Prime Minister Xin Shang had previously dismissed Empress Dowager Liu as a narrow-minded woman of little consequence, but he now realized how devastatingly wrong he had been. "Empress Dowager," he began, "the Third Prince, Ji Sha, is cursed by the stars as a 'Lone Heavenly Star' and was condemned by the Emperor for the poisoning of his own brother. He is unfit for such a heavy responsibility. The Prince of Xi, son of the late Emperor, is a man of virtue and talent. He has long led armies to defend against the Western Rong with great merit; he is a rare royal bloodline, skilled in both civil and military arts. If we elevate the Prince of Xi to the throne, he will surely stabilize the court and hold back our external enemies."
Although the Emperor of Zhou, Ji Hua, had four sons, the Crown Prince, Ji Sheng, had been executed by Li Feng’s blade, leaving the Third Prince as the only surviving son.
Yet, because Ji Sha was fated as a "Lone Heavenly Star" and had committed the crime of fratricide, the Emperor had long since stripped him of his status as heir; naturally, he was deemed unsuitable to be the new ruler. Conversely, the Emperor’s younger brother, the Prince of Xi, not only commanded an army but was indisputably the most suitable and necessary candidate for the throne.
Chapter 235