The more arrogant Chen Chu became, the more reassured Chen Qing felt.
Although he appeared unharmed on the surface, he knew his own condition best. His extraordinary meridians had long suffered backlash when his breakthrough failed, leaving them battered and ruined by the reverse surge of dragon energy.
One year was the limit of his remaining lifespan.
If it were any other prince, there would be no hope of undergoing a complete transformation within a year and reaching a level where he could guard Tianchen for him.
Only Chen Chu.
Chen Qing said, “I certainly do not mean that. If you have the ability to kill Du Hanhai, do not hold back. Every transition of imperial power in Tianchen must face a great purge. It is unavoidable. Since Du Hanhai has come knocking, let him be the first to fall.”
Beneath that look was coldness, along with an air of complete self-righteousness.
Then Chen Qing added, “Of course, I will not depose the Empress. But after I pass away, whether the Empress can safely become the Empress Dowager is no longer within my consideration.”
By saying this, Emperor Wuzhao Chen Qing showed that he was not an utterly heartless man.
Even if your maternal family has already become a thorn in my side, I still will not make things difficult for you.
At this point, Imperial Grandson Chen Fengyi would no longer have any chance at the throne.
The Overlord Sword Sect had originally been Chen Fengyi’s strongest backing after Zhuge Changsheng, but now, because of the Empress’s impulsive act, it had become the first target Chen Qing chose to purge.
Without the support of the Overlord Sword Sect, what could Chen Fengyi use to preserve his position as crown prince?
At this moment, Du Hanhai, the Overlord Sword of the World, who was hurrying toward the imperial city, probably could never have imagined that before he even arrived, his fate had already been arranged.
After finishing with Du Hanhai, Chen Qing asked an unavoidable question, simple and direct.
“Chen Chu, do you want to be Emperor?”
Chen Chu did not take the bait and threw the question back at him. “What position does His Majesty hope I will stand in for Tianchen?”
Chen Qing had imagined this question countless times before Chen Chu returned to the imperial city.
He already had an answer in his heart.
He recalled, “At first, what I most hoped to see was a deep uncle-nephew bond between you and Fengyi, with Fengyi inheriting the throne and you becoming Tianchen’s greatest minister. But the first thing you did after entering the imperial city was help me exclude Fengyi from the crown prince position.”
“Because Fengyi is Xiong’er’s only son, I favored him for that reason and bestowed on him every possible kindness, always wanting to cultivate him so that he could inherit the throne. Although I knew his abilities were very limited, as long as I made proper arrangements before I pass away and had enough capable people to support him, he might not have done a bad job as emperor. It is just… in the end, I was still indulging in wishful thinking.”
“To forge iron, one must first be strong oneself. Without the ability to wield the world, forcibly propping him up onto the throne would only bring chaos to the world!”
It was fortunate that Chen Fengyi had not heard their conversation, otherwise he probably would have been so angered that he fainted again. He had originally still had a slight chance of preserving his crown prince position and inheriting the throne. Yet because he rashly went to the city gate to show off, that crown prince position was kicked into oblivion by Chen Chu’s one foot.
Chen Qing then continued, “Among my three sons, Chen Si, Chen Bai, and Chen Yu, aside from Chen Yu, who has ambition but no matching strength, Chen Si and Chen Bai are both acceptable choices, though they each have shortcomings.”
“If your mother were not Luo Xue, even if she were the lowest maid in the imperial palace, I would not have hesitated at all to choose you as crown prince!”
“My heart remains conflicted.”
Chen Chu was far too outstanding, so outstanding that even he, as Father Emperor, felt inferior.
But Chen Chu’s mother was the Sacred Lord of the Longevity Sect, the hidden female emperor of the wasteland. And Chen Chu was also the son Luo Xue had personally sent to him.
This was a blatant scheme.
Back then, Luo Xue sent the one-year-old Chen Chu to the Taiji Hall because she wanted Chen Chu to become the key that would overturn the Tianchen Dynasty.
Chen Qing had originally thought that sending Chen Chu to the Ancestor’s side to study would preserve Chen Chu’s life; as long as he was not allowed to cultivate, he would not become a disaster for Tianchen.
However, fate’s turn is always full of drama.
