"Your Majesty..." Gao Demao held the Emperor's leg and looked at the Eldest Princess, pleading, "Eldest Princess, this matter is not His Majesty's fault. His Majesty was bewitched by that sorcerer of the State Preceptor, the real culprit is that demon."
At the mention of the State Preceptor, the Emperor recalled how the State Preceptor once instructed him to ascend the Ninefold Terrace on the sixteenth of June. Thinking of his body deteriorating further, the Emperor, with dark circles around his eyes, seemed possessed, forcibly suppressing his hatred towards Bai Qingyan, he said to Bai Qingyan in a negotiating tone, "Bai Qingyan, I... shall make a deal with you! If you are willing to help me gather a thousand young boys and girls for alchemy, and assist me in ascending the Ninefold Terrace, I... will pass the throne to you. By then, you will have a legitimate claim, and the Bai family will not be considered rebels. We would each get what we need."
