Zhou Yi glanced sidelong at Zhou Ping'an and asked in return.
"You want to be emperor, boy?"
"Father, there is no one in this world who does not covet the throne!"
Zhou Ping'an held the post of Minister and was nearing forty. He had long reached the state of harboring mountains and rivers within his breast, yet before Zhou Yi, he did not dare conceal or feign anything.
This was an old monster who had lived through five reigns!
Zhou Yi said faintly, "That filthy place called the imperial palace—how could being emperor compare to the freedom of being an official?"
Zhou Ping'an fell silent. Naturally, he understood the logic behind it.
Back when the Tang family had not yet been exterminated, the clan elders had often said that no matter what surname the emperor bore, the Tang family could always be officials.
"Still, it is not as though you have no chance."
Zhou Yi changed the subject. "My relations with Eunuch Yuan are as close as brothers. If we could replace one Crown Prince, we can naturally replace a second!"
After Eunuch Wei died of old age, Eunuch Yuan was the only grandmaster left in the palace. He could easily control the succession to the throne.
Excitement flashed through Zhou Ping'an's eyes. He repeatedly kowtowed and said, "I beg Father to act. Your son is willing to assist the Zhou family bloodline in ruling the realm."
"The Zhou family..."
Zhou Yi shook his head slightly. He had long regarded the Zhou clan as extinct; how could he retain even a shred of feeling for them? "Let me ask you: why did the Empress Dowager suddenly die?"
Of course, His Majesty had killed her!
Zhou Ping'an did not answer directly. He thought that his adoptive father's question could not possibly