"What did you say? Eldest Brother became a eunuch in that attack? Th-this is just too tragic for him!"
The fourth prince spoke with compassion for all living things. If the corners of his mouth had not stubbornly refused to stay down, his sorrow might have been a little more convincing.
"Yes, Your Highness. We don't currently know who started the rumor, but there's no doubt it's already circulating. And it might not actually be a rumor. After all, the crown prince's legs were crippled. Who knows what state he's in down there?"
"Good, good, good! Looks like my eldest brother committed too many injustices and offended someone who knows his secrets. Good, good, good! Whoever wants to deal with Eldest Brother, I'll certainly lend my support!"
"Now! Immediately! This instant! Spread this rumor throughout the entire imperial capital! I'd like to see whether that eldest brother of mine really became a eunuch!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The fourth prince's people swiftly sprang into action. Alongside them were the other princes who felt they had some chance of becoming emperor.
Su Yun was attacked at noon and made an impromptu trip back to his clan that afternoon to have his clansmen spread the news. That evening, the matter reached several princes' ears. By midnight, it had become the sole topic of conversation over late-night snacks.
"Nephew!"
"My darling eldest nephew! Where are you going? Your uncle's come to find you!"
"Hahahaha!"
The current emperor of the Sun Moon Empire had a dream. In it, he held the Level 8 Soul Tool, the Black Prison Soul-Severing Saber, and wore the Dragon-Patterned Heavenly King Armor. He saw the eldest nephew he thought of day and night.
The moment he saw his eldest nephew, he began playing hide-and-seek with him. His nephew fled, and he chased; neither could have escaped even with wings.
After chasing him for a long time, he finally caught sight of his eldest nephew. His nephew ran through a doorway, and the doors closed behind him.
At the sight of those doors, the Sun Moon Emperor laughed and pushed them open without the slightest hesitation, walking inside.
But once inside, the Sun Moon Emperor felt something was wrong. It seemed to be the palace's great hall, and standing within it were the many civil officials and military officers of the generation before his.
All at once, the Sun Moon Emperor lost every bit of his desire to play hide-and-seek with his eldest nephew. An ominous premonition filled his heart, especially when the person standing above the highest throne came into view.
As that person slowly turned his head, the Sun Moon Emperor seemed to have all his strength drained away in an instant and collapsed to the floor.
His eldest nephew, Xu He, watched him with a smile that was not quite a smile. By then, he no longer had the slightest desire to play hide-and-seek with his nephew.
At some point, he had let go of the Level 8 Soul Tool in his hand. A thousand words finally condensed into a single sentence.
"Dad, you're not dead?"
The next second, under his shocked gaze, two Soul Douluos appeared behind him. Each used one hand to pin him down.
The Sun Moon Emperor wanted to say something, but before he could speak, two guards led in a woman bound in shackles.
The Sun Moon Emperor remained silent. He recognized that woman, but at that moment, he did not dare say a word.
"Son, save your mother!"
He watched the guard plant a foot on his mother's body, yet the once-imposing emperor dared not say anything.
If the Sun Moon Emperor truly had to say something now, he could only have said one thing: I can't do anything.
Watching helplessly as his mother was dragged away, the Sun Moon Emperor's eyes filled with terror, because his father, the former emperor, was slowly descending from the throne.
The old emperor casually took the saber from a nearby guard. Without uttering a word from beginning to end, he simply walked toward him in silence. There was no killing intent in his eyes, only utter calm.
But it was precisely that calm that terrified the Sun Moon Emperor even more.
"Don't, don't kill me! Dad! I'm your own son!"
Watching the old emperor walk unhurriedly up to him and raise the saber high, the Sun Moon Emperor screamed like a madman, finally jolting himself awake from the dream.
Realizing it had only been a dream, the Sun Moon Emperor breathed a sigh of relief, though he could not fully relax. He knew this dream probably would not occur just this once.
At the thought that he might live in nightmares at every moment from now on, the old emperor's former high spirits vanished. He seemed to have aged more than twenty years in an instant.
With all desire to sleep gone, he found somewhere to recline. Just then, a voice reached his ears.
"Is that really true? His Highness the crown prince didn't just lose the use of his legs in that attack-even that thing doesn't work anymore? Doesn't that make him just like us?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down. Careful someone hears you. This has already spread all over Mingdu, so His Majesty will probably find out sooner or later. But we mustn't be the ones to tell him."
Hearing this, the Sun Moon Emperor instantly lost all desire to sleep. In a flash, he appeared before the two eunuchs.
"What did you say about the crown prince being crippled? What's going on? Explain yourselves, or I'll have your heads cut off!"
"Spare us, Your Majesty! Everyone in Mingdu is saying that His Highness the crown prince didn't just lose the use of his legs in that earlier attack-he lost his ability to father children too! This servant knows nothing else! Please spare us, Your Majesty!"
The Sun Moon Emperor's face flushed crimson with rage.
"It's spread throughout all of Mingdu? Guards! Bring that unfilial son Xu Tianran here!"
At the emperor's command, the palace guards immediately sprang into action. While Crown Prince Xu Tianran was still discussing countermeasures to deal with the rumor, he was forcibly hauled into the palace.
"Imperial Father, why have you summoned your son?"
The emperor could not even be bothered to look at Xu Tianran. "Guards, strip this unfilial son's trousers off!"
"Imperial Father, what is the meaning of this? Even if you wish to humiliate your son, you cannot do it in a place like this! The imperial family's dignity is at stake!"
Xu Tianran struggled desperately, but the emperor did not want to waste another word on him.
"What are you waiting for? Must I do it myself?"
Hearing this, the guards no longer hesitated. Without another word, they hoisted Xu Tianran up and forcibly stripped off his trousers.
Xu Tianran wanted to resist, but his cultivation was merely that of a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, and he was crippled in the legs. How could he resist the emperor's guards? In mere moments, his trousers were forcibly pulled down.
Seeing that the thing was already gone, the Sun Moon Emperor sent Xu Tianran flying with a kick.
"Unfilial son! You're already ruined, yet you still want to fight for the throne? Which bastard were you planning to pass your throne to?"
"I conquered this realm with my head hanging from my belt, and this is how you squander it!"
"You beast! Were you going to hand my Xu Clan's realm over to a stranger on a silver platter?"
"Guards! Grant him death! No! Beat this unfilial son to death! Throw his corpse out to feed the dogs! He doesn't deserve to be granted death!"
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