"I changed my mind," the eldest prince, Jiang Qun, said with an unconcerned expression, not feeling the least bit shameless.
What, I said I wanted to be emperor? Who heard me? Is there any proof?
"Hey! I taught you from childhood to keep your word and be honest and trustworthy. Have you forgotten all that?" Emperor Xia was frantic. He'd finally tricked his son into agreeing—could he really just go back on his word like that?
Jiang Qun stared at his father in disbelief. Where was your honesty and trustworthiness when you were pretending to be sick just now?
"It's no use changing your mind. I recorded everything with a recording orb." Emperor Xia knew exactly what his eldest son was like and had prepared for every eventuality.
Just obediently be emperor.
"I don't care about losing face!" Jiang Qun said, sticking out his neck like a dead pig that feared no boiling water, utterly unlike the refined and graceful image he had in the outside world.
The father and son glared at each other like two fighting roosters, neither willing to back down.
In the end, Emperor Xia was the first to cave.
He let out a long sigh. "Tell me, then. Every other household fights to inherit the throne. Why are you so stubbornly refusing to inherit it?"
"Once you inherit the throne, you won't just be the ruler of the Central Continent—you'll also become the vessel of the nation's fortune. You know how wondrous the nation's fortune is. It'll help your cultivation tremendously."
Jiang Qun bared his own thoughts, too. "Dad, you know better than anyone what it's like to sit on the throne. It looks comfortable, but in reality, you're restricted at every turn. For one thing, can you go around in disguise among the common