The King of Yu wished to preside over the grand ceremony in place of the Emperor!
However, such ceremonies were always personally presided over by the Emperor.
In all these years, no other prince had ever been allowed to act as a substitute.
The King of Yu… was he announcing to the world that he, too, could preside over the ceremony alongside the Imperial Tutor?
Everyone understood the King of Yu’s intentions.
Yet, this time, not a single person felt indignant or angry.
Because the matter was truly urgent.
If the Emperor did not appear soon, how could the people of Baijing San Village be appeased?
One must remember, those were not ordinary villages. They were large villages near the imperial city, each with a population of over a thousand.
Baijing Village was gone, with thousands of lives, thousands of departed souls!
The two villages bordering Baijing had also lost hundreds of people.
This was an unprecedented disaster, far more severe than the previous incident where a small breach had caused over a hundred deaths!
As the Emperor, he always had to step forward at such times.
Everyone felt a degree of unease.
If the Emperor was truly so gravely ill, then… then perhaps allowing the robust King of Yu, who also had an heir, to ascend the throne was… not impossible.
It was better than the nation falling into chaos, being invaded by neighboring countries, and the empire being lost.
No matter how tyrannical the King of Yu might be, he would at least not harm their people and their country.
“Fourth Brother, can the Emperor truly…”
“Who said I cannot preside over the situation?”
From inside, a familiar voice suddenly echoed.
The Emperor!
When Xiao Shunzi opened the door, and the Emperor, clad in dragon robes, appeared before everyone’s sight, some breathed a sigh of relief, while others felt their hearts leap into their throats.
Even more were in disbelief.
The King of Yu frowned deeply, filled with questions.
How could he have recovered so suddenly after being poisoned? How could he have recovered so quickly!
“Greetings, Your Majesty!” The others immediately bowed.
The Emperor’s cold gaze swept across everyone’s faces, finally settling on the King of Yu: “King of Yu, why do you not pay your respects upon seeing me?”
The King of Yu’s heart tensed. He intended to bow, but a seductive voice suddenly came from behind him:
“His Majesty has suffered a serious illness, yet not only is there no sign of discomfort on his face, but his steps are even more steady and powerful, his complexion is ruddy, his breathing is calm, and his internal energy has greatly increased.”
The person in the sedan chair, peering through the curtains at the Emperor standing at the head of the crowd, let out a cold laugh: “If one didn’t know better, they would think His Majesty had been replaced.”
He was a member of the Lan clan. With the Imperial Tutor absent, he held the highest status among the Lan clan members.
The Imperial Tutor, or his successor, were considered saints.
They were not required to bow to the Emperor.
Therefore, Lan Fan remained seated in the jade sedan chair carried by four people, not having alighted even a step.
Nor did he show any intention of coming down to pay his respects to the Emperor.
Basically, ever since the Imperial Tutor’s incident, people had developed a preconceived notion when seeing Lan Fan.
If the rumors of the Imperial Tutor eloping with the Emperor’s woman were true, this Mr. Lan would be the future Imperial Tutor.
This voice fell upon the King of Yu’s ears, and as the King of Yu looked at the Emperor again, his face suddenly changed drastically!
“You are not the Emperor, who are you?”
With a wave of his hand, Chu Minghao and Gui Tong behind him leaped forward simultaneously, lunging towards the Emperor at the fastest speed.
No one had expected that the King of Yu’s men would suddenly attack!
That was a crime punishable by death.
It was precisely because they hadn’t anticipated it that even Yang Xun couldn’t react.
By the time Yang Xun reacted and moved to protect the Emperor, Chu Minghao’s palm strike and Gui Tong’s five-finger attack had already reached the Emperor…