The Protagonist Has Arrived!

Emperor Yongchang's lips trembled, but he could not speak.

He was one step away from Xiao Qianyu pointing at him and cursing him for treating human lives like grass, lacking benevolence, and being no worthy ruler.

"B-Bold!" Emperor Yongchang forced out.

Xiao Qianyu raised a brow and said mildly, "Your son has indeed been bold, but only for the everlasting stability of the imperial dynasty and for Father Emperor's reputation. If Father Emperor is angered by this, then your son can only bear it. Alas, those who understand me say my heart is burdened with sorrow; those who do not ask what I seek. Your son's pains are all in vain—can Father Emperor understand them?"

Emperor Yongchang could not understand even the slightest bit.

With a stern face, he said, "I have my own considerations regarding the imperial decree. Speak no further. You may withdraw first."

Xiao Qianyu's brows lowered, and his expression changed. He snapped sharply, "What more does Father Emperor need to consider? Do you wish to become a muddleheaded ruler? Which is more important: enduring a moment's pain and swiftly issuing a decree to correct what was wrong, or caring only for the comfort of the dragon body while human lives are wasted in vain? Does Father Emperor truly not understand?"

"Y-You, how presumptuous!" Emperor Yongchang could not tolerate anyone showing him disrespect.

So what if Xiao Qianyu was favored by Heaven and bore Heaven's mandate? He was the Emperor now; no one was permitted to defy him.

The moment Emperor Yongchang's temper flared, everyone in the hall dropped to their knees, save for the Empress Dowager and the Empress, who remained standing.

Second Prince Xiao Qianze knelt as well, yet he could not help staring at Xiao Qianyu in utter shock—was this really his own elder brother?

Was he not always virtuous and filial, gentle and amiable? How could he dare provoke Father Emperor?

Xiao Qianyu did not so much as twitch a brow, his expression as cold and ruthless as frost. "Your son is being presumptuous. If being presumptuous can free and save innocent people sooner, save a few more lives, and spare Father Emperor from committing further sins of slaughter, then your son is willing to shoulder Father Emperor's wrath alone."

What a sorrowful-for-the-world, righteous and awe-inspiring stance. He made himself seem like a sage, while casting Emperor Yongchang as not only muddleheaded and incompetent, but cruel and inhumane.

Emperor Yongchang gasped heavily, veins bulging as he glared at Xiao Qianyu.

Xiao Qianyu let him glare, refusing to yield in the slightest.

Now, while he wielded the name of Divine Protection and thunderous might, while the Emperor and civil and military officials feared and guarded against him most, if he still could not settle this matter—

Once time had passed and his deterrent power weakened, who would still take his words seriously?

"Father Emperor, your son's loyalty is all for the sake of your reputation and the court's good name. If Father Emperor cannot understand your son's painstaking intentions, then your son is truly heartbroken." He made as if to rise and flicked his sleeve. "Perhaps I should go kneel at the Ancestral Hall instead. Watching so many people suffer because of your son and being unable to save them truly rends my heart. Let it count as your son repenting and atoning for them before the heroic spirits of our ancestors."

Emperor Yongchang's face went from green to white, his entire body trembling. Outrageous—he was threatening him with kneeling at the Ancestral Hall again.

Xiao Qianyu raised a brow. So what if it was a threat? A trick did not need to be new; it only needed to work.

The others nearby were stunned by this confrontation. No one dared make a sound.

"You are not allowed to go." Emperor Yongchang pounded the bedboard.

Xiao Qianyu turned back, raising a brow. "Then Father Emperor agrees to issue the decree? Someone, bring brush and ink at once."

Emperor Yongchang froze there, wanting to refute him but unable to force out the words.

He feared Xiao Qianyu's threat, but he did not truly wish to issue a decree recalling those people.

Their return would stir another storm of blood and wind in the court. Every radish had its hole; the positions they had vacated had naturally been filled by others. What could be used to restore them to their former posts?

The court could not be thrown into turmoil again and again.

Moreover, he simply did not want Xiao Qianyu to possess too much power and too many things to rely upon. The man's threat and presence were already strong enough. If he gained too much support, would there still be room for him, the Emperor, to stand?

Without the Emperor speaking, Defu naturally did not dare take it upon himself to fetch brush, ink, and a blank imperial edict. He merely kept his head lowered.

Xiao Qianyu sighed. "Forget it. I shall go kneel at the Ancestral Hall. Father Emperor, take care."

He turned and walked toward the hall doors.

Emperor Yongchang's face twitched, revealing a pained and conflicted expression.

Everyone knew the Emperor did not wish to agree. He merely feared Xiao Qianyu's act of kneeling at the Ancestral Hall.

At that moment, the Empress Dowager spoke. Her heart ached for her son.

"Enough, Crown Prince. Do you still know the distinction between superior and inferior?" The Empress Dowager's expression changed drastically, her voice stern. "A sovereign father is a sovereign father. The Emperor is not only your father, but also your sovereign. How can a subject overstep his sovereign father and go kneel at the Ancestral Hall? You should obey the Emperor."

Xiao Qianyu turned back and gave the Empress Dowager an indifferent glance. "Imperial Grandmother, forgive me, but I cannot agree with your words. If one obeyed the Emperor in everything, what use would remonstrating ministers serve? If one knows Father Emperor has done wrong and does not urge him to correct it, that would be harming Father Emperor. Such matters are beyond the understanding of a woman like Imperial Grandmother; Father Emperor surely understands. Forgive your grandson for being unable to explain it all to you one by one."

He did not place the Empress Dowager in his eyes at all.

Pain and shock appeared in the Empress Dowager's eyes. Her body swayed, frightening the kneeling matron at her feet into immediately reaching out to support her.

"Y-You, do you still remember that you are this mourning one's grandson? How dare you speak to this mourning one in such a manner?" The Empress Dowager could not bear it. She looked at Xiao Qianyu as though he were a stranger.