emperor Mingde believed Zhao Shu's words, and it was indeed faster than a dart.

The shout startled Emperor Mingde and attracted Yang Zhong and Zhao Xiu. Yang Zhong, along with the royal guards and some of Zhao Xiu's confidants, rushed in.

It was impossible for all the Imperial Guards to be stationed at the entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony; most of them were stationed at various entrances to the palace.

Therefore, the Royal Guards brought by Yang Zhong were able to force their way in. The Royal Guards were not like other military camps; they were places where the sons of wealthy families gained seniority.

Don't be fooled by the fact that many of the Royal Guards are just ordinary soldiers. Once they leave the Royal Guard, they may be the sons of a duke's family or relatives of a high-ranking official in the court.

In short, the Royal Guard is the territory of nobles. When Yang Zhong and his men barged in, Qi Xu was almost at his wits' end. What if he accidentally killed one of the noblemen's sons?

As soon as Zhao Xiu entered, he rushed to Emperor Mingde's side, saying with trepidation, "Father, Father, are you alright? Your son is late in coming to your rescue, please punish me!"

Emperor Mingde smiled enigmatically and said softly, "It's good that you've come." He hadn't expected Yang Zhong to help Zhao Xiu, but he knew that Yang Zhong was merely using Zhao Xiu and wasn't genuinely supporting him.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Xiu immediately confronted Zhao Bi, pointing at him and saying, "Fourth Prince, I never expected you to dare to force the emperor to abdicate! Where have you learned all the classics? Forcing the emperor is unfilial and disloyal; what is your punishment!"

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