He had urged Emperor Qing to leave to guard against trouble before it arose, but now, with a single remark from this bastard, Emperor Qing, who had never wanted to go, had even more reason to stay.
The crucial point was that Zhou Cheng was a prince.
Even if Emperor Qing stayed because of Zhou Cheng's words, should anything go wrong, Zhou Cheng still would not be the one held accountable. It would be Fan Xian.
For a moment, Fan Xian was under enormous pressure. Even though he still owed Zhou Cheng two favors, he was furious now!
Emperor Qing walked toward the viewing terrace.
Fan Xian drew a deep breath and hurried after him. "So Your Majesty still refuses to withdraw today's decree?"
"Still unconvinced?" Emperor Qing held his hands behind his back.
"Completely unconvinced."
"You're defying an imperial decree."
"It's not that I want to defy your decree. Faced with this situation, everyone present wants to defy it."
Fan Xian pointed at the others following Emperor Qing.
Zhou Cheng and the others naturally said nothing. Only the Fourth Prince, Li Chengping, said in some alarm from among the crowd, "I-I don't."
He waved his hands as he spoke, but nobody paid him any attention.
Fan Xian likewise ignored the little brat Li Chengping. He still had not given up:
"Your Majesty bears the whole realm upon your person. Your safety is no small matter, so you must take all the more care. No degree of caution would be excessive. These yellow blossoms return year after year, but Qing has only one emperor."
They reached the viewing terrace, where the mountain wind blew sharply.
Emperor Qing walked to the railing and stopped, resting both hands on it as he gazed into the distance.
"It is not that I favor