The next day, Mingde fell into a deep sleep again, only occasionally waking up with clear eyes. He wouldn't respond when spoken to, but when he did speak, his words were clear and logical.

Zhang Kuo went to deliver tea once, and seeing him like this, didn't dare say much. He respectfully retreated.

Anyone with eyes could see that the delicate and soft little beauty from the Qingzhen Palace that day was no more. The soul that had been lying dormant had returned to this body, bringing with it its consistently cruel and cold nature, ready to break out of its cocoon at any time.

Fortunately, the Qianwan Emperor did not go to talk with him. As the return date from the southern tour approached, the entourage grandly returned to the court, with officials seeing them off for dozens of miles along the way. In just over ten days, the dragon boat reached the capital.

The emperor's return to the capital was a big event. All the officials in the court knelt at the city gate to receive him. The crown prince, who had been under house arrest, suddenly received a pardon. The imperial edict instructed him to lead the court officials in preparing to welcome the emperor outside the palace city.

The crown prince had been under house arrest for years, spending his days chanting scriptures, lecturing on Buddhism, and tending to flowers and plants. Upon suddenly receiving the imperial edict, while others were overjoyed, he frowned and sighed, "It seems my carefree days have come to an end!"

Princess Qinghe looked at him, wanting to say something, but in the end just sighed without a word. From a distance, the nanny walked over carrying little Mingxiu, who held a fierce-looking kitten in his arms, giggling and playing. As soon as he saw his mother, he called out in a childish voice, "Mother!"

Princess Qinghe hurried over to pick him up. This child lived up to his name, bright and intelligent beyond his years. At just over a year old, he could already imitate the palace servants' speech. Seeing the crown prince, he also laughed and parroted, "Congratulations to the Emperor! Congratulations to the Emperor!"

The people around them all changed color. Princess Qinghe hurriedly covered his mouth, "What nonsense is this child spouting? If someone hears, will we still be alive?"

But the crown prince knelt down, caressed the child's chubby little face, sighed, and said nothing.

Early the next morning, a sea of court officials knelt outside the main palace gate. Led by the crown prince were the crown princess, Princess Qinghe, the imperial grandson, as well as the prime minister, generals, civil and military officials, the Imperial Guard, and others, totaling several thousand people, waiting to welcome the emperor. At noon, the palace gate opened with a thunderous sound. After several hundred ceremonial guards, a bright yellow dragon carriage slowly drove out from the main gate.

Everyone knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor" three times, the sound shaking the earth and sky, faintly audible even inside the dragon carriage.

Mingde sat on the cushion, listening, and after a while, suddenly laughed and asked softly, "That time, I also entered through this gate, right?"

The Qianwan Emperor was stunned for a moment before realizing he was talking about the day of the rebellion. Normally, generals returning to the court would enter in order of their military merits, even if your contributions exceeded the heavens, you would at most enter from the side of the main gate. Those who charged straight through this gate were either the emperor ascending the throne, marrying the empress, holding a grand funeral, or offering sacrifices to heaven and the ancestors.

The Qianwan Emperor said in a low voice, "There's no need to mention these things now."

Mingde fell silent, quietly listening to the shrill recitation of the ceremonial official outside. The dragon carriage was so grand and luxurious, and he sat there alone, thin and frail, as if he would be drowned in this splendor at any moment.

The Qianwan Emperor wanted to reach out and hold him, but in the end, he didn't move.

After the ceremony, the dragon carriage drove all the way to the Zhengtai Palace. The emperor ascended the court, the officials came to pay respects, and outside, ceremonial cannons fired seven hundred and twenty times.

The Qianwan Emperor's first decree after returning to the capital was to reinstate the crown prince. This was actually not unexpected. Even if the crown prince was incompetent and mediocre, after all the ups and downs for so long without being deposed, he probably wouldn't be deposed for the rest of his life.

The second decree was a big surprise. The Qianwan Emperor, without consulting the Ministry of Revenue, directly decreed: Zhuo Yu of Hanbei, possessing extraordinary abilities, can assume great responsibilities and should be the State Preceptor.

This was enough to cause a major earthquake in the court. Ding Huang and Xia Zheng, two old foxes, achieved an unprecedented consensus for the first time. They both knelt outside the palace gate, wailing and weeping, each vying to slit their own throats with a knife, clamoring to shout, "I want to die in remonstration! I want to die for the country!"

Even the usually carefree crown prince was alarmed. No matter how ignorant he was, he knew how murderous, cruel, and psychotic Zhuo Yu was. And that wasn't even the main point. The key was that everyone knew Zhuo Yu was the State Preceptor of Xiwan! This man had once led three hundred thousand iron cavalry and plunged a butcher's knife into the heart of the Central Plains!

The crown prince's carriage arrived at the closed palace gate of the Zhengtai Palace. Ding Huang and Xia Zheng were unprecedentedly united at this moment, each pulling on one side of his robe, weeping and persuading, "The crown prince must stop His Majesty!"

"Zhuo Yu is a great evil and should be killed swiftly!"

"It doesn't matter if he's from Xiwan, but even if he's a capable State Preceptor, Zhuo Yu cannot be used!"

"Crown Prince! Everything is up to you now!"

At this time, it had been over a hundred years since the founding of the dynasty. The chaotic political situation of the previous dynasty had not completely disappeared from people's memories. It was common for a person to experience several reigns and generations, and even abandoning one's lord to pledge allegiance to another was not a big deal.

