Chapter 344: Burden of the Throne

The situation in Beirong had finally stabilized and the emperor at last let out a long breath of relief.

The recent events had given him no small amount of trouble.

Although he knew he should not have acted on impulse by handing over the state to Shang Qinghua, he truly could not bear the thought of his son with Empress Suyin living out in the world, forgotten.

Even if it was only as a prince, that would have been enough.

Yet who could have expected Shang Qinghua’s plans to be so meticulous?

Not only had he reclaimed his position as a prince, he had even secured the position of Crown Prince.

The only thing that worried the emperor now was whether Rong Zishen might suddenly return and compete with Shang Qinghua for the throne.

He did not care much for his own life, but everything had gone far too smoothly this time, so smoothly that it felt unreal.

Rong Zishen had simply vanished.

He had sent people to search, yet no trace could be found.

Still, based on what he knew of him over the years, he felt certain that this son of his would return.

With such an unstable factor lingering, he did not know what he should do.

At present, the only thing he could choose was to trust in Shang Qinghua and Yue Mingxuan to believe that the two of them could handle everything properly.

Because there was truly nothing he himself could do.

He was the emperor of Beirong and everything had to be weighed against the greater good.

Even though Shang Qinghua was his true son, he could do nothing but follow his plans, act according to his arrangements, and stand where he was.

It was not that he lacked the ability to plan, only that there were things he simply could not do.

In his heart, he naturally wished for Beirong to prosper, but a nation was not a single person.

Even a single human heart could betray, how many hearts made up a country?

Such things were beyond prediction, beyond control. Yet he still had to do everything in his power to keep the nation stable.

This was the duty he had been born with and something he was bound to fulfill.

Because he was the emperor of Beirong.

Perhaps that was also one of the reasons he had failed to protect Empress Suyin.

Back then, he had clearly known who had harmed her, yet he could only declare that she had died of illness.

The unwillingness he had felt at the time had been immense and as the years passed, that resentment had only grown heavier.

Still, he had to pretend nothing had happened, to act as though everything was as it had always been.

“If I were not the emperor of Beirong, what would have become of that matter?” the emperor sighed.

Those past events drifted before his eyes like fleeting clouds, constant reminders that he could never forget.

Those days, those events, that person, he did not even know how he had managed to endure them. But he was the emperor of Beirong.

He had no choice but to choose the realm.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty, on becoming the emperor of Beirong,” Yue Mingxuan said, watching how busy Shang Qinghua had been these past few days.

Though the words were congratulatory, there was an unmistakable trace of concern in his eyes.

Recently, Shang Qinghua had been constantly moving between the affairs of Beirong and Xieshang Kingdom.

Matters in Xieshang Kingdom required his attention and so did those in Beirong.

He even had to oversee the marriage arrangements between Rong Tieshan and Shang Xueyin.

However, Shang Xueyin had been occupied with handling state affairs lately and simply could not spare the time.

Although Shang Qinghua understood and felt reluctant, she was still his younger sister.

Those born into the imperial family could never live the lives of ordinary people.

As Shang Qinghua sighed, watching Yue Mingxuan busy himself handling countless matters both big and small, he found his emotions difficult to describe.

Compared to other people, Yue Mingxuan was simply too different.

In this era, intelligent people often lived the hardest lives and in the end, they could just as easily meet tragic fates.

He did not want Yue Mingxuan to become someone so pitiful.

“You really don’t have to work this hard,” Shang Qinghua said as he stepping closer. “You could rest for a while.”

Yue Mingxuan shook his head without replying.

The situation on all fronts had yet to fully stabilize, he couldn’t allow himself the luxury of rest, not yet.

The situation at Flying Opera Group had finally settled, but the problems within Ten Thousand Wisdom Hall remained unresolved.

He rubbed his forehead, thinking about how to improve the organization’s intelligence network.

The current methods of gathering information were far too labor intensive.

He could not allow Ten Thousand Wisdom Hall to become such an overburdened institution.

There was Bai Huayue helping at Flying Opera Group, but what about Ten Thousand Wisdom Hall?

Take Keshun Sanfeng, for instance.

If he wanted information on him, there were already reports available, but information could change.

After some time, what they had now might become completely useless.

Once Yue Mingxuan set his mind on something, no one could stop him.

What he wanted now was to form an alliance with the Dongyue Hua family.

But how could such a powerful family be easily persuaded?

That clan controlled the flow of public opinion across the entire realm.

A single misstep could render all his previous efforts meaningless.

So he needed a more reliable plan.

“Someone from the Beggars’ Sect is here to see you,” Xie Yunlan suddenly appeared just as Yue Mingxuan was deep in thought. Seeing the tension on his face, he asked, “What are you working on?”

“Nothing much,” Yue Mingxuan replied, shaking his head. “A disciple from the Beggars’ Sect? Do we have dealings with them?”

“Every so often, members of the Beggars’ Sect submit a certain amount of intelligence, and we pay them accordingly. If we need additional information, we simply offer more money,” Xie Yunlan explained calmly. “You didn’t know?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep