Chapter 1150: Chapter 721: Decision

On the tranquil summit of Nine Dragon Mountain, the Heavenly Pond lay still, with a pavilion standing alone in the heart of the lake.

Moonlight spilled into the chamber, its shadows dim and murky.

Kneeling before the imperial desk, dressed in the Python Robe bestowed by the Emperor, Eunuch Nie bowed low:

“Your Majesty, this servant is inept and has failed to fulfill your command.”

Behind the desk, the candle flames flickered.

Li Yaoxuan, draped in the Imperial Dragon Robe over his simple clothing, his aged face wrinkled with wear, calmly browsed the memorials laid before him with clouded, expressionless eyes:

“I’ve seen it.”

Eunuch Nie’s pupils shrank slightly, hastily attempting to justify his retreat:

“Your Majesty, it wasn’t fear, but at that moment…”

“I said…”

Li Yaoxuan glanced at him, his tone weary but soft as he reiterated: “…I’ve seen it.”

Bang.

Eunuch Nie pressed his forehead to the cold floor:

“This servant acknowledges his guilt.”

“Xu Yinhè is indeed fortunate. Those three sons of his have grown at an unexpectedly rapid pace.”

Leaning back gently against the Dragon Throne, Li Yaoxuan clasped his fingers together over his abdomen, speaking as if with a sigh: “Had it not been for Xu Changtian, relying solely on his eldest son, I’d have far more choices now.”

Long before the war to subdue the barbarians began, Li Yaoxuan had foreseen his Prime Minister’s intent to groom Xu Changtian, but at the time, he was indifferent.

Because it was already too late.

Even with the full devotion of Minister Xu’s Family to his cultivation, by the time Li Yaoxuan’s end arrived, Xu Changtian’s advancement could at most reach the level of the Fusion Realm.

Such meager cultivation would be easy to handle.

At the heart of this tempest, so long as one was willing to pay the price, survival for the other party would be impossible.

As these thoughts flooded his mind,

Li Yaoxuan closed his eyes and chuckled softly, a hint of self-mockery:

“Looking back, it really does bring regrets.”

“…..”

Eunuch Nie cautiously lifted his gaze, stealing a glance at the frail elder across the desk, whose divine strength seemed long diminished.

Having accompanied Li Yaoxuan for a lifetime, he might not have been the one who understood His Majesty the most, but he was certainly the one in whom His Majesty placed utmost trust and who knew his schemes best.

Without Xu Changtian, perhaps imperial power would return to the state it was before His Majesty’s ascension, preserving the Li family’s empire while ensuring the fall of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Xu Changtian’s meteoric rise had truly been abrupt, upending most of His Majesty’s plans for his impending demise.

Thinking to this point, Eunuch Nie adjusted his bowed posture slightly, suggesting softly:

“Your Majesty, shall this servant go…”

“Go kill him?”

Li Yaoxuan opened his eyes, his gaze carrying a ghostly hint of mirth: “Do you know? If you had been slower to leave, those three Xu sons might have outright killed you.”

Eunuch Nie froze, then replied:

“Your Majesty, you mean…”

“Xu Changtian wasn’t joking with you. That spell of his only used about thirty percent of its power. Your cultivation’s Dao Charm couldn’t kill him instantly, but he could take advantage of it to kill you in return.”

Li Yaoxuan straightened his back slowly, observing the astonishment in his companion’s eyes, laughing lightly: “There’s no need for surprise. It’s merely the nature of spellcraft. With the Life and Death Dao Charm in his hands, not even I, at full strength, could kill that boy instantly.”

Being Chief of the Ritual Supervision for decades, Eunuch Nie naturally understood the Life and Death Dao Charm, and spoke lowly:

“Then Your Majesty, your future plans…”

Li Yaoxuan showed neither anger nor frustration, merely stating:

“Xu Changtian indeed exceeded everyone’s expectations, but wasn’t Zhaoyuan the same?”

Eunuch Nie’s breath hitched slightly, his voice trembling as he said:

“Your Majesty, could it be that you…”

Before finishing his sentence, he swallowed the rest under Li Yaoxuan’s cloudy gaze, once more bowing low to the ground:

“This servant has overstepped.”

