Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Chen Pin led the remaining troops and galloped at full speed, and the towering imperial palace gradually came into view.

The vermilion palace walls glowed blood-red in the setting sun. The imperial guards on the city wall saw the approaching person from afar and immediately drew their bows and arrows.

"Stop! The imperial palace is a restricted area, anyone who trespasses will be killed without mercy!" the captain of the imperial guards shouted loudly.

Chen Pin reined in the reins, raised his head and revealed his face: "It's me! Open the palace gates immediately!"

The captain of the imperial guards recognized the prime minister and was immediately horrified. He hurriedly ordered: "Open the palace gate!"

The heavy palace gate slowly opened, and Chen Pin rushed into the palace first.

Zhao Polu, the captain of the imperial guards, came forward hastily: "Prime Minister, this is..."

"Close all palace gates!" Chen Pin interrupted harshly, "No one is allowed to enter without my order!"

Although Zhao Bolu was surprised, he did not dare to disobey the order and immediately ordered the palace gates to be closed.

Chen Pin said no more and hurried to the harem with his confidants including Wang Lang.

In front of Kunning Palace, two maids saw Chen Pin approaching with a sword and hurried forward to stop him: "Prime Minister, please wait until I inform the Queen Mother..."

"Get out of here!" Chen Pin raised his sword and slashed, killing a maid on the spot.

The other maid collapsed to the ground in fear and was pushed away by him.

Inside the palace, Empress Dowager Dou Lianyi was burning incense and praying. When she saw Chen Pin rushing in with a bloody sword in hand, her face immediately turned pale:

"Prime Minister, you...why are you doing this?"

Chen Pin fell to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face. "Queen Dowager! Prince Liu Xiu of Chenliu and Duke Huo Quji of the Protectorate have led their troops in rebellion and have already invaded Chang'an! I fought my way out of the encirclement and have come to protect you!"

Dou Lianyi was shocked when she heard this: "How...how is this possible? Chenliu Prince Liu Xiu has always been loyal and honest. It is impossible for him to do such a treasonous thing."

"The Queen Mother is wise!"

Chen Pin said urgently, "Liu Xiu has evil ambitions and is leading his rebel army to burn, kill, and loot in the city! Please, Queen Dowager, issue an immediate decree to punish him for treason!"

Dou Lianyi pondered for a moment and gently advised, "Prime Minister, if Xiu'er really behaved inappropriately, I can summon him to the palace for questioning. If it is a misunderstanding, I can keep you safe."

"It's too late! It's too late for everything!"

Chen Pin suddenly jumped up and grabbed the empress dowager's hair: "He has already said that he must kill me!"

Dou Lianyi cried out in pain, her hair was disheveled, and her phoenix hairpin fell to the ground.

Chen Pin roared with a ferocious look on his face, "If you don't write the imperial edict, today will be the day you die!"

"Prime Minister, let go... I'll just write it!" Dou Lianyi was in so much pain that tears were streaming down her face.

Chen Pin finally let go and pushed the brush and ink in front of the Empress Dowager. Dou Lianyi, with trembling hands, wrote an imperial decree under Chen Pin's coercion and affixed the phoenix seal.

Chen Pin picked up the imperial edict and laughed wildly towards the sky: "With this imperial edict, the noble families in the city will definitely send troops to help us! Liu Xiu, let's see how long you can continue to be so arrogant!"

That’s right, his last reinforcements are the noble families in the city!

These noble families all have their own private soldiers and death squads. As long as these people support him, he can turn defeat into victory!

At this moment, Wang Lang came tumbling in, "Prime Minister, this is bad! The palace has been surrounded by the troops of the Prince of Chenliu and the Duke of Huguo!"

Chen Pin's expression suddenly changed, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes: "Come here! Bring the Queen Mother to the palace wall!"

Dou Lianyi was horrified: "I am the Queen Mother, how dare you be so rude!"

"Hmph!" Chen Pin grabbed her chin and said, "Whether you are now the Queen Mother or not is up to me! Take her away!"

The imperial guards stepped forward and lifted up the empress dowager, ignoring her struggles and forcibly taking her to the palace wall.

Outside the palace walls, Liu Xiu and Huo Quji led the army to wait in battle formation.

Seeing the Queen Mother being taken to the tower, Liu Xiu immediately stepped forward and said, "Chen Pin! How dare you hold the Queen Mother hostage? You deserve to be put to death!"