Twenty years later, he, the Tianchen emperor, had no choice but to take the initiative to send someone to bring Chen Chu to the imperial city.
He even had to consider making Chen Chu crown prince.
Luo Xue’s calculations from twenty-two years ago were now prying open the future of the Tianchen Dynasty…
Fortunately, although their son did not listen to him as his father, he also would not be your Luo Xue’s puppet.
“So, Chen Chu, from the moment you stepped into the imperial city, who would be named crown prince was no longer something I could decide. Tell me, do you want to be the emperor of the Tianchen Dynasty?”
“I do!”
Chen Chu answered without hesitation.
Chen Qing reminded him, “Think it through clearly. The resistance inside and outside Tianchen against your inheriting the throne is enormous! If you want to ascend the throne, the difficulty is ten times greater than when I ascended the throne back then! Moreover, the strongest powers across the land of Tianzhou are all waiting for me to pass away, exhausting every method to overturn our Tianchen Dynasty. Even if you can smoothly ascend the throne, the road ahead will still be extremely dangerous. One misstep, and it will be total ruin.”
“And if you choose to take a step back and become a powerful minister with great authority, then even if the Tianchen Dynasty is ultimately overturned in the future, you would still have the chance to retreat unscathed.”
“Even so, are you willing?”
Chen Chu showed no change in expression and replied calmly, “I don’t like making promises to people, but I promised the Ancestor that I would extend the Tianchen Dynasty’s life by a hundred years. Only if I am the Emperor can I guarantee that I can do it. So what if it is difficult? I also want to see just how strong those peaks standing in this world really are, and whether they truly cannot be defeated!”
Chen Qing smiled with relief. At this moment, he had also made his decision.
Without the courage to march forward even against ten million foes, one could not bear the weight of Tianchen!
Chen Chu was not the best choice.
Rather, he was the only choice!
“Good. Since you want to fight for it, I will give you this opportunity. As long as you can eliminate the Overlord Sword Sect, I will depose the Imperial Grandson and announce to the world that I will establish you, Chen Chu, as Crown Prince! As long as I am still alive for one day, I will stand with you and strike against the current.”
At this moment, this father and son reached an agreement.
“Her Majesty the Empress arrives!”
“His Highness the Imperial Grandson arrives!”
The eunuch’s announcement rang out.
Chen Qing immediately frowned, displeasure showing on his face.
The elegant and dignified Du Lin’er, with Chen Fengyi leaning on a crutch, strode over menacingly.
They saw Chen Chu and His Majesty seated opposite each other, chatting and laughing.
Du Lin’er’s face could not have been darker, and Chen Fengyi’s eyes were filled with boundless hatred as he looked at Chen Chu.
“This consort greets Your Majesty!”
“This grandson greets Grandfather Emperor!”
“Rise.”
Chen Qing wore a dark expression and asked coldly, “What business do the Empress and the Imperial Grandson have in coming to see me?”
Seeing Chen Qing’s attitude, Chen Fengyi forgot all the accusations he had prepared on the way here. Grandfather Emperor’s attitude toward him today was very wrong.
“Your Majesty is asking when you already know the answer!”
Empress Du Lin’er, however, refused to show weakness. She glared fiercely at Chen Chu and asked word by word, “Your Majesty, my nephew Du Heng was killed by the Ninth Prince. Shouldn’t Your Majesty give this consort an explanation for this matter?”
Chen Chu remained indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Chen Fengyi looked full of expectation, hoping Grandfather Emperor would immediately punish Chen Chu.
But Chen Qing slowly stood up, walked to Du Lin’er, and looked down at her. There was no trace of marital affection in his eyes; all that remained was imperial majesty.
He asked in a cold voice, “Empress, you want me to give you an explanation, is that right?”
Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking Du Lin’er’s heart and mind.
Du Lin’er showed fear, but her noble identity as Empress told her she could not back down. She still had the Overlord Sword Sect backing her, and His Majesty, a dying emperor, absolutely would not dare to do anything to her.
So she glared back without yielding.
“Yes!”
Slap!
The crisp and resounding sound of the slap echoed through the Imperial Garden.
Du Lin’er was slapped to the ground, a bright red palm print on her face.
Chen Qing said with imperial authority, “This is my explanation. Empress, are you satisfied?”