Galactic Star-Year 3034, January 18th · Imperial Capital Star.
At this moment the Imperial Capital Star system was filled with a tangled atmosphere.
By rights today, the day of Qin Ming's accession to the throne, ought to have been most festive.
But the recent defeat in the civil war — over 300,000 interstellar warships lost, three marshals fallen.
For the Princes' faction this was, beyond doubt, an enormous blow.
Which left the atmosphere of this accession ceremony much affected.
Qin Ming himself likely had little heart for celebration either; upon seeing the ceremonial program, he'd cut two-thirds of it outright.
Imperial Capital Star · the Imperial-House Grand Hall.
This was a palace atop the highest peak of the Imperial Capital Star, the whole palace standing upon the summit, towering and majestic!
At the very top within the palace was a huge throne.
At this very moment, a ceremony was underway here.
Qin Ming, clad in the new-style Emperor's raiment, was walking slowly toward an old man before him.
The old man was the most revered rites-official of the Starlight Empire, charged with presiding over this grand rite.
Next, after Qin Ming had read out a vow, the old man would hand Qin Ming the scepter and crown that symbolized imperial power, and Qin Ming would formally take the throne.
Become the new Starlight Emperor!
"………… I, Qin Ming, being of imperial-house blood, take up imperial power in this hour of peril, and shall surely lead the Starlight Empire out of the quagmire, and restore its glory anew!" Qin Ming, hand on his breast, cried out toward the throne.
Behind him, several hundred officials half-knelt on the ground, awaiting the coming of the final moment.
Off to one side, Consort Zhen had already covered her face and wept — with joy in it, and with sorrow.
She had at last awaited this day of her son's accession; yet at the same time she had lost another precious son of hers.
Qin Ming, your mother believes in you; you will surely avenge your brother.
"Wait a moment!"
Just then, a voice came in from the hall's doorway.
This sudden voice cut off the whole ceremony.
Every eye turned to the hall's doorway, and there was Prince Yan, walking slowly in, wearing a faint smile; under the puzzled gazes of all, he passed through the several hundred officials and came to a stand between Qin Ming and the rites-official.
Prince Yan looked at the scepter and crown in the rites-official's hands, then looked at Qin Ming, who stared at him full of astonishment.
"Imperial uncle… you?" Qin Ming looked at Prince Yan, puzzled.
"You, fit to take the throne?" Prince Yan stepped up and gave him a slap outright, straight across Qin Ming's face.
Qin Ming, not steady on his feet, fell straight to the floor.
At this scene, all who watched were dumbstruck.
"What do you mean by this!" Qin Ming, clutching his slapped and swelling face, looked at Prince Yan in shock.
To this moment, he still hadn't grasped just what was going on.
"I say — you are not fit to take the throne!" Prince Yan looked at Qin Ming with scorn.
"I am a prince; if I'm not fit to take the throne, are you fit, then!" Qin Ming pointed at Prince Yan in fury.
Prince Yan said with a cold laugh: "You led near 400,000 interstellar warships in person to duel with 200,000, and in the end came slinking back with a scant few interstellar warships. A good-for-nothing of your sort, were he to become the Starlight Empire's Emperor, would surely bring ruin on the nation and calamity on the people!"
Seeing Prince Yan tear open his wound outright, Qin Ming's face went black, and he railed: "Just what is it you want to do!"
"What do I want to do? By the imperial house's ancestral precepts, if the heir to the throne is incapable, his succession-right may be revoked outright, and a direct kinsman of the imperial house chosen to succeed. And so — I am the one who should truly be sitting upon that throne!" Prince Yan looked at Qin Ming with a cold laugh.
"Prince Yan… you… you can't do this! You can't do this! You clearly promised me before that you'd back Ming'er's accession! How can you go back on your word!" Consort Zhen stepped forth, came before Prince Yan, and seized his arm outright.
Prince Yan, who had once cherished her so, now flung off her arm without the least courtesy.
"Consort Zhen, I never once promised you any such thing. On the contrary — you, as a royal consort, knowing no self-respect, of all things carried on an affair with another after the late Emperor's passing!" Prince Yan pointed at Consort Zhen in wrath.
Consort Zhen was stunned; she couldn't make out just what Prince Yan meant to do.
If one spoke of an affair, the one she'd had it with was Prince Yan himself.
"Want to see the evidence, is it? Then I'll show you all the evidence!" Prince Yan raised a hand, and a holographic projection appeared before all present.
