After crossing, I surrounded the capital from the countryside

In the dead of night, the glazed tiles of the imperial palace glow coldly in the moonlight, as if even the palace is silently telling unknown secrets.

The emperor sat alone in the imperial study, the candlelight flickering, reflecting his complex and indiscernible expression. Outside the window, the imperial city was completely silent, but his heart was like a surging wave that could not be calmed.

He closed his eyes, and those dusty memories came flooding back like a tide.

Although his talent was not the best among his brothers, and even his mother had to use some tricks to get the throne.

But he really once thought about doing his best to make Da Zhou a better place.

But for some reason, the entire court was gradually filled with an atmosphere of corruption, officials gradually protected each other, treacherous officials suppressed good officials, and even he himself seemed to be gradually corrupted by the desire for power.

If it ended here, he could at least sit on the dragon throne with peace of mind. However, all these beautiful visions turned into bubbles the moment he learned about his true life experience.

"The illegitimate son of the northern barbarians..." This thought echoed repeatedly in his mind, like the sharpest blade, constantly cutting every inch of his heart.

He felt unprecedented humiliation and despair, as if his whole life had become a huge lie, and he was the clown teased by fate.

He smiled bitterly and began to doubt whether he was really qualified to sit on the dragon throne and rule the country as an emperor?

But every time these thoughts came to his mind, he could feel the desire and unwillingness coming from deep within his heart.

He has enjoyed the supreme honor brought by power and experienced the pleasure of controlling everything. This feeling has long been ingrained in his bones and has become an indispensable part of his life.

Giving up? That would be worse than death.

So, he planned to go all the way with a glimmer of hope, thinking that no one would know the secret, but he was discovered in the end.

He became evidence of the northern barbarians' usurpation of the country and was regarded as a wicked son and a bad person by some people.

The emperor slowly stood up, walked to the window, and stared into the distance. The imperial city under the moonlight seemed particularly peaceful and solemn, as if everything was asleep. He exhaled deeply, but his heart was gradually shrouded in darkness.

The throne is his, and the world is his too. No one can take it away from him!

As he thought of this, his gaze gradually became firmer and more ruthless.

……

With the instigation of various forces, no matter how hard the imperial teacher and the emperor tried, they could not suppress the news. They could only watch the news spread at a speed that terrified the emperor. Soon, it reached the point where everyone from an 80-year-old man to a three-year-old child knew about it.

At the same time, the uprising army led by Xu Qingqing, which started in the northern border, also began to grow stronger with terrifying cohesion.

In the morning, sunlight shone through the window lattices onto the magnificent hall, but it seemed unable to dispel the heavy atmosphere.

However, today's morning court session does not seem to be very peaceful. One can get a glimpse of this by looking at the way these court officials are looking at each other.

"His Majesty has arrived!" With a loud shout, all officials stood in silence, waiting for the emperor to arrive.

The emperor walked slowly into the hall, his eyes flashing with complex emotions, and he looked deeply at the courtiers below.

"My dear ministers, do you have anything important to report?" The emperor's voice was low and powerful, without any emotion. His expressionless face seemed as if he didn't care about the rumors outside at all. However, every word he said seemed to hit everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

After a moment of silence, an official who usually looked inconspicuous stood up. His voice trembled slightly, and he stammered, "Your Majesty, I dare to make a suggestion. Now, the people are unstable, and uprisings are everywhere in the northern border. It is all because of your Majesty's... your... identity. In order to stabilize the overall situation, I beg your Majesty to abdicate and let the wise man take over."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.

Several officials who usually had complaints about the emperor had a barely perceptible glimmer of pride and expectation in their eyes.

They raised their heads slightly, and their eyes met, seeming to convey some kind of tacit understanding, but they did not immediately agree. Instead, they maintained a cautious silence, fearing that they would become the next target of the emperor's anger.

Those officials who were loyal to the emperor and had great respect for the imperial power were horrified when they heard this. They lowered their heads and dared not look directly at the emperor's majestic face.

Some officials even took a few steps back unconsciously, as if trying to stay away from the center of this sudden storm.

They all found it hard to believe that someone would dare to talk about the emperor's background in front of him and even dare to suggest that the emperor abdicate and let someone else take over.

Those who are worldly-wise and good at reading people's expressions quickly consider various possibilities and response strategies in their minds.

Some of them frowned, lost in thought; some looked around with flickering eyes, trying to find clues from the reactions of their colleagues. Which force had put forward this unlucky scapegoat? Could it be Prince An?

In addition, some officials showed obvious panic and anxiety.

Of course, some officials chose to remain silent. They might be dissatisfied with the emperor's rule, but they were reluctant to speak out at this critical moment to avoid becoming the target of public criticism. They stood quietly aside, observing the development of the situation, secretly thinking about the future path in their hearts.

The emperor's face turned livid in an instant, and he glared at the official as if he wanted to pierce through him with his eyes.

"How dare you! How dare you spread lies to confuse the people and shake the foundation of the country!" The emperor's voice echoed in the hall like thunder, "Come here, drag these traitors out and execute them immediately!"

Following the emperor's order, several guards stepped forward quickly and dragged the man out regardless of his resistance. Soon a scream was heard from outside, followed by the sound of a head falling to the ground.

The hall fell into deathly silence once again, with only the occasional chirping of birds outside the window breaking the oppression.

"Who else? You can speak freely today." The emperor looked around with a sharp gaze, as if he wanted to see through everyone's thoughts.

All the officials lowered their heads, not daring to look directly into the emperor's eyes, let alone make any sound. They all knew that whoever spoke at this moment would die, so there was no need to offend, saving their lives was the most important thing.

At this time, an old minister slowly walked out of the queue, knelt on the ground, and said in an old and heavy voice: "Your Majesty, I dare to make a suggestion. The uprising in the northern border is indeed a great threat to the court. However, if Your Majesty suppresses it with thunderous means, you may lose the support of the people. I think the most urgent task is to "find out the truth" and appease the people, so as to quell the rebellion."

As soon as these words were spoken, many officials below looked at each other in bewilderment. Didn't this clearly mean that they were ready to join the emperor's camp and show their loyalty to him?