Most of the officials in the court were promoted by Lu Zhao. Over the past ten years, Lu Zhao has made countless contributions to the court. The neutral ministers all know that without Lu Zhao, the young emperor alone could not have survived, so they naturally have more faith in Lu Zhao.
Those whom the emperor had personally trained, seeing that the situation was not good, dared not stand up for the emperor rashly and all kept their distance.
Therefore, no one in the entire court objected.
Lu Zhao immediately deposed Lu Zixuan from the throne and instead granted him the title of Prince of Pingyang.
Lu Zixuan's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, forcing a bitter smile. "Lu Zhao, you deposed me because you're planning to ascend the throne yourself, aren't you?!"
Grand Tutor Qin stepped forward and said, "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Your Highness has devoted yourself to the Great Yu for the past ten years and has achieved countless military exploits. I humbly request Your Highness to ascend the throne!"
In his view, the fact that the regent had no heir was no big deal. Once he ascended the throne and took in a large harem, he would have no fear of not having children.
The crowd behind Grand Tutor Qin also knelt down in a clatter, urging Lu Zhao to ascend the throne as emperor.
"Hahahaha!" Lu Zixuan suddenly burst into laughter like a madman.
"Lu Zhao has been poisoned and is destined to have no heirs in this lifetime. Are you sure you want him to ascend the throne? The future of the Great Yu Dynasty is destined to be ruined because of him!"
"The legitimate bloodline of the royal family can only be passed down by me!"
When Lu Zhao quelled the rebellion, he killed all of his rebellious brothers, leaving only some members of the royal family's collateral branches.
Only then did Grand Tutor Qin realize why the late emperor cared whether Lu Zhao had any descendants—it was because Lu Zhao had no heir!
For a moment, many ministers hesitated.
If Lu Zhao ascends the throne but has no successor, what will happen to the Great Yu Dynasty? Will it be dissolved on the spot?
"Who says I have no offspring?" Lu Zhao suddenly spoke up, interrupting everyone's thoughts.
"My queen is four months pregnant!" Lu Zhao said with a strange sense of pride.
Everyone was surprised that the Regent had a queen. How come they had never heard of it?
Although it is unknown which family the woman is from, her pregnancy is enough to dispel the rumors that the regent has no heir!
"You mean Gu Chaoxi?"
Lu Zixuan suddenly sneered, looking at Lu Zhao with mockery. Now that things had come to this, he had nothing to hold back and couldn't wait to tell the truth, wanting to see Lu Zhao's shocked and desperate expression.
"The child in her belly is not yours at all! The poison in your body was given by my parents. Without the antidote, you can never have children!"
"You just want to adopt any child to seize the throne!"
However, Lu Zhao was not as he expected; his expression was cold, as if he were immersed in ice.
"I am not so foolish as to not be able to distinguish my own bloodline, nor would I stoop to such means to obtain the throne."
"Impossible! Impossible! You can't steal my throne! My grandfather wants you to assist me!" Lu Zixuan shouted like a madman.
Finally, Lu Zhao had Lu Zixuan sent back to the former residence of the deposed crown prince.
After the officials dispersed, Lord Gu was still in a daze in the crowd.
Before today, he had two sons-in-law, one an emperor and the other a regent, both of high status and great power. After today, the emperor became a deposed emperor, and the regent became the new emperor.
What about his second daughter?
Of his two daughters, he loved his second daughter, Gu Ruiyun, the most.
Lord Gu stayed until the very end, and only after everyone had left did he anxiously ask Lu Zhao, "Your Highness, what will happen to my second daughter?"
Lu Zhao showed no mercy, "She conspired with Lu Zixuan to scheme against Xi'er, and her crime is unforgivable."
Lord Gu was startled. "Your Highness, if you wish to punish Ruiyun, she deserves it. I only beg Your Highness to spare her life for my sake!"
Gu Ruiyun was his daughter with Aunt Liu. He had loved her for over a decade and simply couldn't bear to watch her die.
"I can allow her to continue living with Lu Zixuan in the Pingyang Prince's Mansion. However, there is one condition: from now on, your Marquis's Mansion will only have Xi'er as your daughter. You are not allowed to interfere in whether Gu Ruiyun lives or dies in the Pingyang Prince's Mansion."
"Thank you, Your Highness! You are so kind!"
Lord Gu was quite satisfied with the result. While feeling relieved, he also felt a deep sense of guilt towards his eldest daughter. He had favored his second daughter over the years and neglected her, which had led to the two sisters becoming irreconcilable enemies.
It's all his fault!
What Lord Gu didn't know was that Lu Zhao had another purpose in keeping Gu Ruiyun around.
Although Lu Zixuan received the title of Prince of Pingyang, he was a deposed emperor and could only stay in his residence on weekdays. He could not enter and leave the palace at will and had to report his presence, which was similar to being imprisoned.
When Gu Ruiyun was brought in, the only maid who came with her was Lü Rong. There weren't many servants in the Prince's mansion, and life was not as good as when she was in the Marquis's mansion.
Gu Ruiyun was heartbroken and her dissatisfaction with Lu Zixuan reached its peak. As soon as they met, she began to belittle him with harsh words.
"Useless! The emperor was brought down by Lu Zhao."
"Didn't you say the Imperial Guards were your men? How come they betrayed you at this crucial moment? After all these years, you haven't been able to cultivate a single person in the court who would speak up for you. What a laughable thing it is to be an emperor!"
Lu Zixuan also harbored resentment towards Gu Ruiyun in her heart, and became even angrier after being ridiculed by her.
"If it weren't for your terrible idea, why would I have rashly attacked Lu Zhao? How dare you even show your face in front of me?!"
"If I had behaved and not provoked him, I would still be the emperor!"
"You say I'm useless? You couldn't even control a pregnant woman, so who's really useless?"
Gu Ruiyun and Lu Zixuan loathe each other, and the two even fight each other, almost every day.
Gu Ruiyun was physically weaker than Lu Zixuan, a grown man, and was often beaten and bruised. There were no servants in the Prince's mansion, only one servant sent by Lu Zhao to deliver their meals. The servant was indifferent to Gu Ruiyun's injuries and did not call a doctor for her.
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