For an emperor, having a harem was entirely normal. Yet he had refused to remarry for the sake of his mother.

That kind of devotion was deeply moving.

"Then what about the affairs of the state?"

"Now that you have returned, no matter what, I will make you the ruler of Dongyue."

"Me?" Yue Mingxuan pointed at himself, his face filled with disbelief.

He had never seen such a free spirited emperor before.

In this era, it was clearly not one where Ger or women ruled.

"Yes. In the past, I did not think this way either. But over the years, I have seen how much you have changed. You have your own understanding of governance. And you know how disappointing your brothers are. So making you the ruler is not a decision made on a whim."

Seeing the serious expression on his father’s face, Yue Mingxuan was instead left stunned.

It was not that he lacked the ability to lead a nation, but he had never once entertained such thoughts before.

Moreover, when Shang Xueyin had merely acted as regent, there had already been many who opposed it.

If he were to truly become emperor, the obstacles would surely be immense.

"Do you truly intend to do this?" he asked.

"Since you are my child, I will ensure that you receive the very best," the emperor replied.

Yue Mingxuan fell silent for a moment.

He knew his father’s intentions were good, but to truly accomplish this would require tremendous effort.

"I believe you can resolve those problems. As for your identity, I will find a way. After all, I have not taken any consorts all these years. Adopting a few children is not an issue."

Yue Mingxuan said nothing.

His father’s approach was indeed somewhat extreme.

He had never expected that there could be an emperor so deeply devoted.

He could not help but sigh. "I understand."

He did, in fact, have the ability to deal with the issue his father had raised.

As for winning the hearts of the people, there was no better choice than entrusting it to the Hua Family of Dongyue.

It was just that he had never harbored such ambition before, and being suddenly burdened with such responsibility left him somewhat unaccustomed.

"Since you are a prince of Dongyue, you must bear the responsibility of this nation. I believe in you," his father said.

Yue Mingxuan nodded and, under his father’s guidance, he returned to the palace chambers where he had once lived.

The chambers were not lavishly decorated, yet they felt warm and inviting.

It was clear that whoever had arranged them had done so with great care.

"So this is the place that once belonged to me?" Yue Mingxuan looked around.

He had not expected that this return would bring such revelations.

He had not known that his father was so devoted, nor that his so-called brothers were not his blood relatives.

He had always thought men of this era were all the same, yet his father was entirely different.

Such devotion left him feeling both astonished and deeply moved.

On the second day after Yue Mingxuan returned to the palace, news spread beyond the city that the emperor had adopted another child.

It was even said that this child is a Ger and bore a striking resemblance to the former Fifth Prince.

"Since Father has already said so, then it seems this throne of Dongyue will indeed be mine," Yue Mingxuan said.

Only then did he recall how frail his father had appeared.

Having studied medicine at Silver Needle Sect, he naturally had to consider his father’s health.

Although his father looked very old, Yue Mingxuan estimated that he was not yet fifty.

For someone under fifty to appear so aged was truly unbelievable.

Yue Mingxuan felt certain that his father should not be this old.

Which meant there must be another reason why he had become like this.

He was filled with doubt. But before taking his pulse, everything remained nothing more than speculation.

He would have to examine him personally before knowing the truth.

That very night, Yue Mingxuan went to see his father.

What shocked him was that his father’s body had already declined to a dreadful state.

Logically, his father could not possibly be someone with no martial ability at all.

A person who practiced martial arts would naturally have internal energy to protect the body.

It should not have deteriorated to such an extent. Yet his father’s condition was indeed alarmingly aged.

"How did your body become like this?" Yue Mingxuan asked in disbelief.

He had no idea what had happened in the palace during the time he had been away.

Seeing his father in such a weakened state pained him deeply.

After all, this was his biological father.

Across two lifetimes, this was the only father he had ever had.

In his previous life, he had not had one at all.

He let out a soft sigh. "Father Emperor, your health must be carefully tended."

"But the current state of Dongyue does not allow it," the emperor replied with a bitter smile.

It was not that he was unaware of his condition.

With so many imperial physicians in the palace, not one of them was unconcerned.

But he had no choice but to exhaust himself over state affairs.

After all, he was the emperor of Dongyue.

Hearing this only made Yue Mingxuan’s heart ache even more.

This was both his father and the ruler of the nation. Yet the state of the country did not permit him to rest.

Yue Mingxuan had just gathered information about Dongyue from the Ten Thousand Wisdom Hall.

It had to be said that having an intelligence network was incredibly important.

Otherwise, he would have had to read through countless books just to understand the situation.

"Since Father’s four sons are not his biological children, why does he still feel distressed over their incompetence? And he seems to know that I am not dead, so he should not be too upset because of that either," Yue Mingxuan wondered silently.