Huo Qing’s move stunned everyone. The faces of the ministers kneeling on the ground turned ashen and the imperial tutor was so angry that he staggered. His voice trembled as he said, “Your Majesty, you might as well kill this old minister as well. Once you kill all of us ministers, the entire nation will collapse.”


  As the imperial tutor spoke, he started crying. “My deceased monarch ah, this subject has failed you and has failed to properly assist His Majesty, allowing His Majesty to be bewitched and do something so ruthless.”


  “Your Majesty, the ministers just want to see your stance. Why not just lock the fox spirit up for now?” Ning Shu walked to Huo Qing and curtsied as she suggested this.

  “Shut up, Xiao Xiao! We know exactly what you’re actually thinking.” Huo Qing looked towards Ning Shu with cold loathing.

  Ning Shu said sadly, “Your Majesty, everything this subject wife does is for you. It’s just that the current situation requires for someone to take a step back.”


  “Humph! Once Jin Ling’s locked up, isn’t the next step to kill her? We won’t step back. Without Jin Ling, this throne, this nation of Yan means nothing!” Huo Qing’s sharp gaze swept across Ning Shu’s face like a knife.

  Fudge, how passionate ah. She was so moved she felt like going pei! Ning Shu cried as she tugged at Huo Qing’s sleeve. “Your Majesty, this subject wife begs you. Please don’t continue with these mistakes!”


  Huo Qing flung off Ning Shu’s hand. “Xiao Xiao, stop faking. We’ve never had any feelings for you, but now you actually dare to scheme against our Jin Ling to try and take her life! We’re going to kill you first!”


  Huo Qing lifted the sword in his hand and slashed towards Ning Shu.

  “Your Imperial Highness, watch out!” shouted Marshal Xiao. He wanted to get up, but he had been kneeling for too long so his legs were numb. He could only watch helplessly as the sword pierced towards his granddaughter.

  “Imperial Mother! Imperial Mother, hurry and dodge!” screamed Huo Chengwang.

  Ning Shu screamed and rolled on the ground to dodge Huo Qing’s sword in the most pitiful way possible before looking towards Huo Qing with a stunned and despairing expression. “Your Majesty, you want to kill this subject wife?”


  Huo Qing’s eyes were bloodshot. He wanted to calm down, but a baleful desire to just destroy everything surged in his heart. He knew that he had fallen into the trap.

  “Huo Qing, don’t!” The little fox grabbed Huo Qing’s hands and shook her head while crying. “Huo Qing, don’t kill because of me. I don’t want to make things hard for you. I can leave the imperial palace as long as it means that you’ll be happy.”


  Huo Qing hastily placed his hands on the little fox’s shoulder. “You belong to us, we won’t allow you to leave.”


  Ning Shu lifted a hand to support her styled hair which was tilting due to her tumble and comforted Huo Chengwang who had been greatly frightened.

  After this development, there was no way the civil and military officials could allow the little fox to stay. The little fox was extremely scared. She wanted to run, but Huo Qing overbearingly refused to let her go.

  The little fox’s heart was pounding so hard with fear that her entire body was trembling. She cried as she shouted, “Huo Qing, I don’t want to die! I really don’t want to die!”


  “No one will be able to kill you. With us here, no one can touch you.” Huo Qing hugged the little fox.

  Ning Shu felt her teeth ache. They were acting so lovey-dovey, but it was so pointless.

  “If Your Majesty wishes for the demon to live, then please abdicate. That way the demon will not be able to harm the nation of Yan as much.” The imperial tutor decided to press his luck and tell Huo Qing to abdicate directly.

  “These subjects agree. Your Majesty, please abdicate,” echoed the rest of the ministers.

  Huo Qing stiffened. He gritted his teeth so hard they chattered. “So you were here waiting for this. You wanted to depose us. This nation belongs to the Huo family! It was the Huo family that conquered and united this nation! When did it become the turn of servants like you to make the decisions?”


  “These servants are only doing this for Yan’s future. If Your Majesty doesn’t wish to abdicate, then please kill the demon. This old subject has already lived to this age and doesn’t have many more days left. This is probably the last thing this old subject will be able to do for Yan. When this old subject is buried, at the very least, this old subject will be able to tell the previous emperor that this old subject had fulfilled his duty as a minister.”


  The imperial tutor no longer cared about if he would survive this event.

  Huo Qing felt cold from head to toe. All he wanted was a woman he could love. Why were so many people like this? Why did they insist for him to be an aloof and solitary being? Days without Hu er contained no happiness to speak of.

  There were only two roads left for Huo Qing right now. If he wanted the throne, he couldn’t have the little fox. If he wanted the little fox, he couldn’t have the throne.