However, after issuing these rewards and punishments, the old emperor fell ill again.
With a leg injured by a sword and the shock from the recent events, coupled with his advanced age, he naturally fell seriously ill.
Unlike his previous illness, which was orchestrated, this time it was genuine.
Before falling ill, he decreed that the Eldest Prince and the sixth prince would jointly oversee the government.
However, although in the eyes of others, the Eldest Prince and the sixth prince are now on equal terms. But in fact, the old emperor already had new ideas in his mind.
The actions of the second prince were sudden, but upon reflection, Mo Tianhe thought about the behavior of the Eldest Prince, Mo Xingyan, at the time and felt a chill in his heart.
In the eyes of the emperor, the two princes were brothers, yet Mo Xingyan could coldly shoot and kill the second prince without hesitation, showing a level of ruthlessness. That’s why Mo Yi was rewarded.
With the death of the second prince, many courtiers who had previously supported him lost their backbone. They feared that once the Eldest Prince ascended the throne, they would not fare well.
However, now the sixth prince emerged and, from the emperor’s intentions, seemed to support him.
Mo Xingyan had been in conflict with the second prince for many years, and he couldn’t possibly fail to see the emperor’s intentions. However, despite his resentment, he couldn’t change the current situation.
He could only secretly assign people to monitor and find any faults with Mo Yi, hoping to eliminate this obstacle.
The courtiers who had originally supported the second prince but were not implicated naturally turned to support Mo Yi. However, Mo Yi didn’t understand court politics and didn’t like others actively flattering him.
Mo Yi, who had no experience in this area, naturally sought advice from Bai Yao. After Bai Yao received enough “compensation,” he patiently taught Mo Yi, informing him about which ministers were worth getting close to and which ones to avoid.
Mo Yi listened attentively, rubbing his sore wrists, occasionally praising Bai Yao with his swollen lips. Despite not holding an official position, his partner seemed to know everything, which impressed Mo Yi greatly.
Mo Yi followed Bai Yao’s advice obediently, expressing his thoughts and then acting accordingly. As a result, more people started visiting his residence with gifts, and he no longer felt impatient.
Mo Yi welcomed everyone, as he was in need of money due to his rising status. He desired to engage in charity and assist the common people, which required funds.
Mo Xingyan, the Eldest Prince, noticed Mo Yi’s actions. Unaware of Mo Yi’s intentions, he merely thought his sixth brother lacked worldly experience, accepting every small favor graciously.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
However, Mo Xingyan saw an opportunity to gain leverage over Mo Yi. He instructed his subordinates to find excuses to send Mo Yi large sums of money. Delighted when Mo Yi accepted, he planned to use this as leverage against him later.
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As for the so-called “generous donations,” they turned out to be the sums of money Mo Xingyan had orchestrated to frame Mo Yi earlier.
Usually, it’s the court that provides salaries to officials, so it’s rare for these ministers and princes to be willing to contribute. The old Emperor, quite interested, opened the account book and read the names and amounts of money. Mo Xingyan was among the first few listed.
However, upon hearing his name and the amount of money mentioned, and seeing Mo Tian’s smiling eyes from the throne, Mo Xingyan couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine.
After reading through, the old Emperor smiled and said, “Xingyan is quite sensible, managing to contribute so much money. Being able to casually produce such wealth, it seems that the Eldest Prince’s residence is quite affluent, truly living up to the standards set by the princes!”
Upon hearing this, the Eldest Prince immediately waved his hand nervously and said, “No, no, no! How can we be considered affluent? This is all from the Emperor’s past rewards and the dowries of the consorts and concubines in my residence.
It’s just as the sixth brother said, wanting to do more good deeds for the people. As an elder brother and a member of the royal family, it’s natural for me to support and set an example.”
However, after he finished speaking, Mo Tian continued to stare straight at the Eldest Prince. Mo Xingyan almost couldn’t maintain his composure under the intense gaze. It was only when the old Emperor suddenly laughed loudly and praised, “Indeed, the eldest is truly a model for all the princes.”
Mo Xingyan then lowered his head, exhaling slowly, and glanced discreetly at Mo Yi with a gaze full of bitterness.
He had thought Mo Yi was just an inconspicuous minor character, but he had unexpectedly grown into such a formidable obstacle, even more challenging to deal with than the second prince back then.
As the charity work developed, Mo Yi’s merit continued to accumulate. Not only did he share the fortune with Bai Yao, but he also distributed some to Duke Ning, Shi Zhiyi, improving his health significantly.
Duke Ning thought it was because he had learned of Mo Yi’s military achievements on the border, and he was overjoyed. Feeling better, he decided to return to court.
At a time like this, it’s natural for him to stand behind Mo Yi and join forces against the Eldest Prince.
The new situation in the court reignited Duke Ning’s hope. He brought along old acquaintances and some upright courtiers to introduce them to Mo Yi.
Mo Yi understood Duke Ning’s intentions and, with his reminder, didn’t forget to bring along Bai Yao.
Bai Yao had gained considerable fame in the capital, so his appearance at Mo Yi’s residence wasn’t surprising, and he conversed amiably with the ministers.
