He was so close to her, standing beside the high throne, yet at this moment, an inexplicable sense of loneliness welled up within him. He watched intently as she turned her head, picked up a jade scroll from the table, and suddenly knelt down facing him, bowing deeply. At the same time, she raised the imperial edict above her head with both hands, and spoke each word with resounding force: "The late emperor's abdication edict..."
Seeing this, Su Yu immediately stopped. After what seemed like an eternity, he slowly recovered from his panic. "Qianqian... what are you doing?"
She remained kneeling, her eyes filled with expectation as she looked up at him, her face full of piety: "Su Yu, this is something we've always owed you. Now it's just returning it to its rightful owner. For the sake of our acquaintance, please accept it."
"Get up first..." Su Yu quickly took two steps forward and helped her up from the ground. Then, his eyes flickered, his face suddenly darkened, and he resolutely refused, "Go back and tell him for me that I refuse to take the throne. I will never agree to this in my life, for no reason!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his anger began to surface. Mu Beichen had always been arrogant and conceited. He clearly didn't work as hard as he did, and he clearly loved her more earnestly than she did. So why should he be in control of everything in the end? Whether it was women or power, he could have whatever he wanted and discard it at will. Now he even had to put on an act of being indifferent to fame and fortune. Compared to his own noble birth, he was forced to constantly experience the bitterness of falling from grace. Undoubtedly, this was a great humiliation for a man.
Just then, Yu Qianqian's voice rang in my ears: "Su Yu, if this is my wish, if I want you to be the emperor, would you be willing?"
"Qianqian... why are you making things so difficult for me?" Su Yu was on the verge of tears, a feeling of pity welling up inside him, sinking into his heart like a stone sinking into the sea, making it hard for him to breathe.
"You know perfectly well that the throne and power are not what I desire at all..." She knew perfectly well what he really wanted. Because he loved her, he could never refuse any request she made in his life. Even if it meant giving up everything, he would agree without hesitation. But if he accepted the throne now, it would mean that they would completely sever all ties and never see each other again.
“Su Yu…” Su Yu looked up at the sound of her voice and immediately saw her helpless expression, her eyes brimming with tears. “I know you never cared about these things, but… I’m really tired! What kind of life has it been since I stepped into this palace seven years ago? Because so many people would stop at nothing for power, I’ve been trapped in a living hell almost every moment, unable to extricate myself. Time and time again, I’ve been torn apart from the people I love, forced to lose my children. That was truly a path strewn with thorns…”
"Alright, stop talking!" Su Yu, in a fit of temper, almost roared as he cut her off: "If you want me to be emperor, I will agree."
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into complete silence, a deathly stillness!
As they gazed at each other, they fell silent in that instant. Even after a long while, the unusually oppressive atmosphere still lingered around them.
"Thank you, then thank you very much." Yu Qianqian suddenly turned around with her back to him, her gaze fixed on the ground. Her clear voice slowly spread throughout the hall. He stood still in place, watching her step down the long steps, gradually widening the distance between them, walking further and further away.
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