As Shang Dongyang walked, he grumbled viciously at the Empress:

It's all because of this unfaithful woman!

Even though she knew their situation was already very bad, she still insisted on persuading him to send his last trusted men to find out about the situation of the deposed king!

Now it's all good!

He must have incurred the Emperor's wrath once again, finally bringing about his utter destruction!

Shang Dongyang made up his mind:

If Shang Xiche insists on deposing him as crown prince or killing him, he will betray his own family and sell out the empress first to save his own life!

Then he would assess the situation.

The question is whether to seize the opportunity to escape Kyoto, or simply launch a surprise attack and usurp the throne!

Anyway, everyone looks out for themselves!

But what Shang Dongyang never expected was that not only was Shang Xiche there, but his mother, Empress Chen Ziyun, was also in the Imperial Study, and the way the two of them looked at him... was full of love?

Shang Dongyang was completely baffled: What the hell!

What's going on here?

"Eunuch De, all of you go out. Tell everyone outside to stay away. The Emperor, the Empress, and the Crown Prince have important things to say. If anyone overhears even a single word, your entire family will be executed." The Empress's voice was gentle and melodious like never before.

"yes!"

Eunuch De and the palace maids and eunuchs serving inside bowed and retreated.

I heard them close the door, and the footsteps outside faded into the distance.

The Empress then walked coquettishly to Shang Dongyang, who was completely dumbfounded and standing there like a statue. In a sickeningly sweet voice, she asked, "Crown Prince, just now in court, your father wanted to give you gold and silver. Why didn't you accept it? Weren't you short of money?"

Shang Dongyang looked at Chen Ziyun as if he had seen a ghost.

Then, filled with trepidation, he secretly glanced at Shang Xiche.

Hmm, why does Father's gaze still hold such love?

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, I want it?" Shang Dongyang stammered in a low voice.

Chen Ziyun immediately covered her mouth and giggled for a while, as if she had heard the funniest joke of the year. She affectionately poked Shang Dongyang's forehead with her right index finger: "You child, your father loves you and gave you silver as a reward, why can't you accept it?"

His father dotes on him, haha...

His father really wanted him to die in agony as soon as possible!

Shang Dongyang secretly curled his lip, thinking that his mother was a bit unreliable. Perhaps this woman had already sold him out in front of his father and was trying to get information out of him so that she could punish him.

"Oh, right!" Chen Ziyun laughed for a while before remembering that Shang Dongyang knew nothing. She quickly pulled him to Shang Xiche's side and said sweetly, "Yang'er, come quickly, greet your father and kowtow to him."

Shang Dongyang: "???"

He was forced to kowtow three times by Chen Ziyun, like a puppet on a string.

Shang Xiche's smile widened.

He rose from the dragon throne, walked around the desk, and personally helped Shang Dongyang up from the ground. He patted Shang Dongyang's not-so-strong arm and said, "In the blink of an eye, you've grown so much, into a fine young man!"

"Father..." Shang Dongyang hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Are you crazy?

We see each other in the imperial court every day!

"My son, don't be so timid. Stand up straight and be a man of integrity," Shang Xiche patted Shang Dongyang's back again and said with great pride, "Don't worry, the throne is yours, and all the beautiful land and wealth of the world are yours. Although you are of mediocre talent, I will never mistreat my son!"

That's all.

Shang Xiche walked to the table, wrote an imperial edict with a flourish, and stamped it with his seal. He then tossed it to Shang Dongyang and said, "Your mother said you're short of money lately. Take this and go to the national treasury to get eight chests of gold and silver. If that's not enough, just let me know."