"Let them in!"
"yes!"
Seeing the Emperor's weary appearance, the old lady walked up to him, said a few words, and then pulled Song Yan'er into the room to hide!
After her son abdicates, the old lady will never set foot here again! So it's best if as few people as possible know that she's still alive!
After the men paid their respects, the emperor lay on the edge of his bed and looked at his sons.
Perhaps his mother was right; only the fourth son had such magnanimity!
Oh well, since I've made up my mind, I shouldn't drag it out any longer!
"My health is failing, and I need to choose one of you to inherit the throne!"
Who do you think should be the crown prince? Let's vote!
The princes grew increasingly uneasy as they watched the Emperor casually utter such shocking news.
"Brother, how are you? Didn't you say you were getting better? How come you're like this again!"
Because General Xiao had to guard the capital, he did not go on the spring hunt and was therefore unaware of what had happened there!
General Xiao didn't care who became emperor; all he cared about was his brother's health!
"It's nothing serious, but he needs to rest. Let's leave the world to these young people! We're getting old and can't keep up anymore!"
Even though the emperor said so, General Xiao still didn't quite believe it. How could someone abdicate if there wasn't a major event?
So General Xiao was distracted the rest of the time!
"You can speak your mind freely. After all, there are no outsiders here. My health is what it is, and it was inevitable that I would come to this point. Therefore, I do not want brothers to kill each other. I hope that whoever sits on this throne, the others will obediently work together to protect the Xiao family's empire!"
The eldest prince glanced at the fourth prince, and in the eldest prince's eyes, Xiao Yuan's attitude made it seem as if victory was assured!
He gave a soft hum. If it weren't for the huge mistake he made during the spring hunt, the Crown Prince would never have handed over the throne to someone else!
This time, however, he had angered his father so much that he fell ill. After all, they were father and son. Perhaps it was because the emperor had few sons, but apart from the fifth son, the other sons were very close to the emperor when they were young, just like father and son in an ordinary family!
So the eldest prince also has feelings for the emperor! Seeing his usually domineering father lying on the bed, the eldest prince felt a pang of heartache!
Then he glanced at the Second Prince and the Third Prince. The First Prince knew in his heart that none of them could achieve great things!
After careful consideration, the eldest prince decided that since the throne was no longer within his reach, he might as well give it a rest of his life!
Anyway, everyone knows who the emperor has in mind!
"Let my fourth brother do it! He's capable! I'll definitely help him protect the Xiao family's business in the future!"
The eldest prince spoke his mind quickly, as if he was afraid he would regret it if he delayed even a minute!
The Emperor looked at the eldest prince: It's rare to see his eldest son so pragmatic today! He had thought that since the Empress Dowager had come up with this idea, his eldest son would be the most vocal! He never expected that his eldest son would be the first to stand up and support the fourth prince!
Xiao Yang and Xiao Yuan exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised by the Crown Prince's choice!
However, this also shows the Crown Prince's extraordinary qualities!
As long as he doesn't make any major mistakes in the future, today's events will guarantee him a lifetime of wealth and honor!
"What about you?"
The emperor looked at his other two sons. Even though he already knew the answer in his heart, the biggest obstacle had passed, so he still wanted to be fair!
The second and third princes exchanged a glance and chose Xiao Yuan without hesitation!
"In that case, let's go with the fourth one! I hope you remember that no matter how your status changes, they will always be your brothers!"
"I understand, Father, I will!"
The Emperor waved his hand: "I will issue an edict to abdicate tomorrow. I will entrust everything to you from now on. Go back and prepare. I am not in good health and cannot give you much time to prepare, so thank you for your hard work!"
Also, don't let your mother become Empress Dowager. You know her personality well; if she's around, your harem won't be peaceful! Countless things will distract you every day! Your prince consort is quite good; she'll manage your harem well for you!
"Let your mother go with me to recuperate!"
The Emperor spoke so much in one breath that he was still a little out of breath. After all, physical exhaustion is a serious matter and not something to be taken lightly!
Xiao Yuan noticed that the Emperor seemed unwell and immediately showed concern.
"Father, I will listen to you. I will ask you for advice if there is anything I don't understand in the future. You must take care of your health!"
Xiao Yuan was also very clear about his mother's temperament. If she were the Empress Dowager, she would definitely torment all the women in the harem, making their lives miserable. Therefore, the Emperor was helping him!
He understands everything! And he appreciates this kindness!
"Alright, go back! Starting tomorrow, you will be the king of the entire Western Shu Kingdom. You must protect the people of Western Shu! Now, you may all leave! I will no longer be here starting tomorrow. If anyone misses me, they can come to my estate to see me!"
"Father, we will visit you often!"
The princes were all reluctant to part with him!
The Emperor chuckled softly:
"Alright, it's not like we're facing life and death. I just want to enjoy my retirement. You can all leave now! I'm a little tired!"
"Yes, Father. Please rest early!"
The Emperor waved his hand, indicating that he understood.
After the princes left, Xiao Yang and General Xiao tacitly stayed behind!
"Brother, how are you?"
The Emperor looked at his younger brother, whose expression had been grim ever since he learned of his illness! Truly, this brother's love had not been in vain!
"It's alright, your daughter-in-law said that if I rest, I might still recover! So help me tidy up the new house tomorrow!"
General Xiao breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that it wasn't that serious!
However: "My daughter-in-law? Song Yan'er?"
The Emperor rolled his eyes:
"What else?"
General Xiao...
Okay! The other two are really no good!
One has already gone back to her parents' home, and the other stays indoors all day long!
Where are you going to stay?
Knowing that the princes had all left, the old lady took Song Yan'er with her and came out!
"Mom, you're here too! I haven't seen you in so long! You're never home whenever I go to visit!"
The old lady calmly looked at General Xiao:
"It's also possible that he's at home and just doesn't want to see you!"
General Xiao...
Mother!
The Emperor smiled and said, "It's a village not far from where you are. You can visit it often!"
The old lady then smiled with satisfaction!
"Yan'er, could you check tomorrow for my eldest son to see if there's anything in the house that might be bad for his health?"
Song Yan'er thought about it and realized that she didn't have anything to do tomorrow, so she agreed to the old lady's request!
"Okay, I'll go with you to take a look tomorrow!"
With the Emperor's health in mind, Song Yan'er wanted to send some flowers and plants from her space to his room!
This will also help him recover!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
