The forty-two-year-old Son of Heaven of a kingdom let tears fall miserably.
It was precisely because of his honor and nobility that his grief and sorrow seemed all the more stark.
He truly had nothing to rely on, nothing to lean upon. He had always treated this imperial granduncle, whose lineage had to be traced back nine generations from his own, with utmost respect, obeying his every word.
He truly possessed neither talent nor wisdom, yet over these thirty-two years, he had conducted himself properly, never once doing anything out of line, never disgracing the Great Xia imperial house.
Oh—Lunar New Year's Eve had only just passed. It was already thirty-three years.
Thinking back to thirty-three years ago, the Empress Dowager had led that child's hand toward the dragon throne. Si Jiao had been the first to kneel, crying out, "The rightful Son of Heaven of our Great Xia!"
Thirty-three years passed in the flick of a finger; the little child had grown into a middle-aged man.
The Qi Army had once again arrived beneath the city walls. The forty-two-year-old Xia Emperor was as terrified as the nine-year-old Xia Emperor had been.
Even one like Si Jiao, who had weathered all the vicissitudes of life—how could he possibly remain unmoved?
"The late emperor created too brilliant a foundation, and left behind enemies too powerful. None of this was your fault..." Si Jiao looked at him with an almost cruel calmness. "But you sat upon the dragon throne and became the Emperor of Great Xia. That made it your fault."
"The Emperor of Great Xia?" the Xia Emperor cried miserably. "What meaning is there in being this Emperor of Xia Kingdom? When a common man flies into a rage, blood can still splash ten paces away. Yu Liyang knows no restraint