The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 212

Hearing the Great General’s voice, the Emperor turned his head in shock, his eyes filled with fear and trembling as he looked out the window. The Second Prince was equally astonished; he never expected the Great General to return.

He had planted spies around the Great General, but had received no news. Were his men discovered? The Second Prince looked outside with suspicion. If the Great General was back, his private soldiers wouldn’t stand a chance.

The Great General stood by the Third Prince, his bloodshot eyes full of anger. “Second Prince, if you are wise, you will hand over His Majesty. I can still spare your life. After all, there is no enmity between us. Even the feud between Consort Li and the Empress is just palace rivalry, and I won’t hold it against you.”

The Second Prince’s hand trembled as he held his sword. If the Third Prince could break in, it meant his men had already taken out his forces. If he walked out now, he faced certain death. If he stayed, he risked the Third Prince setting the Imperial Study on fire.

There was less than an hour until dawn. When the ministers arrived for the morning court, there might be a chance for him. The Second Prince planned to delay, but the Third Prince shattered his hopes immediately.

“Are you hoping to be saved at the morning court? I advise you to give up. I have already exposed your child abduction crimes. Everyone in the capital knows you are the mastermind behind the shocking abduction cases three years ago and this year. Even if you get Father Emperor’s edict to pass the throne, you won’t hold it. Who would let a child abductor become Emperor?”

“You…”

“Second Brother, if you don’t want people to know, don’t do it. You did something so monstrous; don’t blame me for acting justly.”

The Third Prince then addressed the Emperor. “Father Emperor, I mean no harm. I know you still have secret guards. If you can, come out yourself. At dawn, you will be the retired Emperor, and I promise you will live in honor.”

The Emperor was too angry to speak. They were all unfilial sons, none of them good. Where was the Crown Prince? What was he doing? The Emperor both hoped and feared the Crown Prince would come to rescue him. If he came and died, what then?

Suddenly, the Emperor thought of someone—the Princess born from the Empress. Narrowing his eyes, the Emperor looked at the Second Prince, then turned to the Third Prince. After staring at the Third Prince for a moment, he picked up his brush and began writing.

The Second Prince stepped forward and snatched the decree. The Emperor sighed with his eyes closed. “I still have secret guards. If you can kill your way out, the kingdom is yours. If not, there’s nothing I can do.”

After a pause, the Emperor looked sorrowful. “From the beginning, I intended the throne for you. Though I favored the Crown Prince, he was never responsible enough to manage the kingdom.”

The Second Prince was stunned. “Don’t try to deceive me.”

The Emperor smiled bitterly. “Why would I deceive you now? What would be the point?”

He opened a drawer, took out the imperial seal and a small stamp. “This small stamp belongs to the secret guards. Those around me were killed by you. Others are in Wang’s Village at Ten Mile Shop. Take it.”

Then the Emperor opened another drawer and took out a luminous signal. “Release this before dawn. If those at Ten Mile Shop see it, they will come to rescue you. Whether you or the Third Prince wins will be up to fate.”

The Emperor spoke calmly and sat down slowly. The Second Prince, suspicious, couldn’t understand his father’s intentions. Hesitating, he let his follower take the items.

“There’s also a secret command for the transfer of the secret guards. Come closer, and I will tell you.”

“Just say it, Father Emperor.” The Second Prince did not trust the Emperor and refused to approach.

The Emperor laughed bitterly. “The secret guards have always been the Emperor’s exclusive forces. Some say that whoever holds the imperial seal rules the world. I tell you, those who control the secret guards truly hold the world.”

The Second Prince frowned. “What about the Heavenly Hound? It is the true symbol of the royal family.”

The Emperor had almost forgotten the Heavenly Hound. He had never been protected by it, so he hadn’t thought of it in a crisis. But now, the Emperor’s heart was filled with cold laughter. The Heavenly Hound was with the Empress’s lineage, not his.

“It only recognizes the Empress’s lineage,” he thought. “The Heavenly Hound is with that wretch!”

“Fine, I’ll tell you the command for the Heavenly Hound. If you want to know, come closer. If not, I won’t force you. The Third Prince won’t wait patiently outside.”

“Write it down,” the Second Prince demanded.

“It’s in Sanskrit; I can’t write it,” the Emperor replied.

The Second Prince hesitated, suspiciously watching the Emperor. After a moment, he stepped forward cautiously, sword in hand.

“Speak…”

As the Second Prince approached the desk, the Emperor suddenly lunged, mimicking Noble Consort De’s previous assassination attempt on the Empress. He grabbed a dagger from the drawer and stabbed at the Second Prince. But the Second Prince was faster. He dodged, and the Emperor’s strike missed.

The Emperor stumbled, and the Second Prince’s follower immediately stabbed him in the shoulder. At that moment, the Third Prince’s men rushed in, attacking the Second Prince and his followers.

The Emperor, pale, slumped onto the throne, bleeding from the shoulder. The Second Prince was captured, and the Third Prince, to avoid future troubles, stabbed him to death.

The standoff in the Imperial Study quickly became the Third Prince’s dominance over the Emperor. Earlier, it had been a confrontation between the Emperor and the Second Prince. Now, the Third Prince had the upper hand.

“Father Emperor, I don’t need your edict to pass the throne. I only need to announce that you were attacked by the Second Prince, and I arrived too late to save you.”

The Third Prince waved his hand, and the Great General stepped forward. His daughter and her family were killed by the Emperor, and he sought revenge.

As the Great General approached, the Emperor suddenly laughed. “Killing me won’t help you. This kingdom isn’t mine, and it won’t be yours either! The Empress’s daughter is still alive, in the capital!”

The Empress, also known as Empress Ronghe, was indeed still alive.