I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

"You desire this throne so much! You won't even spare one of your own blood brothers... You're so eager to become the true dragon!"

"Are you so eager to kill me, Wei Yanwu?!"

Only upon truly reaching that position can one feel the tangible, oppressive aura emanating from the supreme ruler.

"I just wanted to protect myself."

“My elder brother and the others have driven Yanwu to the brink of death. If Yanwu has nothing left to do, it is better for this useless body to die. But if it implicates my family, Yanwu is willing to fight to the death.”

Wei Yanwu knew that he could not show weakness at this moment.

If they can survive this final test, they will live.

"Self-preservation... Ha, what a fine self-preservation... Family... Aren't they your family!"

Old Zhenlong coughed a few more times, his heavy breathing causing everyone's heart to ache.

“You will get what you want, Wei Yanwu…you will get this position…”

"No!"

Wei Yanwu interrupted the old dragon.

"This position is not what Yanwu wants."

"???"

Pei Qianli's gently swaying tail formed a question mark.

If you don't want to be emperor, why did you rebel? Why did you kill all the other princes without saying a word?

You killed off the other heirs and then said you didn't want to be emperor? You rebelled... no, I should call it "purging the court of corrupt officials" just to annoy others? After doing all that, aren't you afraid of being hanged in the imperial tomb by the gods?

"What...what did you just say?...You unfilial son! Say it again!"

The old dragon, who was coughing, was so angry at Wei Yanwu's sudden words that he almost couldn't recover.

"This throne is not what Hikogo seeks."

Wei Yanwu suddenly knelt down, kowtowed to the old dragon, and pleaded:

"Your Majesty, please establish Yanwu's younger brother as the Crown Prince. Yanwu is willing to offer his neck for execution so that his brother's spirit in heaven may rest in peace."

Younger brother?

Oh!

If Wei Yanwu hadn't mentioned it, Pei Qianli would have almost forgotten that this guy had a brother with a very low profile.

but……

Does that rich young master who only knows how to tease dogs and walk birds and seek pleasure have the ability to manage the Great Yan True Dragon across this fertile land of thousands of miles and 358 states?

“I see…I see…Wei Yanwu…”

"You are quite righteous... If this were in ancient times... this farce might have been another beautiful story of brotherly love and respect..."

The old dragon gazed at him, as if seeing the child's thoughts for the first time.

"Very well, if that's how it is... cough cough..."

As soon as the old dragon paused for a moment, Old Huang knew what to do.

With a piece of honey in his mouth, the old dragon said again:

“Wei Yanwu, since you do not want this throne, then leave the Great Yan, take your ‘family’ and go to the Western Frontier, never to return here for the rest of your life.”

"Yanwu thanks Father for his mercy."

"..."

"Ziyi, I am tired."

"Here."

Pei Qianli quickly stepped forward and pulled Wei Yanwu up.

Wei Yanwu didn't say anything and let Pei Qianli lead him out of the inner room.

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Huang."

Wei Yanwu spoke softly and bowed to the old eunuch with his hands clasped in front of him.

The old ox shook his head and gently closed the door.

"Let's go, Lord Wei."

The heavy footsteps gradually faded into the distance, and a few coughs from the old dragon could be faintly heard from the inner room.

The palace then returned to tranquility.

"You really dare to do this... Wei Yanwu! Wei Yanwu?"

As Pei Qianli was leaving Chengxiang Hall, he was about to praise Wei Yanwu when the man suddenly collapsed.

Pei Qianli was so frightened that he almost thought he had died from overwork.

Pei Qianli grabbed Wei Yanwu and leaned on his spear. Immediately, two imperial guards ran over and helped Wei Yanwu up.

"Hey you! You foreigner! Take your brother away right now!"

Pei Qianli was naturally referring to Edward, who was surrounded in the army formation.

"Yanwu! Yanwu!"

Delac, who had been designated, rushed over and hugged Wei Yanwu, calling out to him urgently.

"Don't worry, it's just that you suddenly relaxed and passed out after being tense all night."

Pei Qianli looked at Delac with great interest. Delac was someone who dared to gamble with his own country and take risks with Wei Yanwu.

"Brother, does that mean Yanwu succeeded?"

Edward helped Wei Yanwu up, looking expectantly at Pei Qianli.

"Don't be too happy yet. Once he wakes up, you'll know what a 'great' thing he did."

Pei Qianli waved his hand, and Zhao Quan immediately waved the command flag in his hand. The black-armored guards, upon receiving the order, gradually retreated, releasing the Jinwu Guards who had been surrounded.

"Yang Shangzhuo, you're lucky."

Pei Qianli slowly walked down the ladder to the clouds and smiled at the Jinwu Guard commander who had relaxed.

"What do you mean by that, General Pei?"

The yellow tiger seemed to have guessed something, and in its heightened state, even the way it looked at Pei Qianli became somewhat arrogant.

"I mean, you're quite lucky. The North just happens to be short one commander in charge of planting potatoes. In a few days, we might have to call you Commander Yang."

Pei Qianli's wicked laugh left Yang Shangzhu completely dumbfounded.

What the hell? Didn't he successfully defend the king? How come he's being sent to the North to grow potatoes? How could potatoes possibly grow in that godforsaken place!

"Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be potatoes, and it doesn't necessarily have to be corn either."

I can't even grow corn!

Yang Shangzhuo suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Looking at the sky, which was already turning completely white, Pei Qianli yawned.

He was woken up to work before he was fully awake, and now that the work is finished, he needs to go back to sleep.

"General Pei, please explain it more clearly, I don't understand. General Pei, General Pei!"

Yang Shangzhuo, puzzled, chased after Pei Qianli, chattering like a mosquito.

"Hey! You're fine, you have a bright future ahead of you. I was just kidding you, you better get the hell out of here."

"Yes, I understand. General Pei, please take care of your health."

■

"..."

The old eunuch bent even lower, almost curling up into a ball.

"You don't seem disappointed."

The visitor stood before the couch and asked the real dragon on it.

"With you here, even if the next one is incompetent or terrible, you will turn rotten wood into gold. Besides... even if he is not the best, he is not the worst either."

Old Long wanted to sit up to reply, but he was stopped by the gesture.

"That's it."

He looked at the old dragon's face, which had become somewhat rosy, and let out a sigh.

"You came to find me not only to apologize with thorns on your back, but also because of your short lifespan."

He grasped the dragon's hand, and the dilapidated lamp base hidden beneath the mist was fully revealed to him.

The lamp has burned out and the oil is used up; there's no way to reverse the situation.

When dawn breaks, they will have to part ways.

"Old man..."

The dragon, remembering the past, called out to him as it had when he was a child.

"The future trend... our Great Yan must have a true dragon with blood and spirit."

"But those pampered and spoiled people don't even have the ability to resist. Such good-for-nothings can neither achieve the glory of expanding territory nor dare to sacrifice themselves for the country. Am I keeping them around just to humiliate the honor of our true dragon bloodline? They should all be able to survive, if only they had a little more ability."

"I know I made a mistake, but I don't regret it."

"Old man, after I die, please cover my face with my hair. I have been a ruler for more than ten years, but I have failed to ensure that the country has successors. I have no face to face my ancestors. I have been a father for more than ten years, but I have failed to raise my son to adulthood. I have no face to face them."

"Besides that... old man, I have another request."

He bent down and listened to this last prayer.

"..."

He didn't say anything, yet it seemed as if he had agreed to something.

An inconspicuous little window in the magnificent palace was pushed open. It was the secret passage they used to "escape" in their childhood. From here, they could also overlook the entire landscape of the land in front of the Dragon Palace.