The emperor was half a step to the Golden Immortal Realm. Although this realm was forcibly boosted by various resources and secret skills, his realm was enough.
A half step to the Golden Immortal Realm could live for more than five thousand years.
Therefore, the emperor never thought that he would face death so soon.
"I really … don't want to die."
He smiled bitterly and sighed deeply in his heart.
But he still had to face the reality.
The biggest problem he had to consider now was who would inherit the throne of the Extreme Emperor Cliff after his death.
It had only been two years since he became the emperor. Because he was diligent in government affairs and too young, he had never considered the succession of the throne.
In the harem, he only had one wife and two concubines.
None of the three women was his true love. They formed an alliance for interests, so they had no children.
His only son was only nine years old this year. When he was still the Eighth Prince, he had an accident with a maidservant of the Eighth Prince's Mansion during a night of passion.
Although he was the eldest son, he could only be regarded as the son of a concubine. His aptitude was mediocre, and his appearance was very different from his. Therefore, he had never been favored. Even after the emperor ascended the throne, this son of a concubine had always been in a low position in the former prince's mansion.
"It seems that there is no other choice."
The emperor smiled bitterly again.
In the past few days, it seemed to have become a habit for him to smile bitterly from time to time. He seemed to have aged a lot.
"Come on, send my decree. Let Prince Son enter the palace."
…
…
After returning to the imperial city, Li Mu had been in the Happy House.
This was the residence that the emperor gave to Li Mu when he was still the eighth prince. Although it was small, it was complete. Later, Li Mu slightly renovated it and made it his long-term residence.
In the past few days, people from all walks of life came to visit Li Mu with different purposes.
Even the Demon Refining Pavilion, the Donghuang Divine Dynasty, and the low-key Xuanjian Sect all sent people to visit him, but they were all refused by Li Mu.
Those big sects usually retreated after being refused.
However, there were also some people who stuck to the door like sticky candy, blocking the door and waiting.
Later, Li Mu was annoyed, so he directly closed the door and sent Little Nine out to clear the place. Finally, all the people around the Happy House were killed.
Of course, Little Nine was also called the "Hell Hound".
But it did not care at all.
In fact, Li Mu did not do closed-door training in the Happy House.
He had just come out of seclusion and needed to relax.
The way of literature and martial arts, tension and relaxation.
The garden in the Happy House had a beautiful view. On a whim, Li Mu asked Yuan Hou to buy some things. Then, under an old tree at the gate of the back garden, Li Mu amused himself by having a BBQ session. Most of the kitchen utensils were made by Li Mu himself.
He didn't care if it was delicious or not. Anyway, he just wanted to relax.
Back then, in order to make it convenient for the eighth prince to visit Li Mu, outside the gate of the back garden was the Prince's Mansion, which was originally a part of the Prince's Mansion.
When Li Mu was grilling, the aroma of grilled meat filled the air.
In a remote firewood yard at the side, the wooden door was quietly pushed open, and a face appeared from the crack of the door.
It was a skinny boy of eight or nine years old.
The teenager had black eyes and long black hair, but he was a little underdeveloped and much thinner than his peers. He looked at Li Mu timidly.
To be exact, he was looking at the roasted meat in Li Mu's hand.
"You want to eat?"
Li Mu smiled.
The little fellow swallowed, glanced at Li Mu, and did not speak. Instead, he took a few steps back.
"Don't be afraid. Here you are."
As Yuan Hou spoke, he stood up, took a few pieces of roasted meat, and handed them to the little fellow.
He seemed to be no stranger to Yuan Hou. After a moment of hesitation, he took the roasted meat, bowed deeply to Yuan Hou and Li Mu, and then turned around and ran into the small yard where he came from.
"The mother of the child in the next yard is a maid in the mansion. It is said that she is the son of the current emperor. But because she is a concubine, she is not valued, and the emperor does not take her seriously. Several concubines in the palace are very jealous of this maid. In order to please their master, the servants in the mansion deliberately make things difficult for her every few days. It's not a big deal to deduct her allowance, but they often scold her. So, the mother and the son live a hard life. They can't even fill their stomachs …"
Yuan Hou explained.
He once lived in the Happy House for a period of time, so he was fairly clear about the background of this little boy.
After hearing that, Li Mu shook his head.
This kind of drama was too common in all kinds of palace dramas on Earth.
Just now, Li Mu also saw that the little boy's physique was average and his talent was dull. He was not suitable for cultivation. Perhaps because he was a concubine's son and was ostracized, when he was nine years old, he did not practice any Cultivation Method. He was even worse than the children of ordinary immortal families, which was really pitiful.
Logically speaking, this little fellow was also the son of the emperor. No matter how talented he was, he should have practiced the royal Cultivation Method. But he did not, which showed how unfavored he was.
Being born in an imperial family was not as good as being born in an ordinary family.
It was conceivable that when the future empress or other concubines had children, this little fellow would not only have a worrying status, but also might not be able to keep himself alive.
