Hu Xiaotian said calmly, "Your Majesty ordered me to go to Western Sichuan to offer Li Tianheng birthday congratulations, and I obeyed. Your Majesty ordered me to deliver the decree in person and invest Li Tianheng as a prince, and I did that too. I dare not claim that I carried out both tasks entirely to Your Majesty's satisfaction, but I can say with a clear conscience that I worked diligently and never defied your wishes. The outcome, however, was beyond my control. If Your Majesty blames me for that, I have nothing more to say."
"You refuse to accept this?"
Hu Xiaotian replied frankly, "I do!"
Long Xuan'en descended a few steps and stopped halfway down the staircase, looking down at Hu Xiaotian kneeling below. From the corner of his eye, Hu Xiaotian gauged Long Xuan'en's position. The Old Emperor was already within killing range. If he steeled his heart, he could surely make this old turtle who brought ruin to the country and misery to its people spill his blood across five paces and breathe his last. For the first time, Hu Xiaotian felt the urge to kill Long Xuan'en, but reason told him that killing him now would do him no good.
Long Xuan'en said, "Very well. Then tell me: you went to Western Sichuan to confer a princely title. Why did you not read the Imperial Decree publicly at Li Tianheng's birthday banquet?"
Hu Xiaotian said, "Your Majesty only instructed me to go to Western Sichuan to confer the title. You never stipulated that I must read the Imperial Decree at the birthday banquet. Before I even reached Western Sichuan, rumors of the investiture were already spreading like wildfire. I did not know the contents of the Imperial Decree, much less disclose the purpose of my