Chapter 1311: Side Story: The Mighty Great Qi (1)
In the end, Qi Xiuyuan did not manage to keep his younger brother. In the second year after Baozhu got married at the age of 18, Little Leopard also got married. The couple did not delay at all. A few days after their daughter-in-law first returned to her parental home after the wedding, they packed their things and went out to travel the world.
He had wanted to count on the children to stop them, but to his surprise, Little Bear and the others were very supportive of their parents. Tiger Head said bluntly, "Royal Uncle, since we’re already married now, we can’t stay by our parents’ side all the time. If they want to go out and play, so be it. Don’t worry, they’re in good health."
Qi Xiuyuan choked. The two of them were not only in good health. Though in their early forties, the duo still looked like they were about 30. Not only were they energetic, but they were also strong and healthy. In fact, even if Little Bear used all his strength now, he might not be able to defeat his father.
Since their family members were all supportive, Qi Xiuyuan was naturally in no position to speak. He could only watch helplessly as his brother brought his wife on a sightseeing trip while he received things sent back by him every few days.
Perhaps it was because of his younger brother’s influence or because Qi Xiuyuan’s health was really not good, but he suddenly fell seriously ill in the second year after Qi Haoran left. After being resuscitated, he seemed to have thought things through and handed the throne to the Crown Prince. He and the Empress then moved to the imperial palace in the suburbs to recuperate.
Because this was the first peaceful abdication of power by a sage-king in generations—and the retired emperor willingly gave up his authority—later historians were absolutely energized, like they’d had a shot of adrenaline, and dissected every aspect of Qi Xiuyuan, inside and out.
Then, everyone realized that only the wise Prime Minister Fan Zijin (Prince An), King Rong, and Queen Consort Rong were present on the day Emperor Taikang decided to abdicate the throne. No one knew what was discussed among the four of them, but Qi Xiuyuan made the decision to abdicate the throne the very next day.
Many readers suspected that Prince An and King Rong forced the Emperor to abdicate the throne, but this was unanimously rejected by historians. According to historical research, the four of them had an excellent relationship, and Qi Xiuyuan, the Emperor Emeritus, had lived for a further 30 years after abdicating the throne before dying at the age of 86.
During this period of time, not only did he have freedom of movement, but he also controlled a faction. In addition, he was free to participate in politics. Based on these facts, it was obvious that he’d abdicated the throne willingly. Furthermore, the royal guards and Forbidden Troops had not been mobilized back then. No matter how one looked at it, Qi Xiuyuan did not seem to have been forced.
Unfortunately, there were no historians present that night, so there were no proper records of what actually went on. Furthermore, the Great Qi royal family had always refused to release the Emperor’s handwritten notes relating to that matter, so no one knew what happened that night.