Chen Pin held up the imperial edict and shouted, "Liu Xiu! The Queen Mother has decreed that you are leading troops in rebellion, a crime unforgivable! If you withdraw now, perhaps your body will be spared!"

Liu Xiu, furious, laughed back, "Chen Pin! As Prime Minister, you have no desire to serve the country. Instead, you have formed a clique for personal gain and are disrupting the government! If I don't get rid of you today, the Han Dynasty will be destroyed by you!"

"How dare you!" Chen Pin pushed the Queen Mother against the wall. "The Queen Mother is here, how dare you disobey her orders?"

Dou Lianyi said in a trembling voice, "Prince of Chenliu, the Prime Minister said you are here to rebel."

"The Queen Mother is wise!"

Liu Xiu said loudly, "Chen Pin deceives the emperor and persecutes loyal officials. I am leading the troops into the city today only to purge the emperor's entourage! If the Empress Dowager is forced to issue an order, I will be unable to obey!"

Chen Pin was furious and grabbed the Queen Mother by the neck: "Quick! Order him to withdraw his troops!"

Dou Lianyi burst into tears: "Prince Chenliu, you...you should withdraw your troops!"

Liu Xiu took a deep breath and spoke in a strong voice: "Queen Dowager! If you let Chen Pin go today, he will become a serious threat tomorrow!"

"For the sake of the Han Dynasty, I would rather bear the crime of disobeying the emperor's order than kill this beast!"

He turned to the soldiers of the three armies and shouted, "All soldiers, listen to my orders! Break through the palace gates, remove the emperor's followers, and restore order!"

"Kill!" The deafening shouts of killing resounded through the sky, and the army began to attack the palace gate.

Chen Pin's face turned pale, and he retreated repeatedly while grabbing the empress dowager.

He knew that the final decisive battle had finally arrived.

He originally thought that holding the Queen Mother hostage would be enough to intimidate the other party, but he did not expect Liu Xiu to be so decisive and completely disregard the Queen Mother's safety.

Under the palace wall, border soldiers surged in like a tide, ladders had been set up on the palace wall, and arrows were shot towards the top of the city like locusts.

"Duke Protector of the Country!"

Chen Pin yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice particularly piercing amid the roar of killing: "You were granted a title and a general by the late emperor's grace. Now that the empress dowager is in trouble, are you really going to sit back and watch?"

Huo Quji frowned and raised his hand to signal: "Pause the siege!"

The army stopped in its tracks, but the archers still drew their bows and aimed their arrows at the top of the city walls.

"What do you want?" Huo Quji asked coldly, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.

Seeing an opportunity, Chen Pin immediately shouted, "It's simple! If you kill Liu Xiu now, you and I will jointly support the Emperor of Han! You will be in charge of the military, and I will be in charge of government affairs. Together, we will protect the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Xiu's expression suddenly changed after hearing these words. He immediately said to Huo Quji, "Don't fall for this trick, Lord Protector of the State! This man is incredibly cunning. If I die, you'll be the next person he'll eliminate!"

"Don't forget that most of the people in the court are his followers. If that happens, you will be alone and unable to make a living. How will you survive in Chang'an?"

Huo Quji was in a dilemma, his brow furrowed. "But the Queen Mother is in his hands. If we attack her forcefully, and anything happens to her, you and I will both be sinners for eternity!"

Seeing Huo Quji wavering, Chen Pin immediately shouted at the top of his lungs from the city wall: "Huo Quji! If you can kill Liu Xiu, I will give up my position as Prime Minister and only save my life! Then all power in the government will be in your hands!"

As he shouted, he pushed the Queen Mother forward half a step.

Dou Lianyi's phoenix crown was askew, tears were streaming down her face, and she was swaying beside the city wall.

This scene made Huo Quji even more hesitant.

Seeing this, Liu Xiu hurriedly said, "Think twice, Duke Protector of the State! Chen Pin is a man of his word. If we let him go today, he will become a serious threat to us in the future!"

"If anything happens to the Queen Mother, the blame will naturally be on him. It has nothing to do with you or me!"

The three parties were in a stalemate both inside and outside the city.

Chen Pin grabbed the empress dowager tightly, his nails almost digging into her flesh.

Liu Xiu gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, ready to attack at any time.

Huo Quji had a serious expression on his face, obviously weighing the pros and cons.

As the sun sets, everyone's shadow becomes very long.

This life-and-death game not only concerns the fate of several people, but also the future of the entire Han Dynasty.

At this moment, everyone's choice will determine the direction of history.