Decision

At the peak of Nine Dragons Mountain, the Heavenly Lake lay tranquil, a solitary pavilion standing at the center of the waters. Moonlight spilled into the chamber, dim and shadowy. Having already changed into his imperially bestowed python robe, Eunuch Nie prostrated himself before the imperial desk. "Your Majesty, this servant is incompetent and failed to fulfill your command." Behind the imperial desk, candlelight flickered. Clad in an unlined garment with an imperial dragon robe loosely draped over his shoulders, Li Yaoxuan appeared aged, his face heavily lined with wrinkles. His cloudy eyes calmly scanned the memorials before him, devoid of expression. "We saw." Eunuch Nie's pupils contracted slightly, and he hurried to explain his retreat. "Your Majesty, this servant was not being cowardly. If at that moment..." "We said..." Li Yaoxuan cast a faint, weary glance at him and repeated softly, "...We saw." *Thud.* Eunuch Nie pressed his forehead tight against the icy floor. "This servant admits his fault." "Xu Yinhe has good fortune. The growth of that third son of his has truly surpassed expectations." Li Yaoxuan leaned back gently against the throne, clasping his hands over his abdomen as he spoke with something akin to a sigh. "If not for this Xu Changtian, and if he had only his eldest son, We would have far more choices now." Long before the campaign to exterminate the barbarians began, Li Yaoxuan had already seen through his Prime Minister's intention to groom Xu Changtian, but he had not cared back then. Because it was already too late. Even with the full backing of the Chancellor's Manor behind his cultivation, by the time Li Yaoxuan's own lifespan ran out, Xu Changtian could at most achieve a cultivation around the Body Integration realm. In this supernatural world, a meager cultivation was easy to target. When conflict erupted, someone trapped in the very vortex of the storm would have no possibility of survival so long as one was willing to pay the price. At this thought, Li Yaoxuan closed his eyes and let out a faint, self-deprecating chuckle. "Looking back now, We truly regret it." "..." Eunuch Nie cautiously lifted his gaze to steal a glance at the frail old man behind the desk, whose erstwhile divine might had completely vanished. As the senior attendant who had served Li Yaoxuan his entire life, he might not understand His Majesty best, but he was unquestionably the person His Majesty trusted most and the one who understood his sovereign's schemes best. Without Xu Changtian, imperial authority might have reverted to what it was before the Emperor ascended the throne, but the Li family's realm could still be preserved, while the Prime Minister's Manor would certainly perish. Xu Changtian's sudden rise was simply too abrupt—a colossal variable that disrupted almost all of His Majesty's plans for when his end arrived. Thinking this far, Eunuch Nie propped himself up slightly from the floor and softly suggested, "Your Majesty, perhaps this servant should go and..." "Go kill him?" Li Yaoxuan opened his eyes, a faint, ambiguous smile in his gaze. "Do you know? Had you left any later, that third son of the Xu family might well have killed you on the spot." Eunuch Nie froze. "Your Majesty, you mean..." "Xu Changtian was not joking with you. That spell truly used only about thirty percent of its power. The Dao charm in your cultivation technique cannot kill him in an instant, but he could use it to kill you in an instant." Li Yaoxuan slowly sat up straight. Seeing the astonishment in his senior attendant's eyes, he smiled faintly. "There is no need to be surprised; it is merely an elemental clash of techniques. With the life-death Dao charm in his grasp, even We could not kill that brat in an instant with Our full power." Having presided over the Directorate of Ceremonial for decades, Eunuch Nie naturally knew of the life-death Dao charm. He murmured, "Then Your Majesty's plans for the future..." Li Yaoxuan showed neither annoyance nor anger, saying only, "Xu Changtian did indeed exceed everyone's expectations, but has Zhaoyuan not done the same?" Eunuch Nie's breath caught slightly, his voice trembling. "Your Majesty, could you..." Halfway through, he swallowed the remaining words beneath Li Yaoxuan's murky gaze, prostrating himself onto the floor once more. "This servant overstepped." "Heh... rise." Rising from the throne, Li Yaoxuan looked down at the only person in this vast realm he could trust, smiling gently. "You have followed Us all