Chapter 462

Long Xuan'en looked up at his son seated on the dragon throne from below, pulling Wang Qiandao and saying, "Look, look, who looks more like an emperor sitting here, me or him?" This obviously gave Wang Qiandao a huge dilemma; even if he were braver, he wouldn't dare answer, his head drooping, he could only pretend to be deaf and mute, though his heart remained loyal to Long Xuan'en, at this moment he wouldn't actively seek death.

"Whoever sits here is the emperor!" Long Yelin said softly, actually what difference does it make who sits up there? A nameless sorrow welled up in his heart; even if he painstakingly earned the right to sit in this chair, he would still be controlled by others, merely a puppet emperor—how different is that from before?

Long Xuan'en laughed: "Long live the emperor, may the emperor be wise and bright!"

Long Yelin waved his hand, signaling Wang Qiandao to retreat. In the vast Lingxiao Palace, only father and son remained.

Long Yelin patted the dragon throne: "Come up and sit!"

Long Xuan'en shook his head firmly: "One dragon throne cannot seat two people."

Long Yelin said: "This is no longer a dragon throne."

Long Xuan'en's heart felt as if struck heavily by a hammer, the pain in his chest, the chair that once symbolized his glory and supreme authority now merely a self-deceptive prop; he nodded, finally walked over, and sat beside Long Yelin, in his memory such a scene had happened before—father and son had not been this close for a long time.

Long Yelin said: "I still remember, when I was young, you once held me on this chair to play."

"Really?" Long Xuan'en strained his memory to search, but found no impression of those words.

Long Yelin nodded: "Indeed, you also said that when I grew up, this chair would be mine." His eyes flashed with a cold light.

Long Xuan'en narrowed his eyes, his gaze becoming vague and empty. After a while, he sighed: "I seem to have really said that."

Long Yelin said: "Maybe you have too many children, you can't recall exactly which one you said it to."

Long Xuan'en said: "Do you hate me in your heart?"

Long Yelin unabashedly nodded.

Long Xuan'en said: "Once someone sits on this chair, they become anxious and gain-loss obsessed, they lose sight of themselves; these past six months I've reflected almost daily. Even I don't understand why I cling to this broken, hard chair."

Long Yelin gave a silent cold smile; of course he knew his father's obsession wasn't with this chair, but with Dakang's supreme power.

Long Xuan'en said: "I thought only I had grown old these past six months, but seeing you I realize you've aged faster than I have. Is the feeling of the dragon throne unpleasant?"

Long Yelin said: "Is it not because you squandered Dakang's wealth and ruined the ancestors' realm that I am in such difficulty?"

Long Xuan'en chuckled: "Why would I waste Dakang's wealth? You push all blame onto me; if not for your conspiracy to usurp the throne, how could Xichuan have fallen into plague? How could Dakang end up in this predicament of advance and retreat?"

Long Yelin said: "During your forty-one-year reign, your only achievement was leaving Dakang with an empty treasury."

Long Xuan'en said: "When I first ascended the throne, Dakang's state treasury was empty, with yearly deficits. Famine persisted, civil unrest broke out frequently. Over these forty-one years, I repaid all of Dakang's debts, I quelled one wave of civil unrest after another." At this moment the Retired Emperor showed no sign of old age, his eyes blazing as he fixed Long Yelin: "You think you're stronger than me. You think Dakang's current predicament is my fault? You think I'm unfair to you, stripping you of the crown prince position and letting your third brother take it—do you know the saying 'a father knows his child best'? It's not that I cling to power, but among your many brothers and sisters, none is capable of bearing great responsibility; I fathered so many sons, yet not one has the ability to govern the state."

Had Long Xuan'en said this half a year ago, Long Yelin would surely have scoffed, even flown into a rage, but now his reaction was unusually calm: "You overestimate yourself too much."

Long Xuan'en chuckled: "I have lived in seclusion in the Lingxiao Palace for half a year; though I cannot see what happens outside, I can guess. You only wanted to drive me from the throne, yet overlooked the most crucial matter: can your ability steer Dakang this great ship? From childhood you've valued power too highly, you regard your brothers as enemies, thinking they all want to snatch your crown prince position. Once a person fixates on power, they ignore everything else; to grasp Dakang's authority, you didn't hesitate to bear the name of rebellion and drive me from the throne, you feared Yiqing would contend with you for power and hastily eliminated him. The Xichuan Li clan raised the banner of loyalist troops and declared independence—this was entirely your doing."

Long Yelin snapped: "Li Tianheng harbors wolfish ambition; he will surely rebel sooner or later."