However, although on the surface, the ministers and these ministers talked about knowledge and became close friends with each other. But he knew very well in his heart that Mo Yi was paving the way for himself, and he felt moved in his heart.
At this moment, Mo Yi no longer needed to hide his sharp edge. He then ran several errands, and his reputation in the court was getting better and better.
Seeing Mo Yi’s influence about to surpass his own, the Eldest Prince felt anxious.
Now, both the court and the people praised the Sixth Prince, and his people worked diligently, yet his own schemes failed to ensnare his brother even once.
Furthermore, there were two major events from the Ministry of War recently, further weakening his influence. It was evident that the Emperor was leaning towards the Sixth Prince, leaving Mo Xingyan restless.
Moreover, lately, he had been trying to recruit Bai Yao as his advisor, but Bai Yao stubbornly refused to visit his residence.
Mo Xingyan sensed something amiss and decided to personally visit the Bai residence, unwilling to be avoided any longer.
Bai Yao, seeing no way to evade the situation, reluctantly showed up. However, he brushed off whatever the Eldest Prince said.
“Sir, what exactly do you mean by this? My sixth brother’s momentum is about to surpass mine, and yet, despite all I’ve confided in you, you seem completely unconcerned about my affairs!”
Upon hearing this, Bai Yao simply smiled and said, “Your Highness, you worry too much. The Sixth Prince has remained silent for so many years, with no support within the palace. How could a few loyal ministers possibly steal your limelight?”
As Bai Yao spoke, he calmly sipped his tea, admiring the scenery outside, completely ignoring Mo Xingyan’s cold demeanor.
The Eldest Prince, enraged by Bai Yao’s casual words, stood up abruptly and left in a huff.
It wasn’t until he returned home, still seething with anger, that Mo Xingyan realized something was wrong.
Considering the recent series of unusual moves by his sixth brother, Mo Xingyan refused to believe that there wasn’t someone guiding him from behind. And that person was likely Bai Ren.
The thought of these two manipulating him enraged Mo Xingyan to the core.
He immediately summoned his subordinates and ordered them to investigate some of the clandestine dealings and contacts that Bai Yao had previously mentioned to him. However, when they arrived, ithad already vanished without a trace.
After all the futile efforts, Mo Xingyan received the news and angrily smashed a porcelain vase on the ground, shouting, “Bai Ren! Mo Yi! I will make you pay!”
Subsequently, the furious Eldest Prince became even more vehement towards Mo Yi in court, trying every means possible to suppress him. However, he found that his sixth brother was like an indestructible cockroach, completely immune to his attacks.
Mo Tianhe was infuriated watching their argument, especially when he thought of the Eldest Prince personally killing his second brother, he felt even more impatient. After all, if he could kill his own brother, he could certainly kill Mo Tianhe as their father too.
Furthermore, with his increasingly frail health recently, Mo Tianhe couldn’t be bothered with court disputes anymore. He truly began to consider the idea of passing his throne.
After another session in court, Mo Tianhe returned to his bedchamber as usual. After resting for a while, he still felt exhausted.
Seeing this, Liu Gonggong hurried over to massage acupuncture points on the old Emperor’s head.
Mo Tianhe closed his eyes, and after a moment, suddenly asked Liu Gonggong, who had served him for decades, “Who do you think is suitable?”
Hearing this, Xiao Fuzi, who was pouring tea on the side, paused, while Liu Gonggong gave him a meaningful glance, but calmly smiled.
Normally, he would casually brush off such questions, but today, he bluntly replied, “This servant believes the Sixth Prince is benevolent and filial.”
With that said, there was no need for further explanation.
Mo Tianhe lightly tapped on the bed with his palm, murmuring after a while, “Benevolence and filial piety are indeed commendable. At least, those who understand filial piety know who they should respect and obey. They wouldn’t casually kill their own relatives!”
Two days later, Liu Gonggong announced in court: “The Sixth Prince Mo Yi is virtuous and filial. He shall be appointed as the Crown Prince, and the Eastern Palace shall be his rightful place.”
This decree came unexpectedly, and even Mo Yi himself was momentarily stunned.
However, the upright courtiers who were friendly with Mo Yi were very pleased, showing joyful expressions.
Duke Ning was also very surprised. Having served in the court for so many years, he was accustomed to Mo Tianhe’s tactics. He had thought that his nephew would only be a tool to control the court, but he never imagined that the position of Crown Prince would actually fall to his nephew.
However, what followed was more of relief. After all, giving the position to Mo Yi was much better than giving it to Mo Xingyan.
The atmosphere in the court was jovial, but the Eldest Prince, standing not far from Mo Yi, clenched his fists, his lowered eyes filled with murderous intent.
Let’s clean the place soon! This eldest must go!
Why do I get the feeling that Mo Yi will give up his position as an emperor to Bai Ren/Bai Yao? I Got the feeling our puppy in love could really do it👍🏼
Thank you for the chapter!♥️
TRANSLATOR!!! I NEED TO BOW DOWN TO YOU!!!
I swear i only leave this series alone for a week and suddenly there is thirty more chapters???
You feed us too well🤯🫵
Anyways, i love you dude🧌 make sure you eat, drink, and sleep well