Long Live the Emperor

"Of course I do! I dream about it!" Leonard Li blurted out without thinking. Then, realizing what he'd just said, his face turned as red as a boiled shrimp.

Su Li coaxed him like a child, "Young Lord Leonard, just think about it. If, after this palace coup, another member of the Li family ascends the throne, the new emperor won’t be inheriting from his father, but from his nephew. Your father will become wary of the new emperor, afraid he’ll suspect your family, and he definitely won’t let you have any dealings with the Prince of Qin’s Manor. And if the new emperor is young, you’ll have to wait decades for him to die before you can marry Bella Bell. I’m fine with that, but can you and Bella really wait that long?"

Leonard Li gasped, realizing she was right. Waiting out the old emperor was one thing—he was already getting on in years. But if a new, much younger emperor took the throne, who knew who would outlast whom?

Was he and Bella really supposed to wait decades before they could be together?

Seeing that Leonard Li was listening, Su Li continued, "Young Lord Leonard, think about it. If you became emperor, couldn’t you marry whoever you wanted? Bella Bell is Princess Lily Hayes’s apprentice—she’s of noble status, more than worthy to be empress. Once you ascend the throne, you could marry her right away and bring her home."

Leonard Li’s eyes lit up. That argument hit him right where it counted!

"If I become emperor, I can marry Bella right away!" Leonard Li was thrilled. He’d thought it was a distant dream, but who knew the opportunity would come so soon!

Just as Leonard Li was getting excited, an elderly man with white hair suddenly burst through the door—it was Lord Huainan himself.

Lord Huainan, upon seeing Leonard Li, was so agitated that he rushed forward, grabbed Leonard’s ear, and scolded, "You foolish boy! Prince Alexander is handing you the throne on a silver platter and you’re still hemming and hawing. Are you out of your mind?!"

Leonard Li howled in pain, "Father, that hurts! Be gentle, my ear’s about to fall off!"

Lord Huainan was furious that his son refused the throne. This was a golden opportunity falling from the sky—why didn't this foolish child treasure it? If Prince Alexander had offered Lord Huainan the throne, he'd have accepted in a heartbeat, crawling into the palace if necessary.

But Lord Huainan was already advanced in years and only had Leonard Li as his sole heir, so he wasn't really coveting the throne. After all, it would eventually pass to his only son. Being the emperor's father, without having to worry about governance, living freely and with no one daring to provoke him—that would be delightful!

Lord Huainan was so anxious that he pulled even harder, making Leonard Li grimace in pain. His exaggerated expression made Su Li laugh, and she quickly interceded, "Lord Huainan, please be careful not to pull the Young Lord's ear off. A one-eared emperor—how would that look?"

As soon as Princess Lily Hayes spoke up, Lord Huainan immediately let go and became utterly respectful toward Su Li.

Lord Huainan was well aware that the power to decide who would be emperor rested in Prince Alexander Hayes's hands.

Even if Alexander Hayes wanted to be emperor himself, he could do so—it would just mean more effort fighting with the other feudal lords.

Now that Alexander Hayes was giving this great opportunity to his family, Lord Huainan would be so happy he’d kneel to help Su Li put on her shoes!

Leonard Li finally agreed to ascend the throne, but pleaded, "Father, please don't embarrass me in front of everyone again. If I'm emperor, you can't go pulling my ear—imagine the spectacle!"

Lord Huainan was delighted, immediately kneeling and proclaiming, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!"