In the following days, although Prince Rui was not officially enfeoffed as Crown Prince, he had more opportunities to represent the royal family, and the ministers understood the situation.
Prince Rui was truly in high spirits during this period. Not only did he have more opportunities for experience, but others' attitudes towards him also changed significantly from before.
However, being as intelligent as Prince Rui, he knew that the more such situations arose, the more critical the moment became, and he absolutely could not afford to be careless. Thus, he always maintained a composed demeanor in public and diligently completed the tasks assigned by the Emperor.
Prince Rui was actually not very sure about the attitude of the Prince of Pingbei's manor. However, Huo Qixiao was always confident, saying he had made thorough preparations and that the Prince of Pingbei would definitely support him in the end. He advised Prince Rui not to make too many moves at this moment and to avoid too much interaction with Huo Sijun in daily life.
The days passed one by one, and everything developed according to the established plan, just like in his previous life. The difference was that in this life, Huo Qixiao's influence had grown even stronger than in his previous life.
Moreover, in this life, he had gained the complete trust of the future emperor. Prince Rui had to consult his opinion on every matter, big or small, reaching the pinnacle of his life.
Time flew by to the thirty-third year of Emperor Jing's reign. This year, Huo Qixiao was twenty-six years old, and Huo Qiyuan had also reached the age of adulthood. This was also the year Emperor Jing was about to pass away.
Finally, with less than two months left until the New Year, Emperor Jing suddenly fell into a coma and even passed away that very night. This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard.
Of course, Huo Qixiao, who had been prepared, and Prince Rui, who had been informed in advance, were not among those caught off guard. Especially Prince Rui, after the Emperor's death, he displayed a demeanor different from other princes.
Although his grief was evident on his face, he had arranged every subsequent step perfectly. He even pointed out oversights in the imperial court's ceremonial department, once again showing his meticulous nature to everyone.
As the saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. As soon as Emperor Jing passed away, the matter of establishing a new ruler was put on the agenda. Ministers, dressed in plain clothes, gathered to discuss who should be the new emperor.
Among them, Prince Rui had the highest support. However, his background was too low; his mother had only been a Noble Lady until her death. Naturally, supporters of other princes questioned his legitimacy, deeming him neither the eldest nor the primary consort-born, and thus unfit for the throne.
Just as everyone was arguing and listing the merits of their respective princes, Huo Sijun, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"When the Emperor was still alive, he spoke to this king many times about establishing the heir. In his heart, he favored Prince Rui, but the Emperor suddenly... did not have time to issue an edict."
His expression was mournful, as if he had aged more than ten years in just a few days. Previously, he only had a few strands of white hair at his temples, but after the Emperor's death, his hair turned gray within a short span of a few days.
"However, there wasn't an edict issued yet. It's not impossible for the Emperor's intentions to change midway..."
"Exactly! Although Prince Rui received praise from the Emperor several times, the Emperor also valued other princes just as much."
"Yes, the mother of our Prince Xuan is a Noble Consort of the second rank, and the Emperor gave him many opportunities during his lifetime. Therefore, I believe the Emperor did not ultimately decide to let Prince Rui ascend the throne..."
The ministers usually tried to appease Huo Sijun and were unwilling to conflict with him. This was because he not only held military power but was also deeply trusted by the Emperor.
Basically, gaining Huo Sijun's support meant securing the throne. However, judging from his current expression, it seemed he was determined to support Prince Rui's ascension.
Seeing his attitude, the ministers couldn't help but murmur in their hearts. Was this Prince of Pingbei truly fulfilling the late Emperor's wish, or had he secretly colluded with Prince Rui?
Listening to the ministers' ambiguous discussions and seeing the suspicion in their eyes, Huo Sijun clenched the teacup in his hand tightly. "What do you all mean by these words? Are you saying this king is lying and deliberately going against the Emperor's wishes?"
"We dare not!"
"We dare not!"
Seeing Huo Sijun's anger, the ministers bowed and pleaded for forgiveness. Currently, the most untouchable person in the court was the Prince of Pingbei, who held military power. The empire was not yet stable, and it was a critical moment of dynastic change. What if they truly angered him, and he ultimately declared himself king by force?
