I Want Command of All the Armies
The hall suddenly became very quiet.
Like a stagnant pool, its silence is frightening.
Liang Emperor stared at his daughter in disbelief.
He hadn't expected that even after setting aside his imperial dignity and his status as a father,
All I got was a cold, dismissive rejection.
Does the other party still have any regard for him as their father, or as their emperor?
Is he still in charge of this vast Liang Kingdom?
"If you agree, Father will grant you any request."
Liang Emperor suppressed his anger and said...
"Then I shall Command of All the Armies."
Xiao Zhaohuang spoke slowly.
"Zhao Huang, I am the Emperor of the Liang Kingdom, and I am not dead yet."
Liang Emperor was taken aback upon hearing this, his face instantly turning ashen, and his voice lowered, no longer displaying the amiable tone he had just given.
"Your subject understands."
Xiao Zhaohuang answered calmly.
"Then I now command you to release those people immediately."
Liang Emperor spoke sternly.
"No."
Xiao Zhaohuang's answer remained crisp and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
Liang Emperor: "..."
Are you planning a rebellion?
Liang Emperor's tone turned utterly cold, carrying a chilling intensity.
"Your subject dares not."
Xiao Zhaohuang spoke calmly.
"Okay, okay, okay."
Seeing his daughter's unyielding stance, Liang Emperor suppressed his anger and let out three cold laughs, laced with mockery.
"It seems you've really grown too big for your britches and no longer respect your father."
Liang Emperor's eyes were filled with coldness, and his fingers trembled slightly inside his sleeves.
"But remember this: as long as I am on the throne, you are merely a subject, and I can strip you of your princess title at any time."
Upon hearing this,
Xiao Zhaohuang did not answer, but remained silent.
But this silent treatment is more insidious than speaking out and arguing.
"Zhao Huang, we are father and daughter by blood. Do you really want to go against your father? Do you really want to break ties with him?"
When verbal threats failed, Liang Emperor immediately resorted to appealing to emotions.
"Your subject dares not oppose Your Majesty; Your Majesty, I simply do not wish to see the Xiao Household's empire destroyed in Your Majesty's hands."
Xiao Zhaohuang finally spoke.
"Bury it? What a joke! The Daliang Kingdom rose to power under my rule. I created the Shun'an Rule. I will not destroy the Xiao Household's dynasty. I will only make the Daliang Kingdom great again."
Upon hearing his daughter's words, Liang Emperor's expression immediately became agitated, his eyes revealing fanaticism and madness.
"So, Father, when you say you want to make Liang Kingdom great again, are you planning to harm the Immortals?"
Xiao Zhaohuang narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly.
What do you know?
"Immortals shouldn't appear in the mortal realm, and our Daliang Kingdom has no need for any Immortals at all."
"Take a good look. Ever since the Immortals arrived, the Capital has become like this. Whether it's officials, nobles, or ordinary people, everyone only has eyes for the Immortals, and all they talk about is the Immortals."
"The power of our Xiao Household is declining, the prestige of our royal family is waning, and even Immortals dare to freely enter and leave the Imperial City, casually executing a princess of the reigning dynasty."
"But those Censors who usually speak out and dare to remonstrate, those upright and outspoken Remonstrance Officials, don't dare to utter a single word. And no one in the court or the country dares to utter a sound."
"If this continues, the emperor of my Liang Kingdom will eventually become a flesh and blood puppet manipulated by the Immortals."
"I'd like to ask, does this Daliang Kingdom belong to His Immortal, or to my Xiao Household?"
Liang Emperor growled in a hoarse and distorted voice.
"You're wrong, Father, you're really wrong."
This time, Xiao Zhaohuang did not choose to remain silent, but instead spoke frankly and directly.
"The arrival of the Immortals is more beneficial than harmful. With Immortals presiding over our Liang Kingdom, foreign tribes will not dare to covet, the world will surely submit, officials will not dare to neglect their duties or be corrupt, the people will be able to live and work in peace, and the prestige of our Daliang Kingdom will surely spread Eight Desolations."
Xiao Zhaohuang's words not only failed to persuade Liang Emperor, but also deeply agitated him.
"I did nothing wrong. I did all this for the sake of the Xiao Household family's empire. Only when the Immortals completely disappear will the people return to their hearts, and only then can the Liang Kingdom be stable again."
"Zhao Huang, my good daughter, look at your father, he is dying and has only a few days left to live. Everything I am doing now is for you. I will handle everything and then hand over a peaceful and stable Liang Kingdom to you."
Liang Emperor gripped Xiao Zhaohuang's arms tightly with both hands, his cloudy, dark eyes filled with tenderness and affection, and even a hint of pleading.
"Please don't stop Father, okay?"
The Emperor's gaze,
It was what Xiao Zhaohuang had always dreamed of.
If it were in the past,
She will definitely be very happy and delighted.
But now,
Her heart remained as firm as a rock, unmoved.
Because her heart had already been occupied by another man in Azure, there was no room for any other man.
Even if the man in front of her was her father, the emperor.
"No."
These two words again, these two cold and resolute words again.
It was like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into Liang Emperor's heart, and even twisting it around.
Splash--
Everything on the emperor's desk was swept away.
At this moment, Liang Emperor was like a wounded, enraged tiger, his eyes bloodshot and his whole body exuding a terrifying, ferocious aura.
"You rebellious daughter, you who have no ruler, no father, no loyalty, and no filial piety, get out of here! Get out!"
Faced with the emperor's rage and rebuke,
Xiao Zhaohuang simply curtsied, then turned and left without changing his expression.
When they reached the entrance of the main hall,
She suddenly paused.
"Father, it is not too late to turn back from the wrong path. However, if you remain obstinate and insist on your own way, I will have no choice but to follow your example and carry out the Xuanwu Gate Incident."
A clear and resolute voice echoed in the empty hall.
Upon hearing this,
This signifies that the Eldest Princess and the emperor have truly broken off all pretense of civility, leaving no room for reconciliation.
Liang Emperor, already seething with rage, was stunned.
A pair of bloodshot eyes stared intently at his daughter by the door.
Looking at her, so vibrant and full of youthful energy,
Thinking of myself, nearing the end of my life, and growing weary and listless...
Upon hearing these treasonous and heinous words of treason...
Liang Emperor could no longer suppress his rage, which surged and roared. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning blue and white. His voice suddenly rose, filled with hysterical rage, which made the beams and pillars in the palace seem to tremble slightly.
"How dare you! How dare you! Guards, seize this rebellious woman! I will execute this treacherous and disloyal subject!"
However,
Silence reigned outside the hall.
Both the eunuchs and the guards seemed to be collectively deaf and mute, turning a deaf ear and remaining unmoved.
"Father, please rest well. Your son takes his leave."
Xiao Zhaohuang reached out and opened the door of Hall of Heavenly Worship, then walked out without looking back.
"Puff--"
After her figure disappeared,
Standing on the Imperial dais, Liang Emperor, his face contorted in a ferocious and twisted expression, could only writhe in helpless rage, when suddenly he spat out a mouthful of blood.
His face was as pale as paper, and his breath was as faint as a candle flame.
It looked as if it would die if it couldn't catch its breath again.
"Elixir... Immortal Elixir..."
Liang Emperor tremblingly took out the last Immortal Elixir from his robes and then shakily stuffed it into his mouth.