Long Xuan'en said: "You see only yourself, not Dakang; if you truly cherished your ancestors' legacy and the Long clan's realm, you wouldn't be acting this way. Dakang's current predicament is entirely your fault. I haven't misjudged you—you remain as you always were, unwilling to bear responsibility, blaming others when trouble arises, complaining that heaven treats you unfairly, thinking everyone owes you, and never reflecting on what you yourself have done."

Long Yelin roared: "You forced me! You stripped me of the crown prince position, exiled me to the Western Frontier, even then you wouldn't relent, actually ordering Yiqing to send men to hunt me down to extinction."

Long Xuan'en sneered: "If I wanted to kill you, why go through the trouble of exiling you? Though your third brother also lacks governing ability, he is kind-hearted; if he sat in this seat, at least he wouldn't fratricide. Do you know how he pleaded for you when I stripped you of the crown prince position? When I appointed him crown prince, he repeatedly declined—quite admirable! At that time I truly had murderous intent toward you; if not for your third brother's earnest pleas, I would have already beheaded you for treason."

Long Yelin chuckled: "You invert black and white; even now you spout lie after lie."

Long Xuan'en said: "I've already come to this point—what need is there to lie to you?"

Long Yelin bellowed: "On my way to the Western Frontier, who was chasing me along the route? If not for my loyal subordinates fighting to the death to protect me, I would already have died at your hands."

Long Xuan'en shook his head: "I didn't do it, nor did your third brother; you merely fell into someone else's trap." He chuckled: "If you hate me so much, why did you come to see me? I thought even if I died you wouldn't bother to glance my way, let alone shed a tear for me."

Long Yelin nodded: "I didn't come to see you; I only came to ask, are you still a descendant of the Long clan?"

Long Xuan'en burst into laughter; after it faded, he glared at Long Yelin with fury: "What right do you have to ask that? You seized my throne, forced me to hand over the Imperial Jade Seal—when you did those things, did you ever think of our Long clan's ancestors? You certainly didn't come to see me; if not for your desperation, you wouldn't have thought of me. You imagine that ascending the throne grants you control over Dakang's power—hah, hahaha, have you finally realized you're merely a pawn used by others, just a puppet? You were never emperor, you aren't now, and you never will be!" Long Xuan'en shouted wildly.

Long Yelin seized his father's throat, his eyes suddenly flashing with icy killing intent, he gritted his teeth: "Old traitor, you are Dakang's sinner; if not for your foolishness and favoritism, poisoning the populace, how could Dakang fall into this plight? If not for the fact that you are my father, I would wish to devour your flesh and drink your blood. You stole my beloved woman and personally caused her death; in your heart you never held even a shred of kinship."

Long Xuan'en laughed madly: "If you hate me so much, why don't you just kill me? Yes! It was I who took your woman; you shouldn't blame me—blame only yourself for being a waste, unable even to protect the woman you love."

Long Yelin's facial muscles twisted incessantly; he wished to strangle this vicious old man right then.

Long Xuan'en lowered his voice: "He who brings shame to the ancestors is you; Dakang will perish in your hands..."

Long Yelin's heart felt as if struck by a heavy hammer; he slumped, released his grip, and pushed Long Xuan'en to the ground.

Long Xuan'en gasped heavily: "Why don't you dare kill me? Trash! You lack even this courage—how dare you deserve this dragon throne..."

Long Yelin clenched his fists: "I know you've concealed something; besides the treasury, do you also have a secret treasury unknown to others?"

Long Xuan'en chuckled: "You haven't disappointed me—in just half a year you've reached the end of your rope. With so many capable ministers aiding you, governing Dakang should pose no problem, yet you still turn to me, this old fool; it turns out your so-called loyal ministers are all using you, you fool, being used by others to oppose your own biological father, handing over the Long clan's realm to outsiders—idiot! Idiot!"

Long Yelin said: "I give you ten days to consider; if you don't hand over the secret treasury's key, March second will be your death day."

Long Xuan'en said: "I am already dead; no need to wait ten days—kill me now if you wish."

Hu Xiaotian kept his promise, arranging for Qiqi to return to the wine cellar; he thought Qiqi would choose another two secret passages this time, but unexpectedly Qiqi still picked the leftmost passage, and Hu Xiaotian followed Qiqi to the edge of the pool.

Qiqi swiftly removed her outer robe, revealing the shark-skin water garment underneath; Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but wryly smile: "Princess, you already went down once before—why go again?"

Qiqi said: "This time it's not just me." She pointed a finger at Hu Xiaotian's chest: "You must come down with me."

"No way!"

Qiqi said: "I discovered a secret underwater."

There's still a day and a half left; if you have monthly tickets, vote for Zhangyu—lately I've been sick, my condition doesn't allow bursts, I'm struggling to adjust, hope you understand! (To be continued~^~)