"By the Emperor's decree: Summon Crown Prince Xu Tiannan to enter the palace immediately—no delay permitted. Thus decreed!"
At this moment, inside the study, Xu Tiannan heard these words. His entire body felt as if struck by lightning. His mind exploded with a loud bang, dizziness overwhelmed him, and his ears buzzed endlessly.
Xu Tiannan stared blankly at the floor, his eyes lifeless. A boundless despair surged like a raging tide, crushing him until he could barely breathe.
"It's over… The rumors have actually drawn Father Emperor's attention. Calling me to the palace now—Father must be planning to verify whether my body truly matches the rumors, whether I can perform as a man… What do I do? What should I do?!"
At this moment, Xu Tiannan felt as though he had been forced to the edge of a terrifying abyss by a monstrous beast.
One more step forward, and he would plunge into the depths—shattered into pieces, never to rise again.
Outside the Crown Prince's residence, the imperial enforcer Shen Lang frowned when he saw that Xu Tiannan still hadn't come out after a long time.
He thought to himself,
"The Crown Prince hasn't come out for so long… Looks like the rumors might not be false after all.
Otherwise, he should've already come out to enter the palace and prove himself before His Majesty."
When Shen Lang saw that the Crown Prince neither emerged nor responded, his figure flashed—he entered the study directly.
This time, he was acting under His Majesty's command. No matter what the Crown Prince's reaction was, he had to bring him back to the palace and deliver him to the Emperor.
Inside the study, Xu Tiannan forced a smile upon seeing the imperial enforcer enter, immediately attempting to stall for time.
"Enforcer Shen, I am still gravely injured and my body is weak, hence I've been slow to come out. I hope you can understand.
If I were to enter the palace in this state to meet Father Emperor, he might be displeased.
Please report to Father Emperor that in three days, once I've recovered, I will go to pay my respects in person."
At this point, Xu Tiannan had no other choice—he could only try to buy time and hope to come up with a solution within the next few days.
Shen Lang's tone remained calm as he said,
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty's command is that you enter the palace immediately, without error.
Surely Your Highness does not intend to defy a royal decree?"
At the words "defy a royal decree," Xu Tiannan's forced smile vanished instantly.
He clenched his teeth, thinking darkly,
"Using Father Emperor's decree to pressure me, are you, Shen Lang?
The day I become Emperor, I'll make sure to repay today's humiliation."
He spoke through gritted teeth, his voice stiff and cold:
"How would I dare defy Father's decree?
It's only that my legs are crippled—I can only move about in a wheelchair. I'll trouble Enforcer Shen to escort me into the palace."
..................…
The Imperial Palace – Mingde Hall.
Emperor Xu Jing sat high upon the dragon throne, his expression extremely grim.
The rumor that the Crown Prince was a eunuch—incapable of performing as a man—had spread throughout Mingdu like wildfire.
If this rumor were true, it would be an utter disgrace to the Sun Moon Empire—a humiliation to the imperial family itself.
If that turned out to be the case, Xu Jing was determined to abolish Xu Tiannan's position as Crown Prince!
Fortunately, he had discovered it early. If Xu Tiannan had continued hiding the truth and eventually ascended the throne as Emperor while being a eunuch, it would have been the joke of the century!
A eunuch Emperor—unable to sire children—would be forced to rely on borrowing seed. In that case, the royal bloodline might not even be of his own lineage!
The very thought made Xu Jing's face grow even darker.
At once, he decided that regardless of whether the rumors were true or false, he would appoint another Crown Prince.
After all, if there was one thing Xu Jing didn't lack—it was sons.
A moment later, a servant outside the hall announced,
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived for audience."
Xu Jing spoke coldly,
"Let him in."
Creak—
The great doors of the hall opened. Xu Tiannan entered, sitting in a soul-guided wheelchair, looking up toward Xu Jing seated high upon the throne.
Feigning ignorance, he bowed and said,
"Your son greets Father Emperor. May I ask why Father has summoned me today?"
Xu Jing had no patience for unnecessary words.
As the supreme ruler of the Sun Moon Empire, he could do whatever he pleased.
Aside from the venerable Kong Deming, he cared for no one's opinion.
"Men! Give Crown Prince Xu Tiannan a full physical examination. I want to see for myself whether the rumors are true—
whether the Crown Prince has truly lost the ability to reproduce!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
As soon as Xu Jing finished speaking, two attendants with pale faces and eerie, feminine auras stepped out from behind him. Their presence exuded a chilling, formidable pressure.
Hearing this, Xu Tiannan nearly lost his soul in terror.
He had originally thought his father would merely question him—but to think he would actually order a forcible inspection!
How could he possibly hide it now?
The moment they pulled down his trousers, everything would be exposed. His secret revealed, his position as Crown Prince would undoubtedly be stripped away.
Xu Tiannan quickly protested,
"Father Emperor, why would you humiliate your son like this?
I am the Crown Prince—the future heir of the Sun Moon Empire!
By doing this, where does that leave the dignity of the Crown Prince?
How am I supposed to command the empire in the future?"
Seeing Xu Tiannan's behavior, Xu Jing immediately understood—
The rumors were absolutely true. Xu Tiannan was indeed a genuine eunuch.
Otherwise, if he had nothing to hide, he could've simply pulled down his trousers and proved the rumors false—no words needed.
The fact that he kept arguing only meant one thing: he really had nothing left down there and was trying to muddle through with words.
Xu Jing watched Xu Tiannan's endless excuses and waved his hand impatiently, signaling the two attendants to proceed with the inspection immediately—no more nonsense.
The two attendants obeyed without hesitation. Their figures flickered like phantoms as they appeared behind Xu Tiannan.
One seized Xu Tiannan's hands firmly, while the other reached directly to pull down his pants.
As Xu Tiannan saw the attendant's hand growing closer and closer to his trousers, his composure completely collapsed.
He screamed and struggled violently,
"No! No! Don't!!"
Seven soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—rose from his body as he frantically struggled.
But no matter how hard Xu Tiannan resisted, the two attendants stood unmoving as mountains.
Terrifying soul power coated their bodies in a solid layer—dense and heavy as if it were a tangible substance—
locking Xu Tiannan in place, rendering him unable to move even an inch.
Clearly, these two attendants' cultivation far surpassed Xu Tiannan's.
After all, solidified soul power was the hallmark of a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse.
These two were no ordinary attendants—they were Xu Jing's trusted confidants and members of the Imperial Worship Hall, responsible for His Majesty's personal safety.
Two Titled Douluo as personal guards—only the Emperor himself had such privilege in the entire Sun Moon Empire.
Hearing Xu Tiannan's frantic howls, Xu Jing found them unbearably noisy.
He spoke coldly,
"Seal his mouth. I have no desire to hear another word from him."
The attendant holding Xu Tiannan's hands unleashed a surge of violent soul power, flooding into Xu Tiannan's meridians.
In an instant, Xu Tiannan's own soul power was forced back into his dantian, sealed completely.
Then, the other attendant took a towel from his storage soul tool and stuffed it into Xu Tiannan's mouth—
silencing him completely.