"As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood. As long as my son and I are alive, we'll rise again someday. You come with me to the Kingdom of Jiyuan. With your uncle's help, we can fight our way back one day. When that time comes, no matter who ascends the throne, we can kill him, and the throne will still be yours," Consort Yi urged loudly.
Qi Yanping trembled upon hearing this. This was the closest he had ever come to the throne, and he really didn't want to give up. However, he was currently unable to kill the fifth and ninth princes, and the army outside had entered again, forcing him to retreat.
With the help of the flying demon, Qi Yanping, Consort Yi, and the others retreated.
Seeing them run away, Qi Jiu quickly asked, "Xianya, should we let them go?"
“We have no choice but to let them go. Although many of those dozen or so great demons are injured, they still have the strength to fight. Moreover, two of them are flying demons, which are very fast. Only Zhengzheng can catch up with them. Zhengzheng is still young and can't carry many people. The strength of those people from the Daoist sect is not enough to overwhelm those great demons. With just Zhengzheng and me, we can't kill many people. Consort Yi and Qi Yanping can still escape. I won't waste my energy.”
Ye Xianya frowned slightly as she spoke: "The Great Yan Dynasty and the Jiyuan Kingdom will have a fierce war sooner or later. It's not too late to kill them then."
"The Great Yan Dynasty and the Jiyuan Kingdom are going to war." Qi Jiu's eyes widened upon hearing this.
“Jiyuan Kingdom is almost under the control of those great demons. They always need to eat, and the people of our country can’t withstand the torment. The Great Yan Dynasty has a large population, and our people are just fat meat in their eyes.” Ye Xianya paused slightly as she spoke, “But Father, don’t worry too much. Isn’t there still the Taiyi Sect? You can ask the Taiyi Sect for help when the time comes.”
Qi Jiu nodded solemnly upon hearing this.
A moment later, Qi Yansheng and Qi Yanqing's men arrived, and Ye Xianya also removed the barrier.
"Chengshuo, Sixth Uncle." Qi Jiu saw Prince Duan and Qi Chengshuo at the front of the crowd and quickly ran over.
"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright." Prince Duan smiled when he saw that Qi Jiu was safe and sound.
Upon learning that the emperor had summoned Qi Jiu and Ye Xianya overnight, Prince Duan became anxious and hurriedly followed his grandson to the palace. However, just as they arrived at the palace gate, they heard that Qi Yanping had rebelled.
The palace was heavily guarded by the Divine Guard, so they couldn't get in at all.
Later, the forces of the other princes began to attack the palace.
It was impossible to win it at first.
It was his grandson Chengshuo who led the way to break through first, which allowed everyone to get in so quickly.
Prince Duan had no idea when his grandson had become so capable; he hadn't even had a chance to ask yet.
"How is your father?" Prince Duan asked loudly, looking at Qi Jiu.
"I was almost driven to my death by that Consort Yi. I'm still hanging on by a thread, lying in my bedchamber," Qi Jiu said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Prince Duan hurriedly ran to his bedchamber, for that was, after all, his own brother.
He ran halfway and then came back to pull Qi Jiu back: "Come with me."
We should at least listen to the old man's last words. What if he suddenly realizes his mistake before he dies and passes the throne to the ninth prince?
"Xianya, are you alright?" Qi Chengshuo stepped forward and asked.
"It's alright." Ye Xianya gently shook her head: "Let's go to the bedroom and take a look, so that Father won't be overwhelmed."
She had promised her mother that she would protect Qi Jiu, and she couldn't go back on her word.
Qi Yansheng and Qi Yanqing had already arrived in the sleeping quarters.
Although the emperor was very angry today and vomited blood several times, he looked somewhat listless, but he wouldn't die anytime soon.
In addition, the imperial physicians had given him acupuncture, so he had recovered somewhat.
“Brother Emperor.” Prince Duan rushed over and tightly grasped the Emperor’s hand, his eyes reddening.
"I'm fine, don't worry." The emperor gently patted the Prince Duan's hand, his face full of relief.
Such a big thing happened tonight. The palace is not only a place of trouble, but also extremely dangerous. Yet his sixth brother still risked entering the palace, which shows that he still values his elder brother very much.
"What about Yan Qingwu and Qi Yanqing, those two traitors?" the emperor asked in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, they escaped under the cover of those great demons," Qi Yansheng hurriedly reported.
"Issue my decree to issue an arrest warrant for them. Whoever can kill these two will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and granted the title of Duke, a hereditary title." The emperor's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
The fact that he offered such a high reward just to kill Consort Yi and her son shows how much he hates them now.
"Yes!" The eunuch standing to the side nodded quickly and immediately sent someone to convey the imperial decree.
"It is I who have wronged the Crown Prince and the Empress. Sixth Brother, you must make proper arrangements for them, give them a grand funeral, and I will offer them proper respects. Restore all the Crown Prince's titles and honors, and his son..."
The emperor couldn't help but burst into tears at this point.
Because his eldest grandson, Qi Chengbang, and his entire family were exterminated in the place of exile.
Although his second grandson, Qi Chengshao, is still alive, he has become disabled. Fortunately, he still has two sons, so the lineage of the Crown Prince has not been broken, giving him a chance to make amends.
"I hereby bestow upon Cheng Shao the title of Prince. I will have the Ministry of Rites draft some suitable titles for him to choose from tomorrow."
"Why did you kill the Crown Prince and force the Empress to her death, Your Majesty? Was it related to Consort Yi?" Prince Duan, unaware of the reasons behind this, couldn't help but ask.
"It was that vicious woman Yan Qingwu who framed the Crown Prince. I thought the Crown Prince was not of royal blood, so..." The Emperor was too ashamed to continue.
"Your Majesty is foolish!" Prince Duan was so angry he almost couldn't breathe, which startled Qi Chengshuo.
The emperor was filled with shame upon hearing this. After a long while, he looked at Qi Jiu, who was standing at the very back, and waved to him, saying, "Ninth Brother."
"I've come here to see you off in your final moments. After all, we were father and son. You may be heartless, but I cannot be unjust. However... it seems you won't die anytime soon. I'll head back now. When you're no longer able to go, summon me to the palace." Qi Jiu finished speaking and turned to leave.
Everyone in the room was stunned, completely unprepared for Qi Jiu to speak to the emperor in such a manner.
The emperor knew that his son hated him deeply, but he did not expect that his son would show him no mercy in front of so many people.
"According to the rules of our Great Yan Dynasty, the eldest son of the legitimate wife should be chosen. Since the crown prince is gone, his son Qi Yanbang is dead, and Qi Yanshao is crippled and unable to succeed to the throne."
The emperor's eyes were filled with sorrow. After a moment, he said, "Issue an edict to establish the Ninth Prince, Qi Yanchang, as the Crown Prince. Select an auspicious day for the investiture ceremony and prepare for the enthronement ceremony. Once everything is ready, I will pass the throne to him."
Everyone was shocked to hear this, as they had never expected the emperor to abdicate.
He had previously vomited blood due to anger and anxiety, but the imperial physician said that with proper care, he could recover.
The emperor always cared deeply about his throne and wished he could live forever and remain emperor. He even took elixirs for this purpose. Unexpectedly, he was willing to abdicate.
This is truly unexpected.
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