On the other hand, the Fourth Prince, upon receiving the message from the director, turned around and looked at Jiang Yan and Ye Xingyu behind him. Then, he swaggered over to Bai Jinyao and said, “Leader Bai, this person behind me is His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Bai Jinyao bowed to Jiang Yan. Then, the Fourth Prince continued to say to Bai Jinyao, “You’ve worked hard these years, Leader Bai. Tonight is the time to regain the Crown Prince’s throne. Please lend me your assistance.”

Bai Jinyao clasped her hands, “I will do my utmost.”

She recalled Ruan Qiu’s words briefly, but her hesitation didn’t last long. Soon, she led her guards with their swords and followed the Fourth Prince to Lord Yuan Xiang’s room. The journey was smooth, with no one daring to stop them.

The Fourth Prince kicked open the door to the room arrogantly, facing Lord Yuan Xiang, who was still dressed in official robes, but without his hat, sitting at the table, bent over, writing a memorial. “Lord Yuan Xiang, this Prince has important matters to discuss with you.”

Yuan Xiang sensed the hostility of the newcomers. He glanced at the armed guards behind the Fourth Prince and then at Jiang Yan, realizing he had no way to retreat. He straightened his back and said to the Fourth Prince, “Whatever you intend to do, I will not agree.”

“Haha.” The Fourth Prince laughed, pointing to Jiang Yan beside him, saying, “You should take a good look. This person here is His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. We both know what happened during the succession of the late Emperor. Now that the Crown Prince has been found, the throne naturally belongs to him.” 

“Please accept the Imperial Decree, Lord Yuan Xiang, and don’t make it difficult for this Prince and His Royal Highness,” the Fourth Prince said with a smirk.

Yuan Xiang seemed to have anticipated that the Fourth Prince would say this. Immediately, the guards brought out a forged Imperial Decree that had been prepared in advance and handed it to Yuan Xiang. The Fourth Prince said to him, “Coincidentally, I have a ready-made Imperial Decree here. Lord Yuan Xiang only needs to take this decree and announce His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s succession before the public. This way, the incompetent ruler can step down from the throne, and we can usher in a peaceful era for the Great Zhou. How about it?”

Yuan Xiang’s chest heaved with anger. He swept away the forged Imperial Decree in front of him with a wave of his hand and pointed at the Fourth Prince, cursing, “Shameless scoundrel! Disgracing the royal family! Ambitious schemer! Malicious at heart! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to! You want to use His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to seize the throne! Don’t pretend to be serving the country and the people, you hypocrite!”

[Yuan Xiang’s cursing is on point! Applause]

[I never thought I’d see a throne sizing plot in a romance drama… Why is it so bizarre and yet harmonious?]

[Yuan Xiang shouldn’t confront the Fourth Prince head-on at this moment. The Fourth Prince has soldiers under his command.]

[Ruan Qiu, Xue Wu, hurry up!!]

With every word Yuan Xiang uttered, the Fourth Prince’s expression grew darker.

Finally, the Fourth Prince’s face was as cold as ice. He snorted and said to Yuan Xiang, “If you won’t accept a toast, you’ll have to drink a forfeit. I know you’re a tough nut to crack. If that’s the case, then I’ll have to trouble you to ‘voluntarily’ provide testimony to prove that this decree is a genuine one of the late Emperor…”

“You b*stard!” Yuan Xiang angrily interrupted the Fourth Prince, “I, Yuan Xiang, live my life with integrity and will never commit such an act of disrespect to the late Emperor! You’re dreaming!”

“A person like you, who harms his own siblings, is not worthy of being a ruler! You indulge in luxury, every time you enter the palace you slander the Emperor, and as his elder brother, you blackmail His Majesty into gathering jewels for you and building pavilions.” Yuan Xiang listed the Fourth Prince’s crimes, “After the Crown Prince’s death, you secretly disposed of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, colluded with factions multiple times, attempted to seize the throne, and never had the intention of serving the country and its people!”

“Then should Xue Wu be the Emperor?!” The Fourth Prince also became furious, shouting, “He’s weak and useless, completely under the control of the Empress Dowager, powerless to resist. He believes everything others say, and it’s common knowledge among the people that he’s a tyrant!”

“The Emperor has the qualities of a ruler. He dares to refuse unreasonable demands from foreign envoys, protecting our borders from invasion. If he hadn’t been poisoned, he would have been the best choice,” Yuan Xiang said in a calm but firm voice.

The Fourth Prince had completely lost his patience. He waved his hand, ordering his men to restrain Yuan Xiang.

Yuan Xiang fiercely pushed away those who tried to control him, those who wanted to force him to write the testimony. He lunged towards the table, trembling hands, picking up his official hat, placing it firmly on his head, straightening his back, and turned to the Fourth Prince, saying, “Even if I die today, I will never disgrace the late Emperor. Great Zhou cannot allow a traitor like you to proclaim yourself as an Emperor!”

His gaze was resolute. Suddenly, he rushed forward, throwing himself at the long sword held by the armed guard.

The Fourth Prince was taken aback. He shouted, trying to get the armed guard to retract the sword, but it was too late.

Yuan Xiang collided with the gleaming blade. The armed guard hastily retreated, the sword falling to the ground with a loud clang.

Yuan Xiang smiled, clutching his neck. Slowly, he fell to the ground. The blood from his neck soaked his crimson official robe, the same color as his unwavering loyalty.

He looked at the chaotic Fourth Prince and, with his last breath, said, “You will… be punished by everyone…”

The hands that had penned numerous memorials for the nation, supported two generations of monarchs, ultimately couldn’t grasp the pen again, couldn’t write another brilliant course for the students of the realm, couldn’t offer sincere advice to the Emperor. Yuan Xiang’s hands, now limp against his neck, released his final breath as his eyes closed slowly.

The room fell silent.

The live broadcast camera zoomed out, capturing the reactions of everyone clearly for the audience. People in the room lifted Yuan Xiang in a panic, taking him to the hospital. Bai Jinyao’s face was filled with shock, her hand gripping her waist sword trembling. Ye Xingyu and Jiang Yan wore serious expressions, watching Yuan Xiang, surrounded and taken away, with worry, unsure of how this drama would end.

A few seconds later, the barrage flooded the screen, which had seemed empty just moments before.

[I have no grudge with the director, but why did he give me a stab into the heart?]

[Great Zhou has lost a loyal minister. The Fourth Prince deserves to die!]

[Director, are you sleeping? I can’t sleep.]

[Tell me it’s not real!! Yuan Xiang will be fine, right?]

[Have you all forgotten this is a variety show… The blood should be from pre-prepared blood packs, don’t be sad everyone!]

[I know it’s fake, but I can’t help but want to cry, wooo!]

[Director, I’ll kill you!]