It was precisely because of Huo Sijun's outburst that the previously contentious issue of the new emperor was essentially settled. Even if others were unwilling, they could neither argue nor fight, and could only watch as everything became a fait accompli.
On the third day after the Emperor's death, with the strong support of Huo Sijun, Prince Rui ascended the throne and became the new ruler of the Great Yu Dynasty, known as Emperor Rui.
Even while sitting on the imperial throne, Emperor Rui was still somewhat bewildered. He never expected to truly become emperor, nor did he expect Huo Qixiao's prediction that Huo Sijun would eventually push aside all opposition to ensure his smooth accession to the throne to come true.
Seated on the dragon throne, Emperor Rui was filled with confidence. He had resourceful individuals to plan his strategies, a foresight ability user to eliminate his enemies, and now the strong support of the Prince of Pingbei's manor, who was skilled in military matters.
With such excellent external conditions, why would he worry about not being able to govern a country?
With the new emperor's enthronement and the former emperor's burial, the court officials underwent several changes. To demonstrate his commitment to supporting the emperor, Huo Sijun requested to send his own son to the border to defend against foreign enemies after Prince Rui's enthronement.
Although he remained in the capital, apart from managing the capital's security, Huo Sijun generally did not interfere with the new emperor's decisions unless they endangered the common people and the state.
As a result, in just half a year, Emperor Rui managed to place his own people throughout the court, gradually taking over important positions in the six ministries.
He had originally wanted to offer Huo Qixiao an official position, but Huo Qixiao had not participated in the imperial examinations. For a commoner to enter officialdom, unless they had performed great deeds for the country and its people and were specially rewarded.
However, not all the matters Huo Qixiao had planned for Emperor Rui were clean. Furthermore, his ability to predict the future could not be revealed to the public.
Coupled with Huo Qixiao's own statement that he was not interested in being an official for the time being, and that it was not yet time for their relationship to be known to others, as his Huo family identity would surely bring criticism to the emperor, Emperor Rui did not pursue the matter of appointing him an official.
Did Huo Qixiao truly not want to be an official? Of course not! He had been reborn once, and had played such a grand game, wasn't it all to stir up the court and become a person of supreme power, second only to the emperor?
The reason he refused to take office now was purely because Huo Qiyuan and the Prince of Pingbei's manor had not yet been eliminated. Huo Qixiao had also discovered that some events from his previous life were not set in stone.
In fact, many events from his previous life had not yet reached that stage, and it was only through Huo Qixiao's own instigation that they reached his desired outcome.
Therefore, as long as the major threat in his heart remained, Huo Qixiao could not feel at ease being exposed to the public.
As for why he didn't simply rebel and become emperor himself, knowing the future development of the situation from his rebirth, this was also easy to understand. The life of superiority that Huo Qixiao desired was not one where he was constantly constrained and felt uncomfortable.
In fact, what was so good about being an emperor? To be confined within these four walls all day long, with countless eyes watching every move, and sometimes being constrained by those ministers when wanting to do something.
Even the position of Empress, the mother of the nation, was ultimately used as a tool to balance the court and as a bargaining chip with various noble families, rather than being given to the woman he loved the most. Was such a life truly meaningful?
There was still one year left until the time when Huo Qiyuan met his accident in the previous life. In fact, Huo Qixiao did not know that it was also in this year that Huo Sijun felt himself getting older and his health not as robust as before.
Coupled with the death of the former Emperor, his spirit and energy were not as strong as before. Therefore, he planned to officially petition the Emperor to resign from some of his positions after Huo Qiyuan returned to the capital for his annual report next year, so that he could peacefully accompany Leng Muran on a tour of the beautiful mountains and rivers and live a life just for the two of them.
However, all of this was ultimately too late. During this period, Huo Qixiao, using his identity as the eldest young master of the Huo family, entered the Prince of Pingbei's manor multiple times and colluded with Xu Zhipeng to fabricate much false evidence of Huo Sijun's rebellion within the manor.
When all this was almost ready, one day when Huo Qixiao went to see Emperor Rui, his expression was grim, and his words conveyed unease.
Emperor Rui had never seen him like this before, so he found it very strange. "Qixiao, what is wrong with you today? Why do you seem so restless?"
