The Empress's words completely pulled Chu Yanxi's thoughts back. He had worked so hard for so long, wasn't it all for that position of supreme power? Now, he was only one step away from it.
How could he be willing to watch Chu Chenyi ascend the throne he had always dreamed of, while he himself had to kneel and submit to the person he once despised the most? How could he accept such a fate?
"Mother, you are right. We cannot just wait any longer. If we delay further, we will all become prisoners. The only option now is to go all out."
The Empress looked at Chu Yanxi, whose fighting spirit had been rekindled, and felt a deep sense of relief. "Xi'er, I am very pleased that you think this way. Rest assured, as long as I am here, everything will be arranged for you. Look, this is what Mother has prepared for you long ago."
Taking out a bright yellow imperial edict from the rosewood box behind her, the Empress handed it to Chu Yanxi. To his surprise, the Empress spoke softly, "Xi'er, open it and take a look. This is a gift from Mother."
Chu Yanxi took the edict and opened it. Inside was the诏书 (zhaoshu) of abdication to him. "Mother, where did you get this imperial edict?"
"This imperial edict was prepared by Mother long ago as a contingency. I originally intended for your father to write it himself. However, your father has been delaying the matter of naming you Crown Prince due to the Empress Dowager's obstruction. I felt something was amiss, so I imitated your father's handwriting to forge this诏书 (zhaoshu). The imperial seal on it is also real."
"No one will be able to tell the difference. Once you ascend the throne, this fake imperial edict will become real, and no one will suspect anything."
As long as Chu Yanxi ascended the throne, the victor would be king and the loser a captive. The fake would become real, and no one would dare to object.
"Thank you, Mother. On the day of my enthronement, I will trouble Mother to read this imperial edict."
"Xi'er, you are all of Mother's hope. Just go ahead and do what you need to do. Mother will wait to witness your ascent to the throne, and then Mother will personally read the imperial edict for you."
The Empress took out a pure gold token from her sleeve and handed it to Chu Yanxi. "Go, Xi'er. Advance to your father's sleeping quarters, control Chu Chenyi, and restrain the Empress Dowager. Just wait for your father's death, and you will be the new Emperor."
Chu Yanxi tightly clenched the token in his hand, his mind made up. After bidding farewell to the Empress, he strode directly towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
...
"How about I bring in one of the guards outside to have them test the medicine?"
After much thought, Chu Chenyi could only come up with such a ridiculous idea, earning him a huge eye-roll from Feng Jin.
"I really suspect your brain is filled with mush, spouting such useless nonsense..."
If they really brought a guard in to test the medicine, wouldn't that be alerting the enemy? If that were the case, they shouldn't have asked Nanny Qin to help them cover their tracks when they entered earlier; they should have just barged in boldly.
Chu Chenyi sat on a chair, frustrated and completely at a loss. "Then tell me what to do. I'll listen to everything you say."
This wouldn't work, and that wouldn't work either. He was utterly helpless and could only do as Feng Jin suggested.
Feng Jin rolled her eyes, glaring at Chu Chenyi with disdain. She knew he couldn't be of much help, so she hadn't really planned for Chu Yanxi to do anything from the start.
"I will test the medicine myself."
As a physician, she would be able to understand the properties of the medicine better by testing it herself, which would allow her to better administer it to Emperor Xuanwen.
"No, before we came, I promised Ling Mohan that I would ensure your personal safety. How can I let you test the medicine? If anything happens to you, how will I explain it to Ling Mohan?"
He absolutely would not let Feng Jin test the medicine. If anything happened to Feng Jin, it would be like taking Ling Mohan's life.
At that time, if he went mad, he would be the first to hold him accountable. It would be better for him to test the medicine himself.
"I'll test the medicine."
"No, I told you long ago, if the antidote research fails and His Majesty has an accident, you will still need to preside over the situation. With you in charge, the Eastern Chu will not fall into chaos, so you absolutely cannot test the medicine."
"Then you can't test it either. If something happens to you, how can I explain it to Ling Mohan? Aren't you trying to take Ling Mohan's life?"
"I am a physician. If I feel any discomfort, I will find a way to save myself. I will absolutely not let anything happen to me."
Feng Jin thought long and hard. It was most appropriate for her to test the antidote she had researched herself.
At present, there was no one else in the entire room more suitable than her. This matter could only be handled best by her.
"You don't need to try to persuade me anymore. My mind is made up."
As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Jin took out the medicine and was about to put it in her mouth when she was interrupted by loud noises from outside.
Her hand trembled, and the hard-won medicine almost fell to the ground.
Chu Chenyi's expression immediately changed, and he quickly realized something was wrong. He hurried outside.
He was then shocked by the scene before him. Several guards were killed with a single sword, and countless soldiers rushed in, surrounding the Empress Dowager, Nanny Qin, and others.
"Imperial Grandmother!" Chu Chenyi, upon seeing the sword at the Empress Dowager's throat, was filled with extreme rage. Just as he was about to rush forward, he was surrounded by several guards.
After all, even the strongest fists couldn't withstand four hands. After a series of grueling battles, Chu Chenyi was finally defeated and restrained by several soldiers, pinned to the ground.
"Second Brother, it's best you stay still. What can you do alone against my tens of thousands of Imperial Guards?"
Only then did Chu Chenyi recognize who had come from behind him. His eyes blazing with anger, he glared at Chu Yanxi, who was walking towards him with a smile.
"Chu Yanxi, why have you brought your men to barge in here?"
Chu Yanxi walked up to Chu Chenyi, sneered, and looked down at the fallen Chu Chenyi. He suddenly stomped on Chu Chenyi's back with a kick, exerting a slight force, and directly pinned Chu Chenyi under his feet.
"You're already a prisoner, yet you dare to be so arrogant. You truly don't know your limits!"
"Chu Yanxi, what exactly do you want? You led troops to storm the Emperor's chambers and pointed a sword at me. Are you trying to rebel?"
The Empress Dowager had experienced such scenes more than once. Her expression remained calm, without any fluctuation, as if she were accustomed to it.
The more composed she was, the more Chu Yanxi felt a hint of panic.
"Imperial Grandmother, your grandson has come here also out of concern for Father's illness."