However, most of the immortals in the immortal world looked strange. They had hair of various colors and body features. For example, the little boy had black eyes and black hair. All of a sudden, Li Mu had the illusion that he was looking at a child in China on Earth.
As he was thinking, a series of rapid footsteps suddenly came from the distance.
He saw a flustered maid coming from afar with a group of palace guards and a dozen eunuchs. They were walking toward the small courtyard with the wooden door.
The maid leading the way looked to be in her twenties. She had a slim figure and was wearing the coarse clothes of the servants of the lowest rank in the Prince's Mansion. Her facial features were exquisite, and her skin was as clear as jade. Her cultivation was not high. She was only half a step away from being an immortal. She was pretty and delicate, like a small white flower fluttering in the wind.
There were still traces of tears on her face. She was carefully saying something to the leader of the eunuchs.
But the leader of the eunuchs held his head high and did not even look at the maid.
Suddenly, the leader of the eunuchs seemed to have sensed Li Mu's gaze and looked over.
Then, he recognized Li Mu's identity.
In the next moment, the originally arrogant, pale, and beardless face immediately revealed an incomparably flattering smile. Bending his waist, he eagerly walked over and knelt on the ground with a plop, saying with utmost respect, "This servant pays his respects to Prince Mu."
Yes.
Li Mu's current identity was the Imperial Advisor of Huangji Cliff. He was also the brother of the emperor. People called him Prince Mu.
Li Mu did not say anything. He just waved his hand.
"Your servant will take his leave."
The leader of the eunuchs stood up. He bent his back and retreated 20 meters before he turned around and led the others into the wooden door.
…
In the remote and narrow courtyard, a black-haired little boy was cleaning the courtyard, washing clothes, and chopping firewood. He looked a little tired.
The moment the door was pushed open, the little boy smiled reflexively. He said, "Mom, you're back? Chen 'er is very obedient today. He didn't run around … Uncle Yuan next door gave me two pieces of barbecued meat. It smells so good. I didn't eat it. I'm waiting for mom to come back … "
He was as excited as a puppy that had been kept at home until its owner finally came home.
But when he turned around and saw the group of eunuchs coming in through the wooden door, his smile froze, and fear appeared on his face.
He rushed over and threw himself into the arms of the young maid. He hugged her tightly, not daring to say a word.
"Is that him?" asked the eunuch.
The young maid begged, "Your honor, he is still young. He can't cultivate. He doesn't know anything. Can you …"
"Shut up." The eunuch said, "It's His Majesty who wants him to enter the palace. Do you dare to disobey?"
The maid's face was full of tears. She was terrified, but she did not know what to say.
"Mom?" The little boy looked at his mother in confusion.
The maid hugged the child tightly. Then, she turned around and asked, "Your honor, His Majesty wants Chen 'er to enter the palace for …"
The eunuch said expressionlessly, "How do I know? Maybe he wants to train Prince Chen. "When he said the last word, the corner of his mouth curled up into a sarcastic smile.
The other eunuchs also showed a tacit and contemptuous smile.
The current emperor doesn't care about this little prince at all. This is a well-known fact.
Giving birth to a son with a lowly maid was a shameful thing for the royal family. It was said that the previous emperor had reprimanded him many times for this. If it wasn't for the fact that killing this mother and daughter would bring shame to the royal family's image, this pair of mother and son wouldn't even be alive today.
Recently, the situation in the Royal Cliffs has been very good.
Prince Mu Mu is invincible in all four directions.
His Majesty's mood suddenly improved, and out of curiosity, he wanted to see his son.
But with Prince Chen's talent, cultivation, and intelligence, he wants to move the emperor?
It's impossible.
On the surface, this is an opportunity for Prince Son and his mother to see the face of the heavens. But in reality, this will only make the Empress and the other concubines even more vigilant, making the mother and son even more intolerable.
"Then … … I … … I will also go with Chen 'er."
The young maid pleaded.
The eunuch shook his head, "His Majesty only said to invite Prince Chen. He didn't mention you. You should just stay here."
"But … …" The young maid still wanted to say something.
The eunuch's expression suddenly became angry and fierce. Sneering, he said: "Behave yourself, don't court death."
The maid's hands and feet suddenly turned cold.
The little boy seemed to understand something and quickly comforted: "Mother, Chen 'er will go alone. Rest assured, Chen' er will be obedient and come back as soon as possible."
In the end, the little boy was forcibly taken away by the eunuch and the guards.
The young maid was ordered to stay in the small courtyard and not allowed to go out, waiting for news.
Tears soaked her coarse dress.
For so many years, she had lived a difficult life in the palace as if she was treading on thin ice. In order to protect her son, she had suffered all kinds of hardships and suffered all kinds of humiliation. She had never hoped that her son could inherit the throne or be rewarded. She only hoped that he could grow up healthily and peacefully.
For this reason, she locked her son in this small courtyard and rarely let him go out.
She was afraid of meeting someone with bad intentions, or if her son was immature and caused some trouble.
But now, her son was still taken away.
The feeling of fear and helplessness was like having one's heart and lungs dug out. Only those who had been parents could truly understand this.
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