The Human Emperor Chapter 2463 - Side Story Chapter 36: Li Chengyis Ambition!

“Second Highness!”

Eunuch Li was aghast at the sight of this figure.

Virtuous Empress Dou immediately stood up and rebuked, “Chengyi, what are you trying to do!? Do you not know that no one is allowed inside Taiji Palace without your Imperial Father’s decree?”

“Is that so? Do you really think that anyone still cares about so-called imperial decrees?”

Li Chengyi coldly laughed, his feet not stopping.

Virtuous Empress Dou was a consort, and all the Princes had to bow to her, but at this moment, she did not exist in Li Chengyi’s eyes.

“My good Imperial Father, at a time like this, you summon the Grand Preceptor and Grand Tutor, and send out Virtuous Empress Dou, but how could you forget about Chengyi?”

The Tang Emperor lay on his bed with his mouth shut as if he had not seen his son.

“Impudent! This place is not yours to act so brazenly. Are you not worried about the Crown Prince finding out?”

Virtuous Empress Dou was infuriated.

Every person had their own place and duty—ruler and subject, father and son. For Li Chengyi to act and speak this way in front of the Emperor was utterly treasonous.

Even if something of this sort was to happen, it should have been the Crown Prince coming in, not Li Chengyi.

“Haaaa...”

Eunuch Li let out a long sigh as if he wanted to say something, but he did not say a word.

“Haha.”

Li Chengyi glanced over at Eunuch Li, who had closed his eyes, and smugly laughed.

“As expected of a woman! Haven’t you realized that Eunuch Li and Imperial Father have said nothing? Do you really think that the Imperial Army soldiers guarding Taiji Palace are actually the Crown Prince’s subordinates, that this place is really under the control of First Brother?”

“You!”

Virtuous Empress Dou paled. Though she had been slow on the uptake, she now realized that Li Chengyi had done something with the Imperial Army.

The Imperial Army soldiers around Taiji Palace had all been personally selected by First Prince Li Xuantu. This concerned the safety of the Emperor and the struggle for the throne, so the First Prince would have been extremely cautious and trusted completely in these people. For Li Chengyi to have pulled off some sort of trick in these circumstances was simply unbelievable.

As she looked at the youthful figure before her, Virtuous Empress Dou couldn’t help but shiver.

“You unfilial son!” At this moment, the Tang Emperor spoke. His eyes were closed and his face was calm, apparently unsurprised. “Xuantu and Third Son were both mistaken about you. Those incidents that have been taking place in the palace recently, including the conflicts between your first and third brothers, were probably all instigated by you from the shadows!”

“Undoubtedly my Imperial Father! It seems like I can hide nothing from you. I worked so diligently in the court for so many years, but you never once said I had the qualities to inherit the throne and were even reluctant to make me a King. It seems that you probably knew everything long ago and had already excluded me from the struggle for the throne,” Li Chengyi viciously said.

Eunuch Li and Virtuous Empress Dou shivered in fear at the look on his face. They had never seen this side of Li Chengyi before.

“Unfilial son! If you had cleaned up a little in that time, We might have given you a chance, but now, even if We die, you will never inherit the throne,” the Tang Emperor calmly said.

“Is that so? It’s not up to you to decide!”

Li Chengyi’s eyes chilled, a hint of savagery appearing on his handsome face.

Li Chengyi flipped his hand around, and a moment later, he appeared at Virtuous Empress Dou’s side, pressing a thin blade the width of two fingers against her neck.

“You dare!”

The Emperor became enraged.

“Empress!”

Eunuch Li paled in fright. No one had expected Li Chengyi to turn hostile so abruptly and threaten Virtuous Empress Dou.

Moreover, everyone in the Imperial Palace knew that the First Prince and the Third Prince were the most martially competent of the Princes. But Li Chengyi’s movements right now had displayed an extremely high level of martial arts, not lacking when compared to the First Prince or Third Prince.

No one had ever realized this.

“Imperial Father, you wanted to work around me and summon the Grand Preceptor and Grand Tutor to draft a decree formally appointing a successor, but I am afraid that I cannot grant your wish. Since you will not be compassionate, I will not be filial. Hand over the jade seal. I’ve been searching for ages but have not been able to find the jade seal. You must be hiding it.

“If you hand over the jade seal, I can consider letting Virtuous Empress Dou and Eunuch Li go. Otherwise, your faithful servant of several decades and your lover of ten-some years might have their blood spilled all over the floor.”

“Beast!”

A flicker of fury crossed the Tang Emperor’s countenance. He hadn’t anticipated Li Chengyi’s ruthless tactic of exploiting his affection for Virtuous Empress Dou.

But his shocked silence was shattered by the sound of steel against flesh. A crimson line bloomed on Virtuous Empress Dou’s pale throat as blood began to seep forth.

“Imperial Father, you no longer need to trouble yourself with such matters. Your mind has reached its final clarity. Must you still cling to the throne?”

“Your son fears that if this blade of mine advances but a fraction more, the woman you cherish most will be severed from her head,” Li Chengyi’s voice dripped with malice.

“T-terminal lucidity!”

Virtuous Empress Dou, a mixture of rage and terror surging through her, disregarded her own peril. Upon hearing Li Chengyi’s barb, her gaze snapped towards the Emperor.

