Father and Son Confrontation, the Crown Prince Brought to Justice

Outside the Imperial Study.

Heavy footsteps drew closer.

Chen Zhan pushed open the hall doors and escorted Su Mingyuan inside, flanked by two Royal Forest Guard soldiers.

Su Mingyuan knelt on the golden-brick floor, head lowered, not daring to look at the man behind the Dragon Desk.

Chen Zhan cupped his fists in salute.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has been brought in."

Su Gan didn't look at him. He merely waved a hand.

"Everyone, leave. Without my command, no one is to come within a hundred paces of the Imperial Study."

Chen Zhan and the two soldiers bowed and withdrew, closing the hall doors behind them.

The vast Imperial Study was left with only father and son.

It was so quiet they could hear the candle flames crackling.

Su Gan sat on the dragon throne, looking down at Su Mingyuan kneeling on the floor.

He said nothing, only watched him.

His gaze was as cold and unfathomable as a winter lake.

Kneeling on the floor, Su Mingyuan felt as though a great mountain were pressing down on him.

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and the robe on his back was already soaked through.

Father and son remained silent, neither speaking first.

After a long while,

Su Gan finally spoke, his voice calm and utterly without emotion.

"Raise your head."

Su Mingyuan shuddered all over and slowly lifted his head.

He met Su Gan's icy eyes, and the last trace of hope in his heart began to waver.

He had never seen Father Emperor look at him like this.

It wasn't anger, nor disappointment, but a complete and utter coldness.

As if he were looking at a stranger, a condemned prisoner beyond redemption...

Su Gan picked up the Secret Letters, ledgers, Entry Records, and charred Brocade Box from the Dragon Desk, one by one.

His movements were slow—slow enough for Su Mingyuan to see each item clearly.

When Su Mingyuan saw the familiar handwriting on the Secret Letters and the record of two million Spirit Crystals in the ledgers,

when he saw the words "Eastern Palace carriage" in the Entry Records and the Brocade Box bearing his seal,

his pupils contracted sharply, and the blood in his body turned cold in an instant. The evidence stabbed into his heart like a set of sharp knives.

Su Gan's voice remained calm, but every word was rimed with ice.

"Ming Yuan, Mingyuan, Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, heir to the throne."

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Su Mingyuan opened his mouth, his mind racing frantically for an excuse.

He wanted to say the evidence was forged, that someone was framing him, that it was a scheme by the Holy Demon God Sect to sow discord.

But when he saw Su Gan's icy eyes, every word stuck in his throat.

He knew he was finished.

The evidence was so conclusive that even he couldn't find the slightest flaw.

He had written those Secret Letters himself, and he remembered every transaction recorded in the ledgers perfectly.

The carriage in the Entry Records belonged to the Eastern Palace, and his Steward Eunuch had driven it.

The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Wax Seal on the Brocade Box was one only he could use throughout the Great Yu Dynasty.

He had clearly sent people to destroy every piece of evidence, and everyone who needed silencing had been silenced.

So why had it still been uncovered? Why?!

Was it Xiao Qianjun? No. If Xiao Qianjun had been able to find anything, he would have discovered it during the last Major Investigation.

It was Lin Changqing—Prince Wu'an, without a doubt!

If he hadn't barged in, the Nationwide Purge could never have spread so quickly.

If he hadn't personally taken action, the confidential documents in the Yong Province hideouts would never have been seized.

Without him, how could he have ended up in this state?

A fierce hatred surged in Su Mingyuan's heart, but it was soon swallowed by an even deeper despair.

What good was hatred? It was too late now. Everything was over.

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

The smile grew more and more twisted, until at last it became a hysterical, unhinged laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha—!"

His laughter echoed through the empty Imperial Study, crazed and desolate.

"Since things have come to this, I have nothing left to hide."

He raised his head.

The reverence had vanished from his gaze as he looked at Su Gan, replaced by the wild recklessness of someone with nothing left to lose.

"Father Emperor, you asked why?"

"Fine. Then I'll tell you why!"

Bracing both hands against the floor, he spoke in a hoarse, agitated voice.

"How many years have I been Crown Prince? From the day I was appointed, it's been a full one hundred and three years!"

"One hundred and three years! I went from a teenager to a middle-aged man with graying temples!"

