Chapter 1324 - 1269: Nothing Left to Live For
Xun Zu and Qiu Zhi broke into a cold sweat, the fingertips beneath their sleeves trembling slightly.
The Little Emperor was also startled, but he managed to compose himself. Pearls and gold, after all, though privately gifting them wasn’t proper, surely the Great General wouldn’t mind too much?
The Little Emperor directly took out the cloth bag. Opening it, he reached inside, and upon touching the sheath, his face changed.
Xun Zu could not stop him in time and watched as the Little Emperor’s face turned pale without any disguise.
Zhao Hanzhang narrowed her eyes, immediately realizing that the Little Emperor seemed unaware of what was inside the bag.
She extended her hand.
The Little Emperor hesitated for a moment with the bag, but eventually placed it in Zhao Hanzhang’s hand.
The court officials were all puzzled, most of them worriedly looking at the Emperor, simultaneously displeased with Zhao Hanzhang. Why would being a subject mean she could treat His Majesty this way over a bag?
Just as the thought flashed, they saw Zhao Hanzhang pull out a short dagger from the bag. Everyone’s knees went weak, and they turned shocked gazes towards Xun Fan, who was equally surprised, and then looked at Xun Zu who was standing.
Xun Zu was drenched in cold sweat, and the court officials understood everything.
The ministers couldn’t help but stomp their feet in secret; Xun Zu had misled the emperor.
Zhao Hanzhang swiftly drew the short dagger, its cold glint flashing. It was a fine blade, and the old ministers present felt as if that gleam pierced straight into their hearts, causing them to drop to their knees with a thud, hurriedly pleading, "Great General, His Majesty was deceived and didn’t know about the weapon in the bag, we beg the Great General’s forgiveness."
"Is that so?" Zhao Hanzhang turned her head to look at Xun Zu, then shifted her gaze to Xun Fan, asking, "Who presented this dagger to His Majesty?"
Xun Zu gritted his teeth about to kneel when Xun Fan suddenly spoke, "It was I."
Xun Zu, halfway to kneeling, abruptly stood up straight, his lips white as he looked at Xun Fan, wanting to refuse his taking the blame, but under Zhao Hanzhang’s clear gaze, he dared not admit.
Xun Fan said, "I dared to choose an alternative path for His Majesty, offering this short dagger so that if anyone bullied him in the future, he could use this dagger to fight back."
The Little Emperor quickly realized and said, "Yes, the Grand Tutor chose another path for me. Great General, I am not a suitable ruler, truly unfit to be emperor. Please, Great General, comply with destiny and ascend the throne."
Zhao Hanzhang was taken aback.
Xun Zu was also stunned, and Qiu Zhi suddenly raised his head, shouting loudly, "No, Your Majesty—"
He turned his head to glare angrily at Zhao Hanzhang, cursing, "Traitor, you forced His Majesty to abdicate; you are so shameless, how can you face Mr. Zhao and the late Emperor?"
Zhao Hanzhang came back to her senses, looking at Qiu Zhi with a faint smile, "Doctor Qiu, are you afraid I won’t take the throne? By cursing me like this, aren’t you afraid I’ll impulsively agree? Are you a minister of the former Emperor or a loyal subject of my Zhao Family?"
"You, how could I be a loyal subject of your Zhao Family, I am ashamed to be associated with you, I..."
"Enough, I don’t care to argue with you." Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand, and Zeng Yue, standing in the corner, immediately brought two trusted aides forward, covered Qiu Zhi’s mouth, and dragged him away.
The court officials were all startled, looking at Xun Fan in panic, not knowing how to respond.
The Emperor suddenly abdicated, they were very surprised; how come no one consulted them?
Ji Yuan also stood worriedly to the side, concerned that Zhao Hanzhang might really agree, which would not look good in the history books.
Then Zhao Hanzhang tied up the bag and returned it to the Emperor, "Your Majesty is overthinking, perhaps not slept well last night and was confused. The earlier words left me truly fearful; I will just pretend I didn’t hear them."
"This short dagger looks good but is actually quite ordinary. If Your Majesty wants to protect yourself, relying on a short dagger won’t do; you still need to practice swordsmanship, especially the Gentleman’s Sword," Zhao Hanzhang said, "but the short dagger is indeed convenient to carry. If Your Majesty likes this kind, allow me to offer you one."
She reached down and removed the sheath from her waist, pulling out the short dagger to show him.
The blade gleamed brightly, very steady. Zhao Hanzhang lifted it casually, slicing off a corner of the wooden stand beside her.
The chopped-off piece of wood fell to the ground, and everyone’s hearts thudded in shock.
Zhao Hanzhang smiled and asked the Little Emperor, "What does Your Majesty think?"
The Little Emperor retreated half a step slightly, forcing a smile, "A very, very sharp dagger."
Zhao Hanzhang sheathed the dagger and handed it to the Little Emperor, "This was a gift from Minister Fu; the dagger is good but too sharp. Ordinary people can’t handle it, so I rarely use it. After all, if not used well, it injures both others and oneself. Now this dagger is for Your Majesty."
The Little Emperor didn’t really want it, but under Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, he still took the short dagger with trepidation.