The Sinful Woman's Golden Branch: The Jade-Faced Yama is Actually Me (Chapter 30)...

The system had asked Ye Xiqing if she had put bait into the lake.

Ye Xiqing answered no.

She wasn't lying; she really wasn't. It was the current emperor who threw bait into the lake.

Everyone knows that you can't use the same trick twice; the first time you use it, you'll reveal your intentions.

When Li Wenyuan conferred the title of Prince of Dengzhou upon his daughter, he made fun of the Li family members and the Prince of Nankang. This time, when he wanted to establish his daughter as the heir, he could not use the same method.

But human behavior is simpler than that of fish; as long as you throw in the bait, they'll bite.

This is also why Ye Xiqing prefers to analyze the purpose rather than the rhetoric.

Language is embellishment, actions are means, only the end is the naked truth; all language and schemes point to the true purpose.

Li Wenyuan is a politician who is more of a pretense than a genuine person, but there must be something real about her as well.

For example, a mother's love for her daughter, and a politician's desire to prolong his political career.

By grasping her true nature and judging the price she is willing to pay for her goals, we can actually deduce all her actions.

What would an emperor, whose life is nearing its end, be willing to sacrifice for her goals?

The answer is all.

A desperate man willing to give his all will even become part of the bait himself.

The Crown Prince of Nankang may not have thought of this, but he also had his own truth.

He could see how dangerous the hanging bait was, but he was also confident that he could seize the food and leave amidst the danger.

An elderly man in his eighties who has lost all sense of purpose, and an aunt who could be easily lured and killed by him—their safety boundaries are easily breached.

What should have been a fierce battle had somehow escalated into such an overwhelming situation. The Crown Prince of Nankang and his traitorous generals felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, muttering to themselves, "How could this happen..."

Li Wenyuan looked at him with a smile: "What is it like? Have the other two imperial guards arrived?"

“My eyesight is failing me, and I can’t tell which group of troops you brought. It can’t be from Beijingmen, so it must be from one of the other three gates.”

"I'm not sure which route the rebels will take, so I've ordered Shangguan Lanyi and Yulian to wait with the talisman."

“I trust both of them. One will not betray me, and the other will not betray Yongning. So I can entrust them with the military seal with peace of mind and let them do as they please.”

"I am the fixed general on the chessboard, and they are the chariots and horses that are outside. No matter which side the opposition comes from, the other two sides can respond."

"You probably don't have the ability to turn three of my armies against each other at the same time. Even if you manage to turn one against each other, you probably won't be able to turn the world upside down."

"I have been waiting for the arrival of a certain army, and it seems that it is you."

"Which two armies are out there now? Could it be three armies at once? Hahaha."

"My daughter is indeed much better than my son, hahaha."

Crown Prince of Nankang: ...

With the situation hopeless, he was filled with terror. His traitorous generals were even more panicked, their eyes bloodshot as they pointed their swords at Li Wenyuan.

"So what! You vixen! Don't forget you're still in our hands! Even if we die, we'll take you with us!"

"Give the order now to clear a path and let us out of the city! Otherwise, we'll cut you in two!"

Li Wenyuan looked up at the tip of his sword and at his almost distorted expression of shock and anger, and smiled again: "Then why haven't you made a move yet?"

"This old woman is already eighty-two years old and can't even get out of bed. What's the big deal if she dies?"

“No emperor, under any circumstances, will bow down to a treacherous minister who coerces her.”

"I have already drafted the edict of succession, which I entrusted to Shangguan Lanyi for safekeeping. After my death, the new emperor will immediately ascend the throne, and you will all be considered traitors forever!"

"You may kill me, even in death I will still be the emperor."

"I can guarantee that the new emperor will repay me a hundredfold for what you have given me."

"Because the new emperor will be my daughter!"

Traitor: ...

Who wouldn't have a mental breakdown?

They harbored only ambitions of serving the emperor and dreamed of becoming meritorious officials in the cabinet; they never thought of risking their lives here.

Although it is said that one should consider the consequences of failure before doing something, most gamblers never think about what it would be like to fail before placing a bet; they only think about all the wonderful things that would happen if they succeeded.

Because I never thought that I would be bad at failure management when I actually faced failure.

The traitorous general, who was holding a knife, broke down emotionally and raised the knife, about to make a final, desperate move. However, the Crown Prince of Nankang stopped him and advised him to calm down.

This woman was already dying, what's the point of killing her!

The traitor was in tears. Everyone knows this, but what else can they do but kill to vent their anger? Their rebellion has failed!

They wanted to kill him but dared not, so they could only look at the Crown Prince of Nankang, who had orchestrated all of this, and say, "You're the one who sent us here, so think of a way!"

The Crown Prince of Nankang patted him on the shoulder to calm him down.

Calm down, calm down, there's a way, there's a way.

The Crown Prince of Nankang placed his hand on his shoulder reassuringly, and then, taking him by surprise, slit his throat!

Blood gushed out like a fountain. The traitor clutched his throat, staring wide-eyed at the blood-stained face of the Prince of Nankang, as if in disbelief.

But people are very realistic; if your throat is cut, you definitely won't survive. The bloodied and lifeless body slowly falls to the ground.

Another traitorous general retreated several steps in panic, looking at the Crown Prince of Nankang in shock.

The Crown Prince of Nankang had already put down his blade, knelt down, crawled on his knees to Li Wenyuan, and wept bitterly while resting his head on Li Wenyuan's lap.

"Grandmother! Grandmother! Your grandson is truly not plotting a rebellion! Please believe your grandson!"

