C14 The Crown Prince Forced Them to Abdicate

"Why? Does the Second Imperial Consort object?"

Lee Feng's displeasure was rising. He was about to rise and unleash his fury when a wave of laughter echoed from outside, followed by a hush, then several figures materialized at the study's entrance.

"Isn't one prince enough for His Majesty? Why the need for another? Besides, my mother has been unwell for years. Isn't the Emperor putting her in a difficult position?"

Lee Yuan entered the study with a sly grin, followed by a throng of people clad in green, who quickly encircled the room. Lee Feng was taken aback and hastily stood.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The intruders paid him no mind, swiftly restraining the servants and palace guards nearby.

Lee Feng, an Emperor for decades, revered and formidable, had never faced such a predicament, and his face paled with fear.

The Second Imperial Consort's eyes gleamed with enchantment upon seeing the Fiend Sect's Master behind Lee Yuan.

Highly alert, Lee Feng sensed the Fiend Sect Master's formidable presence, which weighed heavily upon him, yet he failed to notice the Consort's unusual behavior.

The palace was eerily silent, like a ghost town. Normally, even excluding the harem, the Emperor's personal guards, the Infantry and the Sly, would be present, but now they were nowhere to be seen.

Despite his usual air of invincibility, Lee Feng felt a surge of panic in the face of these menacing figures and the tense atmosphere.

"Second Prince, do you intend to commit patricide? Remember, I am your father, and the Dark Night Army is still at my command. They must be nearing the Imperial Capital as we speak. If you know what's good for you, leave now, and I'll act as if today's events never occurred."

The Fiend Sect Master couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh unrestrainedly at these words.

"Scare whom? The Dark Night Army? Approaching the capital? Even if they were, what could they possibly do to stop me now?"

The Fiend Sect Master, naturally handsome with a touch of androgyny, now smiled with a sinister charm, his eyes alight with a bloody gleam that only enhanced his wicked allure.

Lee Feng instantly recognized the Sect Master of the Fiend Sect and internally cursed Second Prince Lee Yuan for his nefarious dealings. Filled with both rage and resentment, he nonetheless hoped to placate Lee Yuan and his cohorts for the day, planning to deal with them once the army arrived.

But upon hearing the Sect Master's words, Lee Feng's anxiety turned to fury. Deep down, he feared the Sect Master might actually follow through, yet he found himself at a loss for words to dissuade them from killing him, resorting instead to threats.

"I am the Emperor. If you dare commit such an atrocity, the voices of the people will rise against you. Do you think you can silence them all?"

"If we can't silence them, we'll just kill them all!" The Sect Master of the Fiend Sect, uninterested in further conversation, drew his dagger and caressed the blade before speaking with a menacing sneer, "After all, you'll be dead soon, so why bother about the aftermath?"

"You!" Emperor Zheng De's face drained of color, his chest heaving with unspeakable outrage.

Lee Yuan watched with a smirk as the Sect Master provoked the Emperor to the brink of death with just a few words. He had never harbored any fondness for Lee Feng, not now nor in their youth.

From his earliest memories, he knew his purpose in the palace was to ascend to the throne, and his mother, the Second Imperial Consort, had even told him that killing the Emperor was justifiable when the time was right.

"The Emperor need not wait for any army. The Dark Night Army, fifty thousand strong, has already joined forces with the commoners and the civil and military officials inside the palace. I implore you to abdicate and cede the throne to me."

With a courteous bow to Lee Feng, Lee Yuan then summoned his confidant, Eunuch Su.

"Eunuch Su, bring the imperial seal. I have prepared the edict on the Emperor's behalf. He need only affix the seal."

Lee Yuan's audacity knew no bounds. This was no spur-of-the-moment scheme; they had been plotting for quite some time.

Seething with anger, Lee Feng's face turned a steely shade of blue as he vehemently shook his head, "I will not abdicate. You can forget about it!"

"Your Majesty, please consider this carefully. Within the palace walls, fifty thousand soldiers of the Dark Night Army, along with commoners and civil officials, are under our control. If you refuse to affix the imperial seal, they will all perish."

Lee Yuan harbored no fear of Lee Feng's refusal to abdicate. Beyond the captives, he held a formidable ace up his sleeve—the Sect Master of the Fiend Sect standing behind him.

Lee Feng was merely a first-rank Martial General, whereas the Sect Master of the Fiend Sect had reached the fourth rank. For him, eliminating Lee Feng would be as simple as lifting a finger.

Yet, Lee Yuan refrained from calling upon the sect master's might. He yearned to savor the moment himself, as if seizing the throne with his own two hands.

"You...!" Lee Feng panted heavily, blindsided by Lee Yuan's audacious move to dethrone him through such ruthless tactics.

In that moment, Lee Feng found himself longing for Crown Prince Lee Cann. Despite his indulgence in arts, he lacked the Second Prince Lee Yuan's merciless ambition.

"Your Majesty, I urge you to seal the imperial jade swiftly. With each passing minute you delay, a loyal subject will meet their end."

Lee Feng locked eyes with Lee Yuan, who had pinpointed his vulnerability. Lee Feng would not forsake his people.

Buckling under the pressure, Lee Feng reluctantly lifted the imperial jade and pressed it onto the edict.

With trembling hands, he raised the seal, leaving a vivid imprint on the document.

Upon seeing the mark, Lee Feng's strength ebbed away; he slumped, resting one hand on the table to prop up his feeble frame.

"Hahaha, indeed, fortune favors the bold! I, Lee Yuan, have at last ascended to the throne!"

Lee Yuan's laughter echoed wildly as he brandished the edict.

Abruptly, an incongruous voice pierced the tension.

"Second Prince! Second Prince! Disaster has struck!"

A guard burst into the study, causing all eyes to snap to the newcomer—a soldier who had pledged allegiance to the Second Prince.

Yet it wasn't his allegiance that shocked the room, but his grotesquely swollen face—a clear testament to a brutal assault.

His rank was already that of a seventh-tier Martial Master. Only a Martial Master of at least the ninth tier could have inflicted such damage. And those of the eighth tier or higher had been seized by Lee Yuan just days ago.

"Take a moment to catch your breath, then explain slowly!"

Lee Yuan commanded with impatience.

"Yes, Second Prince, it's urgent—the Crown Prince... the Crown Prince, he..."

The soldier faltered when he got to the part about the Crown Prince.

"What exactly happened to the Crown Prince?" Lee Yuan pressed, his anxiety growing.

"The Crown Prince... he's returned!"

"Hahaha, that delicate scholar? I could take him down myself!"

Lee Feng couldn't help but feel even more resigned upon hearing of Crown Prince Lee Cann's return. Why now of all times?

"Second Prince, you've got it wrong. We've all underestimated the Crown Prince. He's concealed his true strength so deeply, I can't even discern his level now. He's been cutting a path from the palace gates, and by my estimate, he'll be here any moment!"

Lee Yuan looked skeptical, yet he couldn't completely dismiss the soldier's words.

"I don't believe it! I'm going to see for myself!"

With that, Lee Yuan pushed past the soldiers and strode out.

Crash!

A resounding boom echoed as a figure was sent flying back in.