“You mean to depose the Crown Prince a second time—”
“Lower your voice!” The person who spoke earlier hissed, “We can’t meddle in the affairs of the nobles, but we’re all people of the Eastern Palace. If the Crown Prince is deposed, I’m afraid none of us will have a good outcome. Just think about what happened to those people before.”
“What should we do then? Look for another way out?”
“Another way out? Heh, once you’re branded as part of the Eastern Palace, what other way out is there? Our fates are tied to the Crown Prince’s – we rise or fall together.”
“If only His Highness could ascend to the throne.”
“Are you trying to get us killed? How dare you say such things!”
“We’re just talking quietly among ourselves. No one heard us. I just think it’s a pity. His Highness has been Crown Prince for over thirty years, and he’s so close—”
The person from before sighed, lamenting, “It’s fate. If only the Crown Prince had the Empress to protect him from childhood…”
The Crown Prince’s fist tightened, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
The voices faded, replaced by the sound of retreating footsteps.
Throughout it all, the Crown Prince didn’t reveal himself.
In the past, with his temperament, he would have surely dragged those two out for a severe punishment. But now, he no longer had the heart for it.
They were right. Father Emperor couldn’t even be bothered to get angry with him anymore, surely he had made up his mind to depose him.
Deposed twice… he had become a laughingstock in history!
The Crown Prince’s feet felt unsteady as he stumbled into his study and began poring over historical records.
As he flipped through volume after volume, the fates of deposed crown princes made his blood run cold.
He even discovered something: among those who were named Crown Prince at birth, very few successfully ascended the throne. Eight or nine out of ten met tragic ends.
The Crown Prince suddenly slammed his fist on the desk.
No, he refused to meet such a fate!
But what could he do?
The Crown Prince suddenly recalled the overheard conversation.
“If only His Highness could ascend to the throne.”
“His Highness has been Crown Prince for over thirty years, and he’s so close—”
The Crown Prince’s heart began to race.
What if he were to ascend the throne?
Rather than living in constant fear of being deposed by Father Emperor, if he became Emperor, who could depose him then?
Yes, he had to ascend the throne and become Emperor before Father Emperor could depose him!
The Crown Prince placed his hand over his heart, where a thought was swirling: To ascend the throne, Father Emperor must die!