"That scoundrel dared to disrespect the Empress Dowager! He has been killed by his grandson. He is your own grandson, how could he possibly plot against you!"

"We truly received a secret report that Lady Li was plotting a rebellion, which is why we came to execute the traitorous Lady Li!"

The last remaining traitor was at a loss.

He actually supported both his companions' decision to kidnap the emperor and break out, and the decision of the Prince of Nankang to kneel down.

Now that his comrade who supported him was dead, he naturally had to kneel down, throw down his knife, and prostrate himself on the ground.

"Your Majesty! We only broke into the palace to protect the Emperor!"

If even your boss is kneeling, what can you subordinates do?

Many low-ranking soldiers didn't actually know where they were going. They had to move when their superiors gave them orders, following their superiors layer by layer. Who knew they were being sent to rebel, and that the rebellion had failed!

Those below cried even more bitterly than those above. If the uprising succeeded, they might not necessarily benefit much, but if it failed, they would definitely be held accountable.

The sounds of weeping rose and fell on the ground, but Li Wenyuan remained expressionless.

"Remove their armor and weapons, and imprison them to await trial."

...

Such a major event happening in the capital city could not possibly go unnoticed by the high-ranking officials, nobles, and commoners living there.

Even if someone is sleeping soundly, they will be woken up by family members. Although they cannot go out, they will still listen carefully at home.

As expected, a major event occurred the next day at dawn. When the curfew was lifted, the city patrol soldiers came and went to deliver the Emperor's order, strictly prohibiting all households from leaving their homes!

The common people stayed at home in fear, while officials walked nervously through the deserted streets to attend court, not knowing what awaited them.

When they arrived at the imperial court, only Li Wenyuan was sitting high on the dragon throne.

Li Wenyuan offered no explanation or rebuttal, and directly announced the final result.

"I am old and unable to manage state affairs. Therefore, I hereby transfer power to Princess Yongning and appoint her as Crown Prince, placing her in the Eastern Palace."

"The Crown Prince of Nankang, along with Generals Zhao and Wang from Nanxi Gate, entered the Forbidden City in the dead of night armed with weapons and have been detained at the Dali Temple pending trial. They shall be severely punished without leniency!"

"An imperial edict is issued ordering the Ministry of Rites, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Directorate of the Imperial Treasury to jointly prepare for the new emperor's ascension to the throne. One month later, the Crown Prince shall receive the abdication at the Jixian Hall. Anyone who disobeys this order shall be executed!"

"If there is anything to report, do so now; if there is nothing to report, celebrate the Crown Prince's upcoming birth."

All the court officials raised their heads and opened their mouths, but in the end, no one uttered a word.

Before this, someone had already spoken out for them, and clearly, that person failed.

The remaining people, unless they are deliberately suicidal, will not stand up to oppose it.

Meanwhile, the upright scholars who liked to seek fame by dying were basically absent from the court during the decades of Li Wenyuan's rule.

The struggle for the throne, the struggle for the position of emperor—if you win, I'll help you; if you lose, what's the point of helping you?

If even a coup can fail, then it means that this is the will of Heaven, and you are truly not suited to be emperor.

The crowd, eager to welcome the true emperor, knelt in unison, shouting, "Long live the Emperor!" "Long live the Crown Prince!"

...

Ji Siyin entered the main hall without removing his armor.

Upon hearing the imperial edict issued by the Holy Mother Emperor, they immediately knelt to receive the decree and expressed their gratitude for the Emperor's grace.

Li Wenyuan's two personal female officials: Qi Yulian and Shangguan Lanyi.

One person held the imperial edict, and the other held the ceremonial implements.

He bestowed upon the Crown Prince a crimson gauze robe, a traveler's hat, the Crown Prince's seal, and a red ribbon adorned with jade.

The new emperor's dragon robe had not yet been made, but the crown prince's auspicious robe had been in production for quite some time.

Ji Siyin knelt to receive the title, and knelt to express her gratitude to the Emperor: "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

Looking at her daughter dressed in the crown prince's robes, Li Wenyuan finally revealed a mother's joy: "They fit perfectly, they look so good!"

...

Soldiers relentlessly surrounded the Nankang Prince's Mansion. The Nankang Princess's hands trembled slightly, and she could barely lift her cup.

I held onto a tiny, one-in-ten-thousand hope that a miracle would happen.

But her dream was ultimately shattered. Ji Siyin came in person, and the crown prince's python robe she wore had already foreshadowed the outcome.

The phrase "the victor is king, the loser is villain" resonated with her for the first time. Princess Nankang collapsed to the ground, accepting her fate.

Ji Siyin looked at the people of the Nankang Prince's Mansion with a blank expression: "I have someone who has fallen into your hands."

Left behind, Ye Xiqing, supporting her legs which were almost numb from sitting, struggled to stand up; it was no human task.

But she can't blame anyone.

As a strategist, she could have stayed behind and waited for the outcome, but she insisted on attending this treacherous banquet.

There should be a reward for every effort, and she certainly wouldn't have suffered so much for nothing.

With the help of those around her, she bypassed all the kneeling rebels and came to the male protagonist.

The male lead's face is certainly handsome, and his demeanor is certainly noble, but even if he were kneeling here, he would still be afraid.

Back when the Pei family was raided, he was still young and could only watch from the sidelines. Now he can finally participate in it himself.

When Ye Xiqing passed by him, she deliberately squatted down and gently patted his back as he knelt on the ground.

Your good days have come.