【Ye Kuiliang’s announcement to abdicate and appoint Ye Yu as the new emperor of the Great Yong Dynasty was made during this morning’s court session.】

【At that time, several people led by the eldest prince vehemently opposed it.】

【But it was to no avail.】

【The imperial decree had been issued, and the decision was final.】

【When Ye Yu, who was walking his dog in the outer city, heard the news, he was quite surprised.】

【What’s going on?】

【The money sent by Grandpa Zhou Baiwan hadn’t even been spent yet. And now you’re telling me the game is over?】

【Unable to make sense of it, Ye Yu decisively headed to the palace to ask Ye Kuiliang what was going on.】

【His father was just over five hundred years old, in the prime of his life.】

【Ye Yu couldn’t believe that he would suddenly abdicate for no reason.】

【There had to be some conspiracy!】

【Ye Yu strode into the palace.】

【Suddenly, he saw ten princes kneeling outside the Yangxin Hall.】

【They were all the princes who had not chosen to submit to Ye Yu.】

【Ye Yu admired these people.】

【Because it was only through constant rejection that he could squander even better.】

【In fact, Ye Yu regarded these people as business clients. Relying on them, his talent for squandering was continuously triggered.】

【So, facing the angry glares of the princes, Ye Yu completely ignored them and greeted them warmly.】

【Yo, everyone’s here!】

【This remark made the princes even more furious.】

【In their eyes, this was a way for the victor to mock the losers.】

【The eldest prince, full of indignation, kowtowed towards the Yangxin Hall, shouting loudly: Ye Yu acts recklessly, even if he ascends to the throne, he will not be able to win the hearts of the people. Father, please retract the decree!】

【Soon, Chief Eunuch Sun Fu walked over, bowing.】

【Then he slapped the eldest prince.】

【Such a scene stunned everyone present.】

【This old traitor, has he defied the heavens?】

【Sun Fu said in a deep voice: The former emperor decreed that the eldest prince Ye Kai has slandered the new emperor, a crime punishable by death.】

【But considering the difficulty of the new emperor’s ascension and to avoid unnecessary killings, he is to be confined for ten years and receive a slap, carried out by Chief Eunuch Sun Fu.】

【After announcing the decree.】

【Sun Fu immediately knelt in front of the eldest prince Ye Kai.】

【He said in a low voice: I’m sorry, this old servant is guilty, but I dare not disobey the former emperor’s orders.】

【The eldest prince’s face turned deathly pale.】

【He walked out of the palace in a daze.】

【That slap had woken Ye Kai up; his spirit had dissipated, and he knew it was hopeless.】

【Why would he continue kneeling here?】

【With Ye Kai’s departure, the other princes also understood that the situation was irreversible.】

【One by one, they slowly rose to their feet.】

【Some even cupped their hands in salute to Ye Yu before leaving.】

【Although they said nothing, this gesture indicated their recognition of Ye Yu as the new emperor.】

【Only the fifteenth prince, Ye Anming, remained kneeling.】

【He roared at Ye Yu.】

【You must have used some despicable means.】

【That’s the only reason Father passed the throne to you, right?】

【Today, no matter what, I must see Father with my own eyes!】

【Sun Fu hurriedly stepped forward and said: Fifteenth prince, please return. The former emperor ordered that no one except the new emperor is to be seen!】

【Ye Anming shouted loudly: Impossible, absolutely impossible. Father loved me the most; how could he not see me?】

【Ye Yu found this too noisy.】

【He directly stepped forward and kicked Ye Anming in the face.】

【The latter’s nose bled as he lay on the ground, looking at Ye Yu in disbelief.】

【You dare to hit me?】

【Ye Yu ignored Ye Anming and waved to Sun Fu: Take him away and give him a hundred slaps!】

【Understood!】

【Sun Fu immediately agreed and then signaled to the nearby guards.】

【The guards quickly stepped forward and dragged Ye Anming away.】

【Soon, the sound of slapping could be heard from outside, crisp and clear.】

【Ye Yu then walked straight into the Yangxin Hall.】

【When he saw the figure sitting on the dragon throne, he could hardly believe his eyes.】

【Ye Kuiliang, who was still in his prime just a few days ago, had now turned into a white-haired, withered old man.】

【Such a drastic change was beyond anyone’s expectations.】

【Ye Yu hurriedly approached, asking what had happened.】

【Ye Kuiliang smiled and said: It’s an old injury from years of battles. I had been suppressing it, so no one noticed.】

【But now, my time is near, and the old injury has naturally resurfaced.】

【I originally planned to have you ascend the throne after you had subdued all the princes.】

【But now, I can’t hold on any longer.】

【From now on, the Great Yong Dynasty is in your hands.】

【Ye Kuiliang slowly stood up, vacating the throne, and gestured for Ye Yu to come closer.】

【Ye Yu, with a solemn expression, walked forward and sat on the throne that everyone envied.】

【In fact, ever since the competition for the crown prince began, Ye Yu had already figured some things out.】

【He didn’t need to resist the throne.】

【No matter how wealthy his grandfather Zhou Baiwan was, he was just a rich merchant. How could he squander as easily as an emperor?】

【It’s just that Ye Yu didn’t expect the process of obtaining the throne to be so smooth.】

【It was truly like what was said decades ago, forging a path to the emperor’s throne with money.】

【Three days later.】

【Ye Yu officially ascended the throne, declaring the new era as Mang! 】

(T/N; Mang (莽) often means “reckless”, and 国号为莽 means “reign title” a practice in imperialism where emperors would choose a name for their reign.)

【This proposal initially met with much opposition.】

【But Ye Yu didn’t care.】

【Among the civil officials, a not-so-tall figure stepped forward.】

【This was Sun Longhai, the first minister to pledge loyalty to Ye Yu.】

【Due to his meritorious service in supporting Ye Yu, his rank had risen from third class to first class.】

【Sun Longhai, while grateful for his successful gamble, gave a determined look to Ye Yu on the dragon throne.】

【Your Majesty has treated me as a national scholar; I will repay Your Majesty as one.】

【Sun Longhai immediately went into battle mode, transforming into the war god of the grand hall, verbally sparring with the scholars.】

【His spittle flew from the front hall to the main gate.】

【With his lead, many ministers who had also submitted to Ye Yu stepped forward.】

【With overwhelming numbers, they successfully quashed the opposing voices.】

【The proposal to name the new era Mang passed smoothly.】

【However, Ye Yu’s first decree nearly caused all the civil and military officials present to collapse on the spot.】

【—The new emperor’s ascension is a great joy for the nation. Therefore, taxes will be exempted for three years, and every citizen of the Great Yong Dynasty will receive one tael of silver.】

【This decree…】

【It made the Finance Minister’s face turn ashen as he fell to his knees, shouting, Your Majesty, you cannot do this!】

【One tael of silver might seem little.】

【But with millions of citizens in the Great Yong Dynasty, that amounts to millions of taels of silver, equivalent to half a year’s taxes.】

【Even with the Great Yong Dynasty’s wealth, it couldn’t sustain such expenditure!】