"Father Emperor, you're a Seventh-Rank Grandmaster. You have at least three or four hundred years to live!"

"If you remain on the throne, how much longer must I wait?"

"Fifty years? A hundred years? Or even longer?"

His voice grew louder and louder, his eyes bloodshot.

"Father Emperor, do you know what those officials have been saying behind my back all these years?"

"Before me, they're all respectful. Behind my back, they call me the 'Old Crown Prince'!"

"I've been Crown Prince for over a hundred years. My temples have turned gray, yet the throne is still nowhere in sight!"

"I can't wait any longer! I really can't wait any longer!"

Su Mingyuan trembled all over, his voice so hoarse it seemed to be wrenched from deep in his throat.

"I want to be emperor! I want to be emperor so badly!"

"I dream of it!"

"I've waited for you for over a hundred years. I don't want to wait any longer!"

"Father Emperor, you'd better stay on that throne until you die. Don't pass it on to anyone!"

Su Gan shot to his feet.

His chest heaved violently, veins bulging on his forehead.

The calm on his face finally shattered completely, replaced by a towering fury.

He raised his hand and slapped Su Mingyuan hard across the face.

"Smack!"

The sharp crack of the slap exploded through the Imperial Study.

The blow sent Su Mingyuan sprawling to the floor, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

One side of his face swelled, but he stubbornly raised his head and looked at his father.

Su Gan pointed at him, his finger trembling.

His voice was hoarse and low, every word forced through clenched teeth.

"You beast! You're worse than a beast! How did I ever raise such a heartless, treacherous wretch?"

"Do you think this throne is so easy to sit on? Do you think I don't want to abdicate? Do you think I don't want to focus on cultivation, break through to Great Grandmaster, and even strive for Martial Saint, becoming the foundation of the Great Yu Dynasty?"

"If I truly coveted this throne, I would have long ago done as you did and cared for nothing but myself!"

"But I didn't! I've worn myself to the bone all these years. What for?"

He slammed his palm against the Dragon Desk.

The teacup jolted into the air and crashed to the floor.

"I did it to clean up the mess in court, to root out every last one of those cancers—the Holy Demon God Sect!"

"When all these troubles have been dealt with, the realm is secure, and the court is clear, I'll naturally hand you a clean and orderly realm!"

"Then you'll inherit a peaceful and prosperous age, not a mess beset by troubles within and without!"

His eyes reddened slightly, his voice full of anguish.

"Do you think I don't know the court officials oppose the purge of the Demon Cult? Do you think I don't know the front lines are short on military funds, or that the purge is costly and burdens the people?"

"I overruled everyone. I was willing to use the imperial treasury just to eradicate the Demon Cult completely!"

"What for? To pave the way for you! To spare you trouble and resistance after you ascend the throne!"

"And what about you? What did you do?"

He pointed at the scattered Secret Letters and ledgers, his voice suddenly rising.

"You secretly colluded with the Demon Cult! You sold out the court's secrets! I was rooting out the Demon Cult while you acted as its inside man behind my back!"

"You truly are my good son!"

Kneeling on the floor, Su Mingyuan listened to every word his father said.

His lips trembled, and his eyes reddened.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.

So Father Emperor had been paving the way for him all along.

So Father Emperor had overruled the opposition and purged the Demon Cult to clear away obstacles for him.

So Father Emperor had long planned to abdicate and hand him a clean and orderly realm.

And what had he done?

While Father Emperor struggled to root out the Demon Cult, he had acted as its inside man.

While the soldiers on the front lines fought in a river of blood, he had been drinking and carousing in the Eastern Palace, waiting for the Demon Realm to descend so he could keep being emperor.

Su Mingyuan closed his eyes, and two streams of tears slid down his cheeks.

"Your son... knows his guilt."

He bowed deeply, pressing his forehead against the golden-brick floor.

Your son's crimes are beyond forgiveness. I have nothing to say."

His voice was hoarse and calm now. The hysteria was gone, leaving only complete and desperate remorse.

"Your son is willing to accept any punishment."

Su Gan watched him for a long time without speaking, and the Imperial Study sank into silence once more.

After a long while,

Su Gan slowly sat back down on the dragon throne.

His face was utterly weary, and he seemed to have aged years in an instant.

