Although Prince Duan felt that the emperor should have abdicated long ago, he still said, "Please reconsider, Your Majesty. You will recover if you take good care of yourself for a while. Abdicating might be inappropriate..."
If he didn't pretend to stop him, his elder brother would lose face.
"My mind is made up." The emperor waved his hand. "Sixth brother, there's no need for further explanation."
"Yes." Prince Duan nodded, feigning great regret, as if he wished the emperor would continue to reign, which moved the emperor somewhat.
"Father, I dare to speak out, but my ninth brother offended you before, yet you still want to make him the crown prince. This is..." Qi Yansheng wanted to say that this was completely biased.
The ninth brother was hoping for his father's death, yet his father still wanted to pass the throne to him; it was simply unbelievable.
Was it to compensate the deceased empress and crown prince?
What's the use of compensation if the person is already dead?
It's not that he looks down on people, but with his temperament, Ninth Brother might be fine as a wealthy prince or a carefree hermit, but he's not suited to be an emperor.
"Fifth Prince, the principle of primogeniture must be upheld. Your Ninth Brother is a bit too informal, but he is a promising talent. I have heard that you were almost killed before, and he saved you. People should know how to repay kindness. I believe that you and Seventh Prince will assist him well, especially you. I have high hopes for you, so don't let me down." The Emperor said meaningfully.
He had made up his mind to make Qi Jiu the crown prince and then the emperor.
Although the fifth brother is talented, the rules cannot be broken.
Besides, if that Ninth Brother were to be more serious, he wouldn't be any worse than the Fifth Brother. He just doesn't care about these things and is a bit carefree. When the burden on his shoulders gets heavier, he will naturally take on the responsibility.
Qi Yansheng was very disappointed upon hearing this. He hated these outdated and rigid rules, but he felt somewhat helpless.
The emperor quickly issued an edict, dispersing the military power in Qi Yansheng's hands to other people. These generals were all people who had not been close to Qi Yansheng before, and some were former subordinates of the deposed crown prince.
"By imperial decree, Qi Chengshuo, the heir apparent of Prince Duan, is accomplished in both literature and martial arts. He shall inherit the title of Prince and take command of the Divine Vanguard Guard." The emperor not only granted Qi Chengshuo the title today, but also handed over the Divine Vanguard Guard, which Qi Yanping had previously commanded, to him.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." The old Prince Duan quickly expressed his gratitude.
"We brothers can retire together and enjoy our retirement," the emperor said with a smile.
"Then I will have to visit the palace often to bother Your Majesty from now on," the old Prince Duan said with a smile.
"You may come every day." The emperor said, looking at Qi Chengshuo: "Chengshuo, you must assist your ninth uncle well in the future. I do not expect him to be a wise ruler, but I will be satisfied if he can be a ruler who can maintain the status quo."
"Yes." Qi Chengshuo nodded quickly.
So much had happened tonight, and the emperor was exhausted. Qi Chengshuo and the others quickly took their leave.
On the way back to the manor, the old Prince Duan looked at Qi Chengshuo beside him and said with great emotion, "The world has changed overnight. Even now, this old man still feels a bit confused."
"What happened tonight was indeed somewhat sudden," Qi Chengshuo nodded.
“I was hoping that your Ninth Uncle would inherit the throne in the future, and I would definitely stand on his side. But these things can only be thought about for now. It will definitely take many years of planning to make it happen. Who would have thought that in just one page, these wishful thinkings have become reality.” The old Prince Duan said, patting his grandson’s shoulder: “Grandpa is old and can’t keep up with you anymore. From now on, everything in the Duan Prince’s Mansion will be handed over to you. And your Ninth Uncle, you must assist him well and not let him be bullied by the Fifth Prince.”
"Grandfather, don't worry, I will definitely do my best." Qi Chengshuo nodded gently.
"Speaking of which, that young girl Ye Xianya is truly remarkable. She was meticulous in her calculations. Not only did she clear the names of the Empress and the Crown Prince, but she also exposed the disguises of Consort Yi and Qi Yanping." The old Prince Duan laughed as he spoke, "If it weren't for her tonight, none of this would have happened."
If Ye Xianya hadn't exposed these secrets, the emperor would never have realized how wrong he was, let alone passed the throne to Qi Jiu.
"Xianya is certainly very powerful, she..." Qi Chengshuo stopped abruptly at this point.
"You little rascal, you've been hiding things from your grandfather all along," the old Prince Duan said, looking at his grandson and laughing heartily.
Meanwhile, in a carriage not far away, Qi Yansheng clenched his fists tightly and remained silent for a long time.
Sitting next to him, Qi Yanxing felt extremely oppressed. After a long while, he mustered up his courage and said, "Fifth Brother, we no longer have any military power. I understand Father's meaning. He wants us to assist Ninth Brother properly and not have any unrealistic ambitions. I don't care. I never thought about that position anyway. As for you, Fifth Brother... well, let it go. Things are fine as they are now. If Ninth Brother hadn't sent that little girl to send a spirit beast to save us tonight, we would have died long ago. Living is more important than anything else. Father was right about one thing: people should repay kindness."
Qi Yansheng remained silent upon hearing this.
“Think about it, if Ninth Brother hadn’t saved us, we would have died long ago. How could you compete with him then? That kid is a generous and easygoing person. It wouldn’t be bad for him to be emperor. At least he wouldn’t bully or mistreat us. You and I, the two brothers, will definitely have a life of wealth and honor in the future.”
Qi Yanxing lowered his voice as he spoke: "I've heard that Qi Xuan isn't Ninth Brother's daughter, but Eighth Brother's. Eighth Brother ran away and took Qi Xuan with him. Ninth Brother has no children, so Fifth Brother, you still have a chance. Even if Ninth Brother lives a long life, he still needs an heir. You have two legitimate sons, so you can give one to Ninth Brother in the future."
As for his two little ones, they won't join in the fun. They'll still live a life of luxury with their dad.
After hearing Qi Yanxing's words, Qi Yansheng's eyes lit up, and after a long while, he said, "Seventh Brother is right."
"Come on, let's go have a couple of drinks," Qi Yanxing said quickly, seeing that he had recovered.
"It's already past midnight, where are we going for a couple of drinks? Let's go back and rest, we have to go to court early tomorrow morning." Qi Yansheng shook his head.
"Fifth Brother, you've really lost your mind! Father is unwell and has suspended court for three days," Qi Yanxing laughed loudly.
Qi Yansheng was about to refuse when he heard Qi Yanxing say, "Let's go to my place for a few drinks. So much has happened tonight, and to be honest, I'm still a little shaken. Look at my hands, they're still trembling."
“Then let’s go.” Qi Yansheng nodded.
Meanwhile, at the Ye family residence in the west of the city, although it was already midnight, the entire Ye family residence was brightly lit, and no one was asleep.
Qi Jiu looked at the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree, his expression somewhat unpleasant.
Can't people sleep in the middle of the night?
He was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open.
"Didn't you come to deliver an imperial decree? Read it!" Qi Jiu said somewhat impatiently.
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