Chapter 65: Entrusting the Orphan – Your Highness, Ascend the Throne!

The Empress held onto Emperor Jingrui, casting one last reluctant glance at him before leading the Crown Prince out of the chamber.

Jiang Qingshi approached the dragon bed and bowed respectfully to Emperor Jingrui. The emperor struggled to prop himself up, waving his hand weakly. “There is no need for such formalities, my beloved official. Come closer. I have words to share with you.”

Jiang Qingshi stepped forward, standing with his hands at his sides, ready to listen. Emperor Jingrui glanced at Jiang Qingshi’s ever-cautious and impeccable expression, mustering a faint smile that triggered a fit of coughing. Covering his mouth with a bright yellow brocade handkerchief, he coughed violently. When he unfolded the handkerchief, it was stained with fresh, vivid blood.

Emperor Jingrui knew his time was running out. Whatever he had to say, he needed to say it quickly.

“Jiang Qing… From the first time I saw you, I felt a sense of familiarity. I personally selected you as the Tanhua, and indeed, you never disappointed me.”

“Your Majesty’s grace is something I have never dared to forget,” Jiang Qingshi replied, bowing respectfully. “Your Majesty must focus on nurturing your Dragon Body to ensure the long-lasting peace and prosperity of Da Liang.”

“Enough of such pleasantries,” Emperor Jingrui chuckled weakly. “I know my time has come. It is only a pity… that I discovered at this final moment that you are the posthumous child of my imperial uncle.”

Jiang Qingshi looked up in shock. “What is Your Majesty saying?”

“It is a pity that I only learned of this now, far too late.” Emperor Jingrui sighed deeply. “My imperial uncle was the biological brother of the late emperor. It is a tragedy that he met with an untimely death. Otherwise, he could have assisted me all these years, sparing me from facing internal and external troubles alone, struggling to hold on for so long. Perhaps it was my imperial uncle’s spirit from beyond that guided you, Jiang Qing, to change your identity and come to my side, assisting me all these years. Now, as my life nears its end, the future of the Da Liang dynasty will depend on you to walk alongside the Crown Prince.”

After speaking so much in one breath, Emperor Jingrui could no longer sustain his energy and broke into another fit of coughing. Not only was Jiang Qingshi stunned, but even the eunuch attending to the emperor was deeply shocked, though he dared not speak. The eunuch stepped forward to serve the medicinal broth, but the astonishment in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

“Your Majesty, I… I am utterly astounded at this moment…” Jiang Qingshi lowered his head. “Although I knew I was not a biological member of the Jiang Family, I never learned the identity of my birth father. I once sought the truth but found nothing.”

“That is because someone deliberately concealed it! Cough, cough, cough…” A flash of resentment crossed Emperor Jingrui’s eyes, and his agitation triggered another bout of coughing. “Chen Yanfeng harbors sinister ambitions. He concealed your identity, intending to exploit it for his schemes in the future. It is precisely because of his treachery that you and I, brothers, met daily yet remained unaware of our kinship. It was only yesterday—yesterday—that I discovered you are the son of my imperial uncle! You and I… are cousins. Nian Chen, come closer. Let me look at you…”

Hesitantly, Jiang Qingshi stepped forward under Emperor Jingrui’s gentle and affectionate gaze. The emperor slowly reached out and took Jiang Qingshi’s hand.

“Imperial Uncle was benevolent and kind-hearted, and had long been known among the people as the Virtuous Prince. In truth, he was even more outstanding than my father back in the day. However, when the Da Liang Dynasty was first established, Emperor Taizu, in order to rectify rites and ethics, still appointed the eldest son as Crown Prince… Imperial Uncle, being broad-minded, never held a grudge against Emperor Taizu. Instead, he devoted himself to assisting my father… But at that time, my health was frail, and many court officials urged my father to appoint Imperial Uncle, who was over a decade younger, as the successor. To quell the court rumors, Imperial Uncle voluntarily resigned from his post and traveled far and wide… Who could have expected that he would meet with an accident on this journey… My father was utterly grief-stricken, but no matter how many posthumous honors he bestowed, he could not bring Imperial Uncle back… During his lifetime, my father always regretted that Imperial Uncle left behind no children. Little did anyone know that Imperial Uncle had met your mother and left behind you, a pair of twins. I still remember when Imperial Uncle sent a letter back, telling my father that he had found the woman he loved… and would soon marry her properly as Princess Jin… My father was overjoyed upon receiving the news… He read it to me word by word… but never did we expect that Imperial Uncle would meet with an accident soon after.”

“So that’s how it was…” Jiang Qingshi trembled as he looked at Emperor Jingrui. “I have always been puzzled about my origins, and only today have I learned where I come from.”

“While Imperial Uncle was alive, he wholeheartedly assisted my father. Despite the many scheming individuals in the court who sought to drive a wedge between their brotherly bond, neither my father nor Imperial Uncle ever wavered…” Emperor Jingrui gripped Jiang Qingshi’s hand tightly. “Now that my time is near… I have already drafted an edict and entrusted it to Wang Xiuwen. Both you and Wang Xiuwen are the people I trust and value the most. I have appointed you two as regent ministers, and I hope you will faithfully assist the Crown Prince in the future. Although your identity cannot be made public… I have informed the Crown Prince. In the future, he will regard you not only with the respect due to a mentor but also with an added closeness of kinship.”

“I… will not fail Your Majesty’s trust!”

“I trust you… Ever since you entered officialdom, I have relied on and promoted you…” Having spoken so much in one breath, Emperor Jingrui felt his strength fading bit by bit. Despite his many regrets, there was nothing more he could do. He clutched Jiang Qingshi’s hand tightly, his gaze fixed intently on him. “Jiang Qing… cough cough cough… I hope you, like Imperial Uncle, will not betray my final trust…”

Emperor Jingrui’s hand finally fell limp, and a eunuch wailed in sorrow.

