Time passed quickly, and soon the next day arrived.
As the sun rose, ten thousand rays of morning light poured over the towering imperial palace.
Inside the grand hall—
All the civil and military officials, dressed in full court attire, stood neatly in their respective positions—civil officials to the east, military to the west.
Their expressions varied, yet all held their breath in silence.
Every gaze was fixed upon the exalted dragon throne above.
Emperor Xu Jing, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, sat upright upon the throne. His face was stern, his eyes deep and filled with majesty, making all who looked upon him tremble in fear.
At his side, a eunuch held a bright yellow imperial edict in both hands.
Xu Jing's deep and authoritative voice echoed through the hall:
"Crown Prince Xu Tiannan is gifted and intelligent… however, the heavens are unpredictable. The Crown Prince was injured in an assassination attempt, leaving his body crippled and his movements impaired. He can no longer fulfill the duties of the Crown Prince."
At that moment, the eunuch took a small step forward, unfolded the edict, and read aloud in a loud, clear voice:
"By the Emperor's command and mandate of Heaven:
Crown Prince Xu Tiannan, due to his physical disability, is unable to carry out the responsibilities of the heir apparent.
After careful consideration, We hereby decree: Xu Tiannan shall be stripped of his title as Crown Prince.
Thus decreed!"
When the Emperor's words fell, all the assembled officials exchanged knowing glances.
Everyone understood perfectly well what this truly meant.
Combined with the rumors that had spread previously, they now knew exactly why Xu Tiannan had been deposed.
Clearly, those ridiculous rumors were true—Xu Tiannan really was incapable of performing as a man.
Otherwise, if it were merely a matter of crippled legs, how could his position as Crown Prince be revoked so quickly?
For a time, the officials and nobles who had been loyal to the Crown Prince looked as if they had lost their fathers and mothers.
They had believed that within a few short years, Xu Tiannan would ascend the throne as Emperor, bringing them boundless fortune and glory.
But who could have imagined that in less than a month, Xu Tiannan would be assassinated, crippled in three limbs, and directly deposed from his title as Crown Prince?
A Crown Prince who lasted less than a month—in the entire history of the Sun Moon Empire, this was the first of its kind.
Moreover, the most crucial point was that Xu Tiannan was now completely cut off from the throne.
Unable to sire heirs—this flaw was fatal.
At once, all officials and nobles whose ties with the deposed Crown Prince were not too deep began making plans to sever their relationship with him.
They intended to change allegiance—presenting gifts and pledges of loyalty to other princes, pretending as though they had never known Xu Tiannan at all.
As for those who had been too deeply bound to the fallen Crown Prince—those who had offended the other princes too severely—
all they could do was pray that whichever prince ascended the throne next would be kind-hearted and merciful.
But judging by the nature of the current Emperor Xu Jing—who had once slaughtered his way through the palace and exterminated his own brother's entire family—such mercy was clearly impossible.
In contrast to the grief-stricken expressions of the Crown Prince's faction, the followers of the Second Prince and Third Prince were inwardly overjoyed.
Wang Yan, upon hearing that Xu Tiannan had been deposed, broke into a wrinkled smile across his old, leathery face—
his joy was written all over him.
At present, among all the factions in court, the Second Prince's power was the strongest. His chance of ascending the throne had now exceeded fifty percent.
The Second Prince, Xu Tianyu, upon hearing that his dear elder brother Xu Tiannan had been stripped of his title, curled the corners of his lips into a faint smile.
He thought to himself:
"Xu Tiannan has been crippled and deposed by my schemes.
Among the remaining princes, I now stand as the strongest.
The position of Crown Prince—who else but me deserves it?"
The Third Prince, Xu Tianshi, meanwhile, clenched his fists eagerly, ready to compete against his Second Brother Xu Tianyu for the throne.
For any prince with even a shred of ability, the supreme throne was a temptation impossible to resist.
Even knowing the outcome was uncertain, how many could restrain themselves from fighting for it?
What's more, having come this far, retreat was no longer an option.
He could only press forward—again and again—
for behind him stood countless powerful figures pushing him onward.
Once he failed, then when the Second Prince Xu Tianyu—or any other prince—ascended the throne, what awaited him would be death.
And not just his death alone—his women, his trusted followers, and his loyal retainers would all perish in the inevitable purge.
The struggle for the throne was always a matter of succeed or die.
Even if the new Emperor were kind and magnanimous, the best one could hope for was lifelong imprisonment—never to know freedom again.
In the front row of the assembled officials sat the deposed Crown Prince Xu Tiannan, seated in his wheelchair.
His head was bowed, concealing the hatred and fury buried deep in his eyes.
He spoke loudly,
"Your son receives the decree and offers thanks for His Majesty's grace!"
Xu Tiannan's eyes narrowed slightly.
With his current condition, it was impossible for him ever to reclaim the position of Crown Prince or ascend the throne.
Even the powerful nobles and officials who had supported him would likely abandon him now.
After all, these officials and aristocrats had only backed him in hopes of gaining rich rewards once he became Emperor.
But now, he had become a man completely cut off from the imperial throne—
no longer worth their support.
From this point on, regardless of whether the Second Prince or the Third Prince claimed the throne, it would mean Xu Tiannan's death.
His rivalry with the Second and Third Princes had already accumulated too much hatred and blood.
They had plotted against each other countless times—
each with hands stained in the blood of the other's relatives, allies, and subordinates.
This level of enmity was far beyond what simple surrender, apology, or repentance could erase.
The struggle for the throne was not child's play.
Such hatred was forged through countless lives lost and enormous interests destroyed.
Unless one side perished, the other could never rest easy.
However—Xu Tiannan was not someone who would sit and wait to die.
After a full day of reflection, Xu Tiannan made up his mind—
he would support a weaker prince, helping him ascend the throne.
Xu Jing's imperial harem was vast, and thus he had many sons.
However, among them, only a few possessed true talent, strong power, or the backing of influential factions.
Most were of poor aptitude, weak strength, and little influence—princes so insignificant they had no qualification to even participate in the struggle for the throne.
These forgotten princes lived quietly, waiting for death—
until a new Emperor was chosen.
Then, they would either be sent off to a barren fief to live out their lives,
or be kept under house arrest within Mingdu.
These weak princes bore no grudges against Xu Tiannan.
If any one of them received his support, their power would surge dramatically, granting them the qualifications to compete for the throne.
And because Xu Tiannan was now crippled—unable to produce heirs—
such a unique condition would not provoke their jealousy or fear.
As long as Xu Tiannan could help one of these weak princes ascend to the throne, he could then wield the two blades that only the Emperor commanded:
The Palace Worship Hall, and
The National Guardian Soul Engineer Regiment.
With those forces, he could slaughter Xu Tianyu and Xu Tianshi—
and take his revenge.
If he chose a prince who lacked decisiveness, ability, and intelligence—one greedy for pleasure and indulgence—then Xu Tiannan might even manipulate him completely, seizing control of the court himself and ruling as Regent Prince.
Xu Tiannan knew that this plan was incredibly difficult.
After being deposed, his power had drastically declined, and many of his supporters would certainly abandon him.
However, even a rotting ship still has nails, and a starved camel is bigger than a horse—there was still a faint glimmer of hope.
If he could somehow deceive the Holy Spirit Cult into supporting him, his chances would increase even further.
Seated in his wheelchair, Xu Tiannan lowered his head slightly, secretly observing the princes around him—
carefully selecting the one most suitable for his plan…