So appointing a Xiwan person was actually not a big issue. If it was someone virtuous and respected like the State Preceptor, it could even be considered a good thing. But if it was Zhuo Yu, it was simply letting these officials attend court with a murderous maniac. Who knew if Zhuo Yu would suddenly get in the mood and kill one or two people in court for fun?

The crown prince nodded helplessly, comforting them with a few words like "The prime minister need not worry, I will take care of everything", and "Lord, take care and don't cry yourself sick". Then, with great difficulty, he broke free. Zhang Kuo had long been waiting at the foot of the jade steps.

The crown prince coughed, straightened his court attire, and solemnly said, "Your son seeks an audience with the Emperor!"

Zhang Kuo bowed deeply.

"Your Highness, please come this way. The Emperor has been waiting for you in the main hall..."

In the crown prince's impression, the Zhengtai Palace had always been very majestic and lofty. The palace, which has stood in the imperial city for hundreds of years, has been the center of political power for the entire celestial dynasty since the founding of the nation.

Countless power shifts have taken place here, as if walking on the stone steps of Zhengtai Palace, the sounds of war horns and ceremonial cannons from a hundred years ago still echo faintly from the cracks between the bricks.

The crown prince is still very young. Although he does not regard power as dung, he ultimately does not like it.

The crown prince has been accustomed to being suppressed by a stern father and a strong wife. He is used to pushing everything onto others while cowering himself, entrusting his confidence, hope, and courage to Buddhism. He is accustomed to believing in authority and kneeling on the ground, watching others stand in the court.

However, today he saw the Qianwan Emperor standing in the empty great hall. His usually majestic and awe-inspiring father suddenly seemed to have an indescribable sense of vicissitudes and powerlessness.

The crown prince carefully stepped forward and knelt on the ground, "Your son pays respects to the Emperor, Father..."

The Qianwan Emperor suddenly interrupted, "Rise."

His voice sounded completely devoid of warmth. The crown prince forgot all the words he had prepared and was stuck for a moment, "Father, your son today... today heard... heard that the Xiwan State Preceptor..."

"You came because of the appointment of State Preceptor Zhuo, right?"

The crown prince nodded, not knowing what to do.

"You find it strange that I value him highly?"

This time, the crown prince didn't even dare to nod.

"Zhuo Yu is a ruthless and ambitious person. He has some abilities and likes to wield power." the Qianwan Emperor turned around and looked at the crown prince, "He has one biggest difference from ordinary court officials. Most people seek power to satisfy their own desires - to be wealthy and noble, to have a high position and great authority, to provide for their wives and children, and to enjoy all honors. But he is not like that. He seeks power purely to grasp and exercise it."

"Xiwan was previously just a vassal state with a cowardly king and a powerful opposition party. It was on the verge of being annexed by the Yuezhi. After Zhuo Yu took power by force, he did not immediately take control of the court. Instead, he rallied the troops in front of the people, killed more than a thousand officials and soldiers who were afraid to fight, and personally led the army to recover thousands of miles of lost territory. He has been in power for more than a decade. Most people would have enjoyed wealth and honor by now, but he eats and lives in the palace and hasn't touched the national treasury for more than ten years."

The Qianwan Emperor looked at the crown prince and said word by word, "This person is a governing machine. You can't regard him as a normal person. If you hand over the court to your wife, she can turn the celestial dynasty into her maiden family's world. If you hand it over to ministers, one day the dynasty may change and the country will belong to the Ding or Xia family. But if you hand it over to this State Preceptor, you don't need to do anything, and this world will still belong to the Li family."

The crown prince had a vague sense of foreboding, "Father, you are in the prime of your life. You don't need to..."

"After you ascend the throne, the Ding family will certainly oppose the Xia family to maintain their power, and the Xia family will certainly become arrogant due to their merits. If you have any doubts, you will certainly seek advice from Princess Qinghe, and most of the court affairs will fall into the hands of the women. As long as I live for a day, they will be wary of me and won't dare to do anything to you. If I'm gone, the only one you can rely on is State Preceptor Zhuo."

The crown prince froze. The Qianwan Emperor walked over and patted his shoulder.

"Everyone may betray you, but only he won't, because your existence as the emperor is the greatest guarantee of his power. If you're gone, as a foreigner, he can't survive in the Celestial Dynasty. State Preceptor Zhuo is the last assurance I leave for you."

"But, but..." the crown prince stammered, "what if he has treacherous intentions, what if..."

The Qianwan Emperor said coldly, "This person is a pillar of the state in troubled times, but cannot be a loyal minister in a prosperous era. When you abdicate in the future, you can entrust Crown Prince Mingxiu to... poison him."

The crown prince murmured involuntarily, "But Father is in his prime and there is absolutely no need..."

The Qianwan Emperor did not look at him. His gaze passed through the crown prince, looking towards an unknown direction in the vast Zhengtai Palace.

The majestic and magnificent building was so huge that it engulfed countless emperors of past dynasties. They were born here, died here, and in the end, the history books recorded a line. Everyone remembered that they were emperors, and nothing else.

"The Empress Dowager once said something, but unfortunately I sneered at it at the time..."

The Qianwan Emperor slowly closed his eyes.

"Perhaps I... really don't have the so-called... true dragon's destiny..."

Perhaps it was because Zhengtai Palace was too huge, so that at dusk, the figures of an emperor and a crown prince of a country were engulfed in it, infinitely faint.

Like dust, they drifted aimlessly, soon disappearing and never to be seen again.