2018
Empress Xue and the Crown Prince failed in their coup attempt; Empress Xue was imprisoned in the Cold Palace, and the Crown Prince was deposed. The Emperor seemed to have aged several years overnight because of these events.
The first deposition of the Crown Prince could be said to be for the Emperor's selfish reasons, but by the second time, the news had spread among the people, and the citizens became uneasy.
The Crown Prince is the future monarch. How could such a grave matter be treated so lightly by the Emperor? To depose two Crown Princes in a few short years and change the heir at will made all other issues seem even less important to the Emperor?
The Emperor was aware that this incident had caused a very bad influence, but he could not let the citizens know he was manipulated by a woman who drugged and controlled his mind to appoint a new Empress and Crown Prince. He had to find a way to minimize the negative impact of the second deposition.
