Douluo Continent: Little Huo Niang Taken Away by Di Tian

Xu Mu's gaze finally settled on Xu Tianzhen.

The girl stood by the bed, her eyes red and swollen, still holding her father's hand, her face streaked with tears.

Xu Mu gently patted the back of her hand, then slowly raised his head, facing Kong Deming's image-recording soul tool, and also facing all the powerful figures in the palace.

His voice was no longer hoarse and weak, but carried a clarity and authority like a final burst of light, each word striking the hearts of everyone present like a heavy hammer blow.

"Gentlemen—"

"I invite you all to be my witnesses."

The entire palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"I hereby pass the throne to Xu Tianzhen."

"Kong Deming is appointed regent to assist the new emperor."

"Xu Tianyuan is appointed Imperial Marshal and given command of the military."

"He adopted the Crown Princess Ju Zi as his goddaughter and bestowed upon her the title of Princess Ju Zi."

These few words, like a series of thunderclaps, exploded in Xu Tianran's mind.

The throne will be passed to Xu Tianzhen? Regent Kong Deming? Marshal Xu Tianyuan? Ju Zi... was adopted as a goddaughter?

What about him?

Who does Xu Tianran think he is? All those years of forbearance, all those years of scheming, his crippled legs, everything he sacrificed—was it all for this day, standing here, watching himself be completely stripped of everything?!

Xu Tianran's mind went blank, his blood rushed to his head, and his vision blurred.

His mouth was open, his lips trembling violently, but he couldn't utter a single word.

But—it's not over yet.

Xu Mu leaned against the dragon bed, his chest rising and falling slightly. He paused for a moment, as if gathering his last bit of strength.

Then he spoke again, his voice suddenly becoming distant and slow, as if reciting a pre-written edict—

"Previously, the relevant departments submitted a memorial requesting that, for the sake of border defense expenses, an additional tax of thirty copper soul coins be levied on each person. I am well aware that this measure would exacerbate the suffering of the elderly, the weak, and the lonely, and I originally intended to reject it—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xu Tianran indifferently.

"However, during the Crown Prince's regency, this proposal was actually approved."

Xu Tianran's fingertips trembled suddenly.

"After that, he requested that soldiers be sent to Jingyang Mountain to cultivate the land."

I consulted the old records and found that in the previous battle at Jingyang Mountain, the noble sons who remained in Mingdu from their fiefdoms all returned to their fiefdoms first and gathered livestock and grain to welcome our army; the Grand Dukes also each dispatched tens of thousands of troops and personally led their troops to aid Jingyang, forcing the Duke of Baihu to retreat.

The soldiers in each fiefdom were already exhausted and unable to supply our army with provisions along the way.

Xu Mu's voice became clearer and clearer.

"After our army broke through the White Tiger Duke's camp, we captured a lot of grain and fodder, but the grain that the officers and soldiers carried was not enough to support the entire army's return journey."

The strong devoured all the livestock, while thousands of the weak perished on their way home.

I then requisitioned donkeys and camels from various prefectures to carry grain out of the pass to welcome them. The officials and soldiers set off from Risheng City. The journey was not far, but a large number of soldiers were still stranded and lost.

"In the past, when I was confused and ill and bedridden, I appointed the Crown Prince to oversee the country."

The palace was eerily quiet.

Everyone could tell that this was not the ramblings of a dying man; it was a meticulously prepared edict, every sentence pointing to the same person.

"However—"

Xu Mu's voice suddenly rose, carrying a sharpness like a final burst of light:

"The Holy Spirit Church leader has colluded with the corrupt elements in our country, acting in concert to commit evil, greed, arrogance, corrupting education, and harming the people!"

They bribed the powerful with gold and silver, seized high positions, and undermined the foundation of the nation.

They all act frivolously and cunningly, showing off their talents and enjoying chaos and mischief.

"Even worse—she bewitched the crown prince."

These seven words fell like a heavy hammer, striking Xu Tianran's chest.

"Taking advantage of his position as crown prince, he became arrogant and domineering, committed all sorts of evil deeds, oppressed the common people, and harmed the loyal and virtuous."

