Side Story Chapter 36: Li Chengyi’s Ambition!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“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.
Clang!
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 hint of wrath appeared on the Tang Emperor’s face. He had not expected Li Chengyi to be so vicious, using his affection for Virtuous Empress Dou against him.
But his response was the sound of a blade sliding across flesh. Ssst! A red line appeared on Virtuous Empress Dou’s white neck, and blood began to flow out.
“Imperial Father, there’s no need to worry about these problems anymore. You’ve reached the point of terminal lucidity. Are you still so attached to the throne?
“Your son worries that if this sword of mine pushes forward a little bit more, your most beloved woman will have her head separated from her body,” Li Chengyi viciously said.
“T-terminal lucidity!”
Virtuous Empress Dou was angered and frightened, but she did not care about herself. Upon hearing Li Chengyi’s words, she immediately glanced at the Emperor.
Her initial joy was long gone, and when she spotted that abnormal flush on the Emperor’s face, her body went cold.
“No, this can’t be…”
Grief appeared on Virtuous Empress Dou’s face, and tears appeared in her eyes.
She now understood. She had believed that the Tang Emperor’s awakening was a sign that his illness was taking a turn for the better, but on the contrary, this was the Emperor exhausting the last of his life force.
“Chengyi, I will not let you succeed!”
A look of determination appeared in Virtuous Empress Dou’s eyes, and she lunged forward at Li Chengyi, not caring about the sword pressed against her neck. But what came in response was a bolt of energy from Li Chengyi’s fingers.
With a light thrust, Li Chengyi knocked Virtuous Empress Dou unconscious.
“Idiot! You think you can die without my permission?”
Meanwhile, both Eunuch Li and the Tang Emperor sighed in relief.
Everything here was connected to a political struggle. This was not a place for a woman, so this was the best result.
“Imperial Father, I’ve already shown mercy for your sake, but if you don’t hand over the jade seal, I can’t guarantee what I’ll do next,” Li Chengyi threatened.
He turned his gaze on Eunuch Li. The game for the throne was the cruelest game of all, and he did not mind getting a little berserk for the sake of the throne.
At this moment, the Tang Emperor finally spoke. “Eunuch Li, help Us up.”
Eunuch Li’s heart winced with pain, but he still dutifully helped the Emperor up.
The Emperor was emaciated from his long time in bed, but as he slowly sat up, his body began to radiate an imperial aura.
Even though Li Chengyi was set on his treachery, his heart still thumped in dismay and a hint of fear upon seeing that sharp gaze.
The majesty of the Emperor had long ago branded itself in the souls of all the Princes.
But a moment later, Li Chengyi’s gaze turned ruthless once more. At a time like this, he would never back down.
“Unfilial son! It seems that you will not rest until you obtain the jade seal! Eunuch Li, bring it out,” the Emperor sternly said.
“Your Majesty…”
A hint of hesitation appeared on Eunuch Li’s face, but he still carried out the order.
Creakcreak!
There was a click from beneath the bed, and a secret compartment emerged, within which was a cloud-patterned silk bag containing the imperial seal.
“As expected! My guess was right. You really were hiding it.”
Li Chengyi’s eyes burned with desire upon seeing the seal. As he had expected, the Tang Emperor had been hiding the seal, though he hadn’t imagined that it would be under his bed.
Taiji Palace had a special status and was guarded by the Imperial Army under Li Xuantu’s command. Anyone entering this place would stand out, and if not for the Tang Emperor suddenly waking in his moment of terminal lucidity, leaving him with very little time, he would not have dared to come inside.
“Unfilial son, come here,” the Emperor said.
Unperturbed, Li Chengyi came forward. He believed that the Tang Emperor was about to give him the seal, but to his surprise, though the Emperor was holding the seal, he did not seem to intend to hand it over.
Li Chengyi narrowed his eyes and glanced at the Emperor.
The Tang Emperor stared at Li Chengyi. “We ask you: have you really thought it through? Whether it is Xuantu or Third Son, they are stronger than you. Even if you get the jade seal and fabricate Our decree, you are guaranteed to fail.”
Li Chengyi was taken aback, but then he coldly laughed.
“There is no need for Imperial Father to worry.
“Whatever. Imperial Father, you don’t have much time left, so I might as well tell you. The crane and mussel struggle while the fisherman reaps the spoils. Have you heard of that saying?
“First Brother was made Crown Prince by you, but do you really think he can take the throne?”
Li Chengyi coldly sneered.
“Idiot!”
The Emperor shook his head, a look of immense disappointment in his eyes.
“In the end, you managed to get this far, but alas, what is not yours never will be. Though you might expend all your efforts, the throne will never be yours. Since you want this jade seal, take it. But remember: all of this is only a dream.”
The Emperor extended his hand, passing over the jade seal.
Li Chengyi was so delighted that he simply wasn’t listening. He hastily rushed forward, his hands reaching out for the seal. But before he could get close, clack! The silk bag containing the seal dropped from the Emperor’s fingers and to the floor.
Li Chengyi raised his head in shock and saw that while his father remained as imposing as before, that look of concern on his face was fading, and his skin was rapidly paling. His breathing had already stopped.
At that moment he had handed over the seal, the Tang Emperor had reached the end of his life.
“Your Majesty!”
A cry of immense sorrow emerged from Eunuch Li’s mouth, his heart weeping blood as he dropped to his knees.
An era had come to an end, and in a place not visible to human eyes, bzzz! The Ziwei Star representing the Tang Emperor flickered and then we