That footage, in an instant, stirred 1,000 waves.
It was a stretch of footage past all bearing to look upon — one woman and many men, and the leading lady of it was none other than Consort Zhen!
Seeing this, Consort Zhen went ashen-faced, shaking her head without cease: "Impossible! Impossible! I never did such things, I never!"
Then, all at once, she started awake!
In disbelief she pointed at Prince Yan: "You… it was you who fra—"
She'd recalled that in her secret trysts with Prince Yan, he'd often brought some mood-heightening drugs; after taking some of them she'd black out, with no idea at all of what had happened.
She'd only felt that Prince Yan was unexpectedly mighty, like a god of war.
Now she understood — that was not Prince Yan's prowess, but Prince Yan having called in "outside help."
Prince Yan suddenly seized Consort Zhen's jaw: "Someone — take this woman who keeps no wifely virtue down and away. She must be made to confess who it was she committed adultery with, to avenge my slandered elder brother!"
As Prince Yan spoke, he put strength into his hand, crushing several bones of Consort Zhen's jaw outright, leaving her wholly unable to speak — only able to glare at Prince Yan, her eyes bloodshot with rage.
This man she had once believed she loved.
"You dare! Someone — seize this traitorous rebel for me!" Qin Ming rose to his feet and gave a great shout.
But whether within the hall or without, there was not the slightest stir.
"Someone! Someone! What are you all doing — do you not hear me calling you!" Qin Ming pointed at those imperial guards within the hall.
But those guards within the hall seemed one and all not to have heard.
"Seize the second son for me!" Prince Yan spoke, and at this those guards within the hall moved at the first instant, stepping straight up to pin Qin Ming to the ground, the laser guns in their hands leveled at Qin Ming's head.
Qin Ming looked at these guards, aghast.
He understood — this was something Prince Yan had long since prepared.
"Where is the Princes' faction! Come guard the throne! Guard the throne!" Qin Ming's cries were, at this moment, full of terror.
But the officials within the hall made no move; some wore calm faces, some were panic-struck, some hesitated, unresolved.
"Your Highness, best save your strength." Prince Yan looked at Qin Ming with a cold laugh.
Qin Ming glared at Prince Yan: "Don't be so smug — a move of this sort, the various regions of the empire will never agree to it. You are committing treason!"
Prince Yan crouched before Qin Ming, looking at the man before him, and shook his head: "Have you forgotten what I told you just now? I am to depose you. Depose you in name and right, and then no one will dare say a word."
"Hahahaha — depose me? Don't imagine I truly don't understand! To depose the heir, one must have the support of at least two-thirds of the standing star-region governors and marshals!" Qin Ming glared at Prince Yan.
"Your memory's not bad. But at present the North Wind Star Region and the Chu River Star Region have revolted — that's two governors and one marshal fewer. Those two marshals you newly raised up don't count, and Huang Zhixiong is dead besides — that's another three fewer. In fact there are now only six star-region governors and six Imperial Marshals. A total of 12 votes — which is to say, I need only take eight to depose you!"
Prince Yan rose to his feet, looked to all in the hall, and cried out: "Who is willing to support depriving the prince-heir of his succession-right!"
"The Governor of the Pegasus Star Region supports His Highness the Prince! Second Prince, please yield the throne!" one governor stepped forth.
"The Governor of the Grey Moon Star Region supports His Highness the Prince."
"The Governor of the Azure Star Region supports His Highness the Prince."
"Imperial Marshal Zhong Yan supports His Highness the Prince."
"Imperial Marshal Lü Dafeng supports His Highness the Prince."
As one after another of exalted standing stepped forth, Qin Ming's face was already covered in beads of sweat.
And the appearance of two people left Qin Ming beyond belief.
"Imperial Marshal Qin Longcheng supports His Highness the Prince." Qin Longcheng stepped forward, both hands clenched into fists.
"Qin Longcheng! You'd actually betray me!" Qin Ming looked in disbelief at Qin Longcheng, who wore a smile of contempt.
"The Governor of the Starlight Central Star Region supports His Highness!" Another beyond-belief figure stepped out.
The family Qin Ming had thought stood always on his side!
"That's seven votes. My apologies, Your Highness," Prince Yan said with a cold laugh, then his voice rang out suddenly: "The Governor of the Snow-Swallow Star Region supports depriving Second Prince Qin Ming of his heir-status!"
In that instant, Qin Ming felt the sky had fallen.
How… how… could it come to this?