The whole ceremony lasted a long time, and the ceremonial officials kept chanting "kneel", "stand up", and "kneel".

Ever since his stroke, the emperor has been particularly sleepy. Even now, his head feels a little heavy.

The voice of the official from the Ministry of Rites was like a hypnotic voice, and before he knew it, he was in a trance.

There was a voice in my ear saying:

"Prince, the Emperor intends to depose you."

"The emperor said that you lack the courage to act, are too cautious, and are too extravagant. You are not like a wise ruler."

"Prince, this is a father's fear for his eldest son."

"You need to make plans early."

The emperor shuddered, suddenly awakened, and opened his eyes wide in horror. He found that everyone was still kneeling together and no one noticed his misconduct.

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief.

Did he just dream?

Dreaming of the past...

He hasn't dreamed about the past for a long time.

He had admired the late emperor since he was a child and regarded him as his heaven. He respected the late emperor in everything and tried to learn from him in everything.

He wanted to be a wise ruler like his predecessor, recorded in history and passed down through the ages.

Since when did the late emperor start to look down on him? The emperor had already forgotten.

Is it true that the father fears his eldest son?

My existence made the late emperor uneasy, so he wanted to establish a younger prince?

The emperor's eyes were a little dazed, and he always felt that the Taimiao was also filled with that sweet smell.

"Ke'er, are you questioning me?"

"I don't need your permission even if I want to store it."

"Qin Ke, you are the son and I am the father, do you understand?"

"Qin Ke, I am the emperor of the Great Rong Dynasty. You should know your limits."

The emperor shook his head vigorously. He seemed to hear what the late emperor had said to him in a stern voice just now.

The scene from that year appeared before my eyes again, so clear, as if it happened just yesterday.

Yes.

The late emperor wanted to change the storage.

After hearing the news, the emperor almost collapsed. It was not because of the change of the late emperor that he collapsed, but because he had always admired the late emperor, but the late emperor was going to abandon him.

He couldn't help but ask the late emperor, but was scolded by the late emperor instead.

The late emperor took a liking to Qin Wei.

The late emperor believed that Qin Wei was more suitable for this position than him!

At that time, Qin Wei was only seven years old, only seven years old!

In the eyes of the late emperor, the seven-year-old Qin Wei is better than him?

This is impossible. This is absolutely impossible...

The emperor stared blankly at the tablets placed in the Taimiao. From Taizu to the late emperor, there were rows of black tablets. His eyes were fixed on the tablet of the late emperor. His heart was in a mess and he couldn't tell what emotions he was feeling.

"Father..."

His lips moved slightly and he muttered something to himself.

Over the years, he has always wondered whether it was because the father was afraid of his eldest son, or whether the late emperor really thought that the seven-year-old Qin Wei was better than himself.

This thought took root in his heart like a vine and grew wildly, but there was no chance anymore.

The ceremony in the Imperial Temple was still going on. Following the command of the ceremonial officer, “Kneel!”, everyone knelt down again.

"Kowtowing——"

The ceremonial officer's voice seemed both far and near to the emperor.

The emperor's eyes seemed to go dark for a moment, and then he saw a man walking down from the tablet above.

He walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, his eyes blazing, staring at him closely, and then walked towards him step by step.

The emperor was startled and shrank back onto the carriage, his face pale.

It’s the late emperor!

The late emperor walked down from the tablet!

The emperor looked around. Everyone was still kneeling there, as if no one had noticed this, and as if he was the only one who had seen the late emperor.

"Father...Father Emperor..."

The emperor slowly stretched out his hand.

The late emperor ignored him and just stood there looking at him coldly.

Slowly, two streams of bloody tears flowed out of the emperor's eyes and flowed down his cheeks.

The late emperor just kept looking at him, looking at him...

The emperor felt a little guilty when he was looked at by him. The previous emperor died of an epidemic. When he was infected with the epidemic, he would cough up and vomit blood constantly before he died, and blood would flow from his lips and eyes.

Although he did not see it with his own eyes, he heard about it from the servants.

"Father..."

The late emperor walked towards him step by step, and the emperor became even more afraid. He wanted to run, but his limbs were weak and he couldn't run at all.

The late emperor...

