Ji Wuxin stared at the royal edict in Zhao Si’s hands in disbelief.
Father… passed the throne to me?!
Shock surged through him, followed by excitement… and a deep, suffocating fear of that position.
Zhao Si glanced at him and said softly, “Your Highness, please receive the edict.”
Although he had already been declared the new emperor, it was still more appropriate to address him as “Your Highness” before the enthronement ceremony.
“I accept the decree!”
Ji Wuxin raised his trembling hands and took the edict.
The position he had long struggled for was finally placed in his hands. At that moment, it felt unbearably heavy.
Meanwhile, Ji Wuyi seemed struck by lightning. His head lowered heavily as his entire body trembled.
Bloodshot veins filled his eyes. His fists clenched tightly, his face still frozen in disbelief.
Why him? Why him?
Father clearly valued me the most… why would he pass the throne to him?
I refuse… I refuse!
Ji Wuyi’s unwillingness erupted into a surge of hatred—toward Ji Wuxin, toward the late emperor, and toward Zhao Si.
Ji Wuxin held the edict and asked, “May I ask, Lord Zhao Si, how did Father…”
He did not finish, but the meaning was clear—he was asking how the emperor had died.
Ji Wuyi also regained a trace of clarity from his turmoil. He, too, wanted to know how their father had died.
Zhao Si naturally did not dare to say that the emperor had died from excess. He replied respectfully, “Your Highness may rest assured. His Majesty has peacefully exhausted his lifespan and passed on. Other than not being able to reunite with Your Highness and the princesses in the palace, he had no regrets.”
“The journey was long, and the incident sudden. To avoid causing panic among the common people, this servant had no choice but to use abalone…”
Hearing this, Ji Wuxin felt relieved. Countless people in the world died of illness, starvation, or violence. To live out one’s lifespan and reach the end of life… that was already a blessing.
As for the abalone, Ji Wuxin was not naive. He understood the hidden meaning. If the news had spread too early, before the edict was announced, the capital would have already fallen into chaos.
Whether for self-preservation or the struggle for power, he himself would have been among those blamed.
“I understand. Thank you, Lord Zhao Si.”
Zhao Si replied politely, “Your Highness is too courteous. In the future, you may simply address this servant by name.”
“No! Father isn’t dead! Father isn’t dead! You’re all lying to me!”
At that moment, Ji Wuyi suddenly raised his head. He seemed to lose his mind as he rushed forward on his knees toward the dragon carriage, tears streaming down his face, his cries tearing through the air.
“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! Father isn’t dead!”
“I heard Father calling me! Father, your son is coming to see you now!”
“Second Brother!” Ji Wuxin shouted urgently, but Ji Wuyi was incredibly fast. In just a few moments, he reached the dragon carriage and stretched out his hand to lift the curtain.
Seeing this, Zhao Si also shouted loudly, “Second Highness, you must not!”
His frantic, disordered behavior made most people present believe that Ji Wuyi could not withstand the blow and had gone mad.
At that moment, a hand shot out and grabbed Ji Wuyi’s wrist, stopping him.
Ji Wuyi turned his gaze coldly toward the owner of the hand and said, “You worthless cur… you’re nothing more than a hereditary marquis, yet you dare stop me from seeing my father?”
“Get out of my way!”
Cao Shu said calmly, “Second Highness, His Majesty has already passed. If you recklessly lift the curtain, exposing his body to the sun, it would be a great disrespect.”
Among the common people, there was an unwritten belief that once a person died, they no longer belonged to the living world. If their body was exposed to sunlight, their soul would scatter and be unable to enter reincarnation.
Though there was no real proof, it had been passed down for generations, and people followed it. Such an act would indeed be considered deeply disrespectful.
Ji Wuyi’s eyes burned red as he roared, “You’re lying! Father isn’t dead! I want to see him! He’s not dead! I heard him call me just now!”
“Second Highness, please restrain your grief.”
Cao Shu tightened his grip. At the same time, he secretly activated the Devouring Heaven Technique, frantically absorbing the spiritual energy within Ji Wuyi’s body. His own 8th stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation also suppressed Ji Wuyi’s movements.
“Get lost! My father isn’t dead…”
At that moment, Ji Wuyi suddenly felt the spiritual energy in his body draining rapidly. Shock filled his expression, and his voice grew weaker and weaker.
“Your Highness, His Majesty has already passed. If you’re so agitated… do you wish to follow him?” Cao Shu’s eyes darkened. He shook his head slightly and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, his tone laced with mockery and threat.
[500 Villain Points obtained.]
Only then did Ji Wuyi realize that the source of his draining spiritual energy was Cao Shu. His body was completely suppressed, unable to move. His gaze gradually filled with shock. “How… is this possible?”
In his memory, Cao Shu had been nothing more than a pleasure-seeking wastrel, with cultivation far inferior to his own. How could he possess such power?
“So Your Highness isn’t mad after all,” Cao Shu sneered.
“You dog! Let me go!” Ji Wuyi gritted his teeth. “Return my spiritual energy!”
He was indeed not mad. He did not believe that the emperor had died of natural causes. He had pretended to lose his mind to see whether there was some scheme behind the Eldest Prince… but he had been stopped by the man before him.
“Very well,” Cao Shu said indifferently. The spiritual energy he had absorbed surged back into Ji Wuyi’s body… at twice the amount.
The moment that violent surge entered Ji Wuyi’s body, it began wreaking havoc.
“Ugh—”
Ji Wuyi’s blood and energy churned violently. His face flushed crimson, and a metallic taste filled his throat.
“Pfft—”
After enduring it for only a moment, he could no longer hold on. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision darkening as he collapsed unconscious.
[500 Villain Points obtained.]
“Second Highness!”
“Second Highness!”
Ji Wuyi’s followers cried out repeatedly and tried to rush forward to help him. Zhao Si cast a cold glance and released a hint of pressure, and no one dared to step forward.
The officials and members of the royal clan felt a trace of disappointment. They had hoped that in his madness, Ji Wuyi would lift the curtain and reveal the emperor’s final appearance, allowing them to see whether there were any wounds.
Zhao Si raised his voice, “His Majesty has ascended to immortality. The Second Highness, being deeply filial, was overcome with grief and vomited blood before fainting. Quickly, summon the royal physicians!”
“Second Brother…” Ji Wuxin looked at the unconscious Ji Wuyi, his heart feeling complicated. He had not expected their father’s death to affect him so deeply. Now that he had obtained the throne, he would treat him well in the future.
A satisfied smile curved at Cao Shu’s lips. Ji Wuyi’s fate had already been altered by him, and now he had even beaten him into vomiting blood. A sense of triumph filled his chest.
Extremely satisfying.
In truth, letting Ji Wuyi see the emperor’s corpse would not have mattered. The emperor had died naturally—nothing suspicious could be uncovered.
A son viewing his father’s remains was perfectly justified.
He simply… did not want him to see.
[1000 Villain Points obtained.]
The smile on Cao Shu’s lips deepened. Ji Wuyi was truly a perfect tool for harvesting Villain Points.
Just a small action… stopping him once… already brought in 2000 points. It was absurdly easy.
He couldn’t let him die so easily in the future… he had to make proper use of this tool.