The man's tone was cold, without a shred of respect.
"You knew full well that my mother had no affection for you, yet you still kept her by your side and forced her to bear children for you!"
"If I had known earlier that her marrying you and giving birth to me would bring her so much pain, I'd rather I had never come into this world."
"Since childhood, you've never shown any concern for me. You've never fulfilled your duty as a father. It was mainly Xiao Tianchi who taught me. Compared to you, he's more like a father to me."
At first, Xiao Jingcheng's face bore a faint resemblance to his, but as he spoke, half of it transformed into Xiao Tianchi's features, and his voice also turned into Xiao Tianchi's.
"Xiao Tianye, you stole my beloved, injured me, and snatched the throne that rightfully belonged to me. Now, it's time for you to give everything back."
The man slowly raised his long sword at him. Xiao Tianye roared ferociously:
"What do you mean I stole it? All of this should have been mine! I'm the eldest legitimate son of the Xiao family. Everything I possess should be the best!"
"But why, from childhood to adulthood, has everyone always praised you! I'm no worse than you. I've always been able to complete my studies. Why, why do people always focus their attention on you!"
Xiao Tianye shouted angrily, "I'm not convinced! I'm your elder brother. Why do you have everything, and yet mother still asks me to yield to you!"
"Even after I became the emperor, there were always people saying it would have been better if you had ascended the throne back then. They all feel sorry for you. But what about me? What am I!"
His eyes were blood - red as he glared menacingly at Xiao Jingcheng in front of him. "You're not my son at all. Shen Lingyun had an affair with Xiao Tianchi. You're a bastard, a bastard!!"
"So what if you're the crown prince? Don't even think about surpassing me to become the emperor of the Great Sheng. I'm the lord of the world. If I want you dead, you'll die!"
The next moment, the sword stabbed fiercely into his chest, piercing through his heart and pinning him to the dragon throne.
The feeling of life slipping away was clearly felt. Xiao Jingcheng drew out the long sword and slowly wiped it.
"I'm blessed with the purple aura. I'm the true dragon emperor. I'm more suitable to be the emperor of the Great Sheng than you, a shameless thief."
The dream ended abruptly here, but the pain of being pierced through the heart still lingered in Xiao Tianye's body.
He couldn't remember when this dream had started to invade his mind.
At first, it was just a hazy and fragmented scene that he didn't take seriously.
But after observing carefully, he noticed that Xiao Jingcheng and Xiao Tianchi were very close, and Shen Lingyun and Xiao Tianchi also often met under the pretext of the latter teaching the crown prince.
Xiao Jingcheng had inherited Shen Lingyun's cold nature. Under her personal guidance, he wasn't close to Xiao Tianye. He was not as endearing and lovable as Concubine Feng and Xiao Yixuan.
As time went by, Xiao Tianye almost came to loathe this son.
He couldn't help but wonder if making Xiao Jingcheng the crown prince so early had been a wrong choice.
If he wasn't his own flesh and blood, wouldn't he have to hand over his kingdom to someone else?
The seed of doubt was thus planted. He was like a man possessed, hiding in the shadows and observing everything. The dream became clearer and clearer, eventually turning into an inescapable nightmare that tormented him again and again.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"
Concubine Feng's call brought Xiao Tianye back to his senses. Looking into the woman's gentle and worried face, he patted her and said, "It's okay. I'm fine now. Don't worry."
"Speaking of which, why haven't we heard from Xuan'er yet? Has he sent you any messages?"
Concubine Feng shook her head. "I haven't received any secret letters from him. But Your Majesty, don't worry. He's always been reliable in his work. He won't let Your Majesty down."
As they were talking, the voice of a eunuch came from outside. "Your Majesty, Your Highness. Prince Xuan and the immortal master have returned!"
Concubine Feng's eyes lit up. "Speak of the devil. Your Majesty, now you can rest assured!"
Xiao Tianye stood up and stretched out his arms. Concubine Feng stepped forward to help him put on his outer robe. Just as he was about to walk out, Xiao Tianye suddenly stopped. He turned around, walked to the cabinet, and took out a porcelain bottle from the treasure box.
There was only one pill left in the porcelain bottle. Xiao Tianye took it without hesitation.
He felt a warm current surging in his chest and abdomen. All the dejection from being awakened by the nightmare vanished, and he became energetic.
After putting the things back in place, he strode out with Concubine Feng.
In the main hall of the palace, Xiao Yixuan had already been waiting there with Taoist Yuanqi. There were also other ministers following him, all of whom were Xiao Tianye's trusted aides assigned to Xiao Yixuan.
"His Majesty is coming—"
Following the eunuch's announcement, a figure in a bright - yellow dragon robe strode in from the side door, accompanied by a charming and still - beautiful woman.
After sitting down on the simple dragon throne in the palace, a crowd of people knelt down below.
"Your son/Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty!"
The feeling of being revered and obeyed satisfied Xiao Tianye. He squinted his eyes contentedly and waved his hand. "All of you may rise."
"Thank Your Majesty for your great kindness!"
Led by Xiao Yixuan, everyone stood up from the ground.
Before Xiao Tianye could speak, Xiao Yixuan immediately said, "Father, your son has not let you down. I led people to blow up the Jinning Canal. When I left, I saw with my own eyes that the lower reaches of the Xijiang River were flooded. Many towns were submerged by the flood and turned into a vast expanse of water. Only then did I retreat after achieving success."
Behind him, the other ministers showed no expression on their faces after hearing his shocking words. They didn't feel the slightest bit of pity.
"Your son also sent people to several prefectures near Cangzhou as Father instructed. They will publicize the crimes committed by the rebel Mu over the years there. Once the common people know that natural disasters will keep occurring as long as he's in power, they will surely lose faith in him. That will be the best time for us to counter - attack and retake the capital."
Xiao Tianye shouted, "Good!不愧是朕的兒子，果斷勇猛，堪當大任！"
"All thanks to Father's good teaching." Xiao Yixuan wore a faint smile. He still looked gentle and refined, neither arrogant nor impatient. But between his seemingly gentle eyebrows, a hint of cruelty and calculation similar to Xiao Tianye's could be seen.
After accomplishing such a great feat, everyone couldn't hide a hint of pride on their faces. But due to the days of traveling, they also showed signs of fatigue. Xiao Tianye said, "Everyone has worked hard for the Great Sheng. But the rebel Mu is full of tricks. It's not the time to celebrate yet. Go back and rest well. We'll talk about other things in three days."
After a pause, he said, "Prince Xuan and the immortal master stay behind."
The people in the hall dispersed instantly, leaving only Xiao Yixuan and Taoist Yuanqi.
Xiao Tianye called Xiao Yixuan to him, frowned, and asked, "When you were in Dongli Town, were you really sure that the rebellious son was dead?"