The Crown Prince 01

"Handle it yourself, I'm going to sleep!" Little Hei grumbled, casually shoving the plotline into Fang Zhiyi's mind before falling silent.

"I just asked you to put in effort this one time, and look at you..."

"Big brother, do you think it was as simple as just brainwashing them? With such a large-scale invasion of dreams, do you think the Will of Heaven is dead?"

"The Will of Heaven hasn't done anything to us."

"That's only because that war was destined to be won anyway, otherwise both you and I would have suffered a huge loss!"

The influx of the plotline interrupted Fang Zhiyi's words.

This world was still set in ancient times. Fang Zhiyi's identity this time was a Crown Prince, though as far as crown princes went, his situation was truly somewhat miserable.

Fang Zhiyi had four younger brothers and a suspicious father, the Emperor. He had to face the open and hidden attacks of his brothers, as well as his father's paranoia. The day-to-day pressure caused his health to gradually deteriorate. Thus, everyone in the court knew that the Crown Prince was sickly. This gave the other four princes an opening, making them fight even harder for the throne, while the factions behind them also exerted their influence in the shadows.

However, despite his suspicious nature, the old Emperor was highly satisfied with the Crown Prince he had chosen. This was because Fang Zhiyi was honest, never formed factions, and was even frequently set up as a target by his brothers. No matter what anyone said, the Emperor had no intention of replacing him.

Fang Zhiyi never expected that during a celebratory banquet following a great military victory, the old Emperor would uncharacteristically drink too much and, in front of everyone, betroth a Crown Princess to him. Fang Zhiyi was completely bewildered. Xu Ruyi, on the other hand, had a dark expression; she knew her parents were just using her as a stepping stone for their own ambitions.

But an imperial decree could not be defied, so Xu Ruyi reluctantly married Fang Zhiyi. Fang Zhiyi did not have any complaints. He was always kind and honest, and treated Xu Ruyi very well. However, his poor health and busy political duties left him with little time to accompany his new wife. Furthermore, because Fang Zhiyi had very low material desires, the entire Crown Prince's estate was quite poor. This caused the already dissatisfied Xu Ruyi to gradually harbor ulterior motives.

Since Fang Zhiyi refused to form factions, she took it upon herself to build connections on his behalf. It had to be said that if Xu Ruyi were not a woman, she would have undoubtedly become a powerful minister. Using the banner of the Crown Prince's estate, she secretly developed her own forces and cultivated her trusted aides. She used Fang Zhiyi to pave the way for her own family, allowing her younger brother to monopolize highly profitable trade routes, and even planted her lover in the Imperial Guard.

After fooling around with her lover, Xu Ruyi was shocked to discover that she was pregnant. After a brief moment of panic, she calmed down. First, she found an excuse to make Fang Zhiyi drink. Fang Zhiyi, who rarely drank, could not decline. After downing a few cups, he fell fast asleep.

When he woke up, he found himself sleeping next to Xu Ruyi, completely devoid of any memory of the night before.

Not long after, he heard the news that Xu Ruyi was expecting. Fang Zhiyi never imagined he was going to be a father. His immense excitement kept him from suspecting anything. Facing Xu Ruyi, who was supposedly carrying his child, Fang Zhiyi became even more compliant with her demands.

And because of this, Xu Ruyi's reach grew longer and longer.

Fang Zhiyi was largely unaware of all this. He only felt that his brothers' hostility toward him seemed to have intensified, and they would even make sarcastic remarks from time to time. He just smiled good-naturedly and never argued.

Yet, no one could change the outcome. After the old Emperor passed away, Fang Zhiyi successfully ascended the throne.

The former Crown Princess became the Empress. However, Xu Ruyi's ambitions did not stop there. She wanted power; she wanted absolute control over her own life.

Under her instigation, Fang Zhiyi's brothers were all driven out of the capital and sent to remote areas as vassal kings. The old Emperor's loyal ministers were also replaced by her one by one. Some realized something was wrong and tried to seek an audience with the Emperor, but by this time, Fang Zhiyi was gravely ill, unable even to get out of bed.

He thought his old illness had relapsed, until he saw his Empress holding her child, looking at him with icy eyes. Standing right beside her was the Commander of his Imperial Guard. For the first time, the honest Fang Zhiyi grew suspicious.

But it was too late. The Empress pointed right at his face and told him that the child was not his, and that she had never loved him. She had done all this just to take control of her own destiny, and the Imperial Guard Commander, Xiao Wanfeng, was the man she truly loved.

At this point, how could Fang Zhiyi not realize he had been set up? After all, who would have thought the person sharing his bed harbored such terrifying ambition?

Xu Ruyi merely sneered. "I also made some adjustments to your medical prescriptions, so just pass on in peace. In the future, this empire will still bear the surname Fang, but..." She looked at the son in her arms with a face full of doting love, "It will no longer belong to your Fang family."

Fang Zhiyi wanted to call for help, but at that moment, even speaking was difficult for him.

After his death, his brothers could no longer hold back upon receiving the news. They coveted the throne, but they were also suspicious. Although they had never accepted Fang Zhiyi sitting on that throne, from a brotherly perspective, they did not believe he had simply died of illness.

Especially when many officials in the court had their homes raided and were thrown into prison, it put them on high alert. With the Prince of Chu being the first to raise an army in rebellion, the other princes also bared their fangs. The world was instantly plunged into war, and the people suffered terribly.

However, in the end, none of them succeeded.

Instead, Xu Ruyi supported the young Emperor to the throne while she ruled from behind the curtain, leaving a heavy and colorful mark in the annals of history.

"This method of usurping the throne is rather unique, quite unconventional," Fang Zhiyi muttered, but Little Hei remained silent.

"Your Highness, the Emperor is calling for you to head over immediately." An old eunuch came running up in a hurry. Fang Zhiyi glanced at the sky. It was pitch black outside. What kind of emperor would stay awake in the middle of the night just to torment his son?

"Alright, alright." Fang Zhiyi sighed. Little Hei had vanished to who-knows-where. It seemed that this time he was going to have to...

Just as he was thinking, a woman walked out from the side, followed by a maid. The woman's face was as cold as frost, and she did not even spare Fang Zhiyi a glance.

"Please hurry, Your Highness, lest the Emperor grow anxious from waiting."

Fang Zhiyi was taken aback. He had to admit, this Crown Princess was quite beautiful.

Xu Ruyi frowned slightly, her phoenix eyes glancing at Fang Zhiyi. The disgust and contempt in her eyes were completely undisguised. "Right now, the Prince of Chu and Prince Xiang are both eyeing your position like tigers watching their prey. I ask that Your Highness not be too negligent."

Although she was beautiful, with just that one look, Fang Zhiyi immediately categorized her into the camp of those who deserved to die.

He habitually stretched his limbs, only to realize that the original owner's body was truly quite weak. Despite being in the prime of his life, a mere gust of wind at the doorway made him shiver uncontrollably.

Xu Ruyi clearly saw this. Turning her head away in disgust, she left with her maid.

Looking at the old eunuch waiting anxiously by the door not far away, Fang Zhiyi sighed, shrank his neck against the cold, and walked out.

Fighting for the throne? Yeah right, as if he would bother!