“Heh… rise.”

Stepping down from the Dragon Throne, Li Yaoxuan gazed at the one person in the vast realm of Dayan whom he could still trust, and smiled gently:

“You’ve served me all my life. At this juncture, I won’t act against you. Why must you tread so carefully still?”

Eunuch Nie remained still, his voice unwaveringly respectful:

“Your Majesty’s grace toward this servant is as towering as a mountain; it’s only proper.”

Li Yaoxuan shook his head lightly upon hearing this, bypassed the imperial desk, and stood before the window frame, hands clasped behind him.

Eunuch Nie rose slowly from the floor, stepping lightly to stand in attendance behind and to one side of His Majesty.

Staring out at the moonlit lake beyond the window, Li Yaoxuan’s clouded eyes gradually grew hazy. Suddenly, he called:

“Grand Eunuch.”

“This servant is here.”

“Do you think I’m laughable?”

Li Yaoxuan lowered his gaze slightly, staring at his trembling, emaciated hand:

“Even at this pressing moment when hesitation can no longer be afforded, I still hesitate.”

“Your Majesty, whatever choice you make will always be the correct one for yourself.”

Eunuch Nie dropped his gaze, speaking gently: “By timing, the Third Prince hasn’t gone far yet. If Xu Changtian is willing to pursue him, retrieving him shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Cough.. cough, cough…”

As if stricken with a chill, Li Yaoxuan covered his mouth and coughed lightly, his voice filled with calm melancholy:

“Yunqing, that boy, is smarter than you think. He understands my thoughts, just as he understands those of his royal elder brother.”

The Crown Prince’s intention to yield the throne could not escape the notice of a father who had watched him all his life. Smiling softly, he said:

“Yunqing not returning tonight means he has already made up his mind. Even bringing him back won’t change his disposition.”

Eunuch Nie hesitated momentarily before speaking:

“The Third Prince must have wrestled deeply before deciding to leave.”

Li Yaoxuan turned and looked back, hints of wry humor surfacing in his eyes full of decay:

“Your judgment of others remains as poor as ever.”

“…This servant is fearful.”

After a brief exchange of gazes, Eunuch Nie lowered his head: “May Your Majesty enlighten me.”

Speaking now, Li Yaoxuan’s voice bore a faint trace of amusement:

“In this mortal world, people always have things they care about—power, ideals, or even love. With these attachments, they hesitate and waver. But Yunqing has, since childhood, been suppressing his desires, ensuring that nothing in this world could cause him hesitation.”

Eunuch Nie froze, whispering:

“The Third Prince lives only for… himself?”

Li Yaoxuan rested against the back of the Dragon Throne, glancing out at the night sky beyond the window as he smiled slightly:

“Indeed, that is the trait I admire most in him.”

“If that’s the case, Your Majesty, why didn’t you when you were young…”

“But it’s also the reason I loathe him most.”

“…..”

Eunuch Nie fell silent.

He understood His Majesty’s meaning.

Even if the Third Prince was brought back, His Majesty would not pass the throne to him.

Forcing the throne upon him, pushing him into that position, might only result in finding his farewell letter inside the palace one morning before he slipped away.

This Prince would never care about the continuity of the Li family’s imperial legacy.

Faced with Minister Xu’s Family’s persistent encroachment, even with a chance of victory, Li Junqing would likely make no resistance, retreating entirely for his personal peace, regardless of external turmoil.

With these thoughts in mind, Eunuch Nie reached clarity in his heart.

The Crown Prince had abandoned the idea of claiming the throne, and the Third Prince had resolved to leave; the remaining candidate became evident.

As these notions stirred,

Li Yaoxuan’s weary and aged voice drifted over:

“Grand Eunuch, you may leave.

“I must now make my decision, and I am indeed quite tired.”

…

…

…

Two days later, at night.

Emperor Jiajing invited Chancellor Xu Yinhè and State Preceptor Ran Jianli to travel north to hunt celestial deer in the Dragon Emperor Forest, assigning the Second Prince, Li Zhaoyuan, to lead soldiers to escort the imperial procession.

By dawn the following morning,

Xu Changtian, the third son of the Xu family, ascended to court and received his royal title.