"Please, forgive me, will you? I don’t want to be confined in Daming Palace for my whole life, I, I—"

Emperor Yongcheng threw himself at He Tiantian’s feet, weeping like a child.

"I’m giving you two choices. First, go with Zheng Nianer, Lady Hu and the others to Daming Palace, and be your King Shun, I will guarantee you a life of no worries."

"Second, King Shun passes away, and the commoner Zhao Gui leaves Dayuan with three thousand men. Whether to the Southern Border or the Northern Territory, Western Regions, or the endless sea to the east, anywhere beyond the map of the Dayuan Dynasty, Zhao Gui can stay freely!"

"The late Emperor established Zhao’s Dynasty amidst chaos. You claim to be his best heir, and you should have the courage to create your own path and future!"

He Tiantian looked down at Emperor Yongcheng, saying calmly, "Two choices, you pick yourself!"

Either be a confined King Shun, with no worries about food and drink and live a peaceful life;

Or take soldiers out, face hardship and danger to carve out your career, and become a "Founding Emperor"?

Two choices, one dilemma. Emperor Yongcheng stopped crying and slowly wiped away his tears, contemplating alone.

"I’ll give you three days to think it over!"

After He Tiantian said this, she glanced at Zheng Nianer.

No, to be precise, He Tiantian was using Divine Sense to check the Wild System.

With Emperor Yongcheng deposed, the Dragon Energy within him nearly vanished.

Without energy supplementation, the Wild System was at its weakest.

As for Zheng Nianer, it was unsure if she was struck by the deposing of Emperor Yongcheng or stimulated by Lady He’s attempt to become Empress, but she showed signs of "Awakening."

Her Divine Soul was incredibly repelled by the Palace Fighting System!

Perfect, this is the time!

He Tiantian’s Divine Sense turned into an invisible giant hand, directly probing into the depths of Zheng Nianer’s sea of consciousness, and with a firm grip, seized the Wild System.

Then, He Tiantian carefully split, isolating Zheng Nianer’s Divine Soul from the Wild System.

Finally, He Tiantian quickly executed Junior Master Uncle’s Wuji Technique, completely absorbing the dark energy mass.

Burp!

He Tiantian’s Divine Soul let out a satisfying burp.

Though the energy from the Wild System was dark and not particularly delicious, the quantity was substantial and filling.

He Tiantian felt her Divine Sense elevate once more.

Meanwhile, Zheng Nianer suddenly felt a lightness deep in her Divine Soul.

As if the shackles binding her tightly vanished, she finally regained her desired "freedom."

"System? System Father?! Dog Coin System!!"

Zheng Nianer cautiously called out with her consciousness, repeating several times without any response.

She tried to sense the existence of the Palace Fighting System, but to no avail!

The system is gone?

Haha, that Dog Coin System, it’s finally gone!

No more will I be struck by Thunder, I’ll never be forced into palace fights again, competing for a rotten cucumber with a group of women!

Zheng Nianer was on the brink of joyful tears.

Three days later, Zhao Gui made a choice.

A month later, the deposed Emperor Zhao Gui, now titled King Shun, passed away, and miles away by the sea, a fleet carrying three thousand soldiers and ample supplies set sail into the expansive ocean.

"It’s a pity Nianer fell ill and couldn’t join us!"

Zhao Gui looked longingly at the receding Dayuan, resentfully speaking to Lady Hu who was vomiting violently.

Lady Hu:... I wanted to feign illness too, but Empress Dowager He’s too ruthless, forcing me to accompany Zhao Gui out to sea!

Oh, not content being Tianchao Dynasty subjects, but instead venturing overseas as barbarians, Lady Hu felt her life’s plotting had turned into a joke.

Ugh!

Lady Hu never knew she gets seasick.

Just having set sail, she already vomited bile.

She couldn’t believe her future days would be spent at sea, questioning whether she’d outlive enough to land on some island as "Empress Dowager"!

Nianer, that cunning wench, feigned illness to stay behind.

Watching helplessly as her father, mother, siblings, and sisters-in-law were forced onto the sea vessel by Empress Dowager He’s people.

Oh, they promised to stay together as a family?

They vowed to share hardships?

Ugh~~~

Lady Hu weakly leaned against the ship’s rail, vomiting uncontrollably at the swaying, deep ocean surface.

Zhao Gui:... Wet nurse, you, you are so disgusting!

Finally free from his domineering mother, Zhao Gui and Lady Hu became "family" in the shared hardship, and he no longer viewed her with the filter of a kind mother.

Ultimately, Lady Hu was just a servant, an elderly slave.

For her sake, he hurt his mother’s feelings... Ah, he deserved to be deposed, deserved to be exiled overseas by his mother!

Having gone through so much, Zhao Gui finally grew up, his mind gradually matured.

Yet, the cost of this growth was immense!