CHAPTER 2021: CHAPTER 2023: PRINCE ZHUANG ASCENDS THE THRONE

The implication of those words was quite heavy: the Divine Doctor is my good friend. If there’s something wrong with your brain, the Divine Doctor will know upon examination. The deeper meaning is that if you don’t listen, even if there’s nothing wrong with your brain, the Divine Doctor could find something.

Both Prince Qing and Prince He were old and experienced. They knew very well that the Emperor’s mind was actually fine, and as for the poison, it must have been completely cured. It’s just that Prince Zhuang didn’t want the old man to return to the throne, so he was in cahoots with Ye Zi’an.

They had no objection to whoever was Emperor as long as it was someone from the Baili Family.

"Alright, since you’ve already abdicated, just enjoy being the Grand Emperor. Since you took charge of Great Zhou, it hasn’t fared well. Early on, the court was in chaos, and in later years, Great Zhou fell into internal strife again. Tell me, if you hadn’t mishandled matters back then, would Prince Le have acted as he did?"

"Your Uncle Prince Qing is right. Since you chose to leave the imperial edict then, it shows that you favored this son and believed he could lead Great Zhou better. What are you still worried about? With your inconsistent behavior, if you remain Emperor for a few more years, who knows how muddled you’ll become. Do you really want to watch Great Zhou fall into another internal conflict?"

Among those present, only Prince Qing and Prince He dared to speak to the Emperor as if they were scolding a child, and the Grand Emperor couldn’t refute them.

"Uncle Wang, I..." The Grand Emperor was unwilling. He was forced to step down from the throne, not voluntarily, and no one could understand that sense of humiliation.

"Say no more. Return to the palace and have Divine Doctor Mu examine you to see if the poison is completely cured. If not, then cure it properly. If it is cured, let Divine Doctor Mu give you a thorough treatment."

"Prince Zhuang, have someone take your Father Emperor away!"

"Yes."

With the support of the two old princes, and seeing that the Grand Emperor’s forces had been subdued by Prince Zhuang’s people, he could only grudgingly be pulled off the throne once more.

As for the Imperial Censor and the Minister of Ministry of Rites, who supported him, they truly believed the Emperor was deeply poisoned, leaving aftereffects and that his mind wasn’t working properly anymore.

They hadn’t seen what Prince Ning was like yet, but they believed Ye Zi’an’s words because the edict left by the Emperor was real, even acknowledged by the Emperor himself.

Having left an edict and selected a successor, when the successor was already preparing to ascend the throne, he came out saying he still wanted to be Emperor. This kind of reversal was too childish. The matter of succession isn’t a game; how could he go back on it?

This showed a lack of regard for the position of the sovereign. Coupled with his previous unscrupulous acts of seizing ministers’ families, those who initially supported him no longer wished to.

If they supported him now, who knows if he would get rid of them as tools once he retook the throne?

After the Grand Emperor departed, Ye Zi’an was the first to kneel, "Your subject pays respect to the Emperor, long live the Emperor!"

Hearing Ye Zi’an’s call, the ministers were taken aback but only hesitated for a moment before kneeling as well.

The cries of "Long live the Emperor" resonated throughout the entire Golden Throne Hall, rendering the departing Grand Emperor exceedingly desolate.

"My beloved ministers, you may rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

Baili Yan, gazing at the kneeling crowd, finally felt that the dust had settled.

"The ascension ceremony and the empress’s conferment ceremony will be held simultaneously. Have the Ministry of Rites select a date; there’s no need to arrange a separate one. However, given that the current state of Great Zhou is not what it used to be, everything should be conducted simply."