"The emperor is dead!" Hu Xiaotian's calmly spoken words shocked Su Yuchi beyond measure. His first reaction was that Hu Xiaotian was lying, but when he met that firm, certain gaze, he realized Hu Xiaotian would not deceive him about something like this.
Su Yuchi shook his head. Though he said nothing, he was desperately denying Hu Xiaotian's words.
Hu Xiaotian said, "Long Tingzhen never rebelled, either. Princess Yongyang simply needed a legitimate reason to ascend the throne. Since its founding, Great Kang has never had a woman become emperor. To sweep away the obstacles and win the people's trust, she needed a compelling justification. Long Tingzhen was originally the best successor to the throne. Eliminating him would not only clear her path to it, but also give the world a convincing explanation. Unfortunately, they considered me another obstacle in their way, so they accused me of conspiring with Long Tingzhen to rebel."
Su Yuchi murmured, "If His Majesty has passed away, why has no news come out of the Imperial Palace?"
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "The time isn't ripe yet, and the Imperial Mausoleum is still unfinished. With your connections, Great General Su, surely you know that Princess Yongyang already controls court affairs single-handedly."
Su Yuchi did know this. He looked at Hu Xiaotian suspiciously and said, "Since you knew about this long ago, why didn't you announce it to the world?"
Hu Xiaotian said, "What's done is done. If I spread word of Long Xuan'en's death now, Great Kang would inevitably plunge into internal warfare and strife. The common people would suffer again. The people of Great Kang have suffered enough already. Why should I pour oil on the fire? If you were in my place, would you do that?"
Su Yuchi remained silent.
Hu Xiaotian said, "In truth,