It's not just on my face, it's on my neck too. One piece has peeled off, revealing an unhealthy grayish-white color, which seems to be mixed with a little red. I don't know what it is.

The Emperor noticed his scrutinizing gaze, and guiltily hid behind him, turning his head to ask, "What are you doing here? Are you in such a hurry for me to abdicate?"

Sheng Jingyu said, "I would like to request two imperial decrees for Sheng Ziyan and Sheng Zixi, decrees to confer titles of kings upon them."

"What?" The Emperor was clearly surprised; to be precise, this was not even on his mind.

Sheng Jingyu further explained, "They both made contributions, so this is only right."

The Emperor wouldn't be stingy in this matter, but he never expected that it would be Sheng Jingyu who brought it up.

"They haven't come back yet, we can talk about it when they do."

Sheng Jingyu sneered, "I'm afraid you won't live to see that day."

"Insolence!" The Emperor roared in fury, his shout immediately attracting the attention of the guards outside.

When the guards saw that the person confronting the emperor was Sheng Jingyu, they didn't even dare to draw their swords.

The emperor didn't give them any orders, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

Eunuch Hu stepped forward with a smile and said, "Did Your Highness say something unpleasant that made the Emperor so angry?"

Then he said to the guards, "This is none of your business, get out of here."

The guards were more than happy to oblige and withdrew in the blink of an eye.

"Are you in such a hurry to kill me? The officials of the previous dynasty favored you, and the late emperor also favored you. Now, even the guards around me dare not touch you. Why don't you just kill me with one sword?" the emperor rebuked sternly.

Eunuch Hu was a clever man; he had already left with the guards and even chased away the eunuchs who were guarding outside.

They were afraid that the conversation inside might be overheard by others.

Sheng Jingyu stared at his neck without saying a word.

The Emperor once again looked away guiltily, not daring to meet Sheng Jingyu's gaze, fearing that he would discover something amiss.

Now he, the emperor, has become a puppet, and he himself knows it.

The only reason Sheng Jingyu can sit here calmly is because he believes that he cannot kill his father or the emperor. He thinks that reputation is very important for an emperor and he cannot afford to be criticized.

"As long as I don't abdicate, you won't be able to rightfully succeed to the throne," the Emperor said with extreme confidence.

"Do you think I care?" Sheng Jingyu scoffed. "Have you forgotten what I've done before? What I've done for you and the Empress?"

The emperor was slightly taken aback, and suddenly realized that what he said made sense.

What need does Sheng Jingyu have for a reputation?

Since he could make everyone ignore what he had done in the past, he could naturally cover up the regicide and patricide as well.

Years later, no one mentioned it anymore. Even if the history books recorded it, it didn't matter. After all, what he did before would also be recorded in the history books, so one more thing wouldn't make a difference.

"If you don't care, why haven't you made a move yet?" The emperor remained defiant, but his body tensed as he tried to back away.

Sheng Jingyu sneered, "You can ignore Anchuan, but I can't."

Ultimately, he was afraid of internal strife in Ankawa. He needed to get clear news from Qikong that there would be no war before he could focus his attention on the emperor.

The emperor suddenly realized that he had been wrong all along.

“If you agree to let me build the Altar of Worship, I will abdicate.”

The conversation just now caused the Emperor to break out in a cold sweat.

He was careless and wiped it with a handkerchief. After the powder was rubbed off, the grayish-white color became more obvious, and he no longer looked like a living person.

"Don't talk about that yet. What's the deal with those two imperial physicians?"

The emperor's skin color was off, as if he had been poisoned. Instead of consulting the imperial physician, he even applied powder to cover it up.

"Those two imperial physicians, they willingly sought death to guide me." The emperor gazed into the distance, seemingly looking at something, a strange smile playing on his lips.

Sheng Jingyu was stunned. The emperor's symptoms indicated poisoning; the poison had not only invaded his lungs but also his brain.

He then asked, "If you were supposed to be guiding you, why did you throw their bodies into the mass grave?"

The emperor revealed that eerie smile again and replied, "I said it was to pave the way. They are willing to absolve me of my sins. That edict of self-reproach is also for atonement. Only in this way will it be effective."

"...Did the two of them say these words?" Sheng Jingyu asked, her feelings complicated.

What utter nonsense! The Emperor is so stubbornly ignorant.

Fortunately, he had no intention of saving the emperor, otherwise he would have been driven crazy by his stubbornness.

Those two are really good at deceiving people. In just half a year, they made the emperor completely trust them, and even now, he still believes in them.

They were quite willing to do this, actually willing to seek death on their own initiative.

But where did this outrageous claim come from?

Sheng Jingyu was still waiting for the Emperor's reply, but the Emperor had already begun to get impatient, scratching his neck vigorously, and finally even put his hand inside his clothes and kept scratching.

Now Sheng Jingyu knew where the color red came from.

"Don't ask anymore, here, take a look at this." The emperor tossed him a book, then waved his hand, signaling him to leave quickly.

After taking the book, Sheng Jingyu asked, "When will you issue the decree to bestow titles of nobility upon them?"

"Today is fine!!" The Emperor roared, his hands moving and his whole body becoming restless, his eyes bloodshot as if he had lice in them.

Sheng Jingyu turned and left, then quickly flipped through the book in his hand.

It's like an ancient book, full of things about seeking immortality and enlightenment, and there are also a lot of alchemy recipes at the end.

Sheng Jingyu summoned Eunuch Hu and asked directly, "Where did this book come from? Did those two people give it to you?"

"No, His Majesty found it in the imperial library," Eunuch Hu replied.

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