Was the late emperor blaming him for not preserving his body and letting it be ground to dust, or was he blaming him for... patricide? !

"No! No!"

The emperor suddenly shouted: "I did not kill the late emperor. It was not me! It was not me. The late emperor died of an epidemic, not me!"

"Not me!"

The emperor's sharp shout interrupted the ceremonial officer's "Stand up".

All the people in the Imperial Ancestral Temple were members of the royal family. They knelt on the ground, raised their heads and looked in the direction of the emperor in astonishment, with surprise on their faces, some of them not understanding what was going on.

They saw the emperor waving his hands constantly. It was obvious that he had suffered a stroke for a long time, so his hands and feet should be shaking and weak. Even when they saw the emperor just now, he looked sick. But now he was waving his hands frantically and he didn't seem that weak.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

The chief eunuch Song Yuan asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"It's not me! It's not me! Father, father..."

"Your Majesty," Song Yuan said, "The late emperor is gone. He died of an epidemic ten years ago..."

He deliberately emphasized the word "epidemic" and added, "The late emperor has been gone for many years, don't worry."

"No." The emperor shook his head vigorously, his face full of confusion, "No, father, I didn't mean to infect you with the plague, I didn't..."

The Imperial Temple was already quite quiet at this time.

As soon as these words came out, it was as if something exploded in everyone's ears, making their heads buzz.

The people kneeling on the ground forgot to stand up. They all looked at the emperor in shock.

The emperor seemed unaware of what shocking words he had said. He continued to stare blankly ahead, and even stretched out his hand in the direction of the tablet, muttering to himself: "It wasn't me, father, father...it was you who wanted to destroy me first...father, father."

He murmured, his eyes empty.

Prince Li's face turned stiff and pale, as if he had seen a ghost.

Others may not know that he had read the Empress Dowager's imperial edict and the late emperor's last will and testament that was inserted between the edict.

Compared to others, he knows some inside information.

Prince Li had no idea why the emperor suddenly seemed possessed by a ghost, but that didn't stop him from being terrified by this incident.

He didn't care about anything else, he stumbled to his feet and ran to the emperor. He saw that the emperor's eyes were dazed, as if he was half asleep and half awake, staring straight ahead with an extremely terrified expression.

Prince Li followed his gaze and saw the dark tablet of the late emperor.

Could it be that the late emperor appeared in spirit?

Prince Li shook his head quickly, not daring to think about it, and ordered Song Yuan: "Call the governor in quickly."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Song Yuan responded, and then said worriedly, "Your Majesty, please take good care of the Emperor."

Then, he ran out in a hurry.

People outside the temple didn't know what was going on, but they could clearly see that there was some chaos inside the temple, and the ceremonial officer's voice suddenly stopped.

They were all still kneeling, not knowing whether to get up or not, and they couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that something is wrong with the Emperor?

The emperor has been ill for such a long time, it would be normal if he suddenly became ill.

They looked at each other. Although they were still a little bit surprised and uncertain, they no longer had the panic and anxiety about the future that they had when the emperor had just fallen ill.

Then they saw Song Yuan running out, and no one knew what he said to Xiao Shuo. Xiao Shuo also followed him into the Taimiao.

"Master."

When Xiao Shuo lifted his robe and stepped into the imperial temple, the Qin clan members immediately fell silent, not daring to whisper to each other.

Xiao Shuo said to the bewildered ceremonial officer: "The ceremony will be suspended. Let them all stand up."

Now we are at the "kneeling" stage, and everyone is still kneeling there.

After Xiao Shuo finished speaking, he walked straight to the emperor and asked Prince Li, "What's wrong?"

"The Emperor seems to be in a state of terror," Prince Li said, "and is talking nonsense."

Then he opened his voice again and emphasized: "The emperor is ill. He is sick and confused."

He said deliberately: "This is what people who have had a stroke are like, sometimes they are clear and sometimes they are confused."

This sentence was said to others, in order to fool the emperor into saying something nonsense, but it was just a trick. The only thing Prince Li was thankful for now was that the people in the Imperial Ancestral Temple were all royal family members, and they all knew their limits.

Then, from an angle where no one else could see, Prince Li winked at Xiao Shuo and almost cried.

The emperor seemed to be half asleep and half awake, he looked at Xiao Shuo intently.

