Regarding the sensitive question of abdication, even Duke An, a close minister of the emperor, found it inappropriate to casually express an opinion.
He said dryly, "Your Majesty is in your prime, a rare wise ruler, it's the perfect time for grand ambitions..."
Flattery is truly not Duke An's strong suit, and after a few words, he ran out of things to say.
It's not surprising that Duke An couldn't utter insincere words, for in the past year or two, the emperor's mind has been entirely absent from court affairs, and even attending the morning court has become an irregular activity, one could say he's occupying the emperor's position in vain.
The emperor was well aware of this, yet still felt dissatisfied with Duke An's attitude: This old sly fox, his words were clearly perfunctory, and he did so with such nonchalance.
The emperor said unhappily, "Beloved Minister Ye, are you implying that Prince Yu is not wise enough? You dare to denigrate my son!"