He looked at Su Mingyuan kneeling before him. There was no anger left in his eyes, only a sorrow too deep to name.

"Guards."

His voice was hoarse and low.

The hall doors opened, and Chen Zhan strode inside and dropped to one knee.

"At your command!"

Su Gan closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

When he opened them again, the icy look from before had returned.

"Seal the cultivation of Crown Prince Su Mingyuan. Take him to the Ministry of Justice Prison and await further judgment."

Chen Zhan cupped his fists, his expression impassive.

"This general obeys!"

He walked up to Su Mingyuan and struck out with several bursts of Spiritual Power, sealing the meridians throughout his body.

Su Mingyuan offered no resistance, letting Chen Zhan seal his cultivation.

He looked at Su Gan one last time and moved his lips.

He seemed to want to say, "Father Emperor, take care," but in the end, he said nothing.

Chen Zhan escorted Su Mingyuan out of the Imperial Study, and the hall doors closed once more.

Only Su Gan remained in the Imperial Study.

He slumped in the dragon throne, as though every last bit of strength had been drained from him.

He rubbed the space between his brows, his fingers trembling slightly.

He had ordered a Nationwide Purge of the Demon Cult and decreed that officials who colluded with it have their entire clans executed.

He had thought he'd been ruthless enough, thought that this would eradicate the Demon Cult completely and restore a clear and peaceful realm to Great Yu.

But he had never imagined that the greatest traitor would be right by his side—his own flesh and blood!

He had sent officials who colluded with the Demon Cult to the execution ground with his own hands. Now it was his son's turn.

How was he supposed to punish him?

The Crown Prince had colluded with the Demon Cult. By law, his entire clan should be executed.

But could he execute his own clan?

Of course not.

But if he didn't punish him severely, what could he say to silence the people of the realm?

How could he answer to the soldiers on the front lines who fought in a river of blood? How could he answer to the Demon Suppression Guards who had fallen after the Demon Cult exposed their movements?

Su Gan closed his eyes and did not open them for a long, long time.

Several days later.

Although Su Gan had ordered the news to be tightly suppressed, word that the Eastern Palace had been surrounded by the Royal Forest Guard and the Crown Prince taken to the Ministry of Justice Prison still spread throughout the Capital City.

The common folk buzzed with speculation, and every kind of rumor flew about.

Some said the Crown Prince had been arrested for colluding with the Demon Cult.

Others said he had plotted a rebellion and been put down.

Still others claimed His Majesty was paving the way for Prince Wu'an, preparing to depose the Crown Prince and make Prince Wu'an the heir.

There was no end to the stories, and they grew more outrageous with every telling.

But whatever rumors spread outside, everyone who truly knew what had happened chose to remain silent.

During those days, Su Gan barely slept.

He sat alone in the Imperial Study for an entire night, seeing no one and allowing no one to disturb him.

Early the next morning, he summoned Sixth Ancestor Su Tianheng to the palace, and the two spoke in private in the Imperial Study for more than two hours.

No one knew what they discussed.

But when Sixth Ancestor left the Imperial Study, his face was just as grim.

Afterward.

Su Gan ordered the Minister of Justice, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate's Left Censor-in-Chief to be summoned to the palace.

The heads of the Three Judicial Offices gathered in the Imperial Study, the atmosphere as grave as a court assembly.

In the end.

After several days of careful deliberation and weighing every consideration, Su Gan made his final decision on the Crown Prince's fate.

The Crown Prince, Su Mingyuan, was stripped of all titles and noble rank, deposed, and reduced to a commoner.

In consideration of his former status as heir, he was spared the death penalty and exiled to Jiao Province, never to return to the Capital City.

Any Eastern Palace officials or advisers found to have colluded with the Demon Cult would be executed at once, along with their entire clans.

The innocent would be released after review and reassigned.

Everyone in the court could see that His Majesty had struggled to balance the law against family ties.

The Crown Prince had colluded with the Demon Cult. By law, he deserved death.

But in the end, His Majesty had still spared his life.

That was already a merciful exception to the law.

For Su Gan, deposing the Crown Prince was the explanation he had to give the people as emperor.

Sparing his life was the last bit of mercy he could offer his son as a father.

As the Imperial Edict was issued, the ministers in the hall fell to their knees.

No one dared object.

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