"Useless thing! If you don't let him stamp the imperial seal today, we'll all be the ones who die! Think about it, your maternal grandfather is still helping you out there. He's just one step away from success, and because of your hesitation, our entire Xiao family will perish!!"
Consort Xiao noticed her son's hesitation and glared at him with a look of exasperation.
After hearing his mother's words, the Crown Prince lost all his hesitation. His mother was right; he had already taken this step and there was no turning back. He had no choice but to go all in.
The Crown Prince's gaze towards the Emperor hardened, and he waved to the soldiers behind him, saying:
"Arrest the Empress."
Immediately, two soldiers stepped out from behind the Crown Prince and walked towards the Emperor.
The Emperor held the Empress tightly with one hand, while using the other to guard against the two soldiers, shouting sternly:
"How dare you! I am the Emperor. Do you dare to be disrespectful to the Emperor? Aren't you afraid of having your entire family executed? You should think carefully. Whether he can become Emperor is still unknown. I am the true Emperor. As long as I have not abdicated, I am the Emperor. Do you dare to bear the crime of offending the Son of Heaven?"
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the two soldiers paused slightly. They exchanged a glance; they truly dared not act rashly. Moreover, the Emperor was right. He had not yet abdicated, nor had the Crown Prince ascended the throne. If they were to lay a hand on the Emperor, even if the Crown Prince were to take the throne later, it would be said that the two of them had offended the Emperor, and they would be convicted and silenced!
The two were so frightened by the emperor's words that they began to overthink things and suddenly felt like they were scapegoats.
Now they dared not go forward again!
Seeing that the two men were too frightened to step forward, the Crown Prince was furious. He drew his sword from his waist, pointed it at them, and said coldly:
"If you don't go today, then I'll have you two die right now, without even waiting for the day your entire families are exterminated!"
As the prince spoke, he raised his sword and thrust it at one of the soldiers.
The soldier was stabbed in the heart and died. The man next to him was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, trembling.
"Your Highness, spare my life!"
"Hurry up and go!"
The prince did not lower his sword and shouted again in a stern voice.
The kneeling soldier had no choice but to get up and, along with another soldier who came up behind him, went to arrest the queen.
The emperor watched this scene with cold eyes. When two soldiers walked up to him and tried to seize the empress, he clenched his empty hand and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
Suddenly, he felt a warmth in his hand as it was covered by a warm hand. He turned his head and saw the Empress shaking her head at him, signaling him not to act rashly.
He's poisoned and can't use force. Besides, she'll only suffer minor injuries at most, so they wouldn't dare kill her now.
The Emperor paused, suppressing the murderous intent in his eyes, and could only watch helplessly as the Empress was dragged away.
"Father, can we stamp the imperial seal now?"
The Crown Prince placed the sword directly against the Empress's neck, looked at the Emperor, and asked with a smug expression.
The Emperor felt heartache and sadness watching his son being led astray by Consort Xiao, but now that he was about to kill the person he loved most, that heartache vanished.
He's been given his last chance, but he's still so stubborn. So he won't hold back.
The Emperor, his body weakened, leaned against the dragon bed and said softly:
"The imperial seal is no longer with me, so I cannot stamp it for you!"
"What did you say? Why isn't the imperial seal with you? Who did you give it to?"
The Crown Prince and Consort Xiao were both shocked upon hearing this, and looked at the Emperor with disbelief, questioning him.
If the imperial seal is not present, then what they are doing cannot be legitimate!
"As soon as you made your move, I placed the Imperial Seal in a safe place. You want it? Go find it yourselves!"
The Emperor was already weak from the poisoning, and now he had to deal with them, which left him exhausted.
He had already decided that if he died, he would pass the throne to Xiao Hao, the child he owed him.
He had already drafted the imperial decree and entrusted it, along with the imperial seal, to the person he trusted most, and was just waiting for Li Xiaochen to bring Xiao Hao back to the capital.
He had already received word that Li Xiaochen and the others were on their way back.
All he needed to do now was stall these people and buy them some time, but who knew they would be so impatient and start acting up today.
“You! Father, don’t think I dare not do anything to you. Even without the Imperial Seal, I can still sit on the throne. As long as you pass away, I will be the Crown Prince and will be able to ascend the throne as well.”
The Crown Prince looked at the Emperor with a sinister expression and said.
The Crown Prince's shock and anger lasted only a moment. Although he was not very capable, he was smart enough. He was originally the Crown Prince, and as long as the Emperor was gone, he would be the next in line to the throne, and the throne could only be his.
"Ahem! You might have to wait a few more days. My body will have to linger on for a few more days."
The emperor didn't confront him directly; since his fighting strength was weakened, it was better to stall for time.
"Hmph, Father, you needn't trouble yourself with that. You should take good care of yourself! You might just die tomorrow!"
The crown prince said coldly, glanced at the empress under his sword, and realized that the woman was no longer of any use. So he sheathed his sword, not wanting to linger there. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and walked out with a livid face.
Before leaving, Consort Xiao looked at the Emperor and Empress with eyes full of hatred, and said sarcastically:
"Your Majesty, you and your Empress should stay here and live happily ever after! You might just become a pair of star-crossed lovers!"
After saying that, she turned and walked out. She no longer had any expectations of the emperor, only hatred. Once she became the empress dowager, she would have plenty of time to torment the two adulterers.
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