The fleeting joy she had felt moments before evaporated, and a chilling dread washed over her as she noticed the unnatural flush on the Emperor’s face.

“No, this cannot be…”

A profound sorrow painted Virtuous Empress Dou’s features, her eyes welling with tears.

Understanding dawned upon her. She had mistaken the Tang Emperor’s brief awakening for a sign of recovery, but in reality, it was merely him expending his last reserves of life force.

“Chengyi, I shall not permit you to succeed!”

A steely resolve hardened Virtuous Empress Dou’s gaze as she lunged at Li Chengyi, utterly unconcerned by the blade at her neck. Yet, her reckless charge was met with a swift bolt of energy from Li Chengyi’s fingers.

With a gentle push, Li Chengyi rendered Virtuous Empress Dou unconscious.

“Fool! Do you presume to die without my leave?”

Concurrently, both Eunuch Li and the Tang Emperor exhaled sighs of relief.

The entire situation was a brutal political gambit, and this dangerous arena was no place for a woman. Thus, this outcome was deemed the most favorable.

“Imperial Father, I have already exercised restraint for your sake. However, if you do not relinquish the jade seal, I cannot vouch for my subsequent actions,” Li Chengyi declared, his tone menacing.

He then turned his sharp gaze towards Eunuch Li. The struggle for the throne was undeniably the most savage of contests, and he felt no compunction about indulging in a degree of savagery for its prize.

At that critical juncture, the Tang Emperor finally broke his silence. “Eunuch Li, assist Us.”

Eunuch Li’s heart ached with a pang of sorrow, yet he dutifully helped the Emperor to rise.

The Emperor, gaunt from his prolonged illness, began to emanate a regal aura as he slowly sat upright.

Despite Li Chengyi’s firm resolve in his treachery, his heart involuntarily skipped a beat, a tremor of apprehension running through him at the sight of that piercing imperial gaze.

The sheer majesty of the Emperor was a brand seared deep into the souls of all his princes.

However, after a brief moment, Li Chengyi’s expression hardened once more, his gaze turning unyieldingly ruthless. He would not falter now, under any circumstances.

“Unfilial son! It appears you will not cease your pursuit until you possess the jade seal! Eunuch Li, retrieve it,” the Emperor commanded with stern authority.

“Your Majesty…”

A flicker of indecision crossed Eunuch Li’s face, but he ultimately obeyed the imperial decree.

A subtle click echoed from beneath the imperial bed, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside lay a silk pouch adorned with cloud patterns, containing the imperial seal.

“Just as I suspected! My conjecture was accurate. You were indeed concealing it.”

Li Chengyi’s eyes blazed with avarice upon seeing the seal. His intuition had served him well; the Tang Emperor had indeed hidden the seal, though he hadn't foreseen it being stowed beneath the very bed he occupied.

Taiji Palace held a unique standing, heavily guarded by the Imperial Army under Li Xuantu’s command. Any unauthorized entry would be immediately conspicuous. Had the Tang Emperor not coincidentally awakened in his final moments of lucidity, granting him an extremely limited window, Li Chengyi would never have dared to trespass.

“Unfilial son, approach,” the Emperor beckoned.

Undeterred, Li Chengyi stepped forward. He fully expected the Tang Emperor to bestow the seal upon him. To his astonishment, however, though the Emperor held the seal, he showed no intention of handing it over.

Li Chengyi narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Emperor.

The Tang Emperor fixed his gaze upon Li Chengyi. “We inquire of you: have you truly considered the implications? Whether it be Xuantu or the Third Son, they possess greater strength than you. Even if you obtain the jade seal and forge Our decree, your endeavor is destined for failure.”

Li Chengyi faltered for a moment, then let out a cold, mirthless laugh.

“Imperial Father need not concern himself with such matters.

“Never mind. Imperial Father, your time grows short, so allow me to enlighten you. Have you heard the saying: when the crane and the clam grapple, the fisherman benefits?

“You appointed First Brother as Crown Prince, but do you truly believe he is capable of securing the throne?”

Li Chengyi’s sneer was laced with icy contempt.

“Fool!”

The Emperor shook his head, his eyes reflecting a profound and sorrowful disappointment.

“In the end, you have journeyed this far. Yet, what is not destined to be yours shall never be. Though you pour all your might into it, the throne will forever remain beyond your grasp. If you so desire this jade seal, then take it. But know this: all of it is merely an illusion.”

The Emperor extended his hand, offering the jade seal.

Overjoyed, Li Chengyi paid no heed to the words. He lunged forward, his hands eager to seize the seal. However, even as he approached, the silk pouch holding the seal slipped from the Emperor’s grasp and tumbled to the ground.

Li Chengyi lifted his head, astonished. He saw his father, still radiating an imposing aura, yet the worried expression was vanishing, his skin turning alarmingly pale. His breath had already ceased.

At the very instant he had passed the seal, the Tang Emperor had breathed his last.

“Your Majesty!”

An anguished cry, heavy with unimaginable sorrow, tore from Eunuch Li’s throat. His heart bled as he fell to his knees.

An epoch had concluded. And in a realm unseen by mortal eyes, the Ziwei Star, symbolizing the Tang Emperor, flickered and was extinguished. The grand finale had sounded for a once-radiant era, and the tempest was poised to break.