No wonder Gu Qinglin was furious.
Before that, Prince Hui had only been Prince Fu—a prince whom the Former Emperor had suspected and guarded against in every possible way, as well as the Former Emperor's younger brother. At any moment, the Former Emperor could have found some pretext to grant him a cup of poisoned wine and have him put to death. It was only because of the fratricidal strife, together with the assistance of the Song Clan and Cui Clan, that he had attained the imperial throne and now sat high in the seat of supreme honor.
When Prince Hui first ascended the throne, he had been fairly content to keep to his duty and accept his fate, guarding his identity as the emperor's son. He consulted and discussed every matter with the Song Clan, and proved quite helpful to them in maintaining order throughout the Xifeng Empire and eliminating the Lu Clan's rebel faction.
What no one had expected was that, as more time passed after his accession and his position on the throne became more secure, his thoughts would gradually become restless. His attitude toward the Song Clan grew increasingly passive, while toward the Song Clan himself he became more and more perfunctory. He had even begun harboring his own little schemes and calculations.
Because of this, Gu Qinglin had once specifically held a late-night conversation with the Old Immortal at home. The Old Immortal had said that this was only human nature and need not be taken to heart. Prince Hui wanting to seize power and free himself from the Song Family's control was something any ordinary person would think of—just as his elder brother had back then. Besides, he was now an emperor seated high above all others. It was only natural that he should