Xiao Shuo called out gently, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"Ashuo?"

The emperor stammered these two words, and there seemed to be a little light in his eyes, no longer as confused and empty as before.

"Your Majesty, what happened?" Xiao Shuo asked.

Prince Li hesitated for a moment, wanting to stop asking questions here, but he didn't dare to interrupt Xiao Shuo's speech.

Xiao Shuo's voice was full of temptation in the emperor's ears.

Abandoned by the previous emperor and betrayed by the empress dowager, the emperor felt that he had been deserted by everyone. The only person he could trust was Xiao Shuo.

He believed that Xiao Shuo would never betray him, never!

"My father wants to depose me. Please help me... help me..."

The emperor tightly grasped the corner of Xiao Shuo's red Qilin robe and murmured, "Kill him, kill him..."

Everyone in the Imperial Temple couldn't help but feel their hearts beating wildly.

Even if I didn't understand what the emperor said just now, I heard it all now.

Xiao Shuo said softly, "The late emperor has passed away. Emperor, you are in a state of nightmare."

The emperor's eyes gradually regained some clarity.

The late emperor is dead, dead...

Yes. The late emperor is dead.

It was him, it was he who killed the late emperor.

The emperor was completely paralyzed.

For the past ten years, he has been trying to forget this incident. He told himself that the death of the late emperor had nothing to do with him and that the late emperor died of an epidemic.

He always put the late emperor first, just like when he was the crown prince. He wanted the late emperor to know that he was the most suitable for the throne. He wanted the late emperor to be proud of him in his grave and to forgive his momentary impulse.

"I...I killed the late emperor..."

Inside the temple, something seemed to be on fire, and everyone gasped in shock.

What extraordinary thing did they witness?!

Putting it all together, what was there that they didn't understand after seeing and hearing it with their own ears?

The emperor is personally admitting to patricide and regicide!

Xiao Shuo lowered his eyelids slightly.

Prince Li was almost going crazy. He looked at Xiao Shuo with tears in his eyes and said, "Master, look..."

If the emperor continued to speak, he would go crazy.

There's no way this matter can be resolved.

"emperor!"

At this time, Zheng Zhongming rushed out from outside and rushed to the emperor in two steps.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, I'm here."

"Sir Zheng!" Prince Li frowned unhappily as he thought he was getting in the way. This was the Imperial Ancestral Temple and no one was allowed to enter without the emperor's order. Zheng Chongming had no right to follow the rules.

Zheng Zhongming said, "Your Majesty, in an emergency, we must act with caution."

When Zheng Zhongming saw the emperor fall down outside, he knew that something must have happened.

Xiao Shuo has always been good at playing with people's hearts, and no one knows what tricks he will play this time.

He couldn't let Xiao Shuo take the lead again!

Therefore, even if he was guilty of breaking into the Imperial Temple, for him, this small mistake was not worth interrupting Xiao Shuo's plan.

"Ashuo..."

The emperor was a little sober now, but his mind was in a mess. In the chaos, he vaguely remembered what he had just said. Looking at the expressions of the people around him, an unspeakable fear surged in his heart.

He yelled, "Get out first! Get out!"

It has been ten years since the late emperor passed away. He was fine until today! As soon as I entered the imperial temple, I saw the tablet of the late emperor and felt something was wrong. Could it be that the late emperor was haunting me?

Thinking of this, the emperor wanted to go out even more.

The emperor pushed Zheng Zhongming who was blocking his way away with one hand, and grasped the corner of Xiao Shuo's red Qilin robe, while pushing Zheng Zhongming away with the other hand.

Zheng Zhongming looked unhappy, but he remained calm and did not leave. Instead, he stared at Xiao Shuo with a fierce look, as if he was afraid that Xiao Shuo would do something to the emperor.

"Song Yuan, push the emperor to the side hall to rest for a while."

Xiao Shuo gave the order gently, and Song Yuan quickly responded and pushed the emperor's carriage out.

When the emperor was pushed out of the Imperial Temple, everyone looked over immediately.

The emperor looked pale and panic-stricken, but it was not as bad as they thought. What was going on inside just now?

They were even more confused.

"Take the emperor to the side hall." Xiao Shuo ordered.

"Ashuo."

