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

The stark contrast and the astonishing truth before their eyes left countless people stunned and speechless.

"You...you..." The first to break the silence was Deng Hongwen, the Minister of Rites.

This minister, who was known for his composure, was now deathly pale, his lips trembling, and his finger pointing at Chu Yun shook like a withered branch in the wind.

Disregarding his own safety, he suddenly rushed out of the crowd, staggered a few steps, and almost tripped over the corpses at his feet.

But he remained fixed on Chu Yun, his voice distorted with anger and shock:

"Prince Yun! You...you dared to lead troops to attack His Majesty!"

"This...this is treason! This is utter rebellion! You...you're insane?!"

Chu Yun waved his folding fan, glanced at Deng Hongwen leisurely, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead took a few steps forward leisurely, his boots making a soft "plop" sound as they stepped on the paper money and blood scattered on the ground.

His leisurely posture made it seem as if he were not walking on a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, but rather on a cobblestone path in his own garden.

"rebellion?"

He finally spoke, his voice languid and clear, with a hint of nonchalant amusement.

He stopped, gently closed his folding fan, and tapped it against his palm, as if tapping out an interesting idea.

"Hehe...hehehe...hahahaha—!"

He suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, the laughter even more arrogant, unrestrained, and shrill than before.

He laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears streaming down his face, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

The laughter finally stopped.

Chu Yun lowered his head, looked at Deng Hongwen, then at the surrounded ministers, and finally, his gaze fell on the black-clad figure in the center of the shield wall.

In his eyes burned a raging, intense fire that had been suppressed for a full decade.

"rebellion?"

He repeated those two words, his voice suddenly becoming sharp and cold: "Lord Deng, I would like to ask you—what is treason?"

He suddenly unfolded his folding fan, the landscape on its surface trembling slightly in the cold wind: "Wasn't Chu Ning's throne obtained through his rebellion?!"

These words were like a thunderclap!

Inside and outside the shield wall, countless people's expressions changed drastically!

Chu Yun, however, disregarded everything, as if he wanted to unleash all the resentment and anger that had been building up for years at once.

He took a step forward, his voice growing louder and more excited:

"The late emperor has passed away, and his will is unknown! Father Emperor's favorite was not Chu Ning!"

"The one most qualified to inherit the throne is me! It is me! Not Chu Ning!"

His finger suddenly pointed at Chu Ning inside the shield wall, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness: "But what about him?"

"He relied on his power, colluded with powerful ministers, bribed the imperial guards, forged an imperial edict, and usurped the throne that rightfully belonged to me!"

"After he ascended the throne, he harmed his own brothers and slaughtered his own brethren! How did the eldest prince die? How did the third prince die? How did the seventh prince and the eleventh prince die?"

Chu Yun's face was contorted with excitement, completely devoid of his previous dashing demeanor, leaving only naked hatred and madness:

"If Chu Ning can rebel, kill his brothers, and sit on the dragon throne over his brothers' corpses, why can't I?"

"I am merely... merely better at waiting and better at disguising myself than he is!"

He suddenly opened his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire world, or as if to announce his victory to everyone:

"Years ago, I knew that in a head-on confrontation, I was no match for him."

"So I endured it! I pretended to be indulging in sensual pleasures, pretended to be indifferent to worldly affairs, and pretended to be grateful to him!"

"Ten years! A full ten years! In this darkness, in this unknown shadow, I have been accumulating strength bit by bit, waiting for the right opportunity!"

He pointed to the black-armored soldiers behind him, his voice full of smugness: "See them?"

"These are all my private soldiers, whom I secretly recruited and trained!"

"They are not remnants of the rebel army, nor spies of the Tang Dynasty; they are my men! They are the capital I have accumulated over ten years of forbearance!"

"Today is the day of Han Xing's funeral. I know that Chu Ning will come to the funeral in person."

"I know that most of the Imperial Guards will remain in the city to keep watch, and not all of them will accompany us."

"I know this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

He suddenly turned around, facing the trembling civil and military officials who were surrounded by him, and a confident smile appeared on his face.

"Now,"

Chu Yun's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable pressure that echoed across the empty plains.

"It's your turn to make a choice!"

He raised his hand, pointing to the area protected by the shield wall, and then to the spot next to him:

"Those who chose Chu Ning, stand on the right! Those who chose me, stand on the left!"

His gaze slowly swept over each panicked face, and in that gaze there was threat, temptation, and a cruel pleasure like a cat playing with a mouse.

"But you need to think this through,"

Chu Yun slowed his voice, enunciating each word slowly and deliberately, each syllable like a cold dagger piercing the hearts of the crowd.

"Choosing Chu Ning means certain death! My army has completely surrounded this place!"

"Chu Ning is doomed today! Following him means certain death! Your wives, children, and the honor of your families will all be buried with him!"

He paused, then unfolded his folding fan again, gently waving it, resuming his dashing and debonair demeanor.

"And those who choose me... hehe, I will not treat you unfairly."

"Afterwards, rewards will be given based on merit. You will be promoted three ranks and awarded a thousand taels of gold! Follow me, and we will usher in a new era!"

After he finished speaking, the scene fell into a deathly silence.

Only the howling wind, the fluttering paper money, and the groans and dying gasps of the wounded sounded particularly jarring in the silence.

Inside the shield wall, the Imperial Guards gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes filled with anger and vigilance.

Outside the shield wall, the civil and military officials who were surrounded all looked ashen-faced and trembled all over.

Their gazes darted back and forth between Chu Ning inside the shield wall and Chu Yun outside the shield wall.

Fear, greed, hesitation, struggle—countless complex emotions flashed across their faces.

Choosing Chu Ning means death. This is Chu Yun's threat, and also the reality before him.

Countless black-armored soldiers, a dense barrage of blades and arrows—can they really survive?

Choosing Chu Yun—Life?

But what if Chu Ning has a backup plan? What if the Imperial Guards can break through the encirclement? What if this rebellion ultimately fails? What will be the fate of those who choose Chu Yun?

Is it a gamble, a matter of life and death?

Is it to uphold loyalty and righteousness, or to live a life of ignominy?

Should they follow the besieged emperor, who seemed doomed, or turn to the triumphant rebel king, who was confident of victory?

The cold wind howled, swirling up paper money and dust everywhere.

Han Xing's coffin stood quietly in the middle of the official road, its blood-stained banner fluttering in the wind, as if silently watching this trial of humanity.

Chu Ning stood inside the shield wall, silent, coldly watching everything unfold, his gaze like a bottomless, icy pool.

Chu Yun, meanwhile, waved his folding fan with a smile, waiting for his terrified ministers to make their life-or-death decision.