The Xuan Emperor looked at him calmly and said in a heavy voice, "Do you mean to seize power and usurp the throne?"

"Seize power and usurp the throne?" The heir of Prince Cheng gave a cold laugh and pointed at the Xuan Emperor. "You are the one who truly seized power and usurped the throne. You know better than anyone how you came to be sitting where you are today."

"You don't dare answer my question. That's a guilty conscience talking, isn't it?"

The heir of Prince Cheng turned to face everyone. "Back then my father, Prince Cheng, was the heir apparent. He was of the legitimate line. The chair you sit in now should have been his."

"You know in your heart how my father treated you... And how did you treat him? You didn't just steal the dragon throne that belonged to him. You killed him too."

"You killed my father, and then you put on a show of raising me at your side. It was 'my son' this and 'my son' that, and it turned my stomach to hear it... You are the greatest hypocrite in this world."

"I have endured all these years for this one day, to take back with my own hands what belongs to my father."

The faces of Noble Consort De and the crown prince changed.

Noble Consort De could not contain herself. "Zhang Tianyi, what do you mean by this? You want to take the throne yourself?"

The heir of Prince Cheng looked at her with open scorn and could not help mocking her. "What else would I mean? This throne always belonged to my father, and the son takes up his father's legacy. (TL Note: a Chinese saying, used of a son who inherits his father's trade or position.) Now the throne is there for the taking. Am I supposed to fold my hands in a polite bow and give it away to someone else? (TL Note: cupping one fist in the other palm is the Chinese gesture of courtesy. To yield something "with cupped hands" is to hand…