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Chapter 625 - 625: The Emperor’s Situation

As long as he reveled in the daily pleasures of the harem, the Lord State Duke seemed indifferent to his activities. Even neglecting to lavish attention on the empress wouldn’t draw censure from Lord State Duke.

His Empress, the eldest daughter of the Public House, surpassed his mother in intelligence but still fell slightly short of the Empress Dowager. Unfazed by the emperor’s cold demeanor, she focused her protective instincts solely on the emperor’s eldest son.

The emperor held a starkly different sentiment. He harbored a genuine desire to quash his eldest son, fueled by the Lord State Duke’s threat to eliminate him for disobedience. The chilling prospect loomed of his two-year-old heir ascending to the throne, with Lord State Duke assuming the role of Regent.

The future seemed grimly predetermined.

In any event, if the Public House aimed to seize the throne, it appeared to be only a matter of time. The emperor reckoned that he would not survive to see the natural end of his life.

Had he known this fate awaited him, he would have refrained from becoming the emperor.

Initially aware that his father was manipulated by the Public House, he now found himself in a more precarious situation. The Public House’s influence extended both within and outside the palace, with individuals loyal to their cause. The Public House possessed comprehensive knowledge of the situation, leaving the emperor with minimal resistance.

Despite the Empress Dowager’s formidable power, her advancing age hindered her efforts. After several unsuccessful attempts, she found herself powerless to persist.

Though the Public House recognized the Empress Dowager’s opposition, they refrained from escalating hostilities. The aging Duke of the Public House merely advised her, “You’re already so old—what are you still fighting for?”

“Do you truly wish to meet your demise amid chaos?”

“Or would you prefer a gruesome end at your age?”

Upon hearing these words, the Empress Dowager fell into a prolonged silence. After some time, she turned to her brothers and inquired, “Is it impossible for you not to ascend to the throne?” “Wouldn’t that be preferable?”

He had no desire to be an emperor when he already wielded more power than one. Lord State Duke, abandoning any pretense, openly acknowledged, “Don’t you understand the vast disparity between an emperor and a minister?” The Empress Dowager felt a pang in her heart.

The Public House’s ascendancy and arrogance were consequences of her own actions!

Regret came too late.

Clutching her chest, she declared, “Even if you seize control of this realm, you will bear the infamy of the entire world. You won’t endure on the throne for long..

An unhappy interruption from Lord State Duke followed, “Empress Dowager, remember your origins, mind your words, and discern what to utter and what not to. You should be well aware!”

“I don’t wish to hear the same words from you again!”

Lord State Duke no longer addressed her as an old official.

“I won’t harm you because we share the same mother!”

“But if you persist, don’t blame me for disregarding our brotherhood!”

Once Lord State Duke departed, the Empress Dowager sat in a daze for an extended period. Eventually, she succumbed to illness.

The imperial physician diagnosed her condition as an outcome of excessive contemplation and depression.

Upon recovering from her severe ailment, the Empress Dowager summoned the Emperor to her presence.

A sense of trepidation gripped the Emperor. The Empress Dowager, transformed into a different person, seemed to have aged significantly, resembling a lamp nearing the end of its oil.

“Grandmother, you must take care of yourself!”

He had no desire for the Empress Dowager’s demise.

With her passing, he found himself even more isolated within the palace. Only the company of those beauties remained.

Yet, in the presence of those beauties, he was the esteemed and imposing emperor. Honesty was a luxury he could not afford.

Embarrassed before the Empress, he refrained from lavishing her with attention, as she was well aware of his predicament.

In the Empress’s eyes, he perceived not admiration but rather pity.

Once this realization dawned on him, the Emperor began to distance himself from the Empress..