"It's nothing major, perhaps... perhaps I've been divining too much lately, so I'm a bit tired, and the results of the divination are... However, when I go back later today, I will divine again. Your Majesty need not worry too much." Huo Qixiao frowned, looking at Emperor Rui as if he wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, he just said he was too tired and did not mention what he had divined.
Emperor Rui saw his hesitation and evasive eyes, so he did not press him further. He simply nodded noncommittally. "Qixiao, you are my right-hand man now. You must prioritize your health. Otherwise, I will worry. Remember, after you go back today, you must rest well. It's not too late to divine after you've recovered!"
"Qixiao thanks Your Majesty for your concern, and please rest assured, Your Majesty. Qixiao will surely find and expose all the treacherous officials around Your Majesty. Even my... my own kin, I will ruthlessly eliminate them and will not disregard human ethics and principles!" Huo Qixiao said this with a solemn expression on his face. He even gave the emperor a kowtow, which was rare!
It should be noted that when they were still in the Prince's manor, Prince Rui had already treated Huo Qixiao as an honored guest. Not only did he exempt him from all formalities and kowtows, but he also allowed him to refer to himself as "I."
After Emperor Rui's successful enthronement, these favors towards him remained unchanged. Therefore, Huo Qixiao's sudden kneeling today, coupled with his strange words just spoken, indeed made Emperor Rui somewhat perplexed.
However, one thing he was certain of was that Huo Qixiao was definitely hiding something from him. It was likely that he had divined something major again, and that person was deeply involved or related to him.
Treacherous officials, close kin, disregarding ethics, ruthlessly eliminating kin, could it be that he divined that his close kin was planning something to harm the throne...?
After Huo Qixiao left, Emperor Rui had been thinking and guessing. The person who could make Huo Qixiao wear such a solemn expression must not be of ordinary status.
Close kin... Could it be? Impossible...
Emperor Rui did not sleep well for a full three days, and this situation continued until Huo Qixiao entered the palace again.
Before Huo Qixiao could even finish his bow, Emperor Rui anxiously grabbed his arm and asked, "Qixiao, you mentioned last time that you divined something. Have you confirmed it again these past few days? Have you got a result?"
Heaven knew how tormenting the past few days had been for him. A terrible thought was on the tip of his tongue, but he kept reassuring himself, unwilling to admit the answer in his heart.
"Your Majesty, I..." Huo Qixiao stopped midway and directly knelt down, lifting the hem of his robe.
Emperor Rui's heart skipped a beat at his action, but he still asked with a hint of desperation, "Qixiao, what are you doing..."
Huo Qixiao touched his forehead to the ground, his voice extremely heavy. "On the fifth day of the ninth month, there will be a rebellion in the capital..."
In fact, Emperor Rui already had an answer in his heart at this moment, but he still asked word by word, "Yes, who is rebelling?"
"The Prince of the highest rank, the Great General who guards the nation, the Commander of the Capital's Reserve Army, the Prince of Pingbei, Huo Sijun!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Rui felt his vision go black. He closed his eyes heavily and supported his forehead. Huo Qixiao had predicted so many things, and they had all come true.
Coupled with the fact that the Prince of Pingbei was his own uncle, and they were blood relatives. Therefore, Emperor Rui had no doubt about Huo Qixiao's prediction. On the contrary, it was precisely because of their relationship that he believed the prediction wholeheartedly.
It was him indeed... It was him indeed!
Huo Sijun commanded a million soldiers, and these soldiers had followed him for decades. Even though he had now successfully ascended the throne, and half the court consisted of his people, the other half of the civil officials had known the Prince of Pingbei for decades, let alone the entire military, all of whom had come from under his command.
If he were to truly raise an army in rebellion, it was uncertain whether these ministers would eventually defect. At that time, he would only have a pile of civil officials without soldiers and military commanders, and the throne would be difficult to secure.
"Is it him alone, or...?" After figuring out his current situation, Emperor Rui's voice became weak, and a slight tremble could be heard if one listened closely, indicating his deep fear.
Emperor Rui's question was vague, but Huo Qixiao understood it. "Both Huo Sijun and his son have this intention. The reason he requested the Emperor to appoint Huo Qiyuan to guard the border was to transfer him and a portion of the troops out of the city... At that time, they could coordinate from within and without, both cutting off the route of reinforcements and facilitating their control of the capital."