"After so many years, this is the first time I’ve seen Mr. Cui so anxious. I thought you would always remain composed no matter what."

"Before today, many must have thought of Mr. Cui as a loyal minister to the Emperor."

Indeed, many in court thought so.

But now, upon closer reflection, it’s clear that Cui Yu was cunning and calculating. Each of his steps seemed risky, but ultimately, the results favored the Cui Family—as long as the person sitting on the throne was Song Chong. As long as Song Chong remained in power, and Cui Yu remained loyal to the emperor, the Cui Family would not fare poorly.

However, no amount of Cui Yu’s scheming could surpass the unforeseen changes of reality.

How could he have imagined that the daughter, Cui Chen, who grew up by his side, unloved and sent away to die, would one day become the founding emperor of Canglan Country?

Cui Yu must feel deep regret, but regret is useless. The causal relationships were determined long ago: If the Cui Family hadn’t sent Cui Chen away, she wouldn’t have become Yu Chen, and Canglan Country wouldn’t have existed.

"Spare the Cui Family." Everyone else could think of this, so how could Cui Yu not have thought of it? How did it end up like this? Clearly, the founding emperor of Canglan Country came from the Cui Family, but Cui Chen became Yu Chen, severing all ties with the Cui Family entirely.

And today, she allowed Song Chong to exercise the power of the Emperor of Nan Qi for one last time. It was clear what would happen to the Cui Family.

Ah Chen did not pay any more attention to Cui Yu but stood at the entrance of the Golden Throne Hall, looking at Song Chong, who was slumped on the dragon throne, and asked with a smile, "Emperor of Nan Qi, are you going to exercise this power?"

Song Chong never imagined that his fate would end like this, with Nan Qi defeated by his hands.

It wasn’t that he was too weak; it was that Yu Chen was too strong.

Even the Bei Qi back then couldn’t think of annexing Nan Qi, so how did someone as formidable as Yu Chen appear? And she was just a woman.

If only he hadn’t sent Yu Chen to replace Jing’er back then, Yu Chen wouldn’t have gone to Bei Qi, and Canglan Country wouldn’t exist. Given her abilities, she might have even been loyal to Nan Qi.

"You just want to watch us slaughter each other, right?" Song Chong unexpectedly smiled. If it weren’t for his slumped posture, he might genuinely seem unafraid of life and death.

Ah Chen said, "Yes, I do want to see it. But if you don’t want to exercise this power, it doesn’t matter. You must understand that you are not important to me, and there’s no need for you to bargain with me. You are all prisoners now and have no right to negotiate. Whether you agree or not makes no difference to me; I will not let you go because of it."

Song Chong fell silent, having initially wanted to discuss some terms, but now he’s unsure what to say.

Indeed, they are prisoners; how could they have the right to negotiate?

"Hahaha..." Song Chong suddenly burst into laughter. "Wouldn’t it have been better if I hadn’t sent you instead of Jing’er to Bei Qi back then?"

Ah Chen chuckled lightly, "If you returned to the past without any memory, your choice would still be to send me in Song Jing’s place to Bei Qi, rather than being willing to send her."

"And if you had your memories, do you think it’s possible for such a good thing to happen? Why would the heavens favor a coward like you?"

Being scolded again, he didn’t know how many times he’d been scolded today.

Before today, who would dare speak to him like that?

He knew Ah Chen was still waiting. Some reaction was expected, and ending it early might be less painful. Otherwise, there were plenty of torturous methods in the world.

Song Chong looked toward Cui Yu, contemplating how to exercise the emperor’s power one last time.

For a traitor, death was only fitting.

But he also didn’t want to let Cui Yu die so easily; that would be too much to Yu Chen’s satisfaction. Even if she had severed ties with the Cui Family, she would always have originated from them, a fact that couldn’t be erased. Even knowing his actions couldn’t affect her, Song Chong still wanted to do something to aggravate her.

Cui Yu and Cui Zhao were both anxious. How could it come to this?

They all looked at Song Chong, tormented within, knowing that if they pleaded for mercy from Song Chong now, it would be truly laughable.

"Would you not intervene no matter how I dealt with them?" Song Chong asked.

Ah Chen smiled, "That would depend on how you handle them. If it’s reasonable, I won’t interfere. If it’s unreasonable, then that’s something else to consider."

Song Chong already had an idea—it would be better to let the Cui Family live.

Cui Yu’s betrayal today enraged him.

If this had happened before, he would have killed the entire Cui Family to warn the other restless individuals.

But today was different; he only had one last opportunity to exercise his power as emperor, and it could only be directed at the Cui Family.

Cui Yu closed his eyes, ultimately deciding not to plead with Song Chong; pleading or not, his fate was already sealed. She wouldn’t be merciful. Pleading further would only make him a joke and perhaps even be recorded in history. After all, the Cui Family’s connection to the founding empress of Canglan Country would be a topic of great interest, impossible to conceal.

He didn’t plead, but unexpectedly, the death-fearing Cui Zhao did.

"Your Majesties, please spare my life." Cui Zhao fell to his knees, bowing to Ah Chen and then to Song Chong, causing the entire court to turn their eyes on him, with some unsure what to make of his cowardice.

Cui Yu’s eyes shot open, glaring at Cui Zhao, who was still kowtowing fiercely, and shouted, "Cui Zhao, get up!"

"Cui Zhao, no matter how much you plead today, it won’t do us any good. Get up now!"

"Cui Zhao, if you don’t want to be ridiculed by future generations, stand up."

If the Cui Family could be honored, he wouldn’t care about reputation. The Cui Family still existed, held high status, and could change many things. After all, this world belongs to the victors.

But now the Cui Family is defeated. From the moment Cui Chen was sent away, the Cui Family was defeated.

His previous decisions were reasonable, even if recorded in the annals; they’d only be debated briefly. He, Cui Yu, calculated everything but ultimately lost to the unpredictability of reality.

But with Cui Zhao kneeling today, pleading simultaneously to two emperors, truly brings disgrace, now and to future generations.

Death would be preferable, at least not as a laughingstock, merely as a defeated strategist.

Now that Cui Zhao is kneeling, it’s not just about the future reputation of the Cui Family; even the surviving members would be mocked wherever they went, unable to speak of Yu Chen having come from the Cui Family. Mentioning it would only make people think of the Cui Family as despicable and shameless.

How could Cui Zhao be so afraid of death?

"Mr. Cui, is this the son you valued most, so fearful of death, unlike you?" Having an opportunity for mockery, Ah Chen wouldn’t miss it.

Cui Yu wasn’t considered fearful of death; he could let go when necessary, depending on the situation. In today’s scenario, he’d rather Cui Zhao die than kneel and beg Ah Chen and Song Chong for mercy.

Cui Zhao’s kneeling today brings disgrace to the entire Cui clan, likely leading to years of ridicule.