Chapter 104: Reasons (2)

“No, that head is real—and it truly is the emperor’s head!” Ye Lang had already used his ‘telescope’ earlier to take a closer look, carefully discerning and preliminarily confirming its authenticity.

This revelation stunned many present. They understood that Zhao Yarou was seizing the throne this time, but they never expected her to be so ruthless—she actually killed the emperor outright.

However, on reflection, this might have been the most proper course of action. If one intends to usurp the throne, then one must be prepared to kill the emperor. If a killing is necessary, it should be done decisively, not dragged out like some people do.

Yet, this was hard to accept—it was simply too sudden. The emperor had been speaking moments ago, and now his head had been severed!

“Why did you kill the emperor? He’s your father! Even if you want to be emperor, you don’t have to kill him!” Ye Chengtian roared in grief and anger. His relationship with the emperor was not merely one of ruler and subject; they were more like brothers and friends.

Because of this, he had never considered that the emperor would poison him.

“Because he said that I could only be empress if he were dead. Now that he is dead, it means he has agreed to pass the throne to me,” Zhao Yarou said with a chilling smile.

Dead means consent—that’s how she explained it?

No one believed that. Most people would say such a thing is a rejection, a refusal.

Yet at this moment, someone thought this logic was sound—and that person was none other than Ye Lang.

“Indeed, if that’s the case, then you are the new emperor. The emperor should never have said that; he must have meant he would never pass the throne to you, even in death!”

“That’s not right. Why would the emperor say something like that to you? Are you forcing the issue? Are you scheming to usurp power?” Ye Lang seemed to have just realized this question.

Silence fell over the entire hall once again. Your reaction is far too slow; this is blatantly obvious—what nonsense is this!

“How should I put it? Sometimes you are smarter than anyone, able to see what others cannot. Yet at other times you are so dull, failing to grasp even the most obvious things,” Zhao Yarou said, looking at Ye Lang with a hint of helplessness.

“I understand now. That’s why you gave the seven-day ultimatum instead of killing people immediately. You want us to submit to you!” Ye Lang said.

“We’ve already discussed this. There’s no need for you to understand...” Zhao Yarou replied.

“Have you? Then what was the conclusion?”

“The conclusion is that now is the time to see results. You should think carefully. I have already taken control of the entire imperial city, and of course the palace itself. I owe thanks to you for allowing me to seize this great power. My becoming empress is now settled. Your choices are submission—or death.”

Zhao Yarou looked down at the square before the palace, eager to see what the people below would choose.

“If we submit to you, can we avoid death and live as before?” Ye Lang asked.

“Yes. As long as you submit to me, I promise everything will remain as it was,” Zhao Yarou nodded, gazing at the crowd, wanting to hear their answer. Would they choose pragmatism and submit, or loyalty and death?

Many would choose the former, but they waited for someone to take the lead first so as not to become the target of blame. These seasoned officials and nobles understood this well, so they hesitated instead of declaring immediately.

Yet one person spoke instantly—Ye Lang.

“I choose to submit!”

Ye Lang’s straightforward choice left many mouths agape, especially Zhao Yarou, who had never considered that Ye Lang would submit.

It wasn’t that she saw Ye Lang as unimportant; rather, it seemed impossible. The Ye family would never agree, at least not Ye Chengtian’s faction—not so easily.

“You little bastard! How can you be so spineless, to submit so easily? Everyone, sorry, he’s being foolish again—please ignore him!” Long Anqi punched Ye Lang on the head, thinking he was confused again.

“Mom, I’m not being foolish. The correct decision now is submission; otherwise, it’s death!” Ye Lang shook his head calmly.

“There are so many of us—we can fight them!” Long Anqi said with fiery spirit.

“We can’t. We’re poisoned...” Ye Lang said. “I know some of you haven’t been poisoned yet; there’s still hope!”

As he said, since the poison had just been discovered, many from the Ye family hadn’t eaten yet and so hadn’t ingested the poison.

Simply put, at least eighty percent of the Ye family’s experts remained unpoisoned, including the elders who tend to eat more slowly.

“It’s useless! I didn’t take the poison seriously. Since I’ve eaten it, I must have an antidote!” Ye Lang waved his hand.

“You have an antidote? Didn’t you say only the poisoner can provide the cure?” Ye Lanyu asked, puzzled.

“I said that applies in general, not in every case,” Ye Lang replied, waving his hand again.

“Do you have a way to cure the poison?” This question wasn’t from nearby officials but came from Zhao Yarou in the distance.

“Yes, I do—but I can’t use it now. I can’t activate my ring because you’ve sealed all the magical elements nearby. No matter what, even if none of us were poisoned, we couldn’t use any fighting energy or magic here!”

Ye Lang looked at Zhao Yarou calmly.

“Exactly! When you’re not being foolish, you’re surprisingly clever. Of course, I won’t simply rely on poison—I have second and even third measures prepared! The anti-magic array around here has been activated. You’re all just ordinary people now, at my mercy!” Zhao Yarou said coldly.

Indeed, there were many experts in the square. Even if surrounded, they would be hard to defeat. But if these experts became ordinary people within the anti-magic array, they would be like fish on a chopping board.

At that moment, Ye Chengtian’s expression shifted. He knew this anti-magic array was set up to prevent intruders from entering the palace, so he understood its power and range.

“Ye Lang, how did you discover this?” Zhao Yarou asked casually.

“I was originally going to fetch a cannon and blast you while you weren’t paying attention!” Ye Lang answered honestly, with a hint of helplessness and regret.

At that moment, nearly everyone fell silent, watching Ye Lang. They suddenly realized how terrifying he was—he completely ignored others’ opinions and acted solely according to his own judgment.

If it weren’t for the anti-magic array, whether Zhao Yarou would still be alive now was an unknown.