Chapter 302: Governing Heaven Dou
Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
A fine drizzle, like smoke and mist, veiled the world in mystery.
Raindrops fell softly onto the palace streets, and from time to time, flashes of lightning streaked across the sky—like omens of what was to come.
Inside Emperor Xue Ye's sleeping quarters, the emperor lay upon his bed.
Unable to bear the shock of the Balak Kingdom's defection, his barely-held-together body had finally collapsed.
Gone was the majesty of the once-mighty emperor.
Now he lay pale and frail, his breathing thin and weak, his form withered and gaunt—already at death's door.
Ironically, it was Bibi Dong who, for once, had done her daughter Qian Renxue a favor.
Had it not been for this sudden blow, Emperor Xue Ye might have managed to hang on for another half a month.
Of course, Qian Renxue would never acknowledge this kindness from Bibi Dong.
In the sleeping chamber stood the disguised Crown Prince Xue Qinghe—actually Qian Renxue—as well as Prince Xue Xing, Prince Xue Beng, and other members of the imperial family.
Marquis-level officials and veteran ministers, led by Marshal Ge Long, also stood respectfully at the emperor's bedside.
Only Princess Xue Ke, once the most beloved by Emperor Xue Ye, was not present.
Though he adored her, in his eyes, she was little more than a decorative flower—her best use was to marry into a powerful force to secure the empire's interests.
At this point, it was obvious to all that Emperor Xue Ye had reached his final moments.
No one spoke.
Everyone silently awaited his final words.
Hidden behind his uncle, Xue Beng stared unwillingly at the figure standing closest to his father—Xue Qinghe.
Why had his father declined so suddenly?
With the current situation, it was now almost certain that Xue Qinghe would inherit the throne.
"Qinghe…"
Emperor Xue Ye opened his eyes, and his hoarse voice echoed in the hall.
"Father!"
The disguised Qian Renxue immediately stepped forward and came to the edge of the bed.
Emperor Xue Ye struggled to sit up, leaning against the headboard as he gazed at her and said, "Qinghe… I won't last much longer. The future of the Heaven Dou Empire… will depend on you."
At these words, everyone in the chamber revealed expressions of realization.
At the end of his life, Emperor Xue Ye had indeed chosen the legitimate heir—Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
For years, his health had been poor, and much of state affairs had been handled by Xue Qinghe.
Even the typically neutral Marshal Ge Long believed that only Xue Qinghe could shoulder the burden of ruling.
Only Prince Xue Xing and Prince Xue Beng looked visibly displeased.
Especially Xue Beng—even though he had expected this outcome, when the moment finally arrived, he still felt deep unwillingness.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Having arranged his successor, Emperor Xue Ye began coughing violently.
The harsh, phlegm-filled sound echoed like ancient bells and drums.
"Father!"
Qian Renxue quickly stepped forward and gently patted his back to help ease his breath.
Given that the old man had made the wise choice to pass her the throne, Qian Renxue figured she'd offer a bit of filial piety—on behalf of the real Xue Qinghe who had died twenty years ago.
Ugh!
After the fit of coughing, Emperor Xue Ye opened his mouth and vomited a large mouthful of dark red blood.
After vomiting blood, Emperor Xue Ye experienced a brief moment of clarity, as if in the final glow before death.
A rare flush of color appeared on his pale face, and his voice suddenly grew louder and firmer.
He grabbed Xue Qinghe's wrist tightly, his eyes brimming with deep, etched-in hatred.
"Qinghe, those traitorous beasts of Spirit Hall have shown their true fangs—audaciously annexing our lands and bringing shame upon me, upon the empire!
After you ascend the throne, your first priority must be to eliminate Spirit Hall and reclaim our territory.
Wipe away the disgrace I suffer today!"
Emperor Xue Ye truly hated Spirit Hall.
Besides the strategically crucial Balak Kingdom, several other kingdoms, duchies, and provincial forces had joined Spirit Hall in declaring independence.
Their combined territory now encompassed nearly half of what once belonged to the Heaven Dou Empire.
An emperor who lost nearly half his territory during his reign—no matter how he thought about it, Emperor Xue Ye knew he was destined to be nailed to history's pillar of shame.
"Father, rest assured!"
Qian Renxue forced out two tears and said tearfully, "Your son will not fail you.
Not an inch of our land will be yielded!"
"Good… good… good…"
Emperor Xue Ye nodded in satisfaction, then raised a trembling hand and pointed toward Xue Xing and Xue Beng.
"Qinghe, I know that in the past, your royal uncle and fourth brother had some disagreements with you over politics, and you clashed more than once.
But I hope you understand—the empire's stability cannot exist without the support of the royal family.
So today, I ask you to swear, that after you ascend the throne, you will not seek revenge on your uncle and brother.
You must ensure they live out their days in wealth and honor!"
Hearing this, Xue Xing and Xue Beng immediately showed expressions of surprise and delight.
Xue Qinghe's ascension was already certain, and though they would lose political power, a life of riches and peace was still an excellent outcome for them.
'Damn old man!'
Qian Renxue cursed silently.
Originally, she had planned to send these two troublemakers to accompany Emperor Xue Ye to the afterlife once she took the throne.
She hadn't expected the emperor to throw in a last-minute twist like this, and in front of all these civil and military officials too.
There was no way she could touch Xue Xing and Xue Beng for the time being.
Still, the emperor hadn't yet drawn his last breath—he could always change his final wishes.
Qian Renxue had worked too hard to let something go wrong at the last second.
She would let those two live for now, and once the dust settled, she'd have one of Xiao Yu's experts take care of them quietly.
As for the oath—if it was made in Xue Qinghe's name, what did that have to do with her, Qian Renxue?
"I, Xue Qinghe, hereby swear that upon ascending the throne, I will erase all past grievances with my royal uncle Xue Xing and brother Xue Beng.
Should I break this oath, may the heavens and earth strike me down!"
Having resolved his final concern, Emperor Xue Ye seemed relieved.
He exhaled one last breath, his arm falling powerlessly as he passed away.
"Your Majesty!"
"Father!"
A wave of mourning erupted inside the sleeping quarters, though how much of it was sincere… no one could truly say.
As the saying goes: a nation cannot be without a ruler for a single day.
With Emperor Xue Ye's passing, the disguised Qian Renxue, as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, ascended the throne amid the ministers' thunderous cries of "Long live the Emperor."
Thus, she became Emperor Qinghe.
Xue Qinghe had a good reputation among the people—diligent in governance, caring toward the citizens, humble and open to advice.
He had long earned public admiration.
In these chaotic times, with Spirit Hall founding its own empire and multiple kingdoms and duchies in rebellion, Xue Qinghe's ascension played a major role in stabilizing public morale.
The first imperial edict issued after Xue Qinghe took the throne was a declaration of war against the Spirit Empire.
The Heaven Dou Empire would never recognize the Spirit Empire's legitimacy.
It condemned Spirit Hall's instigation of rebellion within Heaven Dou's borders in the strongest terms.
Even if the empire had to fight to the last soldier, it swore to reclaim its lost lands!
(End of Chapter)
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