your life. Now that things have reached this point, We could never move against you. Why remain so cautious and walk on eggshells?" Eunuch Nie did not move, his tone remaining respectful. "Your Majesty's benevolence toward this servant is as heavy as a mountain. It is only right." Hearing this, Li Yaoxuan shook his head. He stepped around the imperial desk, walked to the window lattice, and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Eunuch Nie slowly climbed up from the floor, stepped forward in small strides, and stood attentively slightly behind Li Yaoxuan. Gazing at the moonlit clear lake outside the window, the expression in Li Yaoxuan's aged eyes grew distant. Suddenly, he called out, "Senior Attendant." "This servant is here." "Do you find Us ridiculous?" Li Yaoxuan lowered his gaze slightly, staring at his withered hand as it trembled uncontrollably. "Even at a time like this, when hesitation is no longer an option, We are still hesitating." "Your Majesty, whatever choice you make, for you it will always be the right one." Eunuch Nie kept his eyes downcast, murmuring, "Calculating by time, the Third Prince has not traveled far. If that Xu Changtian is willing to pursue him, bringing him back should not be difficult." "Cough, cough, cough..." As if having caught a chill, Li Yaoxuan covered his mouth and coughed twice, his voice calm and quiet. "That boy Junqing is smarter than you imagine. He understands Our mind, and he also understands his eldest imperial brother." The Crown Prince's thoughts of yielding the position to someone more capable could not be hidden from Li Yaoxuan, the father who had watched him his entire life. Li Yaoxuan chuckled softly. "The fact that Junqing did not return tonight means he has already made up his mind. Even if he were dragged back, it would not change his nature." Eunuch Nie weighed his words for a moment before saying, "The Third Prince must have wrestled with it for a long time before being willing to leave." Li Yaoxuan looked back over his shoulder, a hint of amusement lingering in his death-tinged eyes. "Your judgment of people remains as dreadful as ever." "...This servant is terrified." After a fleeting exchange of glances, Eunuch Nie lowered his head. "I beg Your Majesty for enlightenment." Speaking of this, Li Yaoxuan's voice carried a faint trace of amusement. "Living in this world, there is always something one cares about—power, ideals, or love. Possessing these, one hesitates and struggles. But Junqing has restrained himself since childhood, ensuring there is no person or matter in this world that could ever cause him conflict." Eunuch Nie was taken aback, asking softly, "The Third Prince lives only for himself?" Li Yaoxuan leaned back gently against the throne's backrest, casting a sidelong glance at the night sky beyond the window, and gave a slight smile. "Indeed. That is why We admire him most." "In that case, Your Majesty, why didn't you in your younger years..." "Yet it is also the very thing We despise most about him." "..." Eunuch Nie fell silent. He understood His Majesty's meaning. Even if the Third Prince were brought back, His Majesty would never pass the throne to him. For if the throne were forced upon him and he was hoisted into that seat, one would likely only find a farewell letter left in the palace on some future morning after he had run off. This prince would not care for the continuation of the Li imperial house. Facing the encroaching Xu family of the Prime Minister's Manor, even if he had a chance of victory, Li Junqing would almost certainly put up no resistance at all. He would simply slip away, caring only for his own comfort and peace, oblivious to whether the world outside drowned in a deluge. Thinking to this point, Eunuch Nie understood completely. With the Crown Prince having no interest in the throne and the Third Prince resolved to depart, the only one remaining was already obvious. Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Li Yaoxuan's aged, weary voice drifted over. "Senior Attendant, withdraw. "It is time for Us to make a decision, and We truly are somewhat tired." Two days later, at night. Emperor Jiajing invited Prime Minister Xu Yinhe and Imperial Preceptor Ran Jianli of Great Yan to travel north together to hunt celestial deer in the Dragon Emperor Forest, dispatching the Second Prince, Li Zhaoyuan, to lead troops guarding the imperial retinue. The following morning, Xu Changtian, the Prime Minister's third son, attended court to receive his investiture.