The Slender Waist-Chapter 793 - 564: The Edict of Abdication_2

The Princess Chang let out a cold laugh, twice.

"Pingyuan, oh Pingyuan, look at history. How many emperors who abdicated met a good end?"

"There are some." Puyang Yi swallowed hard, lowering her eyes, not daring to meet her mother’s gaze. "Those who didn’t meet a good end were forced to abdicate. Uncle’s situation is different—he’s doing it willingly. The Prince of Yonghuai didn’t coerce him."

The Princess Chang drew a deep breath.

Her daughter’s naivety wasn’t discovered today, but today was the first time it utterly exhausted her. The storms of the court were not something she could explain to Puyang Yi, nor did she have the time to argue about it.

"If you can’t understand, reflect on it at home. This matter needs no further discussion."

The Princess Chang swept her sleeves and departed.

Puyang Yi reached out to grab her but grasped nothing but air.

"Mother!"

The scream was heart-wrenchingly desperate.

There was no response.

Only Puyang Yi’s low sobs remained.

- 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The Princess Chang heard Puyang Yi’s sobs. Her body was utterly tense, and her heart was far from as calm as it appeared.

A line of wild geese flew across the sky.

She glanced up at them before stepping into her carriage.

Whether or not Pei Jue’s allergy to Chuntao was real, she would find out as soon as she paid a visit to his residence.

If Pei Jue did not come out to meet her, then it must surely be Mr. Seventh Xie’s doing.

Leaning against the inner wall of the carriage, the Princess Chang half-closed her eyes, thinking of the myriad incidents that might arise when confronting him at the Pei Residence, and preparing her responses in advance.

Unexpectedly, the carriage jolted to a sudden halt, the coachman shouting, pulling the reins sharply.

The Princess Chang was caught off guard and thrust forward.

"What’s going on?"

Her voice lashed out coldly.

A panting voice rang out from outside, slightly shrill and raspy.

"Your Highness, Princess Chang, the palace... in the palace... His Majesty has suddenly fallen ill. You are urgently requested..."

The Princess Chang felt her chest tighten.

"Hurry—to the palace."

-

Mingguang Hall.

The Princess Chang crossed the threshold without allowing any attendant to support her and strode swiftly toward the inner hall.

It had been a very long time since she had moved with such haste.

In this hall, one emperor had already passed away.

Her younger brother could not follow the same fate...

The Great Jin Imperial Family could not fall, could not fall.

"Your Majesty!" Passing around the folding screen, she pulled aside the layers of veils before the imperial bed and was greeted by a pair of panic-stricken eyes and a gaunt, emaciated emperor.

The Emperor Wenzhi, startled, exhaled in relief when he saw it was her.

"Imperial Sister, you’re here..."

The Princess Chang sat at his side. Because of his intimate manner of address, she did not concern herself with formalities. Instead, she raised her hand directly to touch his forehead, like an elder sister inquiring about her younger brother in an ordinary family.

"What’s the matter? Where does it hurt?"

The Emperor Wenzhi shook his head.

Then, before the Princess Chang could glare at him, he nodded again, clutching at his chest.

"Here, Imperial Sister, here... it hurts..."

The Princess Chang slowly withdrew her hand, staring at him.

In just a short time, he had become so thin and haggard. His body, though not afflicted with a significant illness, had deteriorated to the point of being unrecognizable. Even those once-gentle eyes had lost their light, as if a demon had snatched away his soul.

"You are the emperor. I shouldn’t say too much, but... sigh, there’s no one else here. Then, as your elder sister, let me properly talk some sense into you."

These words had been suppressed in the Princess Chang’s heart for a long, long time.

Long enough to trace back to the passing of the Emperor of Xifeng.

In the entire royal family, there wasn’t a single person capable of shouldering the legacy of the dynasty. Li Sangruo’s youngest son to Yuan Shangyi—they were all mere children, incapable of decision-making.

The imperial court was at the mercy of the ministers, and from Li Zongxun to Pei Jue, there was no difference. Finally, her younger brother ascended the throne...

She thought, at least her brother was an adult. As long as he showed promise, there would one day be a chance to correct the imbalance of a weak emperor dominated by powerful ministers. Even if he couldn’t emulate the Great Ancestor Gaozu, if he could model himself after the Emperor of Xifeng and stand on his own, there’d still be hope.

Who could have expected that this brother of hers would be so disappointing? A mere fright gave him a heart ailment. Not only did he avoid attending court, but he refused to even continue being emperor, prepared to give away their ancestors’ hard-won foundation...

As the Princess Chang thought of this, tears fell before she could even speak.

"Who doesn’t want a peaceful life? I want that too. A woman like me—what is there to fight over? But... how can I stand and watch our ancestors’ legacy be destroyed in an instant, allowing you to give away the foundation as if it were nothing?"

"Imperial Sister..." The Emperor Wenzhi, seeing her cry, wept as well.

"I can’t do it. I can’t be a good emperor. I’m afraid. Every day, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. I wake up in fits in the middle of the night, incapable of falling back to sleep... Imperial Sister, please replace me. Just replace me..."

"Nonsense. Look at the royal family—is there anyone else who can replace you? In this line of ours, there’s no one left but you and Ayue!"

"Ayue..." At the mention of his still-imprisoned son, the Emperor Wenzhi’s tears fell even more heavily.

"An emperor who can’t even protect his own son—what’s the point of being such an emperor? It’s nothing but a puppet, Imperial Sister, just a puppet..."

"What if you are a puppet?" The Princess Chang’s eyes widened, glaring at him in anger. "Even if you’re a puppet, as long as the Jin throne bears the Yuan name, even if Pei Jue holds all the power, in your presence, he can only bow as a minister. The empire is still the Yuan family’s empire..."

"What’s the difference? What’s the difference?" The Emperor Wenzhi muttered, staring blankly at her. His palm pressed against his chest, clawing at it fiercely, cold sweat beading on his forehead. His voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Imperial Sister, I’m dying—I’m truly dying from fright. Ruan Pu was imprisoned—do you know... the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, imprisoned just like that, beaten and treated without dignity... the next one will be me. It’ll be me..."

The Princess Chang inhaled sharply and released a heavy sigh.

"Stop overthinking."

She tried to comfort him with a gentle voice, tugging at the corner of his blanket. "Rest. I will head to the Pei Residence now and tear the mask off his face. Don’t be afraid—while your sister lives, there will be a way..."

These were the simplest words a sister could say.

She thought that, with her meager strength, she might be able to manage the current crisis.

Even if she couldn’t entirely turn the tide, at the very least, she could allow the teetering Great Jin Imperial Family to survive for a while longer, give her weak-willed brother a chance to regain his senses, and prevent more lives from being lost due to his feebleness...

Unexpectedly, before her words even fell, the Emperor Wenzhi lowered his head.

"It’s too late, Imperial Sister, it’s already too late..."

The Emperor Wenzhi dared not look into her eyes. Under her confused gaze, he slowly pulled out a piece of paper from beneath his pillow.

"This is the discarded Edict of Abdication. The newly written one... has already been sent to the Pei Residence..."

The Princess Chang’s face changed drastically, overwhelmed by shock.

"What? What did you say?"

The Emperor Wenzhi slowly rose, then knelt down before her, his lips trembling.

"I am ashamed before our ancestors... Imperial Sister, I only want to live, even if it’s humiliating—just to survive is enough... They promised me that if I abdicate willingly, they will spare the royal bloodline, not exterminate us."

The Princess Chang’s voice turned icy with anger: "Your Majesty, you’ve lost your mind!"