The emperor pulled at his robe, not wanting him to leave.

He has something very important to say to Xiao Shuo.

Very important...

"Ashuo, I..."

The emperor was just about to ask Xiao Shuo to go to the side hall with him when a shrill voice shouted, "Your Majesty! The Empress Dowager has passed away!"

The sound was sharp and piercing, breaking through the sky.

Cao Xi ran over in a hurry, not even bothering to wipe the sweat off his brow.

Some people were silent for a moment, hardly able to believe their ears.

The Queen Mother passed away?!

Today is the death anniversary of the late emperor. The empress dowager also passed away today? On the same day?

No, no! This is not what we should be surprised about. Although the Queen Mother was ill, she should have been fine just now. I didn’t hear Prince Li say that the Queen Mother was on the verge of death. How could she die suddenly? !

The emperor's face looked even worse. He didn't even notice when Xiao Shuo had torn the corner of his robe open. His weak hands tightly grasped the armrests of the wheelchair.

Prince Li was also shocked.

Just now he was accompanying the emperor. Now, recalling the situation at that time, Prince Li's heart suddenly turned cold.

He seemed to realize something, but didn't dare to think about it.

Prince Li recognized Cao Xi and knew that he was the eunuch in charge of Cining Palace, so he asked, "How did the Queen Mother die? Has the imperial physician been summoned?"

Cao Xi panted and said, "The Empress Dowager... The Emperor said that the Empress Dowager had fallen asleep and asked us not to disturb her. But there was no sound from inside, and the Empress Dowager had been ill for so long, so we were worried and asked the nanny to go in and take a look. Unexpectedly..."

"The Queen Mother fell off the couch and hit her forehead."

"Queen, she is dead..."

After saying this, Cao Xi raised his sleeves and wiped his eyes.

Prince Li covered his chest with his hands and swayed all over.

He recalled the sound of something heavy falling to the ground that he had just heard outside the side hall where the Queen Mother lived.

Prince Li took a deep breath and said, "I'll go take a look."

Cao Xi wiped away his tears and said, "My Lord, the Queen Mother had an epidemic and seemed to have vomited blood before she died. If you go there, you must be very careful and don't touch the blood..."

Epidemic?!

The emperor was originally in a panic, and was stunned when he heard this.

How come he didn't know that the Queen Mother had an epidemic?

"The Queen Mother has the same epidemic as the late Emperor. The Imperial Physician said that it can be transmitted if it comes into contact with blood."

Cao Xi seemed to be worried about Prince Li, so he gave a special reminder.

But when the emperor heard this, he was terrified.

The late emperor died of an epidemic that caused people to vomit or cough up blood. If one came into contact with the patient's blood, one would be infected.

Of course he knew this.

That year, he deliberately let one of his soldiers be infected with the plague first.

He knew that the late emperor liked to visit incognito, so he ordered his assassins to meet the late emperor by chance.

then……

The emperor remembered that the queen mother had indeed been coughing and had coughed up blood, and the blood seemed to have stained his body...

The emperor lowered his head subconsciously. He looked at the corner of his dragon robe. The small pool of blood was not conspicuous, but at this moment it seemed so shocking.

The plague that the late emperor had was transmitted by blood, and blood can...

The emperor couldn't help but look towards the Imperial Temple.

This seemed to be the curse of the late emperor. Did the late emperor want him to get the same disease and die?

Yes. It must be. This is the curse that the late emperor cast on him!

"ah!"

The emperor let out a scream and began to tear his dragon robe frantically.

Xiao Shuo watched coldly, with the corners of his mouth slightly curled up.

After the emperor suffered a stroke, he was unable to walk and stayed in a dim room all day. His spirit became increasingly different from before, and he became irritable and impatient and could not stand the slightest stimulation.

When in the palace, the emperor was always furious and anxious.

Plus the effect of "Nightmare"...

The emperor's spirit was on the verge of collapse.

He seemed to be in an extremely uneasy atmosphere, thinking that everyone around him wanted to harm him and that he could be ignited at the slightest spark.

Seeing the emperor like this, everyone looked at each other, even more shocked and confused.

What's going on?

"emperor."

Cao Xi suddenly murmured: "Why is there blood on your body? Is it the Queen Mother's blood? The Queen Mother was infected with the plague, and you..."