The leader of the sect, Zhongli Wu, was promised the position of Imperial Preceptor by the Crown Prince, and the Supreme Leader, Ye Xishui, was appointed as the Guardian Douluo by the Crown Prince.

From then on, those who publicly discussed the matter were executed in public, and those who privately criticized it were secretly murdered.

During the Crown Prince's regency, all officials remained silent, exchanging glances only with their eyes on the streets; in the court, ministers were merely there to fill a quota!

Xu Tianran was trembling all over, and his lips were bleeding from being bitten.

He wanted to stand up, to roar, to drag the old man off the bed, but he couldn't. He couldn't utter a single word.

"Wherever the followers of the Holy Spirit Church go, they cause devastation, leaving corpses everywhere, defiling the nation, and harming the people. Their poison extends to both the living and the dead!"

Throughout history, no morally corrupt individual has ever been as greedy and cruel as the Holy Spirit Church!

Xu Mu's voice echoed in the palace, each word like a knife, slowly torturing Xu Tianran.

"The followers of the Holy Spirit Cult harbor treacherous intentions, seeking to destroy the pillars of the nation, weaken the royal family, eliminate loyal officials, and seize the throne!"

"—It was all due to my momentary lapse in judgment that the people have suffered such a great calamity!"

Xu Mu slowly closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently, as if his remaining vital energy had burned to its peak at this moment:

"Because I have consulted with Confucius, I hereby proclaim to all virtuous men throughout the land that we shall gather in the capital—to eradicate the Holy Spirit Cult!"

"Since I ascended the throne, my actions have been largely arrogant and rebellious, causing immense suffering to the people. Now—I deeply regret it."

"From this day forward, all actions that harm the people or waste the nation's resources are hereby abolished!"

After he finished speaking, the palace was deathly silent.

Xu Tianran sat in a wheelchair, his body ice-cold.

What is that old geezer saying?!

He clearly colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult in secret, and he clearly used Ye Xishui and Zhong Liwu's power, but in the end, all the blame was pinned on Xu Tianran alone!

And what about Xu Mu? With a casual "I was momentarily careless," and then feigning "deep regret," he threw all the blame onto the emperor, while ending up as a wise ruler who "reflected on his mistakes and set things right"!

This is the will. This is irrefutable evidence.

This is an edict that will be recorded in history and circulated among the people of the world!

Once Xu Mu dies, this edict will be proclaimed to the world that all the crimes committed by the Holy Spirit Cult were orchestrated by Xu Tianran.

Colluding with cults, persecuting loyal officials, levying exorbitant taxes, and bringing disaster to the country and its people, Xu Tianran will become the greatest sinner in the history of the Sun Moon Empire!

And what about Xu Mu? He's about to die. A dying man, on his deathbed, "suddenly repents," publicly purging the cult, passing the throne to the "pure and benevolent" Xu Tianzhen, and arranging for Kong Deming to act as regent and Xu Tianyuan to command the army. After his death, he will be posthumously honored as a sage ruler who restored order to the country.

Xu Tianran will be forever nailed to the pillar of shame.

Xu Tianran sat in a wheelchair, his body stiff, his lips bitten raw and bleeding.

He looked at the old man on the dragon bed, who was about to die, and suddenly smiled.

That smile was twisted, ferocious, and tinged with an indescribable sadness.

Father...

I am indeed your son. My blood is indeed yours.

You are indeed my father. In this world—there's probably no other father and son like us—

They both wanted to kill each other with their own hands.

"Father..." Xu Tianran finally managed to squeeze out two words, his voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

He laughed even louder, tears streaming down his face, his shoulders shaking violently.

What father and son in the world are like them?

Before she died, she meticulously wove a net to trap her son in infamy forever.

One of them only realized on his deathbed that he had been a pawn from the very beginning.

Father, you have won.

But what if you win? You win, but you'll still die.

(I copied Xu Mu's edict from Emperor Wu of Han's "Edict of Self-Reproach at Luntai" and Chen Lin's "Proclamation to Yu Province on Behalf of Yuan Shao" (a proclamation against Cao Cao))