The Empress Dowager personally took out a golden key, opened it, and tremblingly pulled out a golden secret edict.
"This is a secret edict left to me by the late king before his death. Please open it and take a look."
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Li Huaiyan and Xiahou Qing exchanged a glance.
Li Huaiyan took it with both hands, carefully opened it to look, and suddenly, he was shocked, his eyes filled with astonishment.
"This, this is!"
"If the emperor is disrespectful, irresponsible, or inactive towards the Empress Dowager, he may be deposed!" Xiahou Qing repeated several times, his eyes filled with shock, before revealing a confident expression.
"With the late king's edict in hand, deposing the incompetent king should be a piece of cake!"
"Does the Prince of Pingxi know about this edict? I suppose he has always been loyal and has never had such thoughts. But in fact, the late king's edict said that if an emperor is incompetent, he can be deposed and a new one selected!" Xiahou Qing said.
The Empress Dowager shook her head: "I have never shown the contents of this to anyone but you."
Li Huaiyan frowned: "That's true, but if we really depose the emperor, who should we choose to succeed him? The crown prince?"
“Besides the Crown Prince, there is no other candidate,” Xiahou Qing said, looking at the flickering candlelight with hesitation. “It’s just a pity that the Prince of Pingxi has always disliked the Crown Prince. Although we believe that the Crown Prince is capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities, he is still young and is the son of the Emperor. Asking him to do such a thing as putting family aside for the greater good would probably attract criticism from all over the world.”
"Alas, if the emperor still had his own brothers, it would be reasonable and the bloodline of the late king would not be disrupted. Unfortunately, the emperor was suspicious and, upon ascending the throne, he found various excuses to kill or exile his brothers."
Upon hearing this, Li Huaiyan's brow twitched, and his thin body stood ramrod straight: "Don't look at me, I have no interest in being the emperor. The position of regent prince is very suitable for me."
"Everyone in this world wants to rise to a high position and become the supreme ruler. It is truly admirable that you, Prince Liu, are so loyal."
The Empress Dowager sighed deeply.
"If I hadn't been driven to the brink, I wouldn't have wanted to do this, but Your Majesty, I really can't see even the slightest hope."
"The Crown Prince has returned from the State of Qi. Although he has ascended to the position of Crown Prince with the support of the late King and you, I still feel somewhat uneasy about him."
"What are your thoughts, Empress Dowager?" Li Huaiyan asked.
"Actually, I have another secret that I haven't told you. The bloodline left by the late king is not limited to the emperor alone."
"You mean, the emperor still has brothers who are alive?!"
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