The crowd looked at each other, their gazes eventually settling on the equally bewildered new emperor, Huangfu Xian.
One bolder individual dared to ask, "Your Highness… Xian, is it time to ascend the throne now?"
Huangfu Xian shot a glare at the impolite Minister of Rites. "Ascend the throne? Did I agree to be emperor? If you can't speak properly, shut your mouth!"
The Minister of Rites rubbed his nose, feeling deeply wronged.
With the imperial edict issued, did he intend to leave Yun Country leaderless by refusing to be emperor?
Foreign envoys were still present. If it became known that the throne was not coveted, wouldn't they become a laughingstock?
Huangfu Xu, who had been kneeling, rose and brushed off nonexistent dust from his robes. He smiled at Huangfu Xian and said, "Your Majesty, why the anger? The Retired Emperor chose you, King Xian, to be emperor, which shows his discerning judgment. So, King Xian, please do not refuse. Everyone, don't you agree!"
Everyone lowered their heads, daring not to respond.
The situation was uncertain. Who knew if their reply would be right or wrong?
Moreover, they secretly hoped Fan Zehao would be the emperor. Although he could be domineering and unreasonable at times, he was otherwise good to them, the ministers.
He even thought of solutions for their problems and provided them with ways to resolve them. Following Fan Zehao, they didn't have to worry about being wrongly accused or forced to take sides.
If looks could kill, Huangfu Xu would have died a thousand times over by the glare Huangfu Xian shot him.
He clenched his jaw, his face twitching. He narrowed his eyes and said, "If I ascend the throne, you will be the next emperor tomorrow!"
Huangfu Xu's body stiffened. His mind raced, contemplating whether to flee now or flee later.
Having gone through a similar experience, Huangfu Xian, observing the shifting expressions on the Smiling King's face and the darting of his eyes, knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Don't even think about running. I won't give you that chance!"
Huangfu Xian directly revealed his true intentions. Seeing his face become even more rigid than before, Huangfu Xian chuckled heartily.
"Look, you're taking it seriously!" The Smiling King forced a laugh, touching his nose and sighing. "If you don't want to be emperor, then I want it even less. So, what do you suggest we do!"
Huangfu Xian rolled his eyes. If he knew, would he still be standing here?
"Everyone, think of a way. How can we ensure Fan Zehao can firmly hold onto the throne!"
The faces in the hall twitched in unison. They were just officials. What could they do to the Retired Emperor?
If he didn't want to be emperor, could they tie him up and force him?
They weren't tired of living. They hadn't had enough of their good lives yet. It was best to stay far away from such suicidal acts.
Therefore, when Huangfu Xian asked this question, not a soul in the hall answered. They even shrank their necks, trying to minimize their presence, secretly praying not to be singled out.
Fortunately, Huangfu Xian did not make things difficult for them. He merely murmured, "Perhaps I should also retire and live in peace, and write an imperial edict to abdicate."
These casual words, however, made Huangfu Xu's face turn ashen, clearly terrified.
In the past, they would have fought tooth and nail for the throne. After all, no prince wanted to be harmed by his own brother, the emperor.
But Fan Zehao was not petty. He was magnanimous in all matters, never interfered, and never sent people to monitor their every move. Thus, there was no fear of their lives being in danger.
Now, they had money, freedom, and status. They could do whatever they wished. More importantly, Yun Country was thriving under his rule, far better than when it was in their hands. Why would they willingly take on the arduous task of being emperor?
Huangfu Xu quickly interrupted King Xian's terrible idea and immediately offered a suggestion: "How about this? You feign illness, a near-death illness, with rolling eyes, almost at your last breath. Such an emperor, if he were to suddenly pass away, and you have no heir, then even if he becomes Retired Emperor, he cannot escape attending court. What do you think of my plan!"
Huangfu Xian stroked his chin. Although he felt feigning illness was unlucky, he could avoid this disaster. He grudgingly nodded. "I'm on my deathbed. Hurry and send someone to escort me back to my residence and call the imperial physicians to treat me!"
As he spoke, he leaned into Huangfu Xu's embrace, looking half-dead. Truth be told, his act was quite convincing.
The ministers: "..."
Were these two princes treating them as if they were dead?
Right in front of so many people, they were openly planning to evade becoming emperor!
Fine. They had no good ideas either, so they could only pretend to be deaf and blind, to see nothing and hear nothing. If they had to be sick, they would all be sick together.
Thus, the Minister of Works rolled his eyes and fainted.
In a short while, the senior ministers in the hall all collapsed. One by one, they were sent back to their residences by the eunuchs. The imperial physicians of the Tai Hospital were the busiest, rushing from one minister's house to another.
After examining them all, it turned out the ministers only had symptoms of "internal heat" and no other serious illnesses.
At that time.
The Prime Minister's mansion.
Chun Fen handed a letter to Song Xin, who was also feigning illness on his bed. She smiled and said, "My master has already left. If there is no emperor in court tomorrow, then the Prime Minister will have to work even harder. Instead of staying cooped up in the mansion, why not hurry to King Xian's residence."
With that, Chun Fen curtsied to Song Xin and quickly left.
Intelligent Song Xin knew the emperor had left the palace. At this point, he could no longer afford to feign illness. He threw off the thin quilt, slipped on his shoes, and hurried to King Xian's residence. However, by the time he arrived, King Xian and the Smiling King, without their baggage, had already departed.
This left Song Xin in despair. A first-rank minister, he sat at the entrance of King Xian's residence, weeping uncontrollably.
Next time, next time he saw the emperor, he would definitely retire and return home. He would absolutely not be Prime Minister anymore.
He was being paid a salary, yet he was doing the work of governing the realm. In his old age, he was more tired than when he was young.
That day, the Prime Minister urgently summoned various ministers to his mansion and instructed them to remain silent about the emperor's abdication.
Firstly, Fan Zehao's prowess in leading troops could deter the emperors of various countries.
Secondly, the emperor's abdication was a matter of utmost importance. In their Yun Country, it had become like children playing house. It would be embarrassing to spread it, and it would diminish the prestige of Yun Country's throne.
In fact, the Prime Minister simply wanted to avoid any further complications and unnecessary trouble.
Finally, everyone agreed with one voice: the Emperor and Empress had gone out of the palace to inspect.
For the first time in history, all the senior ministers united to protect a secret.
On the road outside the capital.
The two feuding princes encountered Fan Zehao and his wife. If Zhao Jiaqi hadn't gone to the military camp to visit her daughter, they might not have run into each other at all.
Staring at the two men awkwardly laughing on their horses, the veins on Fan Zehao's forehead bulged. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Huangfu Xian, who allowed you to leave the palace? Get back!"