“His Majesty… has passed away!”

Jiang Qingshi straightened his attire, took one last look at Emperor Jingrui’s remains, and walked out with steady steps.

Outside Taiji Hall, the ministers had already knelt in mourning, their cries of grief echoing incessantly. Just as Jiang Qingshi was about to kneel, Chen Yanfeng signaled to him from the side. Without a word, Jiang Qingshi stepped aside. A eunuch led him to an empty palace hall. When Jiang Qingshi pushed the door open, someone inside immediately turned around—it was Chen Qi.

“Brother Jiang…” Chen Qi’s voice trembled, but his gaze soon grew resolute. “No, Your Highness!”

Jiang Qingshi remained silent. Someone else pushed the door open from behind. Turning around, Jiang Qingshi saw Chen Yanfeng and several other Grand Secretariat ministers.

These pillars of the Da Liang court, who should have been attending to Emperor Jingrui’s funeral affairs, knelt in unison the moment they laid eyes on Jiang Qingshi.

Chen Yanfeng crawled forward on his knees. This Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, who had spent his entire life looking down on others and insisting on having his way, now raised his hands high with lowered eyes and brows.

“Your Highness, please ascend the throne! Save Da Liang from its peril! Da Liang cannot be handed over to the Crown Prince and Xin Wang!”

Chen Qi also knelt with a thud behind him.

“The Chen family pledges generations of loyalty to Your Highness!”

“Just moments ago, Emperor Jingrui summoned me and appointed Wang Xiuwen and me as regent ministers,” Jiang Qingshi spoke calmly. “The imperial decree has already been issued.”

“This is the emperor’s usual tactic,” Chen Yanfeng raised his head, his gaze burning with indignation. “Emperor Jingrui has always been skilled at winning hearts. Issuing the final decree at this moment is meant to put you in a difficult position, make you grateful for imperial favor, and ensure Your Highness’s true identity never sees daylight. Because I concealed it extremely well, the emperor only learned of Your Highness’s identity yesterday. By then, the power of the imperial palace was entirely in my hands. He was too ill to act, unable to kill Your Highness anymore, so he gambled this final move—naming Your Highness as regent minister and voluntarily revealing the truth—hoping to make you eternally grateful and unable to act on this identity in the future. He had already guessed my intentions, deliberately preventing this old minister from explaining the facts, instead revealing them on his deathbed. He was betting on Your Highness’s heart. Your Highness, do not believe him! Back then, your father Prince Jin was killed by the imperial family. Prince Jin had already resigned from his official position and had no desire to contend with Emperor Jingrui, but the late emperor still could not tolerate him, could not tolerate his own brother. If Your Highness follows your father’s path today, your fate will surely be the same as Prince Jin’s!”

“But my position now lacks legitimacy,” Jiang Qingshi remained expressionless. “How can you expect me to silence the countless voices of the people?”

“Your Highness is the legitimate heir of the Li bloodline. How can it be called illegitimate?” Chen Yanfeng smiled self-deprecatingly. “Your Highness, that day I already told you of my aspirations and ideals. We ministers of the Grand Secretariat do not serve just one family name—we are bound by deep-rooted traditions. If we were to rebel, it would inevitably lead to more bloodshed and sacrifice. But Your Highness, with your pure lineage and outstanding abilities, ascending the throne is the best choice. We are not treacherous ministers, nor do we wish to prop up a clueless puppet emperor like Li Yunchu. Your Highness, Da Liang is now surrounded by foreign enemies and cannot withstand further turmoil. Only by Your Highness ascending the throne can we break this deadlock.”

“Is Minister Chen overestimating me?”

“These past years, I have dedicated myself to observing Your Highness. This old minister firmly believes in his choice!” Chen Yanfeng declared resolutely. “Unlike Wang Xiuwen, who remains steadfast in supporting Emperor Jingrui and his useless son due to their teacher-student bond, I have told Your Highness—I only wish for Da Liang to prosper, and Your Highness is the one who can make Da Liang better! Although this old minister knows that after Your Highness ascends the throne, you may not tolerate us, I have no regrets about my choice!”

…

Jiang Zhimiao had been heavily protected these past few days, and he felt deeply anxious. The recent revelations were overwhelming: first, his mother followed the Duke of Yingguo to battle, and then he learned that he actually carried royal blood—his father was the posthumous child of Prince Jin!

Although he had matured considerably over the years, he was still just a teenager. These successive explosive revelations left him at a loss for how to react.

But he quickly composed himself and carefully pondered the entire situation.

Now his father faced only two paths: ascend the throne or refuse it.

Over the past few days, he had meticulously reread the original book, confirming once again that it never mentioned anything about his father’s royal lineage. Until the very end, his father was defined as a treacherous official. Did the absence of mention mean it didn’t exist? Certainly not—it indicated that in the original story, his father never revealed his royal bloodline, and his true identity remained unknown until his death!

This made his father’s ultimate fate particularly intriguing.

Based on his understanding of his father, he knew he would never act against his conscience or harm the people’s welfare. So was his father’s eventual outcome actually the royal family’s attempt to eliminate all potential threats? Initially, because Da Liang was weak and relied heavily on his father in court affairs… Although Li Yunchu paid no attention to governance, later a savior-like male protagonist emerged. This protagonist assisted the Crown Prince in systematically removing his father.

This meant that despite dedicating his entire life to serving the country and people, his father ultimately fell victim to his sensitive identity—discarded like a hunting dog after the hunt, manipulated throughout his existence.

Now that he had appeared in this timeline, he would never allow this to happen. He would help his father in his own way.

Jiang Zhimiao, the time has come for you to play your part.