Everyone couldn't help but look over there, and then they saw the blood stain on the corner of the emperor's robe.

The Emperor went to see the Empress Dowager.

The Queen Mother passed away. Could it be that...

A strong rebellious thought unconsciously surged into the minds of several people.

"I'm not, I didn't..."

I don't!

The emperor kept denying it, but his panic-stricken look did not convince him at all.

If it were in the past, the emperor would have been furious, ordered a thorough investigation, and then handed the matter over to Xiao Shuo to suppress it.

He really wanted to talk to Xiao Shuo about this just now.

But it's too late...

His heartstrings were so tense that they were about to break, and he could hardly bear it all.

“I, I…”

"emperor!"

Zheng Zhongming interrupted the emperor loudly.

He stared at Xiao Shuo.

This is what Xiao Shuo intended...

Xiao Shuo wanted the emperor to personally admit that he had killed his father and mother, so that he would be unacceptable to the world!

Zheng Zhongming said, "Your Majesty, you are tired. I will take you to the side hall to rest first."

After saying this, he looked at Xiao Shuo with a sneer and asked, "Master Xiao, you don't object, do you?"

Xiao Shuo's eyes met his for a moment, and his irises gradually became sharper.

Zheng Zhongming refused to give in and said, "You are not going to force the emperor to stay here, are you?"

No matter how powerful Xiao Shuo is, he is just a minister.

And the emperor is the monarch.

In front of so many people, Zheng Zhong knew that Xiao Shuo could not do anything blatantly disobedient!

Without waiting for Xiao Shuo to respond, Zheng Zhongming leaned over and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I will take you to the side hall to rest."

As he spoke, he stopped Song Yuan, who was driving the four-wheeled cart, and said, "Eunuch Song, I'll spare you the trouble."

Xiao Shuo chuckled and said, "Song Yuan, you keep it. Since Master Zheng has to serve the emperor, let Master Zheng work hard."

His voice was still as gentle as before, with a hint of meaning.

Xiao Shuo raised his hand and made a "please" gesture.

Song Yuan let go of the four-wheeled vehicle and stepped back behind Xiao Shuo.

Zheng Zhongming looked at Xiao Shuo deeply, then pushed the four-wheeled cart away himself.

He leaned over and spoke to the emperor, as if trying to comfort him, but the emperor did not respond for a long time.

Everyone was still in shock and stared at Xiao Shuo blankly.

Xiao Shuo was calm and indifferent, paying no attention at all, and only said to Prince Li: "The ceremony continues."

Prince Li repeated woodenly: "Continue?"

Xiao Shuo said, "Go on."

He said, "After this is over, there is still the Queen Mother's funeral."

Yes, that's right! Prince Li nodded blankly.

Let's start.

We have to deal with it one by one. Prince Li no longer wants to think about it.

There is nothing to worry about, especially Zheng Zhongming, who, even at this critical moment, still does not forget to compete for power with Governor Xiao.

The two of them have been fighting for several years. Zheng Zhongming just lost everything because of the imperial guards a while ago, and now he wants to make a comeback.

Not only Prince Li thought so, everyone thought so.

Moreover, it now seems that Xiao Shuo has given in. In fact, Xiao Shuo is in charge of the overall situation here, while Zheng Zhongming is "serving" the emperor. It is clear at a glance who is the winner and who is the weaker.

Xiao Shuo ignored all this and said, "Let's get started."

The officials of the Ministry of Rites responded with a silent agreement and sang: "Kneel!"

Except for Xiao Shuo, everyone else knelt down.

The voice was so penetrating that even Zheng Zhongming, who had not yet walked far, could hear it clearly.

Zheng Zhongming frowned, his face expressionless.

The opportunity finally came.

He pretended to compete with Xiao Shuo for power in order to prevent Xiao Shuo from noticing his true intentions.

Serving the emperor is serving, but leading the memorial service is being able to stand above thousands of people. It is clear at a glance which is more important.

Xiao Shuo would never have thought that this was the result he deliberately wanted.

It was not easy for him to see the emperor. Even if the emperor left the palace, those around him were all Xiao Shuo's people. The only way for him to avoid Xiao Shuo in a fair and just manner was to compete with him openly.