"You don't want to sit in my position? What about you? Do you want to sit in my position?" A chill curled from the corner of my mouth. These Four Emperors were all ambitious; without ambition, none of them could hold their seats. Not to mention the countless families beneath them—even the other emperors surrounding them were watching like hungry tigers. The moment they loosened their grip, those people would struggle free and take a bite.
So trying to appeal to their feelings was simply making a deal with a tiger. Ling Tian wanted benevolent rule and hoped to win people over through virtue. If these had been ministers in peacetime, that might naturally have complemented him perfectly. But the Four Emperors had all risen amid chaos and war. It was only after I quelled the disorder that peace returned to the world. Every one of them was wild; not a single one was kindhearted. When their fathers were rotten to the core, which of their sons could possibly be any better?
"City Lord! Jiufang Yu would never dare! Ever since the Jiufang family passed the throne from the Jiufang Supreme Emperor to me, he instructed me to serve you, City Lord! I would never harbor any covetous thoughts! I beg you to see the truth!" Jiufang Yu lay prostrate on the ground with his son, Jiufang Tou, hurriedly proclaiming his loyalty. He still sounded fairly vigorous, which seemed to indicate that he had not been too deeply involved with Xia Ruize or Lord Kong Fang of the north. But just because he did not dare get involved did not mean the other families under his command had been so cautious.
I gave a cold laugh and casually tossed